Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

it is not just curb weight. The G/Z to me seems like a heavier car to "drive", if that makes sense. And somewhat of an over powered hot rod, especially with a stick. Not comfortable with a teen driving one of them either.

The BMW (base engine, so 323 back then?) just seems lighter, smaller, easier to drive/shift, etc. Besides, I always wanted one of them!

and I would be fine with a Z3 1.9.

I like the P5. Almost got one when they were clearing them out for the 3, but didn't act in time. Ditto for the 2004 Si, when you could get one in the 15-16K range left over.

most likely, whatever I get will be a 4 cyl, willing to stretch to a 6 for certain cars (like a 3 series) or a 5 for the right Volvo.

michaellno

I know. I was making a funny at his expense.

Oh, duh.

Still early for me; guess I need to get caffeine in me.

laurasdada

Greetings, folks:
OK, so I've kinda got the, "I want, but don't need, but I'm not getting any younger and I deserve to treat myself once in a Blue Moon to a treat and I spend very little on myself..." new car fire. So, here's what I'm thinking, an eclectic mix, and may sound familiar:

Current ride: Lovely Abyss Blue '05 Acura TL, multiple coats of Zaino Z-2 and Z-5. Additions/replacements:

'08 Jaguar XK, Pearl Gray: Have had a thing for the XK for some time. Test drove last week, CPO. Beautiful car, smooth and quiet ride. Visibility better than expected, not as powerful as expected. But, no deal breaker. Back seat: rotflmao! On my mostly local 13.5 mile test drive, avg'd over 19mpg per the OBC. Jag offering .9% financing on CPOs. Optional 19" staggered tires. I'm thinking third car, no winter, keep the TL. Also, an '09 in Silver a few miles down the road also available. Not sure this is the best rational, economic decision.

'11 Lexus CT200H: I test drove a few weeks ago (and Lexus paid me $100 to do it!!!). I'm just intrigued by the car. I like the simply laid out interior a lot, along with the compact size. Enjoyed playing with the different drive modes. Slow, but didn't seem too slow, and CVT takes some getting used to. Still, was fun to drive. Of course, no supply due to obvious reasons, six on the floor when I tested, all gone. Want to see one with the leather interior, although the Nuluxe seemed OK. But, it didn't fool me as leather. Replace the TL, my winter tire/wheel combo for the TL just might fit on the CT, a plus.

'10 or '11 Audi A5. Local dealer has a '10 A5 outfitted exactly as I'd want, loaded ("Prestige" model) with V6. Although Meteor Gray in color, vs the Quartz Gray I truly desire. But Cinammon interior with wood accents, I truly enjoy wood accents in my interior (which my TL lacks). Haven't driven yet. Also, '11 with 2.0T engine I'd plan to drive. Replace TL.

'11 CTS Coupe: Reminds me of my beloved VW Scirocco and desired, but never owned, follow up the Corrado (CTS Coupe reminds me a lot of the Corrado, exterior-wise). Available AWD, nice interior, but not, from what I've read, fantastic performance. Poor visibility, better rear seat than the XK. Haven't driven yet. Replace TL.

So, that's my current thinking. Any comments? The Jag is special, unique, I think that's what my heart truly desires. But, my pragmatic, New England brain is pushing hard the other way (actually, stupid brain says keep the TL, which I still enjoy very much!).

stickguy

I forget, but what is your current 2nd car that will be hanging around?

My opinion? Get something to replace the TL, unless you really want to have 2 extra cars (I assume the #2 at the moment is another toy?) It seems extravegant to spend that much on a car, to keep it parked 5 months of the year.

also, do you have garage space for 3? If no, deal breaker for me!

It also sounds like, from your list, that you aren't concerned with rear seat room of carrying passengers. Do you have something else for that duty?

But, these are all very nice choices. The A5 is a particularly nice car (from having sat in one at the car show), and can't argue with AWD up in snow country.

qbrozen

Ohhh... this could be interesting.

I was just invited to the "Porsche World Roadshow" where I'll be driving nearly 3 hours up to Monticello NY to participate in a performance driving session on the track up there in the 911, cayman, boxster, panamera, and cheyenne, followed by an optional half hour on-road test drive of the car of my choice (I chose the base Panamera).

