Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

fintail

Looks like lots of maintenance and work has been done. If it checks out...you might do worse for the money. A last year car is a good thing, too.

jayrider

As long as he is able to pay for maintenance and repairs -- why not ? There are lessons to be learned with a high mileage eurocar and nothing teaches better than real world experience --- good or bad. My only concern is that needs a transmission flush might mean needs a transmission.

isellhondas

The guy with the BMW called me back.

Doesn't sound good. He's owned it for a month and only bought it to get it running so he could flip it. The guy who had it before him "didn't have the time" to get it in shape.

It sounds cobbled up and it also sounds like it's had a pretty serious front end wreck. Power steering belt is off so he doesn't know if the power steering or the A/C has a problem. Anyone wanna guess?

Air bag light is on etc.

It's a BMW and it's a convertable. Other than that, not much to go with.

I didn't see the part about a trans flush? It's a stick and he said he just changed the fluid in it.

Oh, the reason the top is manual is because the power part doesn't work,

The guy was nice and professional and he was candid. That part I appreciated.

nyccarguy

Hmmmm. I'm far from an E30 expert, but those basketweave wheels are 15", not 14" as stated. The 14"s on an E30 are the bottlecap wheels. "It could use a coolant flush..." - it could also need a new radiator. "The dent in the door that could just be pulled out..." - then get it done.

Maybe the "AC needs a recharge too."

I learned a valuable lesson a few years ago. Don't buy a cheap BMW.

kyfdx

The pictures look good.. and the price is low.. but, the rest of it would put me off it..

And.. it's hard to tell from the pictures, but I think those are bottlecaps, not basketweaves...

For every nice E30 coupe, there are five convertibles... they aren't too hard to come by.. Just more to go wrong..

akangl

Although I'm not certain this qualifies....

1972 2-horse trailer.....lady was honest and upfront about it and the price was right. She said its been sitting in the same spot since the mid-90s, but the tires held air and the axles turned. Tags were current and she had the title. Figured it would be good for storage, but it turned out to be in a lot better condition than I expected.

That was one slow, nerve wracking drive home though, the tires on the trailer were so dry-rotted I was shocked they held air for the 25 mile drive home. I was the person I hate, didn't dare go over 45 mph.

Paid $100 for it, will probably drop another $1k into it fixing it and could sell it for around $2k, but nah, I'll hang on to it. Its good for storage and who knows, maybe I'll fall off the horse wagon and buy another horse.......errr, money pit.

About to cross the 5k mark with the F-150, really awesome truck, very happy with it. Bought a set of 20s for it and a factory brake controler, leveling kit and spray in bedliner are next.

michaellno

I see that the Bimophiles are out in force this weekend. Let's see if breld buys the 318ti; I doubt that craig will get the E30 'vert, given it's issues.

No buying for me this weekend. Spent most of it getting the wife's CX-7 cleaned and waxed. Turns out her trip to southern Colorado brought back some hard water spots when she parked under a sprinkler system.

A touchless wash didn't have any affect. A wash at a nicer place still showed the water spots on the paint and windows. So, today I took it back to the second car wash and had them put a coat of wax on it. Much, much better, but they told me I'd probably have to get the car waxed every 6-12 months going forward. We'll see.

Also, had the 10K oil change and tire rotation done at the dealer in Colorado Springs - not the one where we bought the car. They had no problem honoring the coupon I received from the other dealer, and the service department was top notch, in my opinion. Definitely going to use them going forward.

I did have a chance to walk the lot while waiting for the service to be done - everything that interested me was black. Two Volvo C30's and a Mazdaspeed 3.

Wife and I talked about the "fun" car on our way home this afternoon. She's not sure she understands the need for a 3rd car when I drive the ION so little as it is - mostly errand running and pizza delivery duty. She did comment that "if" we were to get something, she'd have to be comfortable in it as a passenger - she specifically commented that a MINI of any sort was out. Fine by me - I've been thinking BMW / Audi / Saab anyway. Told her I wasn't sure if I'd get a 'vert or just a coupe for fun, and did tell her about the $23K '07 328i coupe in the Springs.

She was concerned that I'd want to use the CX-7 for pizza duty this winter. I told her that wasn't going to happen, and if push came to shove, I'd put some winter tires on the ION's OEM steel wheels for severe duty use, though there are really only a handful of days a year where you would need to use them - I've used M+S tires and have only gotten stuck once and that was my fault, not the car's.

graphicguy

Craig....like most here, not feeling the 'vert BMW. Looks nice. Something tells me this is a money pit, which is exactly why it's being passed on from one person to the next.

Personally, I'd rather pay a little more and have one that's road ready with no work. Good luck!

graphicguy

michaell....if those water spots look like they're "etched" into the clear coat (run your fingers over them), then you're going to have to buff the finish to even them out.

