Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

carstryke

Well we bought our Equinox when we had 2 kids and now we have 3, and the poor lil buggers look like sardines squished in the back. We have looked around and really found a nice crew cab Sierra 1500 If i can ever get a day off i might just have to take it out for a spin :shades:

akangl

A CPO 2007 BMW X3 today with 45k on the clock. It was a nice car, good history, had the M sport pkg or whatever that thing is, plus cold weather pkg. I liked it, so figured well, I'll drive it and who knows, maybe even pull the trigger. Dealer was asking $29,999 for it.

Salesguy drove first, roads are slick and it had summer tires on it, he assured me it was fine, but I'm a chicken. He went a ways then I drove. Really loved how it handled..........BUT the driver's side seat was OMG horrible. I could not get the lumbar to go back far enough to stop pushing on my back, drove me nuts. Really bummed me out, it was fine otherwise, color was meh, but liveable, dark blue with a light interior (yes I still hate light interiors).

Sat in a 2011 as well, but the gas pedal is in a weird spot, was really uncomfortable. My daughter commented that the '11 had a lot more rear leg room compared to the 07, she also said the 07 had horrible back seats.

The X3 is a cool SUV, just not for me. :sick: That was the last one on my list, so I guess the MDX has survived the cut so far, its about the only thing I can find that's liveable.

qbrozen

Wife ruled out the Ody already.

As bad as Jolie? You mean you are just figuring this out NOW? Where have you been? :P

stickguy

since you mention size, my wife thinks somewhat like your wife. You need to buy a big enough vehicle to handle the most you can possibly ever imagine hauling, even if it is maybe 1 time per year.

my thought is, take less crap. and let someone else drive if you have 7/8 people, or take 2 cars!

I do know with younger kids, you do need space for all their crap and friends when they are doing organized activities.

we have had minivans since my 2nd kid was born. She is now in HS, and my son is off at college and has his own car. so, we really don't need the giant van anymore, and even my wants something more compact (some kind of corssover wagon). Probably not real small, but maybe in the Sante fe/highlander size range.

Sandman6472

Sat in a new EX-L at the dealership on Monday and boy, what a cool interior...beautiful soft leather & cool controls won me over but the size killed it for me...way to large! Nice car but what a barge!! And the $...forgetaboutit!! And with all the problems with the tranny issues...no way.

Probably just best to keep the Mazda5 for awhile and save the extra $ for when you find something she really wants...& can afford!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

kyfdx

Colorado trip...

6 adults.. baggage plus a snowboard (will rent skis out there)..

Rent a Tahoe or a mini-van?

michaellno

Colorado trip...

6 adults.. baggage plus a snowboard (will rent skis out there)..

Rent a Tahoe or a mini-van?

6 + luggage?

Is it going on the roof? How many days?

I don't think everything will fit into one vehicle - mini-van or Tahoe.

But, I'd probably get the Tahoe just so you have 4WD. The drive from the resorts (Vail, Copper) to Denver was clocked at 4+ hours on Monday night (for reference, in good weather Denver to Vail is usually 90-105 minutes) and the Eisenhower and Johnson tunnels were closed last night due to excessive snow. Not sure I'd want to try that with FWD.

stickguy

better get a suburban.

I have ridden in the 3rd row of a tahoe, and it was brutal. Plus, you have next to no luggage space behind the 3rd row, at least 1/2 of which will have to be up. And even the spare seat takes up a lot of room.

the bigger issue with a minivan is load. 6 adults, unless a couple are pretty small, can be quite a bit without luggage. throw in a few hundred pounds of crap, and you could be dragging that back bumper!

tifighter

The R-class gets poor ratings for reliability from just about every source I've seen. I think consumer reports gives it a much worse than average rating, but at least they're cheap to fix and work on

BTW, I bought a CPO Acura RDX the other day. The Pilot is gone, the deal was very good, and my CCBA card has a new punch.

akangl

I bought a CPO Acura RDX the other day. The Pilot is gone, the deal was very good, and my CCBA card has a new punch.

Grats! How do you like the RDX?

Hubby was looking at one today while we were waiting on his car, he asked me why that wasn't good enough? Its about $10k cheaper then the MDX. If he had his way I think I'd be driving a CR-V since the 328xi is way too small, even my short daughter had no leg room in the back seat.

kyfdx

Thanks..