Supposedly an exclusive event and you need a passcode to register. Space is limited, blah, blah, blah. Anyone else get this? Came in my email this morn. At first, the code didn't work, so I called Porsche, they said they've been experiencing problems, and they fixed it. I'm now registered for the 9:30am session on 6/11.

laurasdada

Second car is wife's '02 RX300 which will be passed on to daughter in fall. Then wife gets new car (BMW or Audi, but she knows not which one. Maybe A5, so can't have two, can we?), so, potentially a four car family...with a two car garage.

Yes, the pragmatic, logical side of my brain says the Jag is a no go, but if I snow-sneaker it, maybe it'll be a year rounder? One long term test said it was a champ in the snow with Dunlop Winter Sports, IIRC. But, it's at best a 3 seater. I'm alone or with one passenger 90% of the time in the TL, so it won't be a constant issue. The heart says Jag... But, the A5 makes much sense, with much style and driving enjoyment I'm sure!

And, I'm not sure what it is, but the (currently unavailable) CT200h just holds my attention, too. Least expensive of the bunch in all ways.

Inertia will probably rule the day. My TL is one fine consolation prize!

nyccarguy

You are probably right - the only Preludes out there have been modded to death & outfitted with gigantic spoilers, mismatched body kits, oversized, curbrashed wheels, Z3 style front fenders, & an automatic transmission.

nyccarguy

Thanks for the compliment.

akangl

potentially a four car family...with a two car garage.

That's the boat we are in. I don't like that 2 of the vehicles sit outside in the elements. Also, insurance is expensive (especially with a teen driver) and trying to remember who had what oil change, who needs tires, who is due for what service. Worse than kids!

We plan on cutting at least 1 from the herd, will probably swap 2 for 1 that can do both jobs.

michaellno

That's the boat we are in. I don't like that 2 of the vehicles sit outside in the elements. Also, insurance is expensive (especially with a teen driver) and trying to remember who had what oil change, who needs tires, who is due for what service.

As the fleet manager for 3 vehicles, I feel you on that. In fact, the wife called me not 5 minutes ago to tell me that the CX-7 still feels like it is pulling to the right. This, after the dealer had it and supposedly aligned it. Not sure if I can get it back into a shop before we leave on vacation.

Regarding teen insurance - I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. If the child isn't paying his / her own premium, then at the very least they should have a bank account that contains the amount of money that equals the deductible, should the unforeseen incident occur. Then, they can't regain driving privileges until that amount has been replaced. Forces the children to have "skin in the game", so to speak.

corvette

20,000th post--what kind of award does he get?

michaellno

20,000th post--what kind of award does he get?

Huh .. didn't even notice that.

Cool!

qbrozen

He gets to buy another car, of course.

breld

I like all those older Hondas too - Prelude, Civic Si, RSX, etc. That particular Civic Si was particularly unloved at the time, so there could be some good deals out there. Personally, I wish they'd bring back the hatch to the U.S. - seems like it may be received better these days - seems as though VW and Mazda do well with theirs, and Honda should know from the Fit that hatch's seem to be more appreciated nowadays.

It's certainly a challenge to find an unabused example of some of those cars, but given enough time I imagine it can be done.

As an aside, I had a new Elantra as a rental car in Austin this past weekend and was really impressed by it. Naturally a base trim of the car, but it rode real nice and had a pretty impressive interior.

laurasdada

Oye! Insurance for the 16 year old! Didn't consider that...

I checked on insuring the Jag as a third car, it would cost almost as much as our other two cars combined. But, I'm bringing the Jag home tomorrow for an overnight test drive (surprise, honey!), see how the kids actually fit in it. And, I've researched snow tires for the Cat.

I've been saving, and have been so practical, all my life, that I just may try this irrational midlife crisis thing... I hate to part with the TL, though. But, I always feel that way about my cars. I get over it, eventually..

jayrider

There are 2 Jaguar sedans in my neighborhood. 03 and 05. Both have been rock solid with zero issues. The 03 gets his serviced at Firestone. 60k miles.

breld

With this talk of older Hondas, I decided to do a search for some of the older Hondas I'm fond of - Preludes, CRXs, etc. It's fun to see what's out there on a nationwide basis.