If uncomfortable doing that yourself (with some elbow grease, or at leaste an orbital buffer), a really good detail at a pro-shop will cost a minimum of $150 (since you've got a larger vehicle).

Doing it yourself? If you've got the tools, it would probably take a light buffing compound, which would need to be followed up by a paint cleaner, then a wax, plenty of elbow grease.....oh, I dunno, maybe $40-$50 in compound, glaze and then a wax. Another $20 in some good microfiber towels. 3, maybe 4 hours of your time.

As far as waxing every 6 months, that's a good idea no matter what the condition of your finish is.

roadburner

I'm currently looking at a couple of, shall we say, "unusual" choices.

First is a 2000 Saab 9-3 droptop. It's at a Toyota dealer that belongs to the same dealer group as my BMW dealer- so my BMW salesman can handle the deal. 75,000 miles and very clean. The LCD information screen -known as the "SID" is missing a lot of pixels, but that is a known fault and there are several places that will rebuild your existing SID for under $100 with a lifetime warranty. Slushbox again; my wife has always wanted a Saab and we only need it to last 2-3 years. $5500 would be my top number: 2000 Saab 9-3

Now for the one that will get all the "practical" folk shrieking in terror: A Porsche 944. My BMW dealer just took it in trade; it looks to be well-kept, and it wears a PCA sticker- which is a good sign. The thing is, it it's had the timing belt/tensioner/water pump done it shouldn't need much additional maintenance. It's an early car so it has manual seats and no other electric gadgets save for a hole in the roof(Meh!!!). My son loves 944s and the base models are far from quick(0-60 in 8.3s, Top Speed under 135) so he couldn't get in TOO much trouble- although the car is wearing Porsche's Guards(AKA "Arrest Me") Red paint. It hasn't been cleaned up yet so I should get to drive it today or tomorrow. Could be doable for under $4500...

michaellno

.if those water spots look like they're "etched" into the clear coat (run your fingers over them), then you're going to have to buff the finish to even them out.

If uncomfortable doing that yourself (with some elbow grease, or at least an orbital buffer), a really good detail at a pro-shop will cost a minimum of $150 (since you've got a larger vehicle).

Yeah, the place I was at yesterday suggested that as well ... they charge $50/hr, and they thought it might take up to 4 hours to complete, but with no guarantee that the spots would be completely removed.

Their suggestion was to continue with the wax treatments when the spots become noticeable again, which could be 6-12 months out. At the moment, the car looks good and the wife is happy, so all is well.

qbrozen

The only down side is that you can buy a 2011 Mustang 5.0 with the Brembo package for just about the same money- and the new 'stang is faster and handles better.

After seeing your first post with the Saleen, this is exactly what I was going to say. I just couldn't see my way clear of paying that kind of money for one that is 4 years old, higher strung, and probably a worse performer. For that car, you are simply paying for the exclusivity ... something I've never personally cared about.

qbrozen

with those miles, that Saab is already pretty cheap. It isn't an SE, but still... Closest I see that went through auction recently had 81k miles and traded hands at $3300. So $5500 MAY be possible. He probably won't have any trouble selling it, though. Right color, clean, great miles.

fezo

Sign me up on the Saab! Very nice. Back when a Saab was a Saab and not an Opel!

isellhondas

I agree with you and have already written that BMW off my list.

fintail

There seems to be a lot of curbstoners in this area

isellhondas

Yes, there are and many come from "other countries" but not this guy.

fintail

Yeah, I think it is a trade that crosses all cultures. Especially big in this area from places known for their mafia (and I don't mean Joisey), lots of salvage title stuff too but they usually disclose it.

breld

Well, we went ahead and brought the red 318ti home yesterday. My wife drove it home and had a great time with it. It helps curb her pining for a stick in her 328xi. I ran around with it in the afternoon running some errands - once you get used to "how" to drive it, it's quite fun.

It has a large subwoofer in the back, which defeats the usefulness of the hatch, so I'll either remove it or replace it with a smaller one. The only thing I noticed from driving around yesterday was that once I filled the gas tank, the level indicator only made it up to about 3/4 full. I assume the gas tank is indeed full and there's an issue with the guage.

The only other problem is that we only have a 3 car garage - so it sits outside. I suppose there are worse problems to have.

So, so far so good (in one whole day of ownership).

Thanks again for all the comments and advice.

rayainsw

Congratulations - hope you
[ and the wife ]
enjoy it for a long time!
- Ray
Counting the days to my BMW aquisition...

kyfdx

Good deal!

