Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

What’s the year and model on that one?

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

There is a manual S4 Avant near me for $13k with 80k miles. I’d gladly take that for a fraction of the cost of that M5. I know it doesn’t compare, but for the price difference, I could manage.

Looks like I am an Alfa owner again. I didn’t get an email, but the car shows on my win page with a sale price a little over my limit. This is the 2nd time they took it upon themselves to push my bid higher on my behalf. I capped at $2200 and they went to $2296.

2 Keys?
Original engine?

Asking for a friend

qbrozen

@stickguy said:
What’s the year and model on that one?

The Alfa? ‘98 156 with 40k miles.
It came down to that or a LHD E36 318is manual coupe. I chose to stick with the Alfa since that was never sold here and it is far prettier and just a little quicker.

nyccarguy

Driving yesterday was just NOT FUN. It took me 1 1/2 hours to get in and 2 hours to get home. Then I had to drive back and forth to the hockey rink twice. At least the drive to hockey was smooth. I spent 4 1/2 hours in my Tacoma in total yesterday.

Yes it took me 52 minutes just to get to the highway yesterday afternoon.

nyccarguy

This is why drugs are bad

laurasdada

nyccarguy said:

This is why drugs are bad

It appears that the circus is in town...

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

All you lease hackers out there. $14-16k of incentives on the bZ4X. A member in Colorado just posted a $74/mo deal - and the CO tax credit wasn’t used for that number.

EDIT - that may have been incorrect. The $5k CO credit makes this a roughly $200-250/mo. Still good for an almost $50k MSRP

$74 per month almost makes up for how ugly it is. Definitely not $200-$250 per month. Then I would be on the hook to pay property taxes on a $50K vehicle.

qbrozen

@nyccarguy said:
This is why drugs are bad

I was stuck behind a truck just like that on Saturday. It would slow down to a crawl for every bend in the road.

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

This is why drugs are bad

He must be a treat to follow when there is slush and salt on the road. Those look like NJ plates, is that set up even legal there? I don’t believe it is in NY.

ab348

That truck makes you wish he would pull alongside another jabroni with those pointy wheels having a sharp center that juts out a foot.

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

@nyccarguy said:

This is why drugs are bad

I was stuck behind a truck just like that on Saturday. It would slow down to a crawl for every bend in the road.

————————————————
Believe it or not but I saw a grandmother climb into one of those in a supermarket parking lot a few years ago. And she had to really work at it to get into that thing. Had to belong to a grandson.

jmonroe

xwesx

Congrats on the Alfa, @qbrozen ! Really is a looker. Hopefully the titling process will go smoothly for you this time. Perhaps be the maiden journey for the pickup to pick up from the port....?


Thoughts on where folks think this Forester might end up?

stickguy

Too high without a manual swap!

qbrozen

xwesx said:

Congrats on the Alfa, @qbrozen ! Really is a looker. Hopefully the titling process will go smoothly for you this time. Perhaps be the maiden journey for the pickup to pick up from the port....?


Thoughts on where folks think this Forester might end up?

Thanks.
The 1jZ toyota will come before the Alfa.

I really don't understand an STi engine with a 4-speed auto. I'm a bit confused on the details, but sounds like a built engine with 10k miles mated to a stock 105k-mile transmission?? SMH. I'd pass. Someone will pay for it, but it won't be me. I suppose someone dropping $10k on it wouldn't be criminal. I bet it goes for more, though.

xwesx

Yeah, I'm thinking it will hit 10-11K. I think it's worth about $7,000 with the auto transmission. If it had a six-speed manual, then I think it would be *worth* about $12K, but I bet folks would pay north of $15K for it.

To be fair to the car, it was an XT from the factory, so the "STi" short block on it was an upgrade to a needed part versus tossing it in there just for the hell of it. They're definitely over-hyping that aspect of the car's appeal. IIRC, the XT was tuned at 225 HP (versus 174 for the naturally-aspirated EJ25), and all Forester XTs came with the 4EAT beginning in 2009. People love to throw shade at the transmission, but it was a fantastic piece of machinery.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

Thanks.
The 1jZ toyota will come before the Alfa.

