Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

akangl

I swung by the Ford dealer today to see what they had for Fusions in stock.....more curiousity than anything. Of course they had none. I spotted a really nice, clean 2008 Accord EX-L V6/auto, low miles, not a bad price. I sat down in the car and looked around, I noticed a folder which had the car fax. Started flipping through it and wouldn't you know it, when the car was 1-2 months old it was rearended. I'm starting to see a theme lately, lol.

Chatting with a friend today, he looked at my Pilot and said "That rear bumper doesn't match." *sigh* I said sure it does, it matches the front bumper...... :sick:

qbrozen

they are crazy to not budge on that M3. $16k on a trade. $17k when it hits the lot. So $20k is ALL the money!

jayrider

But breld said he wasn't buying then so who knows what could be done with a little grinding. Every market's different. That's a college town so who knows. Some coed with a rich daddy sees it and it sells -- full price. They know their constituents. Buying cars for most people is an emotional endeavor. Buying a convertible is at least double emotional.

stever

Okay, silly question in here, but -

"Have you held off on a car purchase because you're waiting for a better deal? Or did you go ahead and buy because you assume car prices could just rise even further this summer? An Associated Press reporter would like to talk with you. Please send your contact information to Aaron Lewis at pr@edmunds.com."

fintail

If only it was cheaper, and I felt more secure about the future, and made a little more money, and trusted the kompressor more, if if if... You rarely see these with the watch too, it's worth several grand.

qbrozen

I think I'm the only person I know who finds the CLS ugly. I didn't like the Infiniti J, either, which I believe to be the never-admitted-to inspiration.

tjc78

Probably could add the Passat CC to that list as well, I would think.

I don't find it too bad, its too small a car for me but must be a fun drive.

qbrozen

It may sound odd, but I kind of like the CC. Yeah, the roof slopes, but it still has a trunk that is visually separate and it has a proper "end" to the car. It isn't just one curved line from from to back. The CLS looks like it is squatting ... ready to do its business right there in your driveway... if you know what I mean.

fintail

The old J had a squatting rear end too, yeah.

I am not an admirer of the CLS per se, but I like that IWC edition. There was also a similar edition SL but I don't know if it was ever sold in NA.

I'd take this too - still on the market, price needs to fall a bit to get into my world though :shades:

roadburner

First off, I'd tell the sales guy to go pound sand if I couldn't test drive the car without a sales contract. That is one of the reasons I refused to buy my Mazdaspeed 3 from Oxmoor(ons) Mazda in Louisville.
As for maintenance issues, the engine is very reliable, but it does require periodic valve adjustments. The rest of the car is garden variety E46, so you see window regulators go south and Final Stage Resistors dying. Nothing fiendishly expensive, however.
That said, it sounds like a 330i ZHP droptop would meet your needs to a "T". It's essentially the European M Sport package, increased engine output, short-throw shifter, M body kit. An EXTREMELY sweet car.

breld

Yeah, my current obsession has turned to a 2004-2006 330ci, coupe or convertible. I prefer the appearance of the coupe, but I enjoy having the top down on my Miata, so am thinking I may want to maintain that feature. The mechanics of the power top on the 3 has me a bit worried compared to the simplicity of the soft top on my Miata.

The ZHP would be a bonus, but it seems hard enough to find a manual 330ci at all. And I'm not sure how much I like the alcacantra highlights that seem to be on most of the ZHP (on all of them?).

The salesperson from the Nissan dealer did call me yesterday to see if I had made any decision regarding the M3 - I embellished a bit and said it mostly came down to price, and that I'd be more than happy with a "non-M" and the related savings. He said they'd certainly welcome an offer, but reiterated that there probably isn't much room to haggle.

breld

I was real excited for this listing, only being an hour and a half drive away, and those low miles.

