Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

xwesx

My nephew just finished swimming in the national junior college championships held in Buffalo, NY. He did extremely well, and produced some sizeable improvements on his personal bests in each event, but he did not take first in any of them. He did win a couple of heats, though, and that's just fun to watch!

When there's no money on the line, I'm not sure at what point "winner takes all" even matters. That's like playing a round of golf with your buddies and then gloating because you had the lowest score that day. /facepalm

qbrozen

28firefighter said:

I hope for your sake that the Pajero bidding picks up, Q.

I'm not the least bit worried. Nothing but the last 5 mins counts on these bidding sites.

qbrozen

Got a couple of interesting '98 options at the auctions tonight. Gonna try for some cheap ones and see how it goes. Nobody wants an MGF, right? Gotta be cheap. This Accord SiR-T will probably surprise me, but I'll try for that, too, anyway.

tifighter

kyfdx said:

I actually bid on a BaT car today.. just to go through the process, in case I ever got serious.

Another one leaves the nest.

Sandman6472

Think I'll just go with the new for 2024 Hyundai Kona Limited though do like their "N" also with the nicer shifter & the set with the logo on them. Don't see why they put the Infinity sound system in it instead of the Harman Kardon unit found in the Limited model. Only reason I won't settle for the Kona N is the audio system as they seem almost identical otherwise.
On another note, drove a 2022 VW Tiguan on Tuesday at work for a good 100 miles & was very pleased with the acceleration from the turbo...no turbo lag whatsoever! Got the vehicle with no fuel in it, the red light was flashing and it showed "0" for amount of fuel left. Naturally, I got lost following the others to the gas station as it wasn't on US 1, had to go west on Oslo Rd. a few miles to get there. Didn't think I was going to make it but just pulled in hen I felt it running out. But, the Tiguan drove very nicely and can see why they sell so many. As to it's size, a bit too big for my needs as the smaller Taos would definitely work better for me.

stickguy

kyfdx said:

I actually bid on a BaT car today.. just to go through the process, in case I ever got serious.

I did that years ago with Ebay motors. seemed low so I "knew" I wasn't going to win, but wanted to try it out having just registered. Well, 2 days later it was about1 hour before auction end, and I was getting emails from the seller to confirm my identity or something. I was trying to figure out how to explain to my wife that I just bought a Volvo in Florida (while ignoring the seller). Thankfully (I think) right at the end someone else swooped in and outbid me.

Sandman6472

It's like, "be care what you wish for...it just might come true!" kind of moment. i've had that happen once on something and they happiness turns into instant fear until at the last moment, someone out bids you & out finally relax inside. Been there...done that. Funny how life works.

28firefighter

venture said:

Michaell said:

mjfloyd1 said:

corvette said:

28firefighter said:

Hey now that’s a good looking car in first place!

I really like the second place one, as well!

Is it like NASCAR where second place is the first loser?😂

Why restrict it to NASCAR? You could say that about any competition - spelling bee, bake-off, etc.

My granddaughter finished 8th at the State gymnastics meet. She was, rightly, pretty proud of herself. She said she was the 8th best gymnast in Pennsylvania and she is only a sophmore.

A friends father (who has a reputation for being not very likeable - the most polite thing I can think of for him) told her she was the 7th loser.

Talk about some people needing punched in the throat.

She should be unbelievably proud. She should be proud for the time, effort, and skill that got her there at all, for putting herself out there in a competition that significant, AND for the awesome finish.

Talk about a toxic perspective on competition.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

kyfdx said:

I actually bid on a BaT car today.. just to go through the process, in case I ever got serious.

I did that years ago with Ebay motors. seemed low so I "knew" I wasn't going to win, but wanted to try it out having just registered. Well, 2 days later it was about1 hour before auction end, and I was getting emails from the seller to confirm my identity or something. I was trying to figure out how to explain to my wife that I just bought a Volvo in Florida (while ignoring the seller). Thankfully (I think) right at the end someone else swooped in and outbid me.