Came across this, which happens to be in Denver. Have to admit, I'm somewhat tempted to go look at it.

1st gen Legend

I like the 2nd gen Legends quite a bit, but these 1st gen coupes are sort of cool. I'm pretty competant when it comes to stats and data on cars, but not being terribly mechanically inclined, not sure if a 20 year old car is the best fit. Still, I'm a sucker for the blue color and the rare manual.

akangl

Oye! Insurance for the 16 year old! Didn't consider that...

It raised our premium by $925 every 6 months. That was WITH a good student discount and a driver's ed discount.

My Pilot's insurance is rediculous, but then again, I'm listed as the primary driver of it and having 2 major speeding tickets less than a year ago plus 6 pts on my license doesn't help that at all.

I'm thinking the Pilot and the F-250 are going to be cut from the herd this summer. Gonna miss my cranky old F-250, but the love that truck has for the gas pump is a killer.

Pilot has 6k miles on it and is showing the same transmission issues that my 07 had.......really thought Honda fixed that. :sick:

mark156

Two days ago I took the Honda CR-V down to the storage garage (26 miles) where I store the Motorhome. I wanted to exercise the motorhome by taking it on a 20 mile run as it's been six weeks since it's been used. The generator should be run once a month to keep it top notch (at least one hour under half load).

So, I pull the motorhome out of the garage and put the Honda in. I had emptied the under bays of the motorhome because I was taking it today in for it's yearly service (80 miles away). Well, while I was sweeping out some dirt from the storage garage, the ladder I had leaned against the wall fell against the Honda's front passenger fender. Yes, it put a dent in the fender......darn!

So, after I exercised the motorhome I took the Honda to my mechanic and he recommended a guy. I met with the 'guy' yesterday and he said that he thinks it should be no problem knocking out the small dent. Of course the dent is at the bend of the top of the fender which may make it hard to repair, we'll see. He said it would be $125 which I thought was reasonable.

I'm thinking of keeping the Honda during the 2012 model year and trading for a 2013 at the end of next year (just thinking out loud).

Mark156

stever

I can just see the guy saying "I'd like to see the 3'er in your ad".



(AutoObserver)

laurasdada

Thanks for fueling my fire, Jayrider! And, now, a little dittie I'll title, "Never a Bride!"

If I was to mention, "The Pass" here, how many would know the reference? If I was to throw in Boston College vs. Miami, does that help?

Today I picked up the '08 Pearl Gray Jag XK Coupe w/19" staggered wheels for an overnight test drive. I decided to grab a quick lunch at Papa Ginos (a New England chain pizza place, not bad pizza for the Industrial kind!). I figured I'd have the coolest car in the parking lot, right?

But, nooooooooooooooo. I pull in, park to the left and immediately see a black Ferrari F430 convertible parked directly behind me to the right side. As I'm shutting down the Cat, who strolls out of the resataurant with a couple of the employees watching from the windows with awestruck faces? And, of course, hops into the Ferrari... Name that tune!
x
x
x
x
x
x

For those who immediately said, "Doug Flutie!:" Winner, winner. Chicken dinner! He was wearing a very bright red Red Sox t-shirt and looked bigger in person than in pix (of course, I was practically sitting on the ground in the belly of the Cat, so I imagine everyone would look bigger to me...).

What are the odds that on a cloudy Thursday afternoon at a two slices and an unlimited fountain beverage for $5.80 (tax included! Such a bargain!) pizza joint, the Jag would play second fiddle? And, the driver of the Jag vs. the driver of The Stallion play, well, if only I were second fiddle...

See what the family thinks of the Jag tonight. It's a beauty.

anonymousposts

Stickguy: We had a 2005 G35 6-speed manual sedan. I did not like the way it drove. It was a beast and it was fast but the transmission felt kind of like a truck.

