Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

Broached the subject of buying truck with the wife.
She said we don't need another car so you need to trade in the Explorer.
I agreed, hard to justify keeping it based on the number of miles I drive per year.
Told her I was looking at trucks in Iowa(Granger has big discounts), around 600 miles away.
She said 'A trip like that isn't a problem for us'.
Locally, this is my #1 choice. Need a bigger discount, though.
https://www.mikebassford.net/inventory/new-2023-ford-f-150-lariat-4x4-supercrew®-1ftfw1ed3pfc22615/

Those prices make my eyes bleed.

stickguy

makes my Maverick at less than 1/2 the sticker price look like a bargain!

tjc78

@explorerx4
That truck is a nice build and the colors are outstanding.

oldfarmer50

mjfloyd1 said:

Lucid air sapphire. Oh my

https://www.autoweek.com/news/a44740181/lucid-air-sapphire-ev-drive-review/?source=nl&utm_source=nl_aut&utm_medium=email&date=080823&utm_campaign=nl32333266&user_email=aa8fb836422a392012af3c9116972e4ed85fd20fd898fd1602bc92f77eeabc60&GID=aa8fb836422a392012af3c9116972e4ed85fd20fd898fd1602bc92f77eeabc60&utm_term=TEST- NEW TEST - Sending List - AM 180D Clicks, NON AM 90D Opens, Both Subbed Last 30D

Darn, and me forgetting to buy that $1.58 billion lottery ticket!😥

ab348

explorerx4 said:

@xwesx.
That's the only truck I've found that doesn't have a black interior.
I didn't know it existed until I saw it on the lot.

And even at that, it has a sort-of-black interior, just not totally black. A shame how we are seemingly terrified of actual color in a vehicle interior these days.

tjc78

Not much out there that doesn’t have black carpets these days even with lighter seats.

stickguy

Black carpet doesn’t bother me.

At least my ford has color. Dashboard is blue! And the XLT has accents of orange all over it.

kyfdx

tjc78 said:

Not much out there that doesn’t have black carpets these days even with lighter seats.

I want black carpets, no matter what..

tjc78

@kyfdx said:
I want black carpets, no matter what..

After many years of light beige and gray I am not going to disagree with you. Much easier to live with.

stickguy

Might be too pricey for Bradd, but on my walk I passed a house with a Kona electric in the driveway with a for sale sign on it. Or maybe it was an Ioniq. One of those.

tifighter

I’m enjoying the blue interior in the MDX. Nice change from the norm.

pensfan83

tifighter said:

I’m enjoying the blue interior in the MDX. Nice change from the norm.

The CPO Type S Advance my dealer has has dropped over $3K in a month and is now about $7K below original listing price, sitting at $62,8XX. If it wasn't a color combo I'm not enthusiastic about (white/red) I'd be sorely tempted, even though the interest rate makes me uncomfortable.

Other than the gas mileage, how are you liking yours so far?

andres3

I almost had a punch, probably within $100 of doing so; but Carvana's algorithm decided to lower shipping costs, but then when the car went down $400 yet again for the 6th time or so, they raised the lowered shipping cost by $100. I couldn't get over it even though it was a deduct from the original quote. Felt it lowered the discount to only $300, which it did. Someone else got it.

stickguy

So you wanted a car and were ready to go at a total cost price, then they lowered the price but it offended you so you said no?

corvette

Dad got their Ranger serviced at my local Ford dealer, which I suspect is the worst in the area. Oil change was quick, but it took them forever to write up the paperwork (while the truck sat). Anyway, he browsed the lot. One Maverick Hybrid in stock with a $10k ADM, and all the big Broncos had $10k ADMs. Weirdly, he didn't see an ADM sticker on the Lightning.

Some dealers are always going to be awful, but I hope we're nearing the end of this ADM nonsense on mass-market vehicles.

andres3

stickguy said:

So you wanted a car and were ready to go at a total cost price, then they lowered the price but it offended you so you said no?

No, I was expecting and anticipating pulling the trigger at a "predictable" $400 discount from it not selling but then they pulled a fast one and my real cost discount was only $300. They missed my "pull the trigger" number by $100 by playing games.