As long as you wind it out, you'll have a blast..

roadburner

Congratulations! Keep that M42 above 4000 rpm or better and you'll have a ball! As for the gas gauge, BMW(and not a few other brands) had a problem with certain fuels creating deposits on the contacts of their fuel sending units. Try running a couple of bottles of Techron through the fuel system. BMW NA actually sells BMW branded Techron to address that very issue as well as to eliminate injector, valve, and combustion chamber deposits.

graphicguy

breld....congrats on the new ride. Sounds nice. Have fun with it.

I have a friend who's a SAAB fanatic. Matter of fact, even though SAAB has been teetering back and forth on insolvency, (some weeks the factory has enough cash to run them, some weeks they don't), he's still trying to find a new one to buy.

He loves those drop top Turbo 900s and says they're bulletproof. Don't know if he's right or wrong, except he's probably owned at least 10 SAABs that I'm aware of (maybe more) and knows more about them than any dealership ever did.

I'd be a little worried about parts availability, but apparently they aren't cars that are prone to break down too often.

kyfdx

Stick... 184 HP... lots of shifting! (that's good)

'03 525iT

isellhondas

I happen to like those 900 convertables too but they are far from bulletproof.

They are plagued with electrical problems and the top mechanics mes up on a regular basis. Expensive to fix and a lot of shops won't work on them.

Still, I like them!

stickguy

I might violate "now more black interior" rule (certainly the no more silver one) for one of these. perfect configuration.

not sure about the price, given those miles (which do give me a bit of pause). Would have to have something like this gone over with a real fine tooth comb.

But that set up? perfect!

fintail

Not cheap, and more miley than I would want, and I am not sold on the bodystyle, but I like the color combo and with P030 is an insanely rare combination, probably only a handful made exactly like it

If I browse enough I can resist temptation, just remind myself of my no car payment status right now.

michaellno

Nice car.

What I found humourous was the payment calculator and the defaults ... 96 months, 10.99% interest, $1K down, 9.8% sales tax ... for a monthly payment of $722/mo!

:surprise: :surprise: :surprise:

So, when I'm done paying for this sled, it will be 12 years old with almost 160,000 miles (assuming 12K per year).

However, if I were to trade in the ION (figure $6K value), reduce the interest rate to 5% and shorten the term to 48 months, that makes the monthly nut a more reasonable $944/mo.

That is about 2/3 of my mortgage payment.

Gulp!

fintail

If I had to pay 10.99%, I'd have no right to be buying such an expensive car :shades:

I am not thinking of buying that thing...although if it had like 20K on it, I'd almost be tempted to look. The mileage of those big V8s also irks me, significantly worse than my E55.

The mortgage thing is a world I can escape - I live an imbalanced area where rents are still about 50% of mortgages+ other fees, so buying doesn't make a lot of sense in this market. I rent, and I can also travel at will, go out to eat when I want, drive a nice car, and invest money every month - without worrying about repairs and depreciation.

corvette

The CLS was kind of a black sheep, like the R-class (hey, nice minivan!).

kyfdx

The guy that owns it is a long-time member of that forum... I'm not positive, but he might be the original owner of that wagon...

That would definitely be a plus, in my book.. An E39 isn't that big of a car... I would rate the acceleration as "sprightly" with the 2.5 litre six and a stick.. In my wife's slushbox 325i, it was plenty.... I agree... with those miles, it is more of an $8K car, but where are you going to find another one?

Northern Va isn't all that far...

fintail

The wonderful R - a Pacifica for badge snobs. If a MB person needs to van it up, get a GL or a passenger model Sprinter.

stickguy

NoVa? no, not far, and heck, my sister lives in Fairfax, so probably quite close to her.

you are right, not likely to see too many like it.

Now, at 7,500, more attractive!

actually, since we are just starting a big remodel of the kitchen, powder room and master bath, wheels aint in the budget.

though if I sold the Accord, why not! Oh yeah, I have so much going on right now that trying to car swap too might give me a nervous breakdown.

still, if it was local, I would certainly be going to look at it.

qbrozen

Ours is at something like 126k miles, I believe. Wife drove it alot for a while there. So far, only repair up till now was the thermostat. But, wife was just complaining about noise while driving, so I checked it out and the left front wheel bearing is toast. Ordered bearings and, while I'm at it, control arms for both sides to the tune of $200. There goes my Saturday. Otherwise, though, *knock knock* its been fine.

breld

Okay, it's a sedan (I assume the coupes are more desired), it's bright red, miles aren't particularly low, the carfax shows 4 owners (but no accidents), and there looks to be a patch job on the driver's side bolster. But isn't the price getting to a point of being intriguing? They've had it forever and the price has steadily been decreasing.

ZHP 330i

nyccarguy

Miles aren't particularly low? The car is 8 years old. An average of less than 10K per year. That duct tape on the bolster is just awful. Id be less concerned with the 4 owner carfax, but would take the VIN to the servicing BMW dealership to see its service history.