Oh, I must have missed a read or misread. I didn't realize you won the previous Toyota auction. Was that the one where the Alfa went through on the first time, or was this even before that?

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

There is a manual S4 Avant near me for $13k with 80k miles. I’d gladly take that for a fraction of the cost of that M5. I know it doesn’t compare, but for the price difference, I could manage.

Looks like I am an Alfa owner again. I didn’t get an email, but the car shows on my win page with a sale price a little over my limit. This is the 2nd time they took it upon themselves to push my bid higher on my behalf. I capped at $2200 and they went to $2296.

————————————————-
Is bidding up your bid common for this seller or did you check a box inadvertently that allowed them to do that? I guess if they bid too much you wouldn’t be obligated to buy it without suffering any consequences with that outfit.

jmonroe

qbrozen

@jmonroe1 said:
————————————————-
Is bidding up your bid common for this seller or did you check a box inadvertently that allowed them to do that? I guess if they bid too much you wouldn’t be obligated to buy it without suffering any consequences with that outfit.

jmonroe

I don’t recall ever agreeing to it. Both times has been less than $100 so I just accept it.

qbrozen

@xwesx said:
Oh, I must have missed a read or misread. I didn't realize you won the previous Toyota auction. Was that the one where the Alfa went through on the first time, or was this even before that?

No, this was before I tried to buy the Spider.

It is a ‘98 Progres. Same as the Altezza, which eventually became the Lexus IS here.

explorerx4

This has been for sale for a couple of weeks.
Drive by picture.

stickguy

it honestly looks like it is sitting on the wheels without tires, those sidewalls are so skinny. Just thinking about them on the roads around here gives me the willies.

corvette

stickguy said:

it honestly looks like it is sitting on the wheels without tires, those sidewalls are so skinny. Just thinking about them on the roads around here gives me the willies.

If you're worried about adequate sidewalls, I have some 225/65/17 tires and wheels I can swap you for the ones on your Maverick.

28firefighter

@xwesx said:
Thoughts on where folks think this Forester might end up?

Alaska.

corvette

Another Maverick recall. I got a letter in January about it needing a BCM reprogram because the "bulb out" detection algorithm might not work correctly.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/17/business/ford-bronco-recall/index.html

tjc78

Wow … over the last day or I received serious sticker shock on Rogue leases (what Mom wanted)

MSRP - $34270 .. best quote $539 36/10K. $539 DAS

This was with a dealer discount and buy rate MF (thanks @kyfdx). My calculations matched the dealers.

One dealer had two ‘23s left that came in a touch cheaper.

There was no way even with much more dealer discount any deal was going to be palatable on a Rogue

Off to the brokers…
Same guys I got the Ram and EQE from. Looking at a CX-50 AWD Preferred. 34K MSRP 36/10 $372 monthly and $372 OOP plus $599 broker fee and $99 delivery.

$391 effective monthly. Not great.. but significantly better than the Rogue and IMO a better car.

stickguy

There are a couple. I got that one and for the hybrid there is another one that updates the pcm. Apparently the first iteration of that had some side effects and it is unclear if ford issued an update to it to fix the fix. Thankfully I never got around to having any of them done. And may try to avoid the PCM one entirely if I can.

nyccarguy

tjc78 said:

Wow … over the last day or I received serious sticker shock on Rogue leases (what Mom wanted)

MSRP - $34270 .. best quote $539 36/10K. $539 DAS

This was with a dealer discount and buy rate MF (thanks @kyfdx). My calculations matched the dealers.

One dealer had two ‘23s left that came in a touch cheaper.

There was no way even with much more dealer discount any deal was going to be palatable on a Rogue

Off to the brokers…

Same guys I got the Ram and EQE from. Looking at a CX-50 AWD Preferred. 34K MSRP 36/10 $372 monthly and $372 OOP plus $599 broker fee and $99 delivery.