Well, five days to go, and probably half of what it will ultimately bring. I was outbid within an hour.

"Uh, honey, I think I just bought a Porsche".

explorerx4

The 530i I posted the other day sold for just under 28K on BAT.
Bidding was @12K with about 4 hours to go.

jmonroe1

@kyfdx said:
I actually bid on a BaT car today.. just to go through the process, in case I ever got serious.

————————————————
Don’t worry about it even if you’re the high bidder and change your mind. You can easily back out with almost nothing to lose. Ask @qbrozen about how that works.

jmonroe

tjc78

@Sandman6472 said:
Think I'll just go with the new for 2024 Hyundai Kona Limited though do like their "N" also with the nicer shifter & the set with the logo on them. Don't see why they put the Infinity sound system in it instead of the Harman Kardon unit found in the Limited model. Only reason I won't settle for the Kona N is the audio system as they seem almost identical otherwise.
On another note, drove a 2022 VW Tiguan on Tuesday at work for a good 100 miles & was very pleased with the acceleration from the turbo...no turbo lag whatsoever! Got the vehicle with no fuel in it, the red light was flashing and it showed "0" for amount of fuel left. Naturally, I got lost following the others to the gas station as it wasn't on US 1, had to go west on Oslo Rd. a few miles to get there. Didn't think I was going to make it but just pulled in hen I felt it running out. But, the Tiguan drove very nicely and can see why they sell so many. As to it's size, a bit too big for my needs as the smaller Taos would definitely work better for me.

Harmon Kardon and Infinity are the same company.

au1994

venture said:

Michaell said:

mjfloyd1 said:

corvette said:

28firefighter said:

Hey now that’s a good looking car in first place!

I really like the second place one, as well!

Is it like NASCAR where second place is the first loser?😂

Why restrict it to NASCAR? You could say that about any competition - spelling bee, bake-off, etc.

My granddaughter finished 8th at the State gymnastics meet. She was, rightly, pretty proud of herself. She said she was the 8th best gymnast in Pennsylvania and she is only a sophmore.

A friends father (who has a reputation for being not very likeable - the most polite thing I can think of for him) told her she was the 7th loser.

Talk about some people needing punched in the throat.

He might be taking his meals from a straw if it was me.

Michaell

Wonder how his kid finished?

stickguy

I took a look to see which Porsche you were bidding on. Man, they have a ton of them running.

I might be an oddball, but I really like this one from the past. Color combo helps. Cheap ATM, you Colorado people should get on this!

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1994-porsche-968-cabriolet-41/

Though I loved these when I was a kid, and this gorgeous modded one is probably a hoot.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1973-porsche-914-95/

or a nice modern one. Love the interior. but might be too few miles for 15 years old.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2008-porsche-boxster-rs-60-spyder-14/

Sandman6472

Had no idea that both were owned by the same parent company. Wonder why they just don't put the same audio system in the Limited and the N model...just makes sense that they would as one has more speakers than the other. Guessing the greater amount of speakers would produce better music quality. But nice to know this factoid going forward.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

anybody need a nice looking truck that was obviously impeccably well maintained?

https://www.carvana.com/vehicle/2674031

Sorry, it looks like a northern truck, you know, rusty.

Just curious, what did it cost new?

I crawled underneath. still pristine under there. still had stickers on the suspension too!

multiple trips to the touchless wash for an underbody spray, and 3-4 hand washes over the winter, combined with doing everything possible to avoid being out on salty roads, paid off!

the original MSRP on that was $29,755. plus about $425 for the rhino liner. I paid a little under $28,000 for it (plus the liner of course).

you can't actually get a 2023 like that (FWD ecoboost), at least not in an upper trim (not sure about on an XL).

You know I was just teasing about the rust, right. Even here they don’t rot out that fast.