Is it common on the west coast for a car to go from California to Arizona to Colorado?

michaellno

The car is 8 years old. An average of less than 10K per year.

Actually, I was thinking it was 9 model years old, but yeah, the average miles per year aren't too bad.

Is it common on the west coast for a car to go from California to Arizona to Colorado?

Wouldn't that be similar to a car on the east coast going from Virginia to Pennsylvania to Connecticut? While I wouldn't say it is common, I'm not totally surprised by it either.

That duct tape on the bolster is just awful.

Agreed.

Plus, RWD for a BMW in Colorado makes it tougher to sell. Most folks would want AWD.

Speaking of BMW's, did anybody catch the hour long program about BMW on CNBC last night?

qbrozen

other than the duct tape, it looks pretty good. Miles are low.

However, price is still up there. Appears they'd be looking at about $10k as a trade-in. Even if they went as high as $11k, $13k should get the deal done. Maybe push to $13,500 if need be. That extra $500 is really going to depend on the details, especially what is under that duct tape.

breld

Yeah, you guys are right - the miles are pretty low for its age. There just seems to be several coupes/verts at that age with exceptionally low miles, but those may be more weekend drivers than this sedan.

I'm certainly in no position to really consider it, given the 318ti purchase this past weekend, but just found it intiguing enough to share.

kyfdx

Agreed..

Miles low
Price high

That color is Imola Red.. It's the only non-M 3-series that comes in that color... someone else I know has an Imola Red ZHP..

Actually, the sedans are in higher demand than the coupes....

That car has the alcantara/leather interior, which might have something to do with the wear on that bolster.. In the later models, full leather was an option... those bolsters are trouble spots, either way. It also has the alcantara steering wheel and e-brake boot.. They had a lot of trouble with pilling on the steering wheels, and replaced a lot of them under warranty (most with leather wheels). This wheel looks good, though..

ZHP sedans were available from '03-'05
Coupes from '04-'06

I've also heard they are fun to drive...

breld

By the way, we are thoroughly enjoying the 318ti. It's not the first used car we've purchased, but it's certainly the first used car we've purchased with this many miles and, accordingly, at such a low cost. Finding a "gem" like that is very satisfying and fun.

I was telling my wife earlier that instead of curbing my car search tendencies, it seems to have fueled it more. In fact, on one of our few "kid-free" nights earlier this week, we drove the new 318ti to go look at this:

325xiT stick

Nothing too compelling about this one though (other than the obvious wagon/stick combo).

Anyway, thanks again for all the help and advice on our most recent purchase of the 318ti - I don't know if I would have pulled the trigger without the feedback and comments received here. How nice of you all to be so supportive .

isellhondas

I don't know if the price is high or not but I've learned there seems to be a tendency for a lot of people to automatically say " that price is too high" no matter what the price is.

If it sells quickly the price was proably about right. If it sits on the market, it's probably priced too high for what it is.

Then, when a car sells immediatly, people will say " You probably sold it too cheaply"

michaellno

Why is this guy not a part of this thread?

22 cars in 20 years .... most of them new!

isellhondas

This guy is on a financial corkscrew to hell!

stever

"The worst part is that he's spending all this time in car dealerships," said Consumer Reports' Bartlett. "What a nightmare that is."

That quote probably has a whole lot to do with why the average age of a car these days is 8 years. :shades:

isellhondas

You know, I wish Consumer's Reports would stick to testing toasters than being the know it all source of all car buying information.

They love to be "experts' on all matters related to car buying while most of their drabble is worn out information that has been beat to death for years.

michaellno

This guy is on a financial corkscrew to hell!

The article noted that most of the recent cars he's had were leases, which he trades out of early - making up the difference, I presume, with cash.

If this is his only vice, then why not? Doesn't say he is in any other sort of financial hole - large student loans, big mortgage, maxed out credit cards.

I'm sure there are worse ways to spend your money. Strip clubs and illegal drugs come to mind.

Do we all agree with his decision? No. Should we castigate him for making it? Also, no.

I'll step down from my pulpit and yield the floor.

akangl

22 cars in 20 years .... most of them new!

Meh, I have him beat by a long shot!

I don't see us getting another car for a while though, hubby can't bring himself to trade the Civic in and with only 80k on the clock its got a ways to go before its ready to call it quits.

The Escort runs really good and is probably the best $1k I've ever spent. Its very reliable even with 154k on it and it gets great gas mileage.

The F-150 is a wonderful truck I'm very happy with, I can honestly say I don't miss my 07 Pilot at all anymore.

stever

I prefer to look to enthusiast's sites when shopping toasters or cars but I do like some of CR's advocacy stuff. Stuff like ending lender payoffs to auto dealers. (link)

Akangl, I'll take Labor Day.

fezo

I want to know where you get your sites for toaster enthusiasts?