28firefighter

andres3 said:

I almost had a punch, probably within $100 of doing so; but Carvana's algorithm decided to lower shipping costs, but then when the car went down $400 yet again for the 6th time or so, they raised the lowered shipping cost by $100. I couldn't get over it even though it was a deduct from the original quote. Felt it lowered the discount to only $300, which it did. Someone else got it.

A wise person on this forum told me, over a somewhat similar amount of $$, not to throw the baby out with the bath water. I'm glad I changed course and didn't.

pensfan83

And I thought I might be making a mistake with a four figure price delta.....

Here's a bit of unsolicited advice, don't step over dollars to pick up pennies.

mjfloyd1

I won’t pile on. I’m not like that😂

tifighter

Was this the sunroof discount?

jmonroe1

@andres3 said:
No, I was expecting and anticipating pulling the trigger at a "predictable" $400 discount from it not selling but then they pulled a fast one and my real cost discount was only $300. They missed my "pull the trigger" number by $100 by playing games.

————————————————
If you were at a dealership you could have voiced/shown your displeasure because you were in front of them. For a hundred bucks the dealer probably wouldn’t have wanted to lose the sale and you would have gotten the car at the lowest advertised/offered price. Being you were looking at a Carvana car they more than likely didn’t know you were looking let alone being upset. I don’t know your financial situation but I’m willing to bet that hundred bucks wouldn’t change your life. So, now you get to look some more. Maybe you’ll do better maybe not. There’s always a better deal out there but how much time do you want to spend finding it?

jmonroe

xwesx

stickguy said:

Black carpet doesn’t bother me.

At least my ford has color. Dashboard is blue! And the XLT has accents of orange all over it.

My father used to get updated work trucks with the NWS every few years. At one point, through most of the middle part of the 1980s, he had a boxy Ford Ranger (the first generation)... maybe a 1983 model year? Anyhow, it had a white exterior with a blue interior. And, I mean, EVERYTHING was blue on the interior! At first, it was really striking and I remember (being perhaps six years old at the time) commenting on it repeatedly. However, by the time he moved on to his next vehicle, the blues were all starting to fade at a different rate depending on the material and location within the truck (sun exposure levels), so it was really looking rather motley by the end, even though everything was still in otherwise great condition.

jmonroe1

@28firefighter said:
A wise person on this forum told me, over a somewhat similar amount of $$, not to throw the baby out with the bath water. I'm glad I changed course and didn't.

————————————————
That wise person had to be me.

jmonroe

xwesx

andres3 said:

No, I was expecting and anticipating pulling the trigger at a "predictable" $400 discount from it not selling but then they pulled a fast one and my real cost discount was only $300. They missed my "pull the trigger" number by $100 by playing games.

Well, it's not the only one out there, so it just gives you a reason to keep on browsing!

xwesx

Oh, and I figured I would mention that I received my Q7 back on Monday morning from the fella who had borrowed it since 5/20. Man, what a wonderful drive that car is! After gliding home in it that night, and using it last night to return my trailer to it's "spot" up the hill in the forest, I have to say that I really do enjoy that car. Sadly, I'll be parking it again and probably not using it much for a while... Definitely not for the next two months due to the impending trip to Ohio.

The fella who was using it wrote a note to the effect of, "I loved your car! I loved that you were willing to let me use it for the whole summer and trusted me to take care of it. I had some friends up visiting for a week in June, and they loved it too!" He gave me an extra $100 as well.

I'm glad he enjoyed it, and I don't mind the extra tip, either!

qbrozen

getting service? That's developed into a bit of a challenge for us. Made an appointment with the dealer who sold us the Sprinter. Over an hour away, but we wanted to show some loyalty. Some time went by and, prior to the appt, someone called to chat and informed us we HAVE to drop it off; no waiting allowed. Huh. Well, that doesn't work for us because, like I said, this is far away. I'm not going to spend 5 hrs in the car going back and forth. So wife makes an appt (using online scheduler) with their sister store a couple of towns over. Couple of days go by and I get a call this morn to tell us they don't service Sprinters. Oh boy. Called around and found a dealer about 30 mins away. Bringing it there Friday. And dealers wonder why buyers can't be loyal.

tjc78

I had the truck serviced today at the small dealership down the shore. Wonderful experience, 7:45 appointment. Out the door with a free car wash slip by 9:05.

