Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

xwesx

Q, man.... this is so hilarious! I like the last guy, though. He seems like he is into life a little too deeply, but I'm sure he'll work it out. Some of those others? Not so likely....

28firefighter

I’m going to look at an ‘02 Boxster S on Friday because my name is 28FF and I have a problem.

Wife is actually not all that opposed but strongly prefers the 996 because of the rear seat.

xwesx

Admission is the first step to recovery, sir!

xwesx

Oh, guys... I had the opportunity to drive a Ram TRX today! What a hoot that was!

As I sedately piloted it out to the street, the owner told me to let it rip. I have a more cautious approach than that, so I told her that I was going to hold that for an open stretch of road.

So, we head down this moderate 4-lane feeder, and I go to turn onto the access road to the highway when this yahoo in a Tacoma decides that's the perfect time to turn left and cut me off on my right turn. Haha; the owner of the TRX was so mad at that guy! And, while I was a bit disappointed because I really wanted to lay it open on the access ramp, I just puttered along behind the guy until we got to the highway. And, this guy was holding a steady 40 all the way up the ramp, so I'm sure he knew what he was doing.

Nevertheless, the highway arrives, it's clear, so I goosed the throttle (just a little, mind you, the floor was long way off yet), and that truck took off like a fighter jet! We went from 40 to 80 in ought-nothin'. What a rush! Mr. Tacoma gunned it coming on the road, too, probably hoping to block me at the pass because the two-lane divided highway ended and was a single lane just beyond the merge point of the access ramp. However, I had probably ten lengths on him well before that happened. LOL

I then took it over to some wickedly bumpy potholed gravel roads just a bit up the road, and it drove over them like the holes were merely pebbles on blacktop: Crazy smooth. I turned around, did another run of acceleration as I got onto the highway, then went sedately back to my office.

I can see getting addicted to that sort of power in a hurry! 700 horses in a pickup is just wrong. The owner's other car is a Durango Hellcat. /sigh

nyccarguy

@xwesx said:
Well, if this other rig is intended to be the family tripper, the downside you mentioned on the Highlander is an excellent argument for an electric vehicle, assuming she doesn't exceed 250 miles per day. 2.5% interest means you can make a little money on that monthly payment, too.

The Suburban would be my daily driver/family tripper. She doesn’t exceed 250 miles per day. I see Teslas are once again eligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit. I wish they leased better;(- I heard insurance is quite costly as well.

2.5% interest means you can make a little money on that monthly payment, too

What do you mean by this?

qbrozen

In a weird way, I think it means, if you had the cash, you could earn 5% in something as simple as a CD right now.

Speaking of, I just dropped all the kids’ college fund and some of our own money into CDs at 5%.

nyccarguy

@qbrozen said:
In a weird way, I think it means, if you had the cash, you could earn 5% in something as simple as a CD right now.

Speaking of, I just dropped all the kids’ college fund and some of our own money into CDs at 5%.

Now I understand. What bank? How long of a term?

stickguy

I just got ambitious and finally consolidated all our old 401ks at my mutual fund (direct rollovers). so everything went into the money market (settlement) account, and I need to figure out where to put it. But not in a huge rush since last I checked that was paying at 5% or so. Maybe should just leave it all there and have no downside risk!

xwesx

qbrozen said:

In a weird way, I think it means, if you had the cash, you could earn 5% in something as simple as a CD right now.

Speaking of, I just dropped all the kids’ college fund and some of our own money into CDs at 5%.

Yes, that's right. You could put it into a high yield savings account, so it is readily accessible, and you'd be pulling around 4.5%. So, if you're only paying 2.5% on the loan interest, you're still netting 2%!

explorerx4

Example of CD rates, not a recommendation.
Vanguard CD rates:
Maturity term 1-3 months 4-6 months 7-9 months 10-12 months 13-18 months 2 years
Yield 5.35% 5.35% 5.40% 5.50% 5.50% 5.30%
3 years
5.00%
Some of these rates may be on callable CD's(rate guaranteed but CD can be called in before actual maturity).

