Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

rayainsw

Did I miss a follow-up message - or 2?
Was there a test drive report of one?
- Ray
Curious.....

Sandman6472

Keep the Civic, pay it off & have no car payment for awhile. Just put the monthly payment into a separate "new car fund" so y'all will have a nice down payment when the time comes. Best to be financially smart for the time being & keep her. looking back in a few years, think y'all will be happy that y'all waited a bit and kept the Civic. I know y'all can afford it, but sometimes it's a better move to just save the money and keep what ya got. that's exactly what we're doing with the Mazda...had to put new shoes on her so will keep her another year or so and then get the wife something new. We already have the $ but have decided to keep on our current path & wait for a late 2012 or an 2013 model.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

isellhondas

Excellent advice!

I've learned, however that once a person gets the new car bug, there is little anyone can say to stop them.

They will come up with a million "reasons" why they just have to get rid of their perfectly good car for another.

When I was in the business, I watched this happen every day. Sometimes I wanted to scream at them as I watched bad decisions being made.

I kept quiet knowing they would just go somewhere else.

I watched people bury themselves in payments buying cars that I knew would give them nothing but trouble. I would do my best to steer people away from troublesome cars but it usually did no good.

On Subarus, I think they are excellent cars but I noticed that they get very tired after around 150,000 miles. The Hondas and Toyotas can go twice that given the same care.

ab348

Troublesome cars?

But you sold Hondas, didn't you?

Troublesome Hondas? Didn't think those two words went together.

Sandman6472

Test drove the new Fiesta, Focus SE & Jetta SE and was disappointed with the Fiesta...too cramped inside and horrible seat fabric...off our list. The Focus, on the other hand, is a nice little machine, especially with the leather seating surfaces. Sat in a beautiful SEL hatch with the stone leather power seat which was outstanding actually. Drove the SE model and liked what I found...even tried the back seat & felt that there was definitely room back there but not as much as the Jetta SE I drove after that. The seat fabric was just o k, felt it wasn't that grippy and definitely preferred the leather. the engine made a pleasing growl while accelerating and the model I drove had the smallish spoiler on it...a great feature, it just seemed to "fit" the car perfectly which added to the sporty flavor. Preferred the 17" wheels over the 16" ones but would probably go with the 16"ers. Brakes were solid feeling even in the light rain that started to fall as we returned to the dealership. A neat trick is the fueling system...no gas cap is needed which prevents an error code like I had recently with the Civic! Overall, I'd give the Focus a solid "9". The only problem is the $50 promotion isn't working with their dealer code. A nice lady just called to get our reaction to the whole experience and told her I was quite impressed with the Focus but am unhappy the promotion doesn't work as promised. She said she'd look into it for me, so hopefully she'll get to the bottom of it!

Stopped next at the VW store specifically to drive the Jetta SE and was quite impressed with the car! Even with the 5 cylinders, it drove flawlessly and the mileage figures weren't so bad as I had thought. The leatherette seats were comfortable and the back seat had plenty of room for the kids when they go out with us. Wish the steering wheel was as "meaty" as the Focus's but that's just personal preference. Acceleration & braking were top notch as was the view out all the windows, a bit better than the Focus. A very impressive car, but adding the convienence package would be neccesity in order to get the nicer 16" alloy wheels which make the car look so much nicer! This car is going to be hard to beat, especially with the 3/36k maintenance package...I rate this car a "10" with the SE model...an outstanding ride!

Was at the Nissan dealer, again, at 7 a m but they can't duplicate the "thumping noise" or "tire slap" we are experiencing in the front right side. At least it's been documented 3 times already for the future if a problem does in fact rear it's head. Sat in a 2012 Sentra SL and the seats were wonderfully supportive for my bad spine...the red colored SL was a real looker also but am very curious to see the new 2013 model due out soon. Very comfortable car. They also had a 2012 versa SL and they've raised the tires to a 195/55/16 which is probably a good choice for it. My daughter has the 15" version on her '09 but would prefer the 16"ers if it were mine. The seat fabric is definitely more grippy than the '09, a good thing. Personally, I'd be happy to drive either as my dedicated d d even though the prices were pretty inflated with obscene prices for pin stripes/wheel well & dooe moldings...a must have for all our cars.