$90 for 7 quarts of full synthetic. I’m good for another year. Maybe I’ll treat the truck to a new cabin filter and R&R it myself this week.

jmonroe1

@qbrozen said:
getting service? That's developed into a bit of a challenge for us. Made an appointment with the dealer who sold us the Sprinter. Over an hour away, but we wanted to show some loyalty. Some time went by and, prior to the appt, someone called to chat and informed us we HAVE to drop it off; no waiting allowed. Huh. Well, that doesn't work for us because, like I said, this is far away. I'm not going to spend 5 hrs in the car going back and forth. So wife makes an appt (using online scheduler) with their sister store a couple of towns over. Couple of days go by and I get a call this morn to tell us they don't service Sprinters. Oh boy. Called around and found a dealer about 30 mins away. Bringing it there Friday. And dealers wonder why buyers can't be loyal.

————————————————
I gather this is warranty service otherwise you’d be doing it yourself. Having to deal with the myriad of inconveniences having a car serviced at dealers/indy shops is a major reason why I stated to turn wrench’s myself. And then I found out I was saving money too with no risk of a “pro” screwing up something else while he was in there.

A little bit of grease on your hands and clothes ain’t gonna hurt nobody.

jmonroe

tjc78

@qbrozen said:
getting service? That's developed into a bit of a challenge for us. Made an appointment with the dealer who sold us the Sprinter. Over an hour away, but we wanted to show some loyalty. Some time went by and, prior to the appt, someone called to chat and informed us we HAVE to drop it off; no waiting allowed. Huh. Well, that doesn't work for us because, like I said, this is far away. I'm not going to spend 5 hrs in the car going back and forth. So wife makes an appt (using online scheduler) with their sister store a couple of towns over. Couple of days go by and I get a call this morn to tell us they don't service Sprinters. Oh boy. Called around and found a dealer about 30 mins away. Bringing it there Friday. And dealers wonder why buyers can't be loyal.

I can’t believe they won’t do a “wait” appointment with advance notice. Total BS. I would have been upset too.

sda

I have been fortunate the local Audi/Honda/VW service departments that I do business with have been decent. I did discover recently getting a service appt at the Audi dealer needs to be done weeks in advance, which was not the case in past.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

getting service? That's developed into a bit of a challenge for us. Made an appointment with the dealer who sold us the Sprinter. Over an hour away, but we wanted to show some loyalty. Some time went by and, prior to the appt, someone called to chat and informed us we HAVE to drop it off; no waiting allowed. Huh. Well, that doesn't work for us because, like I said, this is far away. I'm not going to spend 5 hrs in the car going back and forth. So wife makes an appt (using online scheduler) with their sister store a couple of towns over. Couple of days go by and I get a call this morn to tell us they don't service Sprinters. Oh boy. Called around and found a dealer about 30 mins away. Bringing it there Friday. And dealers wonder why buyers can't be loyal.

Wait, they let you make an appointment for a Sprinter but they don’t service Sprinters? That’s odd but shops are getting more and more picky.

I just dropped my Chevy Express off for some work and on a whim I asked him to look at the AC. “We don’t do that any more” was the answer. Sad since this was the last indie shop who did AC work. I fear I’ll have to start going to the dealer as all my “guys” retire.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

So you wanted a car and were ready to go at a total cost price, then they lowered the price but it offended you so you said no?

They wouldn't take the watch back..

xwesx

jmonroe1 said:

That wise person had to be me.

jmonroe

No, you're the wise guy on the forum.

jmonroe1

xwesx said:

jmonroe1 said:

That wise person had to be me.

jmonroe

No, you're the wise guy on the forum.

————————————————
Close enough.

jmonroe

andres3

28firefighter said:

andres3 said:

I almost had a punch, probably within $100 of doing so; but Carvana's algorithm decided to lower shipping costs, but then when the car went down $400 yet again for the 6th time or so, they raised the lowered shipping cost by $100. I couldn't get over it even though it was a deduct from the original quote. Felt it lowered the discount to only $300, which it did. Someone else got it.

A wise person on this forum told me, over a somewhat similar amount of $$, not to throw the baby out with the bath water. I'm glad I changed course and didn't.

Yes, it was the sunroof discount. I drew the line at $400 more off and everything would have worked out had they not played games on the shipping costs. The sunroof dirtied the bath water before I bought. Also, the timing might have been "too fast" and "too soon" but I know that's blasphemy for buying cars here.