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

I’m going to look at an ‘02 Boxster S on Friday because my name is 28FF and I have a problem.

Wife is actually not all that opposed but strongly prefers the 996 because of the rear seat.

Do you want a convertible?

stickguy

I do!

breld

@Qbrozen - those are hilarious. I guess you have to approach it with a sense of humor or it would drive you nuts.

I was waiting for the last guy to offer $17 and a really nice watch.

breld

On the EV front, just learned that Colorado basically renewed their EV credit effective July 1st to bump it back up to $5,000, applicable to a purchase or lease (of at least 24 months).

It had been $5,000 a few years ago but it was declining year over year, down to $2,000 for 2023 until this amendment.

laurasdada

Don't forget fed & (potential) state income tax on the interest income.
My 3 online savings account now yield apr of 4.00, 4.35 & 5.01.

Convertible, like knowledge, is good.

28firefighter

@kyfdx said:
Do you want a convertible?

Very much.

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

Now I understand. What bank? How long of a term?

Ours is with TD Bank for a 9-mo @5% term. Kids accounts are with Financial Resources Credit Union, so it was easier to just do internal transfers with them for 14-mos @4.9%.

There are slightly better out there if you want to do the legwork. But I didn't want to go through the effort for a tenth or two when our money was already in these institutions.

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

@kyfdx said:

Do you want a convertible?

Very much.

Oh... then a Boxster is a great choice. Those early models used to be super cheap, but COVID jacked up those prices, as well.

28firefighter

@kyfdx said:
Oh... then a Boxster is a great choice. Those early models used to be super cheap, but COVID jacked up those prices, as well.

It’s primarily that even if I sourced the car seat and airbag deactivation kit that not all of us can ride in it. She isn’t wrong.

I’m also going to go drive an M240i ‘vert that could pull double duty if I wanted it to as both a daily and fun car. Won’t be the same though.

pensfan83

qbrozen said:

nyccarguy said:

Now I understand. What bank? How long of a term?

Ours is with TD Bank for a 9-mo @5% term. Kids accounts are with Financial Resources Credit Union, so it was easier to just do internal transfers with them for 14-mos @4.9%.

There are slightly better out there if you want to do the legwork. But I didn't want to go through the effort for a tenth or two when our money was already in these institutions.

5% is good, we're only at 3.25% for the same term through my employer.

breld

28firefighter said:

@kyfdx said:

Oh... then a Boxster is a great choice. Those early models used to be super cheap, but COVID jacked up those prices, as well.

It’s primarily that even if I sourced the car seat and airbag deactivation kit that not all of us can ride in it. She isn’t wrong.

I’m also going to go drive an M240i ‘vert that could pull double duty if I wanted it to as both a daily and fun car. Won’t be the same though.

You're right of course - it won't be the same, but the M240i vert I tested out last summer was a pretty awesome balance. @laurasdada can attest to that I'm sure.

qbrozen

Here's another. I absolutely despise the question he asks, but I decided to be nice and just give a number. I knew it didn't really matter what I said given his first offer.

nyccarguy

What's the best you can do?

$12,495

corvette

"What's the most you can or will pay?"

pensfan83

My response to that question is "you'll know when I accept your offer"

pensfan83

I should have saved some of the conversations when I tried selling the Prelude. They ranged from wanting delivery at my expense to the middle of the state to trade offers for mini-bikes, ATVs, and their newer but very modified Civic LX.

nyccarguy

pensfan83 said:

I should have saved some of the conversations when I tried selling the Prelude. They ranged from wanting delivery at my expense to the middle of the state to trade offers for mini-bikes, ATVs, and their newer but very modified Civic LX.

