Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

roadburner

what do you all think about modifying the M3 suspension?..some do coil over shocks but i've been told the E36 suspension rocks as a stock set up.

An E36 M3 with a stock suspension and Dunlop Star Specs or Bridgestone RE-11s will out-handle at least 95% of the cars on the road today. And most drivers cannot utilize more than 50% of the car's ability. The best way to make an E36 M3 faster is to improve the driver. I'd attend four or five BMW CCA driving schools before I would even consider modifying the suspension.
As for coilovers, they are overkill(no pun intended) for virtually all street driven cars and most track toys. If you must modify the suspension I'd look at kits from Dinan, Turner, or TC Kline.

mark156

Sometimes I will turn the regular headlights on. With the Honda, you have to have the headlights on to work the fog lights. The daytime running lights are fine but depending on the sun's position, I'll run with the headlights and fog lights for more visibility. Same with the Land Rover.

For those who commented on the Acura/Honda crossover, they are so unattractive to me. One good thing about the CR-V, is I can put my bike in the back. Not sure about the Honda 'crossover' (can't remember the actual name). I also don't get the BMW cross-over version either.

Also, I'm not a fan of 'push-button-starting'. I have it in the Land Rover and the Bentley. I love the Honda because it has a regular key to start it with!!!

(Back story)... I had the Bentley in for service and a friend of mine driving my Land Rover dropped me off at the dealer to pick it up. I jumped out and realized as my friend was driving off that the LR key was in my pocket (dab nabbit).

At least the Bentley has a 'key hole' for the key (or you can keep in your pocket), the Land Rover does not a place for the key.

Mark156

tjc78

Also, I'm not a fan of 'push-button-starting'. I have it in the Land Rover and the Bentley. I love the Honda because it has a regular key to start it with!!!

I have push button start and its one thing I could clearly do without. It really is just a gimmick. As long as I have keyless entry I'm happy. In reality Ford has the best system, the keypad on the door is a beautiful thing.

isellhondas

I never paid attention to who people were dressed. A lot of Microsoft millionaires around here that dress sloppy.

corvette

I disagree on the keyless ignition. I love it in my Nissan. It's very convenient to be able to keep your keys in your pocket or briefcase. What is a gimmick are the BMW and MINI models that have a key fob and a push-button ignition that isn't keyless--you have to insert the fob into the dash, press on the brake or clutch, and then press the start button. Those same models offer a keyless version as an extra-cost option.

I've never liked Ford's keypads--I think they often mess up the lines of the car.

rayainsw

'What is a gimmick are the BMW and MINI models that have a key fob and a push-button ignition that isn't keyless--you have to insert the fob into the dash, press on the brake or clutch, and then press the start button. Those same models offer a keyless version as an extra-cost option. '

Agreed.
And for the feature to work as one might expect
costs another $500 [ MSRP ].
- Ray
NOT my favorite aspect of the 335iS

stever

Ford must hold a patent on the keypads. I'd love one. Be a lot easier to keep track of my keys if I didn't have to "hide" them on top of one of the tires when I go off hiking or boating. Leaving keys at the vehicle is one less thing to worry about losing in the woods or at the gym. I have a hide-a-key around the gas tank too (I hope!).

The less stuff in my pockets the better, and I don't like the way fobs keep getting bigger and bigger.

stever

Maybe some of y'all will be able to take advantage of this:

“Edmunds Exclusives” is the first program of its kind to share exclusive offers from car dealers and automakers. Consumers who sign up through Edmunds.com will be able to use the program to cash in on deals for new or used cars they may be interested in buying or for vehicles they have not yet considered.

Consumers can expect valuable cash-back, financing and leasing offers from participating dealers and automakers. The program may also include deals from other auto-specific businesses like dealer repairs and parts, maintenance and body shops, aftermarket audio dealers and auto broker services.

Edmunds.com Announces “Groupon”-like Exclusive Discount Program for New Car Buyers

Only in Miami-Fort Lauderdale at the moment; expanding to select markets over the summer.

michaellno

Each of the vehicles in my fleet have a different key fob setup.