4WD is a consideration, but we are going the last week of March, so not quite as much (though condo is at 9500 feet). We had some snow last year, but the AWD was more of a security blanket.

It's 6 adults plus six bags, most likely... But, it's just 90 minutes each way.. then one place for the whole week.. I was thinking the minivan would be better suited to getting the six of us around town (dinner, etc), plus have a little more space to stick luggage.

We may rent two cars...

michaellno

4WD is a consideration, but we are going the last week of March, so not quite as much (though condo is at 9500 feet). We had some snow last year, but the AWD was more of a security blanket.

It's 6 adults plus six bags, most likely... But, it's just 90 minutes each way.. then one place for the whole week.. I was thinking the minivan would be better suited to getting the six of us around town (dinner, etc), plus have a little more space to stick luggage.

We may rent two cars...

Having lived in Colorado now for almost 18 years, it may surprise you to learn that the snowiest month of the year is March, followed closely by April. Plus, the spring storms tend to drop that heavy, wet snow you so often see on the east coast.

Where, exactly, are you going? Taking I-70 through the tunnel? Berthoud Pass (US 40)? Loveland Pass (US 6)?

That 90 minute drive time you quote is probably based on optimum driving conditions ... just keep an eye on the weather and check back here before you leave and I can probably provide a little more local guidance. You may also find the website www.cotrip.org useful ... links to road conditions and traffic cameras.

When I first read your post, my first thought was "two cars". Glad to see you're considering it as well.

corvette

The Tahoe has almost no room for luggage without the third row folded down. IIRC the third row is practically up against the tailgate glass. A Suburban will have more room in the third row and more luggage room.

tifighter

Grats! How do you like the RDX?

I like it a lot. The interior is great, it has features I like, good power, and it actually handles. I like the Acura seats. Gray metallic over tan leather. It was a CPO buy, so B2B warranty goes thru Feb 2013, powertrain thru Feb 2015, plus a subsidized APR, etc. New tires and brakes (BTW, 18" tires are not cheap.) Price was approx $3500 below TMV for a CPO. They gave me some equity on my lease return Pilot, and took care of the paperwork. It was pretty painless, really; I'm a happy camper.

kyfdx

We were there at the same time last year.. Keystone..

I know about the possibility of snow.. I also notice that 80% of the vehicles around me don't have AWD, even out there...

I'm more concerned with room... I'd love a Suburban or Tahoe XL, but I can rent a second Tahoe cheaper than upgrading (no kidding).

The rental companies say the Tahoe can hold 7 passengers and 4 bags.. We have 6 passengers and probably 6 bags... I'm thinking the minivan might be an easier fit...

I've got reservations for the Tahoe with Alamo (super cheap rate, relatively), and also for the minivan through National.. Of course, no penalty if you don't show up.... so, I may wait and see what we can fit...

thanks!

kyfdx

The RDX is a candidate for my wife's next car, when her lease is up in October...

Unfortunately, small SUVs aren't the cheapest leases... we may have to go the CPO route, as well...

qbrozen

The R-class gets poor ratings for reliability from just about every source I've seen.

Could you link me to some of those? I'd like to have them on file.

As it is, I've checked msnautos and truedelta, and neither of those are saying anything scary.

isellhondas

An RDX would probably NOT be a good car to lease.

They really aren't good sellers since a lot of people (me for one) think of them as a glorified CRV.

As such, I would think the residuals wouldn't be very good because of poor resale. Hence, high payments.

A CRV wold be a much more attractive car to lease.

Acura really shot themselves in the foot when they decided to hang that ugly "beak" on the front ends of theri cars. Have to wonder what they were thinking?

kyfdx

Have to wonder what they were thinking?


I have some cheese that needs grating? :P

isellhondas

I hadn't thought of that but you're right!

It does look like a cheese grater!

steine13

I have some cheese that needs grating?

That's not a statement I would have expected from a host!

Good point, though. Looks really stupid.

-Mathias

fezo

As bad as Jolie? You mean you are just figuring this out NOW? Where have you been?

I hang my head in shame.

Well, actually I thought you might be getting to a point of settled in for a bit. Kind of like when Jolie had the Pilot. I should have known better...

qbrozen

I thought so, too. Oh well.