You should see the comments when someone lists their Prelude for sale on the Prelude FB groups, especially if it is a nice one & in good shape like yours @pensfan83 . People who have ZERO interest or intention of buying the car HAVE to stick their 2 cents in.

pensfan83

nyccarguy said:

pensfan83 said:

I should have saved some of the conversations when I tried selling the Prelude. They ranged from wanting delivery at my expense to the middle of the state to trade offers for mini-bikes, ATVs, and their newer but very modified Civic LX.

You should see the comments when someone lists their Prelude for sale on the Prelude FB groups, especially if it is a nice one & in good shape like yours @pensfan83 . People who have ZERO interest or intention of buying the car HAVE to stick their 2 cents in.

When I first joined those groups looking for OEM floormats I posted a picture and got comments from a few because I have Type SH wheels on a base model. So now I just bite my tongue and keep scrolling.

tifighter

breld said:

28firefighter said:

@kyfdx said:

Oh... then a Boxster is a great choice. Those early models used to be super cheap, but COVID jacked up those prices, as well.

It’s primarily that even if I sourced the car seat and airbag deactivation kit that not all of us can ride in it. She isn’t wrong.

I’m also going to go drive an M240i ‘vert that could pull double duty if I wanted it to as both a daily and fun car. Won’t be the same though.

You're right of course - it won't be the same, but the M240i vert I tested out last summer was a pretty awesome balance. @laurasdada can attest to that I'm sure.

The Boxster is a great car. But a 986 vs a M240i, and I'm taking a long hard look at the BMW. And if it's one of the handful of manuals they made, then take my money.

laurasdada

I can attest; the M240xi is well balanced. Very comfy for 2, have had 3 in it for a short trip (and wife, who was in backseat on the way home, had quite the hairdo when we got home!). Step-daughter, coming from a Sentra, commented on how wonderful the (sport) seats are.
Ride is surprisingly (to me, maybe not to the BMWfisti here) smooth, given the tight handling. With the windblocker up, even at 80+, easy conversation. Not too bad sans windblocker, too.
Love how analog the interior is, always such a different vibe between the A7 and M240. Prefer scroll wheel, with handwriting recognition, over touchscreen.
And, the power... well, you know. Yee. Ha.
Sport mode is a barrel of monkeys, Sport+ is a barrel of monkeys going over Niagara Falls!
And, of course, Estoril Blue is just the 11 of blues.
xDrive makes it a four-season ride here in the Newest of Englands.
Note that mine came with Pirellis Zero 4 seasons.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

pensfan83 said:

I should have saved some of the conversations when I tried selling the Prelude. They ranged from wanting delivery at my expense to the middle of the state to trade offers for mini-bikes, ATVs, and their newer but very modified Civic LX.

You should see the comments when someone lists their Prelude for sale on the Prelude FB groups, especially if it is a nice one & in good shape like yours @pensfan83 . People who have ZERO interest or intention of buying the car HAVE to stick their 2 cents in.

On another board I frequent anytime someone posts about purchasing an entertaining car a contingent of the hairshirt-wearing penalty box drivers descend on the hapless OP to denigrate his decision.

qbrozen

I left out one that was too long to bother with, but the end result was he wanted to trade for his E46 ZSP manual coupe with 145k miles. Bigger problem (other than miles) was how it was modded. I told him we'd be way too far apart to even discuss further. Here is just a taste.

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

Here's another. I absolutely despise the question he asks, but I decided to be nice and just give a number. I knew it didn't really matter what I said given his first offer.

————————————————
If I was dealing with a flake like that, my answer to his first question would have been, “yes, but I won’t”.

Ain’t the car biz great?

jmonroe

28firefighter

OK - I went and drove a 2019 M240i Convertible with 29k miles. Mineral white over coral red interior with black convertible top. This was an auto (much to @tifighter's dismay) - a requirement if it is to be our second car. Drove it across a variety of road surfaces, highway and city, top up and top down and have I to say - I can see what why folks love this series. It was fairly well equipped - Premium Package, Heated Seats, Heated Steering Wheel, Navigation, and CarPlay. It did not have Harmon Kardon which seems like an astonishing exclusion given how it was otherwise equipped.