So let’s say $30k new and Carvana wants $40k. And you wonder why they are going bust. I’ve looked over some of their listings and I don’t know if I should laugh or cry at the prices.

explorerx4

@oldfarmer50,
Since I've been here in OH, I've seen tons of last generation Rangers in great shape.
Today, I got the thought that since Ford has a truck plant a few miles from me, a lot of employees bought them and have treated them well over the years.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

tjc78 said:

@ab348 said:

So, cellphone lots are free to park in? That's why we don't have them. In our airport you pay for everything. Would never fly here.

You don’t leave your car and I think there is a 30 min limit (if enforced?)

@stickguy

They still park on the ramps. Picked the wife up last week and there must have been 30 cars. Peeked over into the cell lot and it was wide open.

At Philly using the cell lot costs you maybe 1 minute. It’s actually well designed to loop around and back onto the ramp to the terminals. Probably one of the only things well designed at PHL.

I get the distinct pleasure of flying out of Newark next Wednesday. Leaving from there since I’ll be up at the office and then I’ll drive home Friday when I come back from Dallas

I used Newark I think the last 3 times I flew, even though Philly was much closer. Just a factor of where direct flights went, and/or huge cost differential. Just an extra hour of so driving, but I do have a park and fly lot there I like. Philly, I actually don't mind that airport but probably never using it again at this point!

now my local airport is Albany. convenient to get to (and cheap parking if needed) but can't get many places direct. So a choice of paying more and making a connection, or driving 2-3 hours to get to a big airport. Will probably use Boston if going international. Lots of flights, and I can park for free in my daughter's garage spot and get free transportation to Logan!

I understand a lot of people use Stewart in Newburgh as well. As a bonus there is the big Mannheim auction and Enterprise remarketing right across the street. Carvana used to be over there too.

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

This is interesting. My parents had a 1990 base 740 sedan in the same charcoal color back in the day. It’s not $26k worth of “interesting,” though.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1988-volvo-740-8/

Are you sure it was PAUL Newman?

oldfarmer50

akangl said:

@stickguy said:

I used Newark I think the last 3 times I flew, even though Philly was much closer. Just a factor of where direct flights went, and/or huge cost differential. Just an extra hour of so driving, but I do have a park and fly lot there I like. Philly, I actually don't mind that airport but probably never using it again at this point!

now my local airport is Albany. convenient to get to (and cheap parking if needed) but can't get many places direct. So a choice of paying more and making a connection, or driving 2-3 hours to get to a big airport. Will probably use Boston if going international. Lots of flights, and I can park for free in my daughter's garage spot and get free transportation to Logan!

In anchorage at Ted Stevens International if you don’t use the cell phone lot you will get a lecture and a ticket from the airport police. They don’t play around. No waiting at the curb.

At the Burlington VT airport I watch as a “facilitator” told a woman she had to leave from in front of the terminal. He then asked what flight she was waiting for, looked up all the arrival times and found the flight was delayed. He then gave her directions to the cell phone lot and because it was delayed several hours he recommended a couple of local restaurants where she could get a coffee and wait in comfort.

They know how to do it in Vermont.

jmonroe1

@venture said:
My granddaughter finished 8th at the State gymnastics meet. She was, rightly, pretty proud of herself. She said she was the 8th best gymnast in Pennsylvania and she is only a sophmore.

A friends father (who has a reputation for being not very likeable - the most polite thing I can think of for him) told her she was the 7th loser.

Talk about some people needing punched in the throat.

————————————————
Warning: long post coming up.

That’s the opposite of what happened when my youngest grandson (the 16 year old still on a drivers permit) played in their leagues hockey championship game last Saturday and lost.

Just a little background before I get into this:

He plays goalie for his high school team and was asked by the traveling team that he used to play with a couple years ago if he could come back and play goalie for them because they were having trouble with their goalie both on an off the ice. The traveling team had a record of 1-4 and would surely miss the playoffs if they couldn’t find another goalie, quick.

