Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

roadburner

I definitely priced the Jeep too low; 15 minutes after I posted on FB I had 4 buyers- all people I know. I told one friend that he was fourth in line andhe offered to pay $500 over my asking price. Just nuts!

corvette

@qbrozen - I don't think I'd go for a four banger Silverado. It's 2.7 liters, but from what I've heard, it performs more like the 4.3 liter naturally aspirated V6, whereas Ford's 2.7 liter EcoBoost V6 performs closer to its V8 opton.

roadburner

I'm loving the 4xe. I can drive it to work and back and the IC motor almost never kicks in. Using the Level 1 charger it charges completely overnight. I'm figuring out the telematics slowly but surely; it's not as intuitive as the COMAND system in the C43 but it responds a bit faster. VR is pretty good as well. It's really pleasant to drive and with the battery placed relatively low in the chassis it feels more planted in the corners compared to an IC model. My wife has driven it and she loves it as well.
Thanks to @nyccarguy for letting me know that running it in 4WD auto increases the max regeneration effect. So far I'm averaging 40 mpg.

roadburner

Three more buyers have contacted me...

corvette

roadburner said:

Three more buyers have contacted me...

"Greetings, [buyer]. There are [n] people willing to buy this vehicle. Please submit your highest and best offer by [date and time]."

roadburner

corvette said:

roadburner said:

Three more buyers have contacted me...

"Greetings, [buyer]. There are [n] people willing to buy this vehicle. Please submit your highest and best offer by [date and time]."

And now I'm up to 8...

stickguy

@corvette said:
"Greetings, [buyer]. There are [n] people willing to buy this vehicle. Please submit your highest and best offer by [date and time]."

If it was a house he would be cutting off showing and letting agents know they have u til noon to submit best and final.

qbrozen

@corvette said:
@qbrozen - I don't think I'd go for a four banger Silverado. It's 2.7 liters, but from what I've heard, it performs more like the 4.3 liter naturally aspirated V6, whereas Ford's 2.7 liter EcoBoost V6 performs closer to its V8 opton.

Hmmmmm… from what I read, it is quicker than the 5.3.

What I really need to do is go check out a 5.7 Ram.

au1994

qbrozen said:

Haven't had time to go test drive anything yet, but I may as well check out full-size trucks, too. If the numbers I've found are correct, it looks like Silverados are leasing pretty well right now. Crew Cab LT 4wd with the turbo engine and $55k price tag comes to roughly $465 effective for 36/10 (this is sans tax since my trade would mean $0 net tax).


I likely don't want something that size but will have to drive to make sure.

I’ve seen that deal around here as well. Tempting, but like you, I really don’t need/want something that big to DD. The hauling space would be nice at times though.

I think the Silverado is nice enough looking and I’ve been in one and the interior is pretty good. Even for a GM product which was always their downfall in my opinion.

qbrozen

To be honest, what I've always liked is the Colorado. At least from an aesthetic and capabilities perspective. They always catch my eye, and they still tow 7k lbs. Not that I NEED something else for towing, but, given the chance, I wouldn't mind towing with something smaller than the Sprinter.

Problem is, it is very tough to justify one when you are seeing comparisons like this on the market. Although it probably tells me a new Colorado is a far smarter buy than a new full-size. But a USED full-size is a pretty good bargain, relatively speaking.

explorerx4

Carvana sent me an updated offer for my 2017 F150, which I sold to Vroom over 3 years ago.
Estimate miles 65k, Offer 29850.

stickguy

I still get them for my 2013 RDX.

Michaell

Can't help but share the recent conversation I had with my sister in San Diego. As you know, her and her husband share use of the XC40 they bought last year, and my sister also has use of my mom's old car (2003 Hyundai Sonata).

Anyway, my BIL gets contacted by a headhunter for a new position, with a substantial pay bump (20% or so). But, it would require him to be in the office daily for a while, before reverting to a hybrid position. They are also tired of paying $6/gal for gas.

Their first thought is to trade the XC40 for an XC60 PHEV. I explain to her that unless their total cost of ownership goes down (payment + gas costs + insurance), it doesn't make sense to trade. I tried to talk her into something less expensive (Camry or Accord hybrid, for example), but they aren't having any of it - my BIL is a bit of a brand snob. "We like the utility of our SUV!" - fine, but on those rare occasions where they need to haul something, use their son's 4Runner. Long talk about use cases and how most people buy a car for a purpose they'll need about 5% of the time.

Then, my BIL gets the idea that he should get his own car - and starts looking at BMW's and Audi's that are in the $15K range. My sister doesn't need me to shoot down this idea before it gets any traction.

