Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

nyccarguy

Spotted this very cool Saab 900 (‘86ish) in where else, but the IKEA parking lot. Caught the owner loading up. He said it has close to 260,000 miles. It’s a stick too and a turbo!

28firefighter

I see good condition old Saabs up this way all the time. Volvos too!

kyfdx

Way back when, the M-Sport package on an AWD didn't have an M-Sport suspension. It was just the cosmetic bits. But, maybe something has changed in the last 20 years..

28firefighter

Thankfully it has.

tjc78

@kyfdx
I just noticed your post count. Holy crap!

kyfdx

tjc78 said:

@kyfdx

I just noticed your post count. Holy crap!

I've been working here for about 19 years... and, a member for a few years before that..

au1994

Love the Saab!

Michaell

@tjc78 said:
@kyfdx
I just noticed your post count. Holy crap!

What am I, chopped liver?

And, I’ve only worked here half as long…

tjc78

@Michaell said:

@tjc78 said:
@kyfdx
I just noticed your post count. Holy crap!

What am I, chopped liver?

And, I’ve only worked here half as long…

lol … wow too. I knew you guys were up there but didn’t realize going on a 1/4 Mil!

jmonroe1

tjc78 said:

@Michaell said:

@tjc78 said:
@kyfdx

I just noticed your post count. Holy crap!

What am I, chopped liver?

And, I’ve only worked here half as long…

lol … wow too. I knew you guys were up there but didn’t realize going on a 1/4 Mil!

————————————————-
If they had to pay dues for posting they’d be right in line with the rest of us card carrying members.

jmonroe

corvette

Drove the Maverick this weekend to stretch its legs... Came back home to swap vehicles in the driveway, and the MIL on the Ariya is on. My BlueDriver code reader was no help, but I also have a generic OBD-II one. One code for the 12V battery and another indicating that the cooling system for fast charging is disabled.

The Nissan dealer down the street's website is showing the first available appointment is on August 10. Two others don't have functioning websites that allow you to schedule service--I guess all related to the hack that recently occurred. I'll call tomorrow, but I guess I won't be taking the Ariya to St. Louis this weekend!

Also, the Maverick needs an oil change, which I had postponed because I had counting on driving the Ariya.

kyfdx

@corvette Obviously, the solution to your problem is to buy another car, this week.

explorerx4

@nyccarguy,
That Saab looks like it has SPG wheels on it.
There must be an IKEA(appropriate store) closer than Maryland.

Congrats to all those with new cars. I kind of thought it was going to be a down year.
This is why I don't gamble much.

corvette

The MIL turned itself off. I wonder whether the issue was caused by interference from the 12v adapter or the dash cam. I plugged that back in and will drive it to work this week.

benjaminh

We're up to 900 miles on our 2024 Outback, which so far seems like a good car. Quieter and smoother ride than the CR-V. The Outback's highway mpg at around 33 is lower than the CR-V, which is closer to 35. But with the Outback's 18.5 gallon tank we like the 600-mile highway range, which is about 200 more than the CR-V. Glad to be out of a turbo for the time being. Compared to that loud and course Honda 1.5T the Subaru has a comparatively nice engine and transmission sound. We like the feature on the Outback showing current weather, and then 3 hours ahead and also 6. We are missing a couple of things from our Honda, like the auto lock when you walk away. With Subaru you have to remember to press the grooves on the outside door handle to lock. Overall good bang for the buck for $33k + tax.

nyccarguy

@explorerx4 said:
@nyccarguy,
That Saab looks like it has SPG wheels on it.
There must be an IKEA(appropriate store) closer than Maryland.

Congrats to all those with new cars. I kind of thought it was going to be a down year.
This is why I don't gamble much.

It was the IKEA in New Haven

roadburner

I ran into my friend with the Giulia Quadrifoglio at church today; he told me that he wanted me to take the Quadrifoglio out when I had a chance.
Uh-oh.

sda

@corvette said:
The MIL turned itself off. I wonder whether the issue was caused by interference from the 12v adapter or the dash cam. I plugged that back in and will drive it to work this week.

A pox on warning lights, hate them.

explorerx4

@nyccarguy,
I meant the car has a Maryland plate but was at the New Haven store.
It's a good place to stay away from during fall semester college move in.

nyccarguy

explorerx4 said:

@nyccarguy,
I meant the car has a Maryland plate but was at the New Haven store.
It's a good place to stay away from during fall semester college move in.