The Juke was a pleasant surprise as well as the Rogue Krome Edition...they had none with the Special Edition package for me to see which I've heard is a real looker. I couls actually slide in and out of that car which is something very important to me when I look for myself sometime in 2016 or so. Car felt smaller than the CR-V, another plus for it. The Juke was nice except for the radio/shifter area which just wasn't my cup of tea. Other than that, a nice little runabout...just wish the mileage figures were higher...nothing to write home about, a bit too low if you ask me so not really competitive with similar offerings that size.

We're real excited about the new Buick Verano due out sometime this year. It looks like a shrunken Regal and it just "fits" this size of car better, especially in the silver color. Too bad it's a bit on the expensive side with unremarkable mileage to boot...a real disadvantage as far as I'm concerned. Buick needs to get those mileage figures up to match or come close to the Cruse/Elantra mpg's. It will loose market share I think if these numbers aren't at least 30/36. Beyond that, am hoping there will be one at the auto show this weekend in Miami. As much as I hate driving anywhere near Miami, I might have to so we can visit the show. Think the wife would benefit seeing all the cars on our short list in one place. If she's not comfortable or if the vision out of the windows isn't perfect, she won't even look at the car. A real easy way to see everything in a couple of large rooms. And by getting there when they open at 11 a m, hopefully the crowds will be light so we can really sit in them together and talk about our likes/dislikes. Am hoping my spine will be up to the task of all the getting in/getting out which will be necessary. G-d...don't fail me now!!!

Will be testing some more in the next few weeks to narrow down the list. The two stores I've talked to have led me to believe that the internet person will have the authority to make a decision without all the running back & forth & without the closer guy taking over at a certain point. That happened with me when I bought the Civic and it really pissed me off to the point that I was about to walk out. Let both people know that I want an "otd price" which will be fair to both sides...knowing that I want to pay as little as possible with the dealer getting a "fair profit" which they deserve...I'm not the kind of buyer who will grind them down for hours just to save $100 or so bucks...to the point where the whole process gets to tedious. Buying a car should be a "fun experience"...period! Tha's just the way I shop...just wish Bill or Craig were near South Florida to buy from them!

Sorry for the long post, but car shopping is fun for me and I enjoy the hunt as much as the ownership experience! I am...

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

Sandman6472

Turned 57 today and almost did a spur of the moment purchase on a Focus SEL hatch with leather...was all I could do not to buy it! The salesman said to me..."if I sell you this car at 1/2 price today...would you buy it"? Knew he was kidding of course, was a $28k car, but for a moment there, I thought..."what the hell"! I'm getting some $ within the next few weeks...more than enough to pay for it but caught myself and left after the test drive. Still love my Civic but the thought of something new with a leather power seat really had me thinking. But knew the wife would just kill me if I did. Not that compulsive or irresponsible with money that way, but being my birthday and all, seriously considered it for a moment!

Glad that reality stepped in & pulled me back looking back now, but...it was a really cool car with the Ford Mytouch and the leather, not exceptional quality, was just nice enough that I could definitely live with it for many years to come. Maybe another time!

The "Fiscally Responsible" Sandman :sick: :shades:

stever

Happy Birthday!

You need to find a 2007 Focus MT. Sleeper ride, if a bit beigy.

Sandman6472

No, I really liked the Focus and Jetta that I drove earlier today...really good models. Hoping the Elantra will be just as good, if not better!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

akangl

Keep the Civic, pay it off & have no car payment for awhile.

Hubby drove to work today and I asked him if he wanted me to start looking into ordering the Camry. He said nope, he's keeping the Civic, can't bring himself to let it go. So in about 5-6 weeks it will be ours, no more loan on it.