If he gets the job, and if he has to go into the office daily (which is further away, also), he can take the Volvo, and my sister will take the Hyundai on those two days a week where she commutes.

I know, it's heresy to make those kinds of suggestions in this thread, but sometimes people need to be saved from themselves.

xwesx

Keep fighting the good fight, Michael!

I don't know what the market is for well-used electrics, but that might be the way to go, if the economics work on fuel. I know electricity is a pretty penny in those parts, too.

roadburner

The Wrangler is sold; the buyer is an old friend; he found rust holes on one part of the frame so after taking $200 off the asking price the deal was done. But not before two more people contacted me about buying it...

Michaell

xwesx said:

Keep fighting the good fight, Michael!

I don't know what the market is for well-used electrics, but that might be the way to go, if the economics work on fuel. I know electricity is a pretty penny in those parts, too.

We talked about a pure electric, but I don't think that will work for them, either.

They have solar at their new house, so I suspect that getting a charger installed wouldn't be too difficult, if it comes to that.

jmonroe1

roadburner said:

Three more buyers have contacted me...

————————————————
I’m not getting into that bidding war. I still have some life to live.

jmonroe

roadburner

Michaell said:

xwesx said:

Keep fighting the good fight, Michael!

I don't know what the market is for well-used electrics, but that might be the way to go, if the economics work on fuel. I know electricity is a pretty penny in those parts, too.

We talked about a pure electric, but I don't think that will work for them, either.

They have solar at their new house, so I suspect that getting a charger installed wouldn't be too difficult, if it comes to that.

The i3 is more of a city car, but you can pick one up for a very decent price.

Sandman6472

Still dealing with the vertigo that began over a week ago the day we left for Orlando/St. Augustine. Went to work Monday but it was tough to be honest. Got up Tuesday morning & was so dizzy, just knew it wasn't safe for me to go in. Have been in the house ever since & it's not getting any better. Decided to talk to my boss who agreed that I should wait till next Monday to come back. Seems to be the wisest thing to do really. Anyways, next week is a short week for me as the wife has another IRS thing in Orlando and I'm taking her to the train on Tuesday morning.
The last bout with the vertigo happened last March and I was down two weeks recovering. Seems it takes a couple of weeks for it to stop completely and this has been the pattern...this is the fourth time I've suffered from it in the last fourteen months. I've been taking the meds on a daily basis but it still came back last week without any warning. Really does suck as my life basically stops and I'm house bound. Spend my time either in bed or in the recliner and have to walk with a walker since I tend to fall more when it occurs. It really is horrible!

stickguy

They make patch sections for the wrangler frame since it is pretty common.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YYi38BsPmPY

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

They make patch sections for the wrangler frame since it is pretty common.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YYi38BsPmPY

————————————————
I get no sound nor can I see how long it is.

jmonroe

stickguy

Watch the video!

Michaell

Sandman6472 said:

Still dealing with the vertigo that began over a week ago the day we left for Orlando/St. Augustine. Went to work Monday but it was tough to be honest. Got up Tuesday morning & was so dizzy, just knew it wasn't safe for me to go in. Have been in the house ever since & it's not getting any better. Decided to talk to my boss who agreed that I should wait till next Monday to come back. Seems to be the wisest thing to do really. Anyways, next week is a short week for me as the wife has another IRS thing in Orlando and I'm taking her to the train on Tuesday morning.
The last bout with the vertigo happened last March and I was down two weeks recovering. Seems it takes a couple of weeks for it to stop completely and this has been the pattern...this is the fourth time I've suffered from it in the last fourteen months. I've been taking the meds on a daily basis but it still came back last week without any warning. Really does suck as my life basically stops and I'm house bound. Spend my time either in bed or in the recliner and have to walk with a walker since I tend to fall more when it occurs. It really is horrible!

Sandy, I was reading an article recently about a someone (celebrity or sports star) who suffered from vertigo and went to a clinic in Germany to have it addressed. Apparently this place has quite the reputation for identifying and resolving the core source of the symptoms.

Not sure that you would fly to Germany, but thought I'd mention it since it's happened to you so much recently.

imidazol97

@Sandman6472
I did some internet searching for vertigo and lightheadedness a few months back. If the vertigo
is caused by particles in the inner ear, there are specific exercises for the head where the movement of the head helps move the granules away from the sensory cells inside the inner ear.

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

Watch the video!

————————————————
Thanks, I watched SOME of that. No wonder some states don’t allow frame repair. If I was somehow that bad off financially, I’d opt for shooting myself. That’s got to be less painful than having a car crumble around you after hitting a few potholes.