I wouldn't have let $100 ruin the deal (most likely) had the water been clean still. Also, Carvana doesn't have the most stellar reputation.

andres3

jmonroe1 said:

@andres3 said:

No, I was expecting and anticipating pulling the trigger at a "predictable" $400 discount from it not selling but then they pulled a fast one and my real cost discount was only $300. They missed my "pull the trigger" number by $100 by playing games.

————————————————

If you were at a dealership you could have voiced/shown your displeasure because you were in front of them. For a hundred bucks the dealer probably wouldn’t have wanted to lose the sale and you would have gotten the car at the lowest advertised/offered price. Being you were looking at a Carvana car they more than likely didn’t know you were looking let alone being upset. I don’t know your financial situation but I’m willing to bet that hundred bucks wouldn’t change your life. So, now you get to look some more. Maybe you’ll do better maybe not. There’s always a better deal out there but how much time do you want to spend finding it?

jmonroe

Yes, not sure Carvana takes calls or answers the phone, their chat bot/AI program service rep stated they absolutely don't haggle, not the price, and not the shipping costs.

Of course... price fluctuations ensued since that "chat." It's amazing what supply and demand will do to prices when the demand is not there, until it is

It's worse than just a measly $100 though. Trust me, I tried to justify overlooking the "trick." The delta is really close to $60 when you consider that the car is reduced $400 and that lowers taxes, title, and fees, while the shipping cost is not likely taxed. On the other hand you could say Carvana took 2 days longer to sell the car over $60 dollars.

andres3

jmonroe1 said:

@qbrozen said:

getting service? That's developed into a bit of a challenge for us. Made an appointment with the dealer who sold us the Sprinter. Over an hour away, but we wanted to show some loyalty. Some time went by and, prior to the appt, someone called to chat and informed us we HAVE to drop it off; no waiting allowed. Huh. Well, that doesn't work for us because, like I said, this is far away. I'm not going to spend 5 hrs in the car going back and forth. So wife makes an appt (using online scheduler) with their sister store a couple of towns over. Couple of days go by and I get a call this morn to tell us they don't service Sprinters. Oh boy. Called around and found a dealer about 30 mins away. Bringing it there Friday. And dealers wonder why buyers can't be loyal.

————————————————

I gather this is warranty service otherwise you’d be doing it yourself. Having to deal with the myriad of inconveniences having a car serviced at dealers/indy shops is a major reason why I stated to turn wrench’s myself. And then I found out I was saving money too with no risk of a “pro” screwing up something else while he was in there.

A little bit of grease on your hands and clothes ain’t gonna hurt nobody.

jmonroe

But Toyota's and Honda's can go 100,000 miles without opening the hood. Where are you going to be turning or using that wrench on one of those?

28firefighter

andres3 said:

Yes, not sure Carvana takes calls or answers the phone, their chat bot/AI program service rep stated they absolutely don't haggle, not the price, and not the shipping costs.

Of course... price fluctuations ensued since that "chat." It's amazing what supply and demand will do to prices when the demand is not there, until it is

It's worse than just a measly $100 though. Trust me, I tried to justify overlooking the "trick." The delta is really close to $60 when you consider that the car is reduced $400 and that lowers taxes, title, and fees, while the shipping cost is not likely taxed. On the other hand you could say Carvana took 2 days longer to sell the car over $60 dollars.

If you let the car go over $60 you weren't actually a buyer.

jmonroe1

andres3 said:

jmonroe1 said:

@qbrozen said:

getting service? That's developed into a bit of a challenge for us. Made an appointment with the dealer who sold us the Sprinter. Over an hour away, but we wanted to show some loyalty. Some time went by and, prior to the appt, someone called to chat and informed us we HAVE to drop it off; no waiting allowed. Huh. Well, that doesn't work for us because, like I said, this is far away. I'm not going to spend 5 hrs in the car going back and forth. So wife makes an appt (using online scheduler) with their sister store a couple of towns over. Couple of days go by and I get a call this morn to tell us they don't service Sprinters. Oh boy. Called around and found a dealer about 30 mins away. Bringing it there Friday. And dealers wonder why buyers can't be loyal.