Oh. Gotcha. It was surprisingly quiet.

laurasdada

Congrats, Andres. Almost the twin to my wife's. But you got the correct engine!

pensfan83

I setup an appointment to test drive a Silverado LT Turbomax after work today. With an 8%-10% discount, current manufacturer rebates, $1K Costco rebate, and a one pay it's possible to get the payment sub-$400 on a $55K truck. Not a bad lease deal in today's market.

ab348

The days of empty new-car lots are thankfully gone. I toured a few yesterday just for giggles and most brands have new vehicles stacked up like cordwood. The domestics have a lot of gargantuan truck inventory and of course CUVs/SUVs galore. The Hyundai dealer had plenty of inventory too, with a bunch of new Santa Fes and both varieties of Ionic electrics. The Mazda dealer was really loaded, with a ton of CX-5s (which seems to handily outsell the supposed CX-50 replacement here, of which he just had a few), plenty of CX-30s but just a handful of Mazda 3 sedans and hatches, plus several Miata convertibles and a couple of coupes (not sure how you even fit into those). They had what seemed like acres of CX-70s and 90s, which I think have flopped in this market at least. Toyota was the only one not showing much, with just one new Camry (plus a couple of the previous model). a few Highlanders and RAVs, and strangely, one new Venza. I'm not sure I've ever even seen one of those on the roads here.

suydam

At day care parking areas, I see a lot of CX-90s.
Nice that Costco extended tne rebate to all Silverados.

tifighter

Michaell said:

roadburner said:

@sda said:

While talking about BMWs, any feedback on the 530i, or 530i x-drive? The 2021s seem to be a good value and have received good reviews. I know they don’t drive as crisply as previous versions. My wife brought up the possibility we will need to replace the TL sometime soon and asked me to be ‘prepared’. The idea is to give the Passat to my daughter and a buy a car for me.

Get an M Sport and make sure that it has the M Sport suspension. It’s a decent car with the proper suspension calibration. Otherwise it’s a terribly anodyne experience.

Can one get the M Sport suspension on the 530e xDrive?

I've had this rwd one saved on my list for awhile. No M sport, but love the color combo. I have no need for it, thankfully.

21 530e RWD

Michaell

tifighter said:

Michaell said:

roadburner said:

@sda said:

While talking about BMWs, any feedback on the 530i, or 530i x-drive? The 2021s seem to be a good value and have received good reviews. I know they don’t drive as crisply as previous versions. My wife brought up the possibility we will need to replace the TL sometime soon and asked me to be ‘prepared’. The idea is to give the Passat to my daughter and a buy a car for me.

Get an M Sport and make sure that it has the M Sport suspension. It’s a decent car with the proper suspension calibration. Otherwise it’s a terribly anodyne experience.

Can one get the M Sport suspension on the 530e xDrive?

I've had this rwd one saved on my list for awhile. No M sport, but love the color combo. I have no need for it, thankfully.

21 530e RWD

Love it! I suppose a good set of winter tires would make up for the RWD…

corvette

Honda Prelude concept headed to production. Not sure how large the US market is for something like that, but I wish them well.

roadburner

Michaell said:

tifighter said:

Michaell said:

roadburner said:

@sda said:

While talking about BMWs, any feedback on the 530i, or 530i x-drive? The 2021s seem to be a good value and have received good reviews. I know they don’t drive as crisply as previous versions. My wife brought up the possibility we will need to replace the TL sometime soon and asked me to be ‘prepared’. The idea is to give the Passat to my daughter and a buy a car for me.

Get an M Sport and make sure that it has the M Sport suspension. It’s a decent car with the proper suspension calibration. Otherwise it’s a terribly anodyne experience.

Can one get the M Sport suspension on the 530e xDrive?

I've had this rwd one saved on my list for awhile. No M sport, but love the color combo. I have no need for it, thankfully.

21 530e RWD

Love it! I suppose a good set of winter tires would make up for the RWD…

A couple of years ago my dealer had a RWD 530e M Sport with most every option box checked including M brakes and B&O audio. I was actually tempted a bit, but in the end I decided I wanted something somewhat smaller and considerably faster. Still, it was a pleasant cruiser.

explorerx4

Is this a car for sale or just wheels?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/134804545326?norover=1&mkevt=1&mkcid=4&mkrid=711-170229-765988-5&mpt=668c60068b559955c320c97d80690000&gdpr=&&siteid=0&ipn=admain2&placement=579805&cto_pld=XleFiWc2AACokrhZ7BzVEw

corvette

@explorerx4 said:
Is this a car for sale or just wheels?