That video should be the poster child for banning YouTube videos for that type of repair.

jmonroe

roadburner

I’m still fielding calls and texts. It’s crazy.

Michaell

roadburner said:

I’m still fielding calls and texts. It’s crazy.

Should've started at 150% of your original asking price...

jmonroe1

Michaell said:

roadburner said:

I’m still fielding calls and texts. It’s crazy.

Should've started at 150% of your original asking price...

————————————————
If he listed it on CL and did what you suggested he’d be fielding calls asking about trades and financing.

jmonroe

explorerx4

RB should change the phone number in the ad to the guy who bought it.
Maybe he can do a quick flip.

roadburner

I should have asked at least a grand more.

explorerx4

@roadburner,
It's sold for about what you asked and it was quick, so not too bad.

venture

Michaell said:

Can't help but share the recent conversation I had with my sister in San Diego. As you know, her and her husband share use of the XC40 they bought last year, and my sister also has use of my mom's old car (2003 Hyundai Sonata).

Anyway, my BIL gets contacted by a headhunter for a new position, with a substantial pay bump (20% or so). But, it would require him to be in the office daily for a while, before reverting to a hybrid position. They are also tired of paying $6/gal for gas.

Their first thought is to trade the XC40 for an XC60 PHEV. I explain to her that unless their total cost of ownership goes down (payment + gas costs + insurance), it doesn't make sense to trade. I tried to talk her into something less expensive (Camry or Accord hybrid, for example), but they aren't having any of it - my BIL is a bit of a brand snob. "We like the utility of our SUV!" - fine, but on those rare occasions where they need to haul something, use their son's 4Runner. Long talk about use cases and how most people buy a car for a purpose they'll need about 5% of the time.

Then, my BIL gets the idea that he should get his own car - and starts looking at BMW's and Audi's that are in the $15K range. My sister doesn't need me to shoot down this idea before it gets any traction.

If he gets the job, and if he has to go into the office daily (which is further away, also), he can take the Volvo, and my sister will take the Hyundai on those two days a week where she commutes.

I know, it's heresy to make those kinds of suggestions in this thread, but sometimes people need to be saved from themselves.

You've done all you can do. This sounds like one of those, "This isn't going to end well", stories.

jmonroe1

venture said:

Michaell said:

Can't help but share the recent conversation I had with my sister in San Diego. As you know, her and her husband share use of the XC40 they bought last year, and my sister also has use of my mom's old car (2003 Hyundai Sonata).

Anyway, my BIL gets contacted by a headhunter for a new position, with a substantial pay bump (20% or so). But, it would require him to be in the office daily for a while, before reverting to a hybrid position. They are also tired of paying $6/gal for gas.

Their first thought is to trade the XC40 for an XC60 PHEV. I explain to her that unless their total cost of ownership goes down (payment + gas costs + insurance), it doesn't make sense to trade. I tried to talk her into something less expensive (Camry or Accord hybrid, for example), but they aren't having any of it - my BIL is a bit of a brand snob. "We like the utility of our SUV!" - fine, but on those rare occasions where they need to haul something, use their son's 4Runner. Long talk about use cases and how most people buy a car for a purpose they'll need about 5% of the time.

Then, my BIL gets the idea that he should get his own car - and starts looking at BMW's and Audi's that are in the $15K range. My sister doesn't need me to shoot down this idea before it gets any traction.

If he gets the job, and if he has to go into the office daily (which is further away, also), he can take the Volvo, and my sister will take the Hyundai on those two days a week where she commutes.

I know, it's heresy to make those kinds of suggestions in this thread, but sometimes people need to be saved from themselves.

You've done all you can do. This sounds like one of those, "This isn't going to end well", stories.

————————————————
I was thinking something very similar.

I think this happened back in the ‘80s:

A secretary at work asked me about a car one of her relatives had and gave me a few particulars about it and I didn’t like what I heard so I told her to stay away from it and even gave her some reasons why. She tells me a few of her relatives told her it was too good of a deal to pass by, so she bought it. Everything was fine for a few months then the tranny crapped out. She tells me about this and didn’t blame me but said, “you should have screamed at me not to buy it but thanks anyway”.

That didn’t make me feel much better but other than telling folks you don’t want to get involved, I don’t know what more you can do sometimes.

jmonroe

corvette

@Michaell - If he weren't a brand snob, I'd suggest they find a leftover new Chevy Bolt or Bolt EUV. About $30k, less rebates. I've been a little tempted by them, but the usable highway range is a bit low (max of around 220 miles of purely highway driving, if memory serves). The Tesla "magic dock" chargers are being rolled out pretty quickly.

corvette

Also, I've been getting the YouTube popup explaining that ad blockers aren't allowed (but it still lets me close the popup and watch the video without ads). If I have to watch ads, it will probably curtail my car YouTube habits.