The MINI, as noted above, requires that the "fob" be inserted into the dash, then a start/stop button is pushed (with foot on the brake) to start the car. Since this isn't a car I drive very much, I can't say that I like or dislike that setup.

The ION has a traditional fob / key. Fob to lock / unlock the doors - one push for drivers' door, two for all doors. Key to start the car.

The CX-7 has a true keyless fob, with a key built into it for emergencies. Key stays in pocket or purse at all times. There is a button on the front doors and the hatch that is pressed to lock / unlock. If the button on the drivers' door is pressed, only that door unlocks - you must manually unlock the other doors using the switch on the inside of the drivers' door. If the button on the passenger door or hatch is pressed, all doors unlock.

To start the car, there is a traditional looking ignition switch that is turned, like a key. No push buttons. One minor gripe .. wife cannot leave her purse in the car (with her key fob in it) .. when you try to lock the doors it beeps at you.

I've also had Fords in the past with the keyless pad on the drivers' door.

nyccarguy

About those keyless BMWs & MINIs. You pay $500 extra for the option & the keys actually have to be inserted about 2x per year to charge the battery in the key.

michaellno

You pay $500 extra for the option & the keys actually have to be inserted about 2x per year to charge the battery in the key.

To my knowledge, you don't have to spend the $500 for that luxury. During the delivery talk, my daughter was instructed to change the fob she uses daily every 6 months to keep them both fresh.

tjc78

Ford must hold a patent on the keypads. I'd love one

Nissan had them on the Maxima in the 80s. Ford had them starting way back in 1980 on the Mark VI. I haven't seen them on any other brands.

As for disturbing the lines of the car, many of the new models have them in the door pillar and they are touch pads which light up only when yo utouch them.

stever

Licensing deal? My Nissan was built by Ford and it wasn't an option.

fezo

My old 87 Maxima wagon had those buttons - but since I bought it used and never did figure out resetting the buttons they were merely decorative....

trackmastere36

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-M3-FREE-SHIPING-1997-BMW-M3-SPORT-COUPE-VERY-- CLEAN-5-SPEED-BLACK-BLACK-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem588e37e958QQitemZ380343150- 936QQptZUSQ5fCarsQ5fTrucks#ht_21332wt_1182

what do y'all think about this one?

trackmastere36

anybody know the signigicance of the OBD1 on a 1996 M3?

stickguy

you can mess around with the tuning a lot more than with OBDII without running afoul of the CEL nanny.

roadburner

what do y'all think about this one?

It looks OK(except I HATE black/black). I'd still want a pre-purchase inspection from a tech who knows BMWs.

roadburner

What stickguy said, but only 1995 M3s had OBD I. If a later car has OBD I it has been modified.

corvette

The description says it's a 6.0L 8-cylinder and has AWD... :P

trackmastere36

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=300107086&dealer_id=1368258&ca- r_year=1999&systime=&doors=&model=M3&search_lang=en&start_year=1996&body_style=C- OUPE&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&search_type=used&distanc- e=500&min_price=&rdm=1308020074389&drive=&marketZipError=false&advanced=&fuel=&k- eywords_display=&lastBeginningStartYear=1981&end_year=1999&showZipError=n&make2=- &certified=&engine=&dma=ATLANTA_NE2&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&bo- dy_code=2&transmission=&default_sort=priceDESC&max_mileage=&color=&address=30517- &sort_type=priceDESC&max_price=&make=BMW&seller_type=b&num_records=25&cardist=46- &standard=false

roadburner

As I said before, only a thorough PPI can tell you whether that is a good deal- or not...

corvette

Georgia isn't that far away, we could both get in a bidding war with him if he finds a desirable example! :shades:

roadburner

Excellent point!

michaellno

I am in need of an opinion or two.

Daughter wants to refinance the MINI ... she doesn't like the current lienholder and wants to go with a larger company that offers her more options in making her payment.

However, we're not sure if we should continue to have GAP insurance, given how slowly the MINI has depreciated in the past 14 months.