Interesting anomaly in my research. An '09 VW Routan is actually $2k cheaper than an '09 Chrysler T&C. How odd.

michaellno

I find it interesting that, as your kids are getting older and more independent, your wife is pressing for a larger car.

When I met my wife, her kids were 10 and 8. She drove a Tempo, I had a '93 Accord. The Tempo went away for a cheap Ford Escort lease, and the Escort was traded in for an Expedition. By this time, the kids were (I think) 13 and 11. Made sense for us to have a larger SUV, what with activities and friends and such, plus the occasional road trip.

The Expedition was swapped for an Explorer, so we still had the 3rd row, but now it folded into the floor. This got us through to when the oldest was 16 and started to drive himself.

The Explorer was traded in before lease end for a Focus, so we were a 2 car family for a bit before the wife wanted to get back into an SUV. That's when we got the '05 VUE (and subsequently, the '08 VUE).

The wife, I don't think, will ever have a "regular" car again as her DD. She likes the visibility of the small SUV - the only thing she'd like to have (again) is leather and a sunroof, neither of which we have on our '08 VUE. She also likes the HP of a V6.

The only thing that may change that is a change of scenery ... she's lived her whole life in either Wyoming or Colorado, so she's more than ready for a move to warmer climes.

js06gv

My sister just got a new Enclave and loves it. I was impressed with the amount of cargo room compared to what you used to see on larger SUVs (Tahoes and Expeditions behind the third row), but in my opinion there really is no comparison between an Enclave and a Sienna/Odyssey when it comes to total space behind that third row. Both of the minivans have a huge well at the bottom that the third row folds into and I'd bet the practical usable space is at least double in the vans. Trust me, I'm not a minivan pusher by any stretch. I did my time in one of those from '97-'02 after my daughter was born, but back then it was a '97 Pontiac Transport which only had tumble-forward seats that didn't fold neatly into anything! Still good space with the extended version though.

qbrozen

I find it interesting that, as your kids are getting older and more independent, your wife is pressing for a larger car.

I'm not sure how it all works, honestly. I do just fine with my GTI, personally. The kids are 4 (almost 5) and 1. 2 carseats in the backseat and enough room for a small stroller and some groceries in the boot. What more does one need?

Well, I'll tell ya. One apparently needs to be able to carry a double stroller AND a small stroller to suit the occassion. $500 worth of food and whatever from the warehouse store. AND 2 extra adult passengers in addition to our family of 4 .... all at the same time. Did I mention the planets being aligned while this is going on?

Hell, she's even pulled the "what about when we go to Disney in 2 years? The Mazda won't work for that trip!" I can't make this stuff up.

akangl

she's even pulled the "what about when we go to Disney in 2 years? The Mazda won't work for that trip!" I can't make this stuff up

LOL, even I'm not that bad! I've actually looked at smaller vehicles, but with a 6' tall 16 year old its hard to find something he fits in. He rarely goes anywhere with us anymore, he can barely squeeze into the back seat of our 2 dr Civic.

I'd love to have something that was smaller and AWD, but what happened to rear leg room?? I would have probably taken a CPO 3-series if it wasn't for the kids, but when my 5'1" daughter can't fit in the back seat, well, the 16 year old isn't going to even go near it. We do take several 5-6 hour road trips, most in the summer, some in the winter, so its hard for me to get away from an SUV.

The Pilot had the 3rd row seat and in the 3 years I had the car I never used it. It was folded down with a husky cargo liner over it. However, I did like the size of the Pilot, I felt safe and with the driver's around here, well, that's a plus!

Yes I know the 16 year old should be driving soon.......but mom isn't ready to let him have the keys just yet. He turns 17 this summer.......

corvette

Used is the way to go on a Routan or a T&C--the resale is horrible on both of them. I think '08 was the redesign year, so you'd probably be safer with an '09 or '10.

qbrozen

Found many certified '09 Routans loaded to the gills with 30k miles or less for under $23k. Heck of a deal for something that was $40k new.

tifighter

I was surprised by the legroom in the second row of the RDX; I set the drivers seat to where I like it (memory setting 1 now ) and then sat in the second row. Pretty good; the seat angle is a little higher than ideal for me at 6'2" but it would be fine.