Son #1 told his son when he started high school that he had to pick which team he wanted to play for because he didn’t want him spending too much time practicing/playing hockey and having his grades go down hill because of that. Given that choice he chose the high school team. Well, my Son told the coach of the traveling team he’d let his son try it for a few games but suggested that he better look for another goalie because he didn’t think it would be good for his son to play for both teams. Turned out my grandson turned a B in one of his subjects (I think English) into an A without going down in any other subjects just to prove to his father he could do both. OK, now he’s really part of the team and they only lost 2 games after he became the traveling team goalie. One of those losses was to the team that beat them in the championship game last Saturday. They played that team twice during the regular season and won one of those games. Everyone on both teams seemed know they’d meet again in the playoffs and they were right.

Like I said my grandsons team lost the championship game but it was how they lost that was was the painful part of it. In the 3rd period with my grandsons team leading 3-2 with about 4 minutes to go my grandson was literally run over by one of the other team’s players and they scored the tying goal as a result of that but no penalty was called. Of course his teams family and friends in the stands couldn’t believe that the ref didn’t call a penalty. When my grandson asked the ref right after he allowed the goal why he didn’t call a penalty, the ref said, “sorry, I didn’t see it. It could have happened like you said but I didn’t see it”. That didn’t satisfy my grandson and he said, “huh, how could you miss it, I was the only one standing there until I was run over!” and he had a few more things to say. The ref said, “OK, I heard enough, if you say one more word I’m giving your team a penalty. Do you want to play with 4 guys for the next 2 minutes”? My grandson ain’t no dope so he shut up but he was furious.

Fast forward towards the end of the game with less than 6 seconds left after my grandsons team was on defense after they had a soft shot on goal blocked. They now backed up to about 10 feet from the red line in the opponents end. His teams best defenseman decided to go for a pass made by the other team rather that just playing defense until the end of the game. Like I said there was less that 6 seconds left when their player grabbed the puck and is now on a breakaway. Everyone figured time would run out before the buzzer but that kid was pretty fast and he took his shot when he was less than 10 feet from the goal and it got by my grandson, literally a split second before the buzzer. So the bad guys won 4-3. It was a hell of a game though.

As soon as the buzzer sounded all of my grandson’s teammates (the ones on the ice and on the bench) quickly skated to him. Hugging him as if they won.

As everyone (both teams family and friends) are waiting for the teams to come out of the locker room into the lobby the opposing coach and assistant coach came over to my son and said, “we got lucky. You guys should have won the game. That was clearly a penalty when we tied the score. Your son has nothing to hang his head about. He’s the best goalie we’ve faced all year. I thought for sure we were headed for overtime but we got lucky”.

When my grandson came through the door into the lobby everyone there (opponent teams family and friends too) started clapping as if he won the game. They knew he played a good game but sometimes that’s not good enough.

When I spoke with him he was in disbelief saying, “I can’t believe I missed that puck. I saw him coming the whole time. I saw the puck the whole time too. No one was blocking my view. I’ve got to stop those shots”.

His coach overheard our conversation and came over and said, “don’t feel bad no one stops them all. If you weren’t our goalie we wouldn’t have even gotten to this game. Chin up. Calm down and get ready for the tournament we’re playing in Buffalo next weekend.

NO, Mrs j and I aren’t going to Buffalo this weekend. We might have if they weren’t playing in an outdoor rink.

Those hockey players and their families are crazy people.

jmonroe

roadburner

@> @Sandman6472 said:

It's like, "be care what you wish for...it just might come true!" kind of moment. i've had that happen once on something and they happiness turns into instant fear until at the last moment, someone out bids you & out finally relax inside. Been there...done that. Funny how life works.

That's how I ended up with the '02...

venture

au1994 said:

venture said:

Michaell said:

mjfloyd1 said:

corvette said:

28firefighter said:

Hey now that’s a good looking car in first place!

I really like the second place one, as well!

Is it like NASCAR where second place is the first loser?😂

Why restrict it to NASCAR? You could say that about any competition - spelling bee, bake-off, etc.