$391 effective monthly. Not great.. but significantly better than the Rogue and IMO a better car.

It certainly isn't pretty out there

stickguy

Glad I am done with leasing for now. Though I was considering it as one of my many. Convoluted schemes.

tjc78

The money factors are hurting the leases now. There is discounting going on, but when the MF = 8% that really jacks the payment up.

We just got the final numbers… up a little closer to $400 with the final reg and taxes dialed in. Could be much worse.

She never thought of a Mazda and really likes it. I had one as a rental not all too long ago and enjoyed it

stickguy

You consider one of these?

pensfan83

I haven't paid much attention lately, but is it mainly the rate environment driving prices these days? Lack of incentives? Most dealers I drive by look like their inventories are pretty well stocked.

stickguy

Best rogue deal. If you roll in taxes and fees it becomes $458 true sign and drive inly 1st payment due.

au1994

Take the Mazda and run. Better car IMHO and not a bad deal for the times.

I thought I heard on the news this morning that the Fed says high interest rates are here to stay. A veritable death blow for CCB'ers.

28firefighter

What about one of the cheap polestar leases? No tax in NJ.

au1994

Doesn't give me a lot of hope for my upcoming lease in September. Everything I am interested in outside of the Maverick is in the mid $40's to right around $50.

kyfdx

I like the CX-50 a lot..

nyccarguy

au1994 said:

Doesn't give me a lot of hope for my upcoming lease in September. Everything I am interested in outside of the Maverick is in the mid $40's to right around $50.

Have you seen some of the Grand Cherokee Gas & 4Xe deals posted by one of the brokers? They seem quite reasonable.

au1994

nyccarguy said:

au1994 said:

Doesn't give me a lot of hope for my upcoming lease in September. Everything I am interested in outside of the Maverick is in the mid $40's to right around $50.

Have you seen some of the Grand Cherokee Gas & 4Xe deals posted by one of the brokers? They seem quite reasonable.

Gas GC is on the list, hoping coming from one Jeep lease to another would help. My preferred trim is the Limited which is over $50k. I've had a lower trim as a loaner once and its not overly impressive. Kinda been there done that on the 4xe.

The list, all over the map as usual and in no order:
- Grand Cherokee Limited
- Maverick Lariat
- 4Runner SR5 Premium
- Passport Trailsport

I'd consider a Frontier or Tacoma if there was a deal to be had. Doubtful on the latter since it is new. Pathfinder is nice for the $$ but it doesn't really do it for me and we really don't need a 3rd row. That said I wouldn't say no to a Pilot in the right trim if it leased out better than say a Passport.

roadburner

I paid the Wrangler off on Monday; I will probably out of the market for a while...

tjc78

I hadn’t considered the Tucson… last time I checked Hyundai leases were terrible too.

The Rogue deal @stickguy posted is similar to some broker deals but IMO still too high for that car.

@au1994
Like NYC mentioned there are pretty good JGC deals. The broker I just used has great Jeep/Ram/Dodge dealers and gets some good deals.

@kyfdx @au1994
I think she will be very happy with the Mazda. It’s a nice ride and not quite as ubiquitous as a RAV4 or Rogue.

@28firefighter
She did not want an electric… not a battle I was fighting lol

pensfan83

The new Tacoma is an improvement but I also like the Colorado/Canyon twins more after having some seat time in them at the auto show.

au1994

pensfan83 said:

The new Tacoma is an improvement but I also like the Colorado/Canyon twins more after having some seat time in them at the auto show.

Those are both sharp, particularly the interiors.

Sandman6472

Got a recall notice yesterday but there's no fix yet for it! WTH!!! A suction jet pump in the fuel tank EVAP system is the issue. Thanks for telling me but, why not have a fix ready to go before you tell me!!! Crazy!