————————————————

I gather this is warranty service otherwise you’d be doing it yourself. Having to deal with the myriad of inconveniences having a car serviced at dealers/indy shops is a major reason why I stated to turn wrench’s myself. And then I found out I was saving money too with no risk of a “pro” screwing up something else while he was in there.

A little bit of grease on your hands and clothes ain’t gonna hurt nobody.

jmonroe

But Toyota's and Honda's can go 100,000 miles without opening the hood. Where are you going to be turning or using that wrench on one of those?
————————————————
If you’re tryin to be a wise guy, maybe on you’re noggin.

jmonroe

stickguy

Carvana changes their prices on a regular basis. Not sure what their repricing on sales logic is (weekly or some set # of days), but purchase offers can change quickly (if you aren't on the clock for an existing quote).

mjfloyd1

I was watching a carvana vehicle. It had free shipping and then when they dropped the price, the shipping went to $190. It was still a net price drop.

roadburner

corvette said:

Dad got their Ranger serviced at my local Ford dealer, which I suspect is the worst in the area. Oil change was quick, but it took them forever to write up the paperwork (while the truck sat). Anyway, he browsed the lot. One Maverick Hybrid in stock with a $10k ADM, and all the big Broncos had $10k ADMs. Weirdly, he didn't see an ADM sticker on the Lightning.

Some dealers are always going to be awful, but I hope we're nearing the end of this ADM nonsense on mass-market vehicles.

I'll play! Town and Country or Oxmoor(ons)?

roadburner

jmonroe1 said:

@qbrozen said:

getting service? That's developed into a bit of a challenge for us. Made an appointment with the dealer who sold us the Sprinter. Over an hour away, but we wanted to show some loyalty. Some time went by and, prior to the appt, someone called to chat and informed us we HAVE to drop it off; no waiting allowed. Huh. Well, that doesn't work for us because, like I said, this is far away. I'm not going to spend 5 hrs in the car going back and forth. So wife makes an appt (using online scheduler) with their sister store a couple of towns over. Couple of days go by and I get a call this morn to tell us they don't service Sprinters. Oh boy. Called around and found a dealer about 30 mins away. Bringing it there Friday. And dealers wonder why buyers can't be loyal.

————————————————

I gather this is warranty service otherwise you’d be doing it yourself. Having to deal with the myriad of inconveniences having a car serviced at dealers/indy shops is a major reason why I stated to turn wrench’s myself. And then I found out I was saving money too with no risk of a “pro” screwing up something else while he was in there.

A little bit of grease on your hands and clothes ain’t gonna hurt nobody.

jmonroe

But it's SO dangerous- your car could explode!

corvette

roadburner said:

I'll play! Town and Country or Oxmoor(ons)?

Oxmoor(ons), the place that lost my Mustang on their lot for days.

jmonroe1

corvette said:

roadburner said:

I'll play! Town and Country or Oxmoor(ons)?

Oxmoor(ons), the place that lost my Mustang on their lot for days.

————————————————
Why didn’t they just come right out and say the lot boys wife needed it to get to work.

jmonroe

mjfloyd1

kyfdx said:

stickguy said:

So you wanted a car and were ready to go at a total cost price, then they lowered the price but it offended you so you said no?

They wouldn't take the watch back..

Probably only had one key fob anyway…

fintail

xwesx said:

stickguy said:

Black carpet doesn’t bother me.

At least my ford has color. Dashboard is blue! And the XLT has accents of orange all over it.

My father used to get updated work trucks with the NWS every few years. At one point, through most of the middle part of the 1980s, he had a boxy Ford Ranger (the first generation)... maybe a 1983 model year? Anyhow, it had a white exterior with a blue interior. And, I mean, EVERYTHING was blue on the interior! At first, it was really striking and I remember (being perhaps six years old at the time) commenting on it repeatedly. However, by the time he moved on to his next vehicle, the blues were all starting to fade at a different rate depending on the material and location within the truck (sun exposure levels), so it was really looking rather motley by the end, even though everything was still in otherwise great condition.