Edmunds pegs the current private party value at $19.5K, while KBB shows $21.9K. She is refinancing just under $20K. She cannot transfer the existing GAP policy to the new lienholder; if she cancels, she will get back just over $300 of the original GAP premium.

The new lienholder does not offer GAP; neither does my insurance company.

Should we look for a reputable 3rd-party GAP provider? I've got a call into the finance desk of the MINI dealer to see what options they offer as well.

All thoughts and opinions are welcome.

kyfdx

GAP only covers the difference between the insurance value and the loan balance...

So, why pay hundreds of dollars for $500-$1000 of insurance coverage?

corvette

Usually you can only buy it from your insurance company or from the finance company. I would probably skip the coverage, apply the $300 refund as an extra principal payment, and see if she can start paying a little extra each month (if only a few dollars at first) to widen the gap between the payoff and the cat's value.

stickguy

given how little (if any) negative equity there is, does not seem at all worth it.

bottom line, if it got totaled next week, and you were $500 under water on it, would it break you? if not, don't bother.

if anything, put the GAP cost (refund and new policy) toward lowering the principal balance.

michaellno

Thanks!

Hadn't thought about applying the refund from the previous policy to the loan balance.

We have suggested to her that she pay more than the minimum payment each month to reduce the principal and, ideally, keep up with the depreciation.

We were surprised at how much it's still worth, though I suspect the low miles have helped quite a bit.

The difference between the loan balance and the car's value is quite small and can easily be covered should the indescribable awful occur.

ronsteve

Not an expert, but I will say this... when you're looking at insurance issues, the dealer retail value is the important number, because you're supposed to get what it would cost to replace with a vehicle of "like kind and quality."

Based on the numbers in your original post, GAP sounds unnecessary at this point.

fezo

Just a question - is she making her payments sin full and on time? The reason I ask is that my experience is that if you do that almost any lender is easy to work with,

Just wondering if there is an underlying issue. If not, I'm with the rest of the guys here. Not worth the gap insurance.

michaellno

The dealer retail value of the MINI is $21-24K, depending on which resource you use.

While I agree that is represents the cost of replacing the vehicle should it get totaled, I'm more likely to believe that it's the private party value the insurance company will use.

Yes, all payments are on time. The reason for the move is that her current lender does not offer an on-line payment option, and they are quite slow at processing her payment, which she currently makes by check and snail mail.

As an example, she put her last payment in the mail on 24 May, but the check did not clear until 13 June. She, like most folks her age, are way more comfortable using the internet to manage finances.

jayrider

When I set up the insurance on my new prius, I opted for the 3 year new car replacement clause which was $10 a year. If it's totalled, I get a new car not cash based on what it was worth at the time. Gap insurance is more important for leases than purchases.

tjc78

As an example, she put her last payment in the mail on 24 May, but the check did not clear until 13 June. She, like most folks her age, are way more comfortable using the internet to manage finances.

I had that with the lease on my 06 Avalon with Hann Financial. They didn't offer an online option, but they did have an "auto" pay available in which you give them your checking/savings account # and they take the money on the day it's due.

Another option which I do for bills that can't be paid online is to use your bank's online bill pay. Once you set it up its as simple as logging into your bank account and clicking on that entry in the list and tell it how much money to send and when.

fezo

Oh, that is a pain in the neck for a young kid. I live with several mail in payments but that's largely because I've been too lazy to set them up on line. Not having that option is a real dinosaur move.

The Ody payment, which is almost done, is the old put it in an envelope and send it out in to the world. The Camry is all done on line.

michaellno

I had that with the lease on my 06 Avalon with Hann Financial. They didn't offer an online option, but they did have an "auto" pay available in which you give them your checking/savings account # and they take the money on the day it's due.

Another option which I do for bills that can't be paid online is to use your bank's online bill pay. Once you set it up its as simple as logging into your bank account and clicking on that entry in the list and tell it how much money to send and when.