As a side note ... we fell off the wagon again today and our Genesis has a new playmate

stickguy

you certainly don't let any grass grow on your driveway, metaphorically speaking. So what is it this time? And what else do you have left, since it is hard to keep track.

that is also about what I felt about the G stick. To me, it felt like a modern iteration of a muscle car. Seemed like too much work for day to day driving, and not something I want to start a teenager out on.

maybe I can finally get one of the cars I always wanted in my younger days. something like a 1986 Celica GTS. sounds practical, right?

28firefighter

I have a serious question for all of you who flip cars constantly. Do you ever run into titling and tax issues by buying and selling so many vehicles in a year? For instance, PA has a law that prevents you from purchasing/selling vehicles more than 7 times in one year. I imagine the goal with that was to prevent people from acting as car dealers without proper licensure.

Have any of you run up against that or some other regulation?

anonymousposts

We bought a 2011 Odyssey EX-L. It's still at the dealer getting some accessories put on. Hopefully we can pick it up today or tomorrow. Gee decided he wanted the sunroof and Bluetooth/USB. Now we just have to sell the 2008 EX. Right now we have the new genesis, the new odyssey, and our 08 odyssey that we will now sell. We tell ourselves we are done for a while....

I've always liked the 94-99 Celicas. When my husband and I first started dating he bought a 87 Celica GTS. Great car. It was an automatic so he didn't keep it very long.

anonymousposts

Georgia has a similar law. It's called curbstoning. Our deals are a mixture of private party sales and trades so we have yet to hit the 5 car maximum.

houdini1

Wow, I didn't even remember the first generation Acura coupe. Thought they were all Sedans.

stever

Every state is different I'm sure, but Michigan defines it as conducting the business of buying or selling cars. If you tag and title and insure all the vehicles you are buying, and drive them around, or let your family drive 'em, and then sell them, I doubt that the state is going to care, even if you do that more than 5 times in a year. Never know with bureaucrats though.

Curbstoners often don't hold title to the cars they sell.

qbrozen

I've never heard of this before, but I guess it kind of makes sense. I don't believe I've ever bought and sold that many in one year, so I guess there was no reason for them to ever say anything to me.

rayainsw

The only one on your initial list that I have recently driven
is my daughter's 2007 MINI Cooper [ non-S ].
I have driven it on many occasions and I can say
that it is fun to drive - and returns good gas mileage.
Hers has been quite reliable - and is now at 65,000
miles, or so...
FWIW.
- Ray
Used to more HP, more TQ and a much larger car...

isellhondas

Something tells me the "transmission problem" is justification for getting rid of an almost new car. MAN, what a hit you are going to take!

corvette

Does the state track sales to actively enforce it, or just wait until someone complains about a curbstoner?

28firefighter

I am not sure how it works, frankly. If a curbstoner never takes title to the vehicle, then the Commonwealth has no way of knowing he/she was ever there. If they are taking title, I would imagine it is very easy to know when there has been a maximum number of vehicles bought/sold in a given year since everything is done online anyway.

I wonder if, at that point, the Commonwealth just places a stop on allowing any title and vehicle registration services from being done in your name and operator license number. I'm sure its not like someone from the DMV comes out with their badge and tells you no.

kyfdx

I wanted one of these bad.... I was shopping for a year old one, back in 1990... Just couldn't get anyone down to $20K..

Ended up with an '84 Porsche 911, instead... naturally.. :surprise:

laurasdada

As did I, until my '05 TL, the original Legend Coupe was the best looking Acura, imo. I bought a new '88 Integra way back then, probably the best built car I've yet owned. Couldn't afford the Legend Coupe at the time. Maybe even now!

The Cat is back with it's current owner (dealer). Daughter doesn't understand why I would want a new car when the one I have is fine. The money should be spent on "Mommy's house renovations and our college education." Son loved it, but wants an Aston Martin to inherit when he's 16. Wife has no opinion. I'm torn, still really like my TL!

akangl

MAN, what a hit you are going to take!

Surprisingly the hit isn't bad at all, a guy I know who owns a used car lot is willing to buy it for not much less than I paid for it. He said the accident doesn't bother him since it was repaired correctly. If I do get rid of it, the F-250 will go too and since I traded a reconstructed explorer and a gun for that I will end up coming out ok.