Not that this should be surprising to anyone, but the ride quality and fit/finish even after 30k miles is lightyears above and beyond the N. Top up or down, there was not a single rattle anywhere in the car and the road noise was also well controlled for a soft top. From a day to day driving perspective, normal mode was very tame but when I wanted to throw it into the twists, it transformed in sport/sport+ mode. Auto transmission was also very good, which wasn't surprising given all I have heard from @roadburner when he had his M235.

This car was in particularly good shape all around so I was very tempted to start trying to do deal - but what stopped me is that it is fresh out of it's 4 year warranty. I wanted some to explore warranty options and also whether it made sense to try and find a 2020.

Wife loves the idea a lot more than a third car that we can't all ride in.

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

OK - I went and drove a 2019 M240i Convertible with 29k miles. Mineral white over coral red interior with black convertible top. This was an auto (much to @tifighter's dismay) - a requirement if it is to be our second car. Drove it across a variety of road surfaces, highway and city, top up and top down and have I to say - I can see what why folks love this series. It was fairly well equipped - Premium Package, Heated Seats, Heated Steering Wheel, Navigation, and CarPlay. It did not have Harmon Kardon which seems like an astonishing exclusion given how it was otherwise equipped.

Not that this should be surprising to anyone, but the ride quality and fit/finish even after 30k miles is lightyears above and beyond the N. Top up or down, there was not a single rattle anywhere in the car and the road noise was also well controlled for a soft top. From a day to day driving perspective, normal mode was very tame but when I wanted to throw it into the twists, it transformed in sport/sport+ mode. Auto transmission was also very good, which wasn't surprising given all I have heard from @roadburner when he had his M235.

This car was in particularly good shape all around so I was very tempted to start trying to do deal - but what stopped me is that it is fresh out of it's 4 year warranty. I wanted some to explore warranty options and also whether it made sense to try and find a 2020.

Wife loves the idea a lot more than a third car that we can't all ride in.

Isn't it about 5X the price of an early Boxster?

28firefighter

@kyfdx said:
Isn't it about 5X the price of an early Boxster?

I would trade the Elantra N and daily drive it.

explorerx4

@28firefighter,
Now I see why you want the upgraded audio, the car is going to be a daily.
When I bought the Mustang, I put the antenna in the trunk.
It has only come out one time for about 1/2 an hour.

stickguy

28firefighter said:

OK - I went and drove a 2019 M240i Convertible with 29k miles. Mineral white over coral red interior with black convertible top. This was an auto (much to @tifighter's dismay) - a requirement if it is to be our second car. Drove it across a variety of road surfaces, highway and city, top up and top down and have I to say - I can see what why folks love this series. It was fairly well equipped - Premium Package, Heated Seats, Heated Steering Wheel, Navigation, and CarPlay. It did not have Harmon Kardon which seems like an astonishing exclusion given how it was otherwise equipped.

Not that this should be surprising to anyone, but the ride quality and fit/finish even after 30k miles is lightyears above and beyond the N. Top up or down, there was not a single rattle anywhere in the car and the road noise was also well controlled for a soft top. From a day to day driving perspective, normal mode was very tame but when I wanted to throw it into the twists, it transformed in sport/sport+ mode. Auto transmission was also very good, which wasn't surprising given all I have heard from @roadburner when he had his M235.

This car was in particularly good shape all around so I was very tempted to start trying to do deal - but what stopped me is that it is fresh out of it's 4 year warranty. I wanted some to explore warranty options and also whether it made sense to try and find a 2020.

Wife loves the idea a lot more than a third car that we can't all ride in.

sounds like a winner. One of the reasons I got rid of my Miata in less than a year was the lack of seats issue (barely being able to fit in it to drive was a minor one also). At the time I had 2 young kids so obviously we were not taking it anywhere as a family. I mostly drove it by myself, and not all that much of that either.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

Some recent Facebook marketplace interactions.