I was honestly going to put the truck up for sale since its not looking like I will be driving again, but if hubby is keeping the Civic then obviously the truck has to stay. There is NO way a 2 dr Civic works to cram 4 people into!

So far the Escort is doing ok, a little quirky and maybe running a little rough, but going to give it some time to get back to normal. The repair has a 12 mo/12k warranty on it.

Maybe time to spend some of the new car money we have on something fun.......like a pair of 4-wheelers. Nobody said I couldn't ride a 4-wheeler!

graphicguy

sandman....Happy Birthday!

andre1969

...that I'm trying to break my habit of cars like this, but what do y'all think of this? 2008 Buick Lucerne CXL with 34K miles, for ~$20K

I like the color combo, although black can be a pain to keep clean. I really like the fact that it has a sunroof. That seems to be a somewhat rare feature on large-ish domestic cars. I wonder how the regular 3800 V-6 would feel, after being spoiled by the supercharged version?

Oh, and happy birthday, Sandman!

nyccarguy

Congratations & a very happy 57th birthday to you my friend! Keep those test drive write ups coming.

tjc78

I like it, same color combo as my LaCrosse. I think you would miss the extra power. You should drive a newer Lacrosse with the 3.6 I think it would be right up your alley.

fezo

Happy birthday, Sandy young man.

I paid off the van today. Would have had three more payments but wanted to just get it done. There is, of course, a motive in here.

I'm going up in the next few days to see how badly Bill wants to be rid of the 2007 Solara convertible he's had sitting on his lot all summer. We'll see....

I got my first pension direct deposit today. If I got that twice a month instead of once I'd be all set....

Sandman6472

Thank ya!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

tjc78

Nice Solara, loaded up too! I had a 2000 Solara v6 coupe it was a really good car.

Happy Birthday Sandman!

Sandman6472

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

Sandman6472

Very cool...and with power thrones for both front seat occupants...outstanding!! Very nice car even though black ain't my favorite color...you're the one having to keep it clean. But my gut reaction says...go for it! Buicks are sweet rides and one of GM's better divisions.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

Sandman6472

I will as we still have many more on our short list. Am saving the Elantra, C Class & 3 Series for last as I know she'll love all three. It'll boil down to how much coin she wants to spend. Since we buy our own rides, due to the generosity of our folks & my grandmother, we have our own car accounts so we can buy whatever we like as long as the other person can drive the car comfortably. Since she does the majority of the driving now, I need her to get what she really likes.

So by having her drive these three cars at the end, there is a greater chance that she'll get what I really want... which is any of these three. I drive her car for only two things...putting gas in the tank & maintaining it. The rest of the time...she drives, which I'm fine with. So let the games begin!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

nyccarguy

Congrats on paying off the van! Let us know what happens with the Solara drop top.

Sandman6472

Nice to get that check direct deposited huh...I love when mine comes each month now...I am truly thankful for Uncle Sam for it. Though I miss being a letter carrier, my on the job injury made it impossible for me to continue so glad to at least be getting paid for the rest of my life & then to continue on to my wife, should she live longer than I.

Like your idea to pay off the van also just in case...would bet the wife would relent & let you get the Solara...a real sweet ride there in the perfect color! I drove some similar colored cars today and with a nice contrasting pinstripe...absolutely beautiful! Hope all the pieces fit into your puzzle...in your particular situation, you really deserve this happiness & us guys get it when it comes to our rides, they're more than appliances to us...so much more. It's that passion for everything automotive that our wives just don't understand...and sadly, they never will! Go for it!!!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

mark156

My neighbor, the gynecologist, has a '02 Lexus convertible and a '06 Bentley Continental Flying Spur. She leased the Spur and has just recently bought it out of lease. It has only, something like, 22,000 miles (dark blue, tan leather).

She has decided it is too big and she doesn't want it anymore. She wants me (knowing I'm a car nut) to take it to the dealer for her as she feels she will not be taken seriously (being a female) to have it wholesaled.... this is not the 1950's.... we are in the 21st Century!! She is a very professional women, I think she would do fine on her own.