I looked at the new ones as a lease or buy, but wasn't crazy about the beak, or paying a LOT more for it on top of it all. The 08 I bought was in excellent condition; the interior looks brand new, and with the extra CPO warranty and good reliability ratings, it was a no brainer for me. The only thing the 11 offered standard that I like is a standard back-up camera and factory USB connector. But the aftermarket can take care of all of that for me.

fezo

LOL, even I'm not that bad!

Yes you are! :P

grandtotal

... but I've just taken over a lease. Fourteen months left to run. I was looking for a cheap get to work car and came across a 2008 VW Rabbit in great condition at a very reasonable monthly payment due to the previous lessee's down payment (and low interest rate). Best of all I get to go shopping again in thirteen months. May do the lease takeover thing again if this works out as well as I think it's going to.

stever

Seems like VW decontented the interiors of the Routans compared to the Caravans. Fewer seat options, don't fold away, etc.

stickguy

I remember reading about the Routan when it came out, and they purposely passed on the stow and go. The stow seats are smaller, and supposedly less comfortable, so VW went with the full size seats for more comfort.

also, these vans (like my Odyssey) are so big that you have a cavernous cargo area with just the 3rd row stored. In 6 years, I have never had the need to do anything with the 2nd row other than fold the seat backs down.

stever

Maybe it's the dealer network that explains the lower prices. :-)

I tossed the 2nd row of seats in my van and usually have the third row bench slid to the middle row. Lots of room, and if I want to put a couple of bikes in without removing wheels. I'll fold the seat bottom up and slide the seat flush against the front seats.

Just did a road trip to lower Michigan today (hoping to hit the Detroit car show tomorrow) and we took the Outback in case we hit weather - actually did see 3 cars in the ditch this morning leaving the Marquette area. The van is much more comfortable cruising but with the all-seasons on it, it's just not as reassuring as the wagon when there's snow and ice around.

My brother and his wife came up to see us from TN back in mid-October, and slept on a big plywood shelf they put in their Odyssey for those times they don't want to put a tent up or pull their pop-up. It must have room for another dozen suitcases over out van. Such versatile rigs.

roadburner

I find it interesting that, as your kids are getting older and more independent, your wife is pressing for a larger car.

We only had one child, which kept us out of Minivan Purgatory. For a long time I drove a 1993 Pathfinder as my work hack while my wife drove a 1998 318ti. My 1995 ti was the track toy. My wife reluctantly traded the ti for a CPO 528i because both of our mothers were widowed and no longer drove. Now she drives the 2004 X3 but plans to flip it for a CPO 1 Series or a Mini Clubman when our son goes off to college in a couple of years. I offered to drive the X3 and trade the MS3 for a Clubman but she insisted that I find something I wanted. Methinks that she assumes(correctly, I might add) that I'll go even loopier than usual if I have to go another year without any HPDE weekends...

oldbearcat

We own a 2010 CRV. Around Christmas, our Jaguar sedan that we use for long trips started having problems. Wife wanted to trade it for another small SUV. I wanted something with some decent performance, handling, and AWD. We found that a Mercedes GLK350 4matic suited both of us, and, bought one. Its like a sports sedan with lots of cargo room.

Regards:
OldBearcat

akangl

Yes you are!

LOL, maybe so. My biggest problem at the moment is making up my mind and buying something. There's so many choices and I'm so afraid of what I buy being something I get bored with quickly and not holding its value.

I did notice when I was at the Acura dealer yesterday they still have a 2010 MDX Advance sitting there. I'm thinking if my MDX doesn't come in next week I may see what deal they will make on the '10. If its a killer deal I'll take that and leave them with a 2011 MDX tech, I doubt they would mind.

Downside to the '10......its black with a light interior, but oddly enough, I kinda like it.

isellhondas

A few years ago, I was working the floor at the Seattle Auto Show.

The "stow and go" seatis had just been introduced and they were really being touted by Chrysler on T.V. commercials

I decided to stroll over to the Chrysler section and take a look. Now, this was only the second day of the show. they had two vans with stow and go on display and the seats were broken on both of them much to the embarassment of the guys who were working the show.

Sounds like a cool idea, but raising and lowering them requires several steps and it's a pain. They are very thin and very uncomfortable.

Good marketing ploy, though!