My mom had a 93 Taurus, white with blue interior. Other than some dash trim surrounds, I think everything was blue - steering wheel, dash pad, headliner, carpet, door trim. etc. Her prior car, an 85 Tempo, was blue on blue, and the same thing - everything blue. As I like blue, I was OK with it. I recall the Tempo a little of the fading thing once it was getting to be old, too.

qbrozen

@jmonroe1 said:

@qbrozen said:
getting service? That's developed into a bit of a challenge for us. Made an appointment with the dealer who sold us the Sprinter. Over an hour away, but we wanted to show some loyalty. Some time went by and, prior to the appt, someone called to chat and informed us we HAVE to drop it off; no waiting allowed. Huh. Well, that doesn't work for us because, like I said, this is far away. I'm not going to spend 5 hrs in the car going back and forth. So wife makes an appt (using online scheduler) with their sister store a couple of towns over. Couple of days go by and I get a call this morn to tell us they don't service Sprinters. Oh boy. Called around and found a dealer about 30 mins away. Bringing it there Friday. And dealers wonder why buyers can't be loyal.

————————————————
I gather this is warranty service otherwise you’d be doing it yourself. Having to deal with the myriad of inconveniences having a car serviced at dealers/indy shops is a major reason why I stated to turn wrench’s myself. And then I found out I was saving money too with no risk of a “pro” screwing up something else while he was in there.

A little bit of grease on your hands and clothes ain’t gonna hurt nobody.

jmonroe

I let dealers service the vehicles while under warranty. I’d rather they have the records should it need warranty work.

tifighter

@pensfan83 said:
The CPO Type S Advance my dealer has has dropped over $3K in a month and is now about $7K below original listing price, sitting at $62,8XX. If it wasn't a color combo I'm not enthusiastic about (white/red) I'd be sorely tempted, even though the interest rate makes me uncomfortable.

Other than the gas mileage, how are you liking yours so far?

We’re on week three, so I don’t have good data for gas mileage yet. But I’m not expecting much.

Good - It’s the right size for our needs, rides well and has just enough power. Kid seat fits perfectly in the middle seat while front row retains full range of motion. Wife and I really like the seats, and she runs the massage constantly. The stereo is excellent. It drives like a big sedan, which is a compliment here. Great ride/handling balance for what it is. And the baby seems to like it.

Bad - they made the hood longer to give it RWD proportions. And it looks good, but it makes it hard to place it in a parking spot as you can’t see the corners. Even with the 360 camera. Function follows form. I’m mostly used to the touchpad, but a touchscreen would be faster. Type S supposedly has faster shifts, but I’d still like quicker response.

Other - The front suspension had a creak, so I took it in and there was a TSB out for this, and it was fixed. I had them put a trailer hitch on it too, since it was there.

When I bought it, there was another one available locally for $63k CPO, with nearly 10k more miles and a weird carfax. I figured the extra $4k for a 4k mile car with a simple one owner carfax was worth the extra cost. Plus, that blue interior. You’ll likely do better outside Seattle…

nyccarguy

tifighter said:

@pensfan83 said:

The CPO Type S Advance my dealer has has dropped over $3K in a month and is now about $7K below original listing price, sitting at $62,8XX. If it wasn't a color combo I'm not enthusiastic about (white/red) I'd be sorely tempted, even though the interest rate makes me uncomfortable.

Other than the gas mileage, how are you liking yours so far?

We’re on week three, so I don’t have good data for gas mileage yet. But I’m not expecting much.

Good - It’s the right size for our needs, rides well and has just enough power. Kid seat fits perfectly in the middle seat while front row retains full range of motion. Wife and I really like the seats, and she runs the massage constantly. The stereo is excellent. It drives like a big sedan, which is a compliment here. Great ride/handling balance for what it is. And the baby seems to like it.

Bad - they made the hood longer to give it RWD proportions. And it looks good, but it makes it hard to place it in a parking spot as you can’t see the corners. Even with the 360 camera. Function follows form. I’m mostly used to the touchpad, but a touchscreen would be faster. Type S supposedly has faster shifts, but I’d still like quicker response.

Other - The front suspension had a creak, so I took it in and there was a TSB out for this, and it was fixed. I had them put a trailer hitch on it too, since it was there.

When I bought it, there was another one available locally for $63k CPO, with nearly 10k more miles and a weird carfax. I figured the extra $4k for a 4k mile car with a simple one owner carfax was worth the extra cost. Plus, that blue interior. You’ll likely do better outside Seattle…

Glad you like it!