1.
No further response yet on that one.

2.
That was about 10pm on a Tuesday night.

3.
Seriously?

4.




As you can see, I REALLY tried to help the guy out. In the end, I wanted to say "if you can't get family or a friend to lend to you, why the heck would I?? But I just left it cordial.

Gee, you can’t trust an agreement with a stranger who can’t borrow $500 from everybody he know? Does he understand you can’t enforce a court judgement on somebody who doesn’t even have $500?

28firefighter

I found a 2018, same color combo, with HK,
less miles, one owner and no accidents, for basically the same price at CarMax. Dealer wouldn’t negotiate at all on the 2019.

Having it moved up to my location from the Bay Area. Also allows me to get the MaxCare warranty which is shockingly reasonably priced at 2k for 60 months/60k of additional coverage.

explorerx4

@28firefighter,
Thumbs up that it works out.

corvette

@28firefighter - If memory serves, the MaxCare pricing is based on odometer miles and not miles from the date of purchase, so make sure you're getting all the miles you expect you might need.

28firefighter

Yep! They're saying 60 months up to 75k miles - which is just under 60k additional miles. Certainly a good value and everyone I've talked to locally swears the MaxCare warranty is better than BMWs own CPO warranty from a coverage perspective.

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

Gee, you can’t trust an agreement with a stranger who can’t borrow $500 from everybody he know? Does he understand you can’t enforce a court judgement on somebody who doesn’t even have $500?

He hit me up again this morning! He asks, "So what can we agree on?"
I replied that I gave him all the options and he should ask someone close to borrow $500.

pensfan83

28firefighter said:

Yep! They're saying 60 months up to 75k miles - which is just under 60k additional miles. Certainly a good value and everyone I've talked to locally swears the MaxCare warranty is better than BMWs own CPO warranty from a coverage perspective.

Transferable too?

28firefighter

pensfan83 said:

28firefighter said:

Yep! They're saying 60 months up to 75k miles - which is just under 60k additional miles. Certainly a good value and everyone I've talked to locally swears the MaxCare warranty is better than BMWs own CPO warranty from a coverage perspective.

Transferable too?

Yep. Putting aside overpaying for the car a bit, though trying to find an M240 drop top is quite hard, it certainly provides piece of mind.

I have another unit I'm pursuing that is a 2020 CPO xDrive, but that one is further way so the logistics are harder with trying to maximize my trade in tax credit.

tifighter

@28firefighter so at what car seat stage / how old does your kiddo have to be before you think “putting them in the backseat of a 2 series is no big deal”?

Asking for a friend.

28firefighter

tifighter said:

@28firefighter so at what car seat stage / how old does your kiddo have to be before you think “putting them in the backseat of a 2 series is no big deal”?

Asking for a friend.

The issue is not actually with the car, so much as (1) making sure the seat properly fits, and (2) the gyrations of getting them in and out of the seat. The 2 series has LATCHES so they clearly intended for it to be used for this purpose - even in the convertible.

My experience has been that in the carrier stage when you are clicking the entire carrier in and out, assuming you can get a good fit, it's actually not too bad. We had the Cybex Aton series carrier and loved it - fit even the smallest backseats. The transition from carrier to rear-facing convertible car seat is where I think you'd have to take a time out because the seat doesn't move AND is huge - we had a Britax Marathon ClickTight and a Diono Radian. Both in rear facing model are unwieldy. Once they go forward facing you're golden again as long as you don't mind reaching back to buckle them.

Mine is now 6 and can climb in and buckle himself, so the hardest part is just installing the seat and then giving him enough legroom.

tjc78

I may be slightly against the rules… but my 9 year old who is nearly 100lbs shedded the booster awhile ago and my 7.5 year old now isn’t using one either.

28firefighter

My dude is tall but not heavy - joke is by following the rules to a T, he'll be going on his first date in a booster seat.