In defense of Chrysler, the people who attend the car shows can be brutal on the display cars! The climb in and out with their kids. They slam doors and jump on the seats. I used to cringe. It's no wonder the higher end cars are locked and roped off.

fezo

There's so many choices and I'm so afraid of what I buy being something I get bored with quickly and not holding its value.

Given your propensity to getting bored I'm truly impressed that you've stayed with the same husband so long.

rb - I can attest to the fact taht you make much more fun vehicle choices when there is only one kid. This from a guy who has 4 pretty widely spaced. (13 years between oldest and youngest.)

isellhondas

Getting bored easilly with cars can be VERY expensive.

" My name is Craig and I'm a Chronic Car Buyer"

Seriously. I've learned my lesson but it took awhile.

qbrozen

That's why I have my toy cars, too. Much much easier and cheaper to trade those out. It also gives you something else to drive sometimes to keep the boredome away.

Speaking of which, these past couple of weeks with all the snow, I've been driving the wife's Saab quite a bit. After 2 days at a time in that, I am quite anxious to get back into my GTI.

akangl

Given your propensity to getting bored I'm truly impressed that you've stayed with the same husband so long

Funny,lol.......let's see, our 18th anniversary is in June. Not many people stick it out that long these days. Now if I could just find a car I liked that much. :P

isellhondas

Toy cars are a bit different and you can have fun, get bored and not lose a lot of money.

A few years ago, we took in a nice 1992 Miata. Clean as can be and low miles. After it sat for a month without selling I stuck a deal on it.

Kept it for two years and after nearly getting run off the road twice in a row I decided I had had enough.

I think I sold it for about 300.00 less than I paid for it.

kyfdx

Hey.. my 18th is this week!

(I know... condolences can be sent to my wife at.... )

breld

Getting bored easilly with cars can be VERY expensive.

" My name is Craig and I'm a Chronic Car Buyer"

Seriously. I've learned my lesson but it took awhile.

We're learning that lesson now as well. My fiance and I get the itch for something new quite easily, and since we're both that way, neither of us temper the other very well. We were just talking about it today and concluded on a couple of rules we should try to abide by:

1) Buy something we really enjoy driving - with our tendencies as they are, may as well not start off with any compromises (within reason of course).

2) As most of you already practice - buy used. As strongly as I believe in that, I've veered off from that philosophy and all three of our cars were purchased brand new. Good deals on all of them, but nothing as great as taking your time to buy used.

So, in that spirit, we did look and drive a couple of used cars today - a VW CC and a 2006 330xi sedan (both manuals). The contrast was enlightening - a week ago we were pretty smitten by the CC; but after this comparison, we realized how much we like the BMWs.

Uh, so I guess there's #3 - test drive enough to ensure you abide by rule #1.

roadburner

Try a 330i or 328i; the RWD E90s are even more fun- especially with the Sport package suspension(something the xi models lack).

michaellno

Try a 330i or 328i; the RWD E90s are even more fun- especially with the Sport package suspension(something the xi models lack).

Yeah, but, like me, Bruce is in Colorado .. there are more xi 3-series than there are RWD only for sale around here.

Not that they aren't available, just tougher to find.

qbrozen

So, the wife spent a few hours at a VW dealer last night. Was getting worried she'd actually come home with something. Luckily, they didn't have the exact combination she wanted. But then, of course, she came home talking about how he said she could get a brand new SE with DVD for $23k.

I put a stop to that. I said no way in hell am I allowing her to settle. It has to be loaded to the gills or no deal. I'm not hearing any more complaints or regrets.

Anyway, she loved it. And there is something about special financing on CPO through 1/31. Waiting to hear back about the exact terms of that.

breld

Previously I had thought of a 3-series for our "fun" car, in which case I'd be up for coupe, RWD, whatever. But now we're thinking it could be one of our commuter cars, in which case we'd go with a sedan (or wagon) and the "xi" models. And, like Michael said, the rwd models, particularly in sedan form, are actually a tough find here in Colorado.

All that being said, I may go take a gander at a 328xi coupe at a local dealership. No sport package, but it's got the premium and cold weather, and it's in the Montego blue, which I like on the coupe. It's advertised at a good price (no haggle dealership), but there's a big catch - there's an accident reported on the carfax. The fact that it's CPO makes me think it must have been minor, but I'd have a hard time getting over that.