My granddaughter finished 8th at the State gymnastics meet. She was, rightly, pretty proud of herself. She said she was the 8th best gymnast in Pennsylvania and she is only a sophmore.

A friends father (who has a reputation for being not very likeable - the most polite thing I can think of for him) told her she was the 7th loser.

Talk about some people needing punched in the throat.

He might be taking his meals from a straw if it was me.

After he said that I found I couldn't stand up. My wife was hanging on my arm. She heard what he said, and she said she could feel me tense up after he said it.

venture

Michaell said:

Wonder how his kid finished?

His granddaughter finished a few spots behind. Just a totally unlikeable humanoid.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

I took a look to see which Porsche you were bidding on. Man, they have a ton of them running.

I might be an oddball, but I really like this one from the past. Color combo helps. Cheap ATM, you Colorado people should get on this!

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1994-porsche-968-cabriolet-41/

Though I loved these when I was a kid, and this gorgeous modded one is probably a hoot.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1973-porsche-914-95/

or a nice modern one. Love the interior. but might be too few miles for 15 years old.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2008-porsche-boxster-rs-60-spyder-14/

I love the 914, but no....

It was this one:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2014-porsche-cayman-s-46/

qbrozen

@kyfdx said:
I love the 914, but no....

It was this one:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2014-porsche-cayman-s-46/

Good god. 9 yrs old, 4 days to go on auction, and it is already at 55% of original MSRP.

stickguy

Nice car. Love the interior. But not a fan of the black paint. And looks hard to open the roof. But, can overlook a lot for 3 pedals.

You should definitely buy it!

tjc78

If anyone wants a pickup this may be the time. Broker on LH is offering 11% off GMCs. Rams are being discounted too.

Also saw that GM was cutting production at one of the plants that manufactures the Sierra and Silverado

Seems like high interest rates are slowing large truck sales.

tjc78

stickguy

I should swing by the GMC dealer 5 minutes from me and try one out. I know though that I couldn’t deal with the massive blocky front end. Maybe a ram though.

I mentioned to the boss maybe get a big truck to carry big things and save garage space for a toy. She was, let’s just say, ambivalent to the idea.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

Nice car. Love the interior. But not a fan of the black paint. And looks hard to open the roof. But, can overlook a lot for 3 pedals.

You should definitely buy it!

I'm not wild about black, but at least it's metallic. I'd also rather have normal silver wheels. Can't get a sunroof on a Cayman. But, it's an S (325 hp) and stick, plus a couple of other nice options.

@qbrozen lol.. it will likely bring over the original MSRP.

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

@kyfdx said:

I love the 914, but no....

It was this one:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2014-porsche-cayman-s-46/

Good god. 9 yrs old, 4 days to go on auction, and it is already at 55% of original MSRP.

Porsche? Check
Cayman? Check
S? Check
Manual Transmission? Check
California & Southern Car? Check

explorerx4

The Chevy plant that stopped production produces lower volume models.

mjfloyd1

If your budget is up to $100,000 here are the Road and Track picks

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/g4277/the-13-best-cars-under-100000-dollars/?utm_campaign=arb_dda_fb_rt_m_am_g4277&utm_medium=cpm&utm_source=facebook

qbrozen

kyfdx said:

@qbrozen lol.. it will likely bring over the original MSRP.

Do people know you can still buy them new? The S starts at $74k'ish.

qbrozen

couldn't make it to the port today.

Wife wasn't feeling well, so I spent my morn getting the kids off to school rather than prepping to leave. Then went out and found she had left the Sprinter tank at 1/4 tank. So between the delay getting out and the delay of stopping for fuel, I wouldn't have gotten there till too close to their lunchtime, which then means they would not have checked me out till after 1pm. Will have to try again next week.

kyfdx

qbrozen said:

kyfdx said:

@qbrozen lol.. it will likely bring over the original MSRP.

Do people know you can still buy them new? The S starts at $74k'ish.