I don't know though, in order to justify it I'd have to offload the F-250 as well which means I'd be looking at picking up a used 1/2 ton truck. Looking at it that way, I probably won't do it, lol. Either way I'm waiting to do anything until fall or next spring.

bolivar

I think if action is taken because of excessive private auto sales it will be because of a new or used dealer complains to the state auto licensing department.

bolivar

"Either way I'm waiting to do anything until fall or next spring."

I'm in for Before 4th of July. (Probably sooner.)

isellhondas

Are usually easy to detect.

The are often from "other countries" and have some excuse as to why the title isn't in their name.

They are "selling it for a friend" is the usual story.

There cars are often Salvage Titled cars or cars with major problems that they bought for a song and then jury rigged them to look and run better.

The first question to ask when you call is "How long have you owned it?"

I've heard that these people often use someone without an accent to take the phone calls.

fintail

I'll have to wear my bigot badge for just a moment, but on those lines, there are some groups of people around here who I would be insanely cautious about buying a car from.

stever

In Anchorage, it was your "normal" guy (not that many Alaskans are "normal"), who often would fly down to Seattle and find a 4WD that wasn't rusty and drive it north and flip it. Sometimes these were relatively good deals, especially if the truck didn't break down on the owner on the trip up the Alcan.

I knew another guy in Boise who was a flipper who specialized in pre-OBDII vehicles. Mostly early 80's models. Not a lot of markup, but those were the only vehicles he could cheaply fix in his backyard. Anything with computerized sensors and the like were too hard to tune up. He worked out of his driveway and would try to get the cars running again when the new owner came back with the inevitable problems, and he probably kept a lot of people employed by keeping them in wheels cheap. A regular saint. :shades:

Sometimes it's a used car dealer selling junk off-site, often using a straw man, since he knows the buyer will come looking for him in a month when the transmission falls apart.

qbrozen

I've thought about it myself. What I have done has been more along the lines of Wheeler Dealers. I've only done it with cars that I've wanted to own, though, and did keep and drive for a little while, while fixing up all the little things the previous owner didn't or couldn't.

On those few cars, I've done OK. Usually breaking even, but getting to enjoy for a while. Thing is, because it was intended to be MY car, I always put more into it (re: high-end parts) than I would if the car was bought specifically for flipping.

So I've postulated to the wife that maybe I should find, fix, and flip a car or 2 and see how it goes. We're not talking alot, but if it gets me $500 for 3 or 4 weekend days, it MIGHT be worth it. (although $100-$125 per day is kinda crappy when you think of it that way, but its not my primary job)

kyfdx

Assuming that's tax free, and you enjoy doing it.... not a bad return.. (not that I'm suggesting avoiding taxes, you understand.. )

oregonboy

That would be tax evasion not tax avoidance. Tax avoidance is legal.

stickguy

I am seriously thinking that when I finally decide what car I want, I need to hire you to find a good cheap one with minor needs, fix it up, then resell it to me! Probably the best shot I have of finding something interesting that doesn't turn out to be a disaster for me..

qbrozen

haha. well, you let me know and we'll see what we can do.

lilengineerboy

My dad has an '03 or '04 6-speed manual G35 sedan. I have never minded the shifter in that car. When he initially got the car, I didn't care for the clutch at all, but after an adjustment, it has been fine. He has about 70k on the car now and the only repair done was brakes, and Infiniti split it with him.
There are a number of ergonomic issues with the 2002-200x generation G35s that I didn't like but I love the engine, transmission, and general responsiveness of the car.
The newer G37s have much better usability while retaining the same sporty character.

stever

New categories - "we have 12 mostly new categories like Most Wanted Car We Can't Have, Most Wanted Exotic, Most Wanted Cheap Car, Most Wanted Fuel Sipper, Most Wanted Hatchback, Most Wanted Hot Rod Division…things you actually care about."

2011 Edmunds' Inside Line Readers' Most Wanted Awards

fezo

stick, I've been toying with that deal with q for some time. There's a line.....

Here's something I could like....

Of course they are talking Sonata convertibles next year....

stickguy

I think that is the one I posted a couple weeks back. I know I saw it. He may have had an older one too (or that came from some other source).

there is a blue one just like that parked outside my office. Looks sharp.