Michaell

Jalopnik had an article on the best hybrids under $35k - I sent it to my sister and she told me there were going to be no new cars, new or used, in the family.

So, I think my advice worked.

stickguy

If he takes the job, I would consider just using the Sonata to commute and mile that thing up, instead of trashing a nice Volvo that will take a much bigger depreciation hit.

corvette

Galena, KS - replica of Tow Mater and a repurposed service station which now sells souvenirs. I probably should have stopped at the Mining & Historical Museum, but didn’t realize it was there. Downtown looked dead on a weekday, with an overabundance of angled, pull-in parking spaces.

Michaell

stickguy said:

If he takes the job, I would consider just using the Sonata to commute and mile that thing up, instead of trashing a nice Volvo that will take a much bigger depreciation hit.

Yeah .... no.

100% guarantee you that won't happen.

Although it does make sense, even though the Volvo will likely get better MPG than the Hyundai.

jmonroe1

corvette said:

Galena, KS - replica of Tow Mater and a repurposed service station which now sells souvenirs. I probably should have stopped at the Mining & Historical Museum, but didn’t realize it was there. Downtown looked dead on a weekday, with an overabundance of angled, pull-in parking spaces.

————————————————
Mrs. j really liked all the angled parking spots in the original part of the town we lived in when we lived in SC. She wouldn’t even drive there if it weren’t for those spots right on the main street of that town. There is no way she’d parallel park on a side street.

jmonroe

stickguy

Michaell said:

stickguy said:

If he takes the job, I would consider just using the Sonata to commute and mile that thing up, instead of trashing a nice Volvo that will take a much bigger depreciation hit.

Yeah .... no.

100% guarantee you that won't happen.

Although it does make sense, even though the Volvo will likely get better MPG than the Hyundai.

I get the whole image thing, even if it makes no sense. But I would bet that the cost differential on gas (lower MPG but RUG instead of PUG) might be pretty small, and a lot lower than the depreciation per mile as you roll them up on a volvo. Plus more expensive tires to replace, oil changes, stuff like that.

breld

So…I’ve grown to really appreciate the overall refinement of the drive and high build quality of the Q8 e-tron, to the point I just wished I had gotten the better trim level.

I figured what the heck…doesn’t hurt to ask, and started a dialogue with the Audi dealer. At the end of the day, I’m cutting a check for $2,000 to upgrade to a Premium Plus trim level and keep the same lease payment.

I really wanted the upgraded stereo and surround camera, but am also getting nice features like ventilated seats, heated rear seats, and ambient lighting. And I got a more colorful option (mine is at the port and due at the dealer in a couple weeks, but this is exactly like the one I’ll be getting)…

stickguy

I am confused. This is not a trade of a current car in the fleet, just a change to an Audi order you were waiting on to arrive?

I won't even bother to ask what if anything the Q8 will replace!

28firefighter

no - sounds like he's going to trade the Q8 he got?

breld

@28firefighter said:
no - sounds like he's going to trade the Q8 he got?

Correct. I’m swapping Q8’s for a better trim.

stickguy

you have a Q8? I missed that one. If you don't keep the summary line up to date, we get lost!

breld

stickguy said:

you have a Q8? I missed that one. If you don't keep the summary line up to date, we get lost!

Oh you’re right. It’s fixed now.

breld

Oh yeah - I also went from a 3 year lease to a 2 year. That term has a fighting chance.

And @mjfloyd1 - I’ll be okay without the black optic. Really….I will. 😀

Sandman6472

I've been to physical therapy twice so far for the BPPV vertigo that I suffer with. It has helped and will talk to my doc next week if it hasn't gone away by then. This is not something I want to live with much anymore to be honest as it just zaps the life out of me. Luckily my boss is very understanding and understands that I have a few health issues that get in the way at times. He obviously sees me as a valuable employee or I'd be canned by now. But, I refuse to do anything unsafe no matter what, as I could hurt myself & others if something does happen & I'm just not willing to take that chance. Still, the whole situation is slowly draining the life out of me and keeping me housebound.

venture

Michaell said:

Jalopnik had an article on the best hybrids under $35k - I sent it to my sister and she told me there were going to be no new cars, new or used, in the family.

So, I think my advice worked.

That doesn't sound right. I say another car within a month.