2004 330ci

Take a look at the pictures and you'll see the disappointing (and often-seen) discrepancy between the description and the pictures.

breld

Also, for you BMW aficionados - in targeting E46 coupes/convertibles with the mid-cycle refresh, I noticed some 2004 models have amber turn signals and side lights (and perhaps no LED taillights). Were there changes made in the middle of the 2004 model year? I think they did that with the X5 that year, adding features such as the panoramic sunroof.

kyfdx

I have an '06 ZHP coupe..... I have clear corners, side markers, LEDs, etc... all stock..

I'm not sure when they made the switch... but, I think you may be correct that it was a mid-year upgrade in '04.

If you stick to the '05-'06 models, most will have leather, rather than alcantara... especially on convertibles...

If you are doing a search.. on Autotrader, for example... you can specify manual transmission only, and even though there will still be non-qualifiers, it will really pop up a lot of ZHP cars.. If you find the stick-shift isn't that important, there are a lot of ZHP convertible automatics.. Those 5-speed automatics are actually pretty nice... not goofy, like the new 6+-speed autos that are out now..

regards,
kyfdx

andre1969

Holy CHRYSLER!!! What have I done? Lookit what turned up in my yard....

fezo

Holy smokes! You've talked about it for a long time, but... you really did it???!!??

How are you going to break the news to lemko?

roadburner

How are you going to break the news to lemko?

Yeah, I want to see/hear that...
Nice car, regardless!

fintail

No way, not a loaner or rental?

Where's the Buick?

fezo

Of all the times for Andre to disappear....

He's had his eye on an Altima for a long time. My bet is that this is in addition to rather than instead of the Park Avenue.

ab348

Why would you want one of those things?

andre1969

that Altima was a loaner. My roommate's 2006 Xterra had to go in the shop for some a/c work and maintenance, and they gave him that as a loaner.

fezo

Hey! don't tease us here! You are our brightest hope " our regular he actually did it" guy! Don't tease with us.,.... :P

andre1969

I liked that Altima, though. It had a few things I didn't like, but then, I'm sure I'd find fault with any car. My biggest issue was the seats seemed awfully low. On the passenger side it wasn't so bad, because legroom was so generous I could almost stretch out straight. Kinda reminded me of my buddy's '78 Mark V, albeit with less seat padding. On the driver's side though, I couldn't raise the seat high enough to really be comfortable. It had a manual adjustment to ratchet it up and down a bit. Maybe with a power seat, it would have a greater range of motion?

That was really my only beef with the car, though. However, if I got one, I definitely would NOT get black! My roommate only had the car for about a day, but I swear I could see it getting dirtier by the minute! The interior was black as well, and I'm sure would show up dirt really quick. And I'm sure in that color combination, the car would get hot really quick and you'd have to rely on the a/c a lot more than if it was a lighter color.

Oh, and I'd want a sunroof, power seat, and alloys, at the least. I could probably live without leather, though.

The 4-cyl engine also seemed to have plenty of power.

rayainsw

I rented one last time I was in Colorado.
It was not bad.
The CV trans was not as bad as I had expected...
Rear seat room is quite acceptable.
- Ray
Friend's V6 Altima is much, much nicer - to me.....

corvette

It's the "rental car model," like mine, with hubcaps and no sunroof. I saw the sticker about the smart key on the trunk and thought it would normally be removed when the car was delivered (but I've seen rental companies leave it on).

jayrider

The low seat issue seems to be more of a concern as the body ages and the [non-permissible content removed] expands. That was one thing that sold me on the Prius. The hip point is surprisingly higher than most sedans. Easy in and out. You could of course take the Altima to a wheel shop and add 20 inch rims [with spinners] and you'd have the perfect combo of eye catching beauty and comfort.

fintail

Funny! I had a feeling something was up, with the hubcaps and modest spec otherwise. I know you'd want a nicer equipped model :shades:

tjc78

My GF's mother has an Altima black on black looks just like the one in Andre's pics She is a smoker, so basically the car is a flith fest all the time. It just never seems to look clean. Hers is a fully loaded 4cyl w/NAV. I never really have a problem getting comfortable and I'm a big guy. The power seat helps. The 4cyl/CVT combo is just ok for me (I'm just used to more power). Her previous V6 model was a completely different animal. The V6 must use a slightly different suspension as the newer (4cyl) model rides a bit softer than her previous V6 (same generation).

andre1969

I had a feeling something was up, with the hubcaps and modest spec otherwise. I know you'd want a nicer equipped model

Yeah, I really don't care if it's the best of the best or not, but I'd at least want the power seat, sunroof, and alloys.