Good luck finding one.

Also, the new ones are turbo-4. People really like the flat-6

tjc78

@explorerx4 said:
The Chevy plant that stopped production produces lower volume models.

Here is the article. They only produce trucks

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/general-motors/2023/02/22/gm-schedules-truck-plant-shutdown-maintain-optimal-inventory-fort-wayne/69932151007/

explorerx4

Mostly single cab trucks. not the volume sellers. I read something about it a few weeks ago.

oldfarmer50

mjfloyd1 said:

If your budget is up to $100,000 here are the Road and Track picks

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/g4277/the-13-best-cars-under-100000-dollars/?utm_campaign=arb_dda_fb_rt_m_am_g4277&utm_medium=cpm&utm_source=facebook

I find it funny that they think you could buy a Corvette for $65k. Most dealers slap a $20k ADM on them. You’d never get a Shelby for $80k either. Not in the real world.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

Mostly single cab trucks. not the volume sellers. I read something about it a few weeks ago.

Who still makes a single cab truck?

explorerx4

@oldfarmer50,
That's not a real question, right?

kyfdx

My local Porsche dealer has 35 new units in stock.

32 of them are SUVs, one Taycan, and two 911s.

qbrozen

mjfloyd1 said:

If your budget is up to $100,000 here are the Road and Track picks

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/g4277/the-13-best-cars-under-100000-dollars/?utm_campaign=arb_dda_fb_rt_m_am_g4277&utm_medium=cpm&utm_source=facebook

And now I just learned there is a new Lotus coming.

I'd still love to get an Evora, but they've never really come down in price, despite them not selling well new. Go figure.

tifighter

kyfdx said:

My local Porsche dealer has 35 new units in stock.

32 of them are SUVs, one Taycan, and two 911s.

Generally the same here. This situation was a contributor to the M2 acquisition.

stickguy

can you special order a Porsche? And if so, at MSRP?

My local dealer has a Taycan, 1 911, 3 panameras, and 2 Caymans (and about 20 Mecans and 10 Cayennes)

Even found you a nice 6 cylinder manual trans. Let me know when you come out to pick it up, I will treat you to lunch at a brewery nearby.

https://www.porschecliftonpark.com/inventory/new-2023-porsche-718-cayman-gt4-rwd-2d-coupe-wp0ac2a85ps275258

ab348

tjc78 said:

@explorerx4 said:

The Chevy plant that stopped production produces lower volume models.

Here is the article. They only produce trucks

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/general-motors/2023/02/22/gm-schedules-truck-plant-shutdown-maintain-optimal-inventory-fort-wayne/69932151007/

The GM Mexico truck plant is also shut down until next week due to parts shortages:

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/general-motors/2023/03/14/gm-mexico-truck-plant-down-for-a-second-week-due-to-parts-shortage/70008389007/

ab348

mjfloyd1 said:

If your budget is up to $100,000 here are the Road and Track picks

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/g4277/the-13-best-cars-under-100000-dollars/?utm_campaign=arb_dda_fb_rt_m_am_g4277&utm_medium=cpm&utm_source=facebook

R&T has a pretty narrow definition of "best".

Glad to see that they have 2 Cadillacs on their list at least. Beats driving a Caterham.

ab348

qbrozen said:

mjfloyd1 said:

If your budget is up to $100,000 here are the Road and Track picks

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/g4277/the-13-best-cars-under-100000-dollars/?utm_campaign=arb_dda_fb_rt_m_am_g4277&utm_medium=cpm&utm_source=facebook

And now I just learned there is a new Lotus coming.

I'd still love to get an Evora, but they've never really come down in price, despite them not selling well new. Go figure.

Harry Metcalfe of Harry's Garage on YT did a couple of factory visits to Hethel in England where the Emira is built, and took delivery of the one he bought for himself there before taking it on a 2500 mile shakedown trip in Europe. His YT channel has all the segments:

https://www.youtube.com/@harrysgarage/videos