Was at Ft. Pierce VW yesterday and saw an Golf R in the showroom. Gorgeous vehicle but it had a $20K admin fee! Again, WTH!!! Nice interior though have heard the infotainment system is a bit hard to get through. Harman Kardon audio system which is nice to see. Drove a Mini Cooper Countryman up with 58K on the clock and was not impressed. Truthfully, my Golf drives better and seems quicker when power is needed. Maybe, just maybe, I have a GTI in my future! I know it checks all th boxes.

oldfarmer50

corvette said:

Another Maverick recall. I got a letter in January about it needing a BCM reprogram because the "bulb out" detection algorithm might not work correctly.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/17/business/ford-bronco-recall/index.html

You’d think they would test these systems out better before roll out.

oldfarmer50

tjc78 said:

Wow … over the last day or I received serious sticker shock on Rogue leases (what Mom wanted)

MSRP - $34270 .. best quote $539 36/10K. $539 DAS

This was with a dealer discount and buy rate MF (thanks @kyfdx). My calculations matched the dealers.

One dealer had two ‘23s left that came in a touch cheaper.

There was no way even with much more dealer discount any deal was going to be palatable on a Rogue

Off to the brokers…

Same guys I got the Ram and EQE from. Looking at a CX-50 AWD Preferred. 34K MSRP 36/10 $372 monthly and $372 OOP plus $599 broker fee and $99 delivery.

$391 effective monthly. Not great.. but significantly better than the Rogue and IMO a better car.

I like the CX 50. Once you figure out how to tune the radio it’s a nice ride and interior.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

There are a couple. I got that one and for the hybrid there is another one that updates the pcm. Apparently the first iteration of that had some side effects and it is unclear if ford issued an update to it to fix the fix. Thankfully I never got around to having any of them done. And may try to avoid the PCM one entirely if I can.

I got a letter from Kia saying they have a software update that will stop kids with cell phone cables from stealing my car. Not a big concern of mine but I wonder if having it done will reduce my insurance premiums.

oldfarmer50

au1994 said:

Take the Mazda and run. Better car IMHO and not a bad deal for the times.

I thought I heard on the news this morning that the Fed says high interest rates are here to stay. A veritable death blow for CCB'ers.

Are you kidding? These guys are sitting on stacks of cash, they’ll just go to the dealer with a briefcase or two.🤫

explorerx4

Watching the Yankees playing in Toronto. There is an Ad behind home plate for the Ram Classic, 20% off MSRP.

nyccarguy

Sandman6472 said:

Got a recall notice yesterday but there's no fix yet for it! WTH!!! A suction jet pump in the fuel tank EVAP system is the issue. Thanks for telling me but, why not have a fix ready to go before you tell me!!! Crazy!

Was at Ft. Pierce VW yesterday and saw an Golf R in the showroom. Gorgeous vehicle but it had a $20K admin fee! Again, WTH!!! Nice interior though have heard the infotainment system is a bit hard to get through. Harman Kardon audio system which is nice to see. Drove a Mini Cooper Countryman up with 58K on the clock and was not impressed. Truthfully, my Golf drives better and seems quicker when power is needed. Maybe, just maybe, I have a GTI in my future! I know it checks all th boxes.

YES! My man Sandy! DO IT!

kyfdx

Sandman6472 said:

Got a recall notice yesterday but there's no fix yet for it! WTH!!! A suction jet pump in the fuel tank EVAP system is the issue. Thanks for telling me but, why not have a fix ready to go before you tell me!!! Crazy!

Was at Ft. Pierce VW yesterday and saw an Golf R in the showroom. Gorgeous vehicle but it had a $20K admin fee! Again, WTH!!! Nice interior though have heard the infotainment system is a bit hard to get through. Harman Kardon audio system which is nice to see. Drove a Mini Cooper Countryman up with 58K on the clock and was not impressed. Truthfully, my Golf drives better and seems quicker when power is needed. Maybe, just maybe, I have a GTI in my future! I know it checks all th boxes.

My 2018 GTI has the same recall.