I’m guessing just the wheels. Many years ago, in the early days of eBay, when the Xbox had just come out, some dude listed the empty box his Xbox came in (fully/clearly disclosed), and some dolt still bid over $300 for it, ignoring all the disclosures that they were buying an empty box).

jmonroe1

explorerx4 said:

Is this a car for sale or just wheels?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/134804545326?norover=1&mkevt=1&mkcid=4&mkrid=711-170229-765988-5&mpt=668c60068b559955c320c97d80690000&gdpr=&&siteid=0&ipn=admain2&placement=579805&cto_pld=XleFiWc2AACokrhZ7BzVEw

————————————————-
I think if you buy the wheels the owner will throw in the car. He really wants to get rid of the car but he can’t find a buyer.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

corvette said:

@explorerx4 said:

Is this a car for sale or just wheels?

I’m guessing just the wheels. Many years ago, in the early days of eBay, when the Xbox had just come out, some dude listed the empty box his Xbox came in (fully/clearly disclosed), and some dolt still bid over $300 for it, ignoring all the disclosures that they were buying an empty box).

————————————————-
Give the guy a little credit. Maybe he wanted a box for the one he threw out. Bet you never thought of that, huh?

jmonroe

nyccarguy

Not a CCBA punch, but a punch to the financial gut for a good cause. My son’s 1st semester tuition bill is due this coming Friday. He received a very nice academic scholarship from the school. My parents had some money in a 529. We got a little in the way of secured a d unsecured federal student loans. The bulk of the rest of the tuition is up to my wife & I. I started shopping for loans and couldn’t believe the interest rates nor could I believe how many companies rejected me. I have excellent credit and have literally never been turned down for a mortgage, car loan, lease, or credit card in my life. A big reason is that they the student apply for the loan (who has no credit) and ask for 1 co-signer. Usually I apply for big loans with my wife as a co-signer. They ask for SS#, how much your gross salary is, and what your mortgage payment is if you own a home. I ended up with a 9.5% fixed loan that I will start paying back as soon as it is dispersed.

jmonroe1

nyccarguy said:

Not a CCBA punch, but a punch to the financial gut for a good cause. My son’s 1st semester tuition bill is due this coming Friday. He received a very nice academic scholarship from the school. My parents had some money in a 529. We got a little in the way of secured a d unsecured federal student loans. The bulk of the rest of the tuition is up to my wife & I. I started shopping for loans and couldn’t believe the interest rates nor could I believe how many companies rejected me. I have excellent credit and have literally never been turned down for a mortgage, car loan, lease, or credit card in my life. A big reason is that they the student apply for the loan (who has no credit) and ask for 1 co-signer. Usually I apply for big loans with my wife as a co-signer. They ask for SS#, how much your gross salary is, and what your mortgage payment is if you own a home. I ended up with a 9.5% fixed loan that I will start paying back as soon as it is dispersed.

————————————————
That interest rate is ridiculous. Talk about predatory lenders. I thought there were laws cracking down on that kind of lending. If I didn’t know better I say our government is trying to discourage higher education.

jmonroe

stickguy

Love the colors on the BMW.

Bradd, loans hurt. Thankfully when we were doing it we could use a HELOC off the house. Basically treated it like an ATM we lived in. But the rates were really low back then. We essentially were doing pay as we went and using that line to smooth out cash flow. Only real loans were the ones assigned to the kids.

stickguy

I love that prelude. I would jump all over a hybrid version like that. Perfect fun 2nd car for us.

corvette

@nyccarguy - ouch. Hopefully you can repay the loan fairly quickly.

nyccarguy

@stickguy said:
Love the colors on the BMW.

Bradd, loans hurt. Thankfully when we were doing it we could use a HELOC off the house. Basically treated it like an ATM we lived in. But the rates were really low back then. We essentially were doing pay as we went and using that line to smooth out cash flow. Only real loans were the ones assigned to the kids.