Even well-equipped though, they don't seem to be all that expensive. Here's a 3.5 V-6 model that a local dealership group has, with an internet price of $25,444. And it's got leather, a sunroof, and probably more crap than I'd ever need.

oregonboy

As far as appearance, I would prefer if the top 1/3 of the headlight was omitted. Silly fashion.

fintail

Makes me think, current Altima is a few years old now, new one should be around in a couple years.

andre1969

I think the current Altima came out in 2007, right? So that would mean it's been around 5 years now (07, 08, 09, 10, 11). So in theory, there should be a new one for 2012, but I dunno if that'll pan out.

And, in the same vein, the Camry's also been around for 5 model years, and the Accord and Malibu have been around for 4 in their current iteration. And the Fusion, while it got a really nice upgrade for 2010, really dates back to 2006! And even the languishing 200/Sebring and Avenger have been plodding along since 2007.

I guess it's true what they say...the older you get, the faster the time goes by. I swear, most of the current midsize cars seem like they just came out, but the reality is, most of 'em are ready for replacement!

fintail

Yep IIRC Altima is 07 along with Camry, Accord is 08, and a few other oldies like you mention. I think this new economy might slow changes, but the older Japanese models anyway should get refreshed in the next couple years. One could then find a bargain on the last of the old style, or save up for the new style, I'd probably do the latter.

I don't mind the Altima sedan - coupe is kinda weird and lumpy to me though.

corvette

That's an incredible price for a loaded (except nav) model. I've never driven the V6 model Altima, but I'm sure it's a blast.

I don't think I posted this here, but I drove my aunt's low-mileage 2003 (I think) Park Avenue Ultra a few weeks back, and caught myself thinking it was pretty nice. Quiet, comfortable, heated seats, head up display, and rear parking sensors... I guess I'm becoming an old man! (Before I bought my lemon G6, I was considering buying a used 2001-2005ish Seville or Deville, which could be had for under $8500, but the various problems I read about scared me off. Of course, I could have bought two of them for the price of the G6!)

akangl

The Pilot and F-250 have left the stable. There's a new kid on the block......more to come later.

gouldn

Did the Pilot set the record for shortest NEW car tenure?

qbrozen

Wow. That's nuts. A new car for such a short time. My wife would kill me.

Speaking of her, she saw a Carrera convertible yesterday and said i should get that. Oh sure, I'll run right down to the corner store for one.

kyfdx

Wow. That's nuts.

Are you new, here? :P

ab348

Well, I never understood the Pilot purchase in the first place, and then with all your posts about the experiences you had with it in its short time in your possession, I figured it would not be long for this world.

jayrider

nicely said kyfdx. I've been buying and trading golf clubs lately instead of cars. Just as senseless but WAY cheaper.

28firefighter

Who had July 4th? Fezo? I personally had Memorial Day, but never publicly shared.

My BMW is gone, story to follow up when I pick up the new car on Tuesday.

akangl

Who had July 4th? Fezo? I personally had Memorial Day, but never publicly shared

Its funny, when I took delivery of the truck yesterday I was thinking......"I know someone on the CCBA forum had Memorial Day."

I'm not going to justify what I did, there's no point, but I will say that what happened at the Honda dealer yesterday was pretty much the straw that broke the camel's back. To treat a long time customer the way I was treated was appauling. Its not like I'm in there every week whining about this and that. I had not been in the dealership in THREE months!