Trust me, we've looked into those options. Both the bank we use and the credit union that currently finances the MINI are fairly small and don't recognize one another on the 'net.

michaellno

The Ody payment, which is almost done, is the old put it in an envelope and send it out in to the world. The Camry is all done on line.

I mailed in the payment for the ION, but the CX-7 is done on-line.

About the only payments I mail in anymore are the ones for the utilities - phone, cable, electricity, etc. I'm sure I could take care of them on-line as well, but there's something comforting about putting the check into an envelope, sealing it and putting a stamp (?!) on it.

For the water bill, I just drive down to the town hall and deposit it in a drop box. Gives me a chance to get out of the house!

stever

We walk to our town hall for the water bill. There's a bill pay setup form that's been sitting on my desk for months that I just can't seem to get around to. I'm cheap enough to get bugged by the cost of stamps.

In car buying news, there's an '86 Town Car down the street with ~35k original miles (always wondered what an unoriginal mile was). Clean but nothing special; guy is asking $9,000 which surprisingly isn't too much more than others I've seen listed online.

roadburner

I pay every bill online. I'll bet my wife and I don't write more than 4-5 checks per month.

gouldn

So with old-school banks like you're describing I would use my checking accounts 'bill pay' feature to auto pay that monthly, and thereby not worry about it (bill pay sends a paper check to the loan automatically).

If that doesn't work, then my only suggestion would be to make sure she doesn't extend the term ... it would be depressing to go back to 60 months after paying it a year already (just guessing at the numbers here). Maybe even take this opportunity to reduce the term to 3 years or something.

Sandman6472

Having done this for 30 1/2 years, we still use the postal service, as I must support my employer. Feel a strong obligation to my company as they gave me a great career and let us live our life. Since the wife handles the finances, I'll go along if she ever decides to do these things electronically.

The "Barefoot" Sandman :sick: :shades:

michaellno

So with old-school banks like you're describing I would use my checking accounts 'bill pay' feature to auto pay that monthly, and thereby not worry about it (bill pay sends a paper check to the loan automatically).

The "bill pay" feature at our bank has a pre-defined list of companies that they work with ... the credit union isn't on that list.

michaellno

A little too much time on my hands this morning, apparently.

First, went to Edmunds to see what the ION is worth as trade bait. Surprisingly, they came back with over $6K! Must be those inflated used car values.

Then, I checked out the used inventory at the local BMW dealer, where breld got his recently.

Found this recent trade in. Pictures are not great quality and show a car that is in serious need of a detail, but the specs look pretty good, as does the price.

qbrozen

an automatic blue droptop. my wife would be in love.

qbrozen

i never believe those miles on such a car, personally. My father-in-law had a late '80s towncar. Drove it 128k miles in like 4 years. Dealership assumed it was 28k. He didn't argue.

michaellno

So, is the price on point? This is a "one price" dealer, so really no room to negotiate.

However, wife is making noise about carpeting the house and replacing much of the carpet downstairs with hardwood.

Quick, who can spend the money first?

stever

I bet it was the last new car the guy got. He's in his 80's and has an old truck for driving in the winter.

Y'all didn't believe the ultra low mileage 40 year old truck that was on the diner bulletin board either. Kept forgetting to take a photo of the sign. It either sold or the guy took the sign down.

One of the kids who inherited the house we bought would up with his Dad's LTD. It was one of those huge mid-70's models and barely fit in the garage. I think it had 77k on it, and that's because the son started driving it the last 10 years and put 40k on it himself.

Guess it's believable to me since my '97 Outback is still at 85,000 miles (~6k a year). Since we took over the out of town driving chores for the in-laws, I bet their Buick is seeing less than 2,000 miles a year (and the truck they have sits 9 months of the year).

qbrozen

i'm a believer only when i inspect it myself.

I mean, if I see a car like that with mostly original parts, nice and fluffy carpet, etc, etc... then I'll start buying into it.

qbrozen

sorry, michaell, I can't help on price. My galves subscription expired.

fezo

michaelll - go for it! You can always apologize later.....