Right now, HELOC isn’t an option. I took out a loan from the federal government (SBA) when my property was flooded by the remnants of Hurricane Ida. That loan is technically “on the books” as a 2nd mortgage.

nyccarguy

@jmonroe1 said:
————————————————
That interest rate is ridiculous. Talk about predatory lenders. I thought there were laws cracking down on that kind of lending. If I didn’t know better I say our government is trying to discourage higher education.

jmonroe

Just the opposite. The government lends money to the banks. The banks have to pay the government back.

explorerx4

My kids started college in 2007 and 2010.
Both of the kids went to the schools where they wanted to go to, about 800 miles away from CT.
They had to carry the gov't Stafford loans but we paid the rest of TR&B and other expenses, so over 400K.

jmonroe1

nyccarguy said:

@jmonroe1 said:

————————————————

That interest rate is ridiculous. Talk about predatory lenders. I thought there were laws cracking down on that kind of lending. If I didn’t know better I say our government is trying to discourage higher education.

jmonroe

Just the opposite. The government lends money to the banks. The banks have to pay the government back.

————————————————
And who do you think tells the government what the banking laws should be? Right again, the bank lobbies.

jmonroe

corvette

I'm fortunate, compared to many... Started college in 2000. Full scholarship to a nearby state school--I could have had a free dorm room if I wanted, but commuted from my parents' house. Got checks for about $2,000 per year from my state due to high school GPA and ACT score. Started my own IT business.

28firefighter

College is no joke.

We’ve prepaid 4 years of instate tuition at UW for our 7 yo through the WA GET program, and now are contributing a limited amount to a 529 for above and beyond costs. I don’t want to over contribute in case for some reason he decides he wants to go an alternative path. And we don’t have any other kids.

laurasdada

9.5% was the mortgage rate on the first home I ever bought, back in 1991. And it was a good rate!

fintail

corvette said:

I'm fortunate, compared to many... Started college in 2000. Full scholarship to a nearby state school--I could have had a free dorm room if I wanted, but commuted from my parents' house. Got checks for about $2,000 per year from my state due to high school GPA and ACT score. Started my own IT business.

I am just happy I am old enough to have had it easier. Tuition was a lot cheaper in the mid-late 90s when I was a student. I got a few loans back then, I consolidated them around 2002 or so at something under 3%, there was no incentive to pay off early so I just ambled along at under $150/month. That along with my current mortgage are some of the best dumb luck imaginable.

suydam

28firefighter said:

College is no joke.

We’ve prepaid 4 years of instate tuition at UW for our 7 yo through the WA GET program, and now are contributing a limited amount to a 529 for above and beyond costs. I don’t want to over contribute in case for some reason he decides he wants to go an alternative path. And we don’t have any other kids.

All too true. Our middle child was not the academic sort. He joined the Navy 3 weeks after graduation, used the college money they provided to go to community college to start preparing for a police career, and was also in the Air Guard for 20 years. Truly choosing an alternate path.

roadburner

It's a racket; student loans take the sting out of outrageously high tuition- so the costs keep rising.

28firefighter

@roadburner said:
It's a racket; student loans take the sting out of outrageously high tuition- so the costs keep rising.

It takes the short term sting out and then you get to live the next 25 years with a pile of bricks waiting to fall while you hope you get a high enough paying job to cover the loans. College degrees do not guarantee a job that will, anymore.

It’s an investment and one has to do the math on the return.

qbrozen

My oldest heading to community college for a 2-yr program (more like 2.5 but he can make it up with winter and summer classes; would be 3-yr if he didn’t take extra classes in high school). First semester = $3300. I explained to him that if he finishes and gets a job in that field (radiology), he gets paid out what is left in his education account. Should be about $15k or so.

stickguy

Thankfully both kids only needed what the school offered via regular government loans (Stafford?) some subsidized. Ended up being 20-25k each which they paid off pretty quickly after graduation. Much easier on them. They also worked and paid their day to day expenses (aka beer money).

With all this house nonsense going on to avoid selling investments when we had ST need for large cash best option was actually a CC loan from Chase. Could get $25k in a day with absolutely no costs, max 5 year term. For 2-3 years “only” 8.99%. Since we did this without a mortgage it came in handy.

Just applied for a HELOC (also no fees) to have as emergency back up and got some early projects we want to do. That is 3.99% for the first. Just need to wait for them to approve it. We would have done a small mortgage paid off early but the closing costs on that were brutal and interest rate 6.5 or so. Plus we really didn’t want to have one any longer!