I took the Pilot in for an oil change, they advertise an express service, which my hubby never has an issue getting with his Civic. I was told it would be at least 3 hours, so I offered to just make an appt and bring it back next week. Appt was made for wednesday, I mentioned some issues with the sunroof and the service manager suddenly got attitude and started yelling at me. I was totally confused at that point, then he said "well, make sure you can leave it for the whole day on Wednesday, I'm not sure we can even get to it" Huh? We left, I was nearly in tears and had no idea what I could have possibly have done to deserve that.

We looked at a couple used trucks that I had seen advertised at various dealers, then decided to go over to Cal Worthington Ford since they usually have a huge selection. Found 3-4 trucks we were interested in and settled on a 2009 F-150 x-cab FX4 with leather, sunroof, and only 28k miles. Went inside to talk numbers and the sales manager (who I've dealt with 2 other times and bought from) mentioned that for not much more we could get a new 2011 supercrew.

We traded both the Pilot and F-250, got a fair amount for both, actually more than I expected and there was an extra $1k rebate for trading in a 95 or newer Ford. We were given a killer deal on the F-150 and left very happy. Really it worked out better than I could have expected, I didn't really take too bad of a bath on the Pilot even though I had to disclose the accident. The F-250 took a little convincing to get them to take it, but in the end I got what I paid for it back in October out of it.

Now driving a 2011 Ford F-150 Supercrew, lariat, red candy metallic/pale adobe with black leather. The interior is not all black like the Pilot, its actually very classy. I love the bluetooth and the sync, really cool. Kinda funny that hubby and I started our marriage with a red Ford F-150 and here we are 18 years later with a red Ford F-150. Thankfully it fits in the garage.......barely.

roadburner

I've been buying and trading golf clubs lately instead of cars. Just as senseless but WAY cheaper.

Well, the Mazdaspeed has made it almost twelve months without any reliability issues and I've learned how to drive it so that it returns at least 28 mpg all the time. So it's on my good side right now. Now I'm thinking of selling my Triumph Speed Triple and getting another bike. Right now I'm liking the Tiger 800:



Again, much cheaper than swapping cars...

akangl

Again, much cheaper than swapping cars...

Could be worse, one of our neighbors decided after he bought his house that he didn't like the neighborhood so bought a new house somewhere else. The house he had here he let go into foreclosure because it was too much touble to sell it. Now it sits vacant and bank owned.......somehow I don't think this was the first time he's done this.

jayrider

Last road a motorcycle in 1990. 1984 Honda Magna V30. Don't trust my reflexes and reaction time now that I'm 65 with issues. Still--looked at the Triumph website and stated salivating. Probably wouldn't have to worry about getting killed on the bike because my wife would kill me as it was delivered to my driveway. It was fun though. Glad I rode when I could.

rayainsw

Good luck with the new truck!
- Ray
3+ months 'till my next new car . . .

stickguy

doesn't sound like you did too badly. And when you factor in all the various benefits, you are probably better off.

just remember,never settle when you go to buy something (if you have to start justifying what you are looking at, it won't end well).

And you may have finally got to the point where you are firmly backed into the corner, and have to stay in this truck for a long time!

it does seem too that Alaska is a strange car buying market.

stickguy

you guys are all killing me. I still don't see us getting anything new (not counting something cheaper when my daughter can start driving) until December, 2012. though depending on how things go, maybe a little sooner.

The van 6.5 years old now, and the Accord is 5.5. If it wasn't for getting cars for my son (on his 2nd, but that we have had for 2.5 years!), I would have been banished from this thread a long time ago!

Of course, since both the Hondas are in the low 60s in mileage, it isn't exactly like I have a justification. Just a desire!

fintail

Cal Worthington...haven't thought of that name in years.

ab348

A famous name in So Cal of course, going back into the 70s and maybe even earlier with his bizarre TV ads and his "dog Spot". Johnny Carson used to parody them on the Tonight show. What's old Cal doing in Alaska?