Of course I'll help her as she has given me wonderful advice with my spinal cord injury and recovery (I'm 99% now). ) She recommended the Neurologist and Urologist that I go too, etc. I trust her. Personally, I think she should trade both in for a BMW 3 series or Mercedes E-convertible.

Her boyfriend, a Radiologist (not car savvy), wants to buy a Porsche Panarmera or a Mercedes S550 when his Lexus LS 460 lease is up..... I just can't stand the style of that Porsche! I'm going to try and persuade him towards the Mercedes, Jaguar XJ or BMW 7 series.

Mark156 :surprise:

breld

So, what's the verdict: Flex or CX9? Would you trade?

Definitely no trade. I really like the CX9, particularly the "wagon" look of it. The only thing we could see doing in the future is moving to a minivan - the sliding doors and extra room would be great for our clan. In fact, we thought it was a bit fortunate we had the Flex and not the minivan as the rental in California - experiencing the minivan for a week may have given us a slight itch.

But for now, I appreciate having the AWD and ground clearance for those snow days.

akangl

Turned 57 today

Happy Birthday Sandman!! Hope you had a great day!

akangl

Excellent advice!

I've learned, however that once a person gets the new car bug, there is little anyone can say to stop them.

They will come up with a million "reasons" why they just have to get rid of their perfectly good car for another.

Very true and it was excellent advice. The Civic has 88k miles on it and has a Honda Care warranty until 120k miles that covers the car from bumper to bumper with zero deductible. After some thought we decided to go ahead and pay the car off in 6 weeks.

Here's to hoping the car will last another 150k miles or so. Plan on having the timing chain replaced at around 115k along with any other routine stuff the car needs.

ab348

That one looks nice. Last year for the 3800 in the Lucerne. I think that car uses the 4T80 transmission and not the 4T65 I had in my Allure and which caused no end of trouble. I think you would have to drive it to be sure how it performs - I have read some commentary that the engine and drivetrain feels a little rubber-band like in the car but I have no firsthand experience. I would not expect it to be a roadburner.

I always liked the look of the Lucerne.

Sandman6472

We're doing the same thing with the wife's Mazda3...we threw on some new sneakers last month, as the wear bars wer showing, and have decided ti keep it for at least another year, unless something major happens. Car runs fine & will do a few services at 100k to make sure she's problem free. For us, it's the best decision & the financially prudent one. Then she'll pick out what she really wants this time around...a win/win for us.

Glad you'll pay off the Civic...didn't realize y'all had the extended warranty...no question that it needs to stay in the stable awhile longer! So sorry about your driving situation, got a feeling I'll be in the same situation a few years from now but for different reasons...not happy about it but it is what it is...some things in life we just have to deal with & then move on. It will be harder for us though, since we love our automobiles so much but when one has no choice in life, one makes the best of the situation!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

graphicguy

I probably wouldn't take that Bentley to a "regular" lux dealership (thinking Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, etc). I would take it to a store that specializes in ultra high end vehicles to get a number on it. Even better, a Bentley dealership. I know of only one (I'm sure there are plenty of others) like that.....Gold Coast Bentley in downtown Chicago.

I'm sure either coast or any large city has a Bentley dealership.

Or, take a bunch of pictures of it, put it on ebay, see if you get any bites. And, for the trouble, I'd ask your friend for a seller's fee. And no, I wouldn't feel badly about doing so.

andre1969

I've always liked the look of the Lucerne as well, although around 2009 they changed the front on the V-8 model a bit, which made it look a bit gaudy to my eye. And then soon thereafter I think they gave them all that same grille.

I've also wondered, if I'm just seeking out the V-6 version, how the 3900 would compare to the 3800? The 3900 has more horsepower and torque, and scores a bit better in the EPA ratings, but I wonder if the power is enough to make much difference?

I just looked up the numbers, and the 3.8 has 197 hp and 227 ft-lb of torque, compared to the 3.9's 227 hp and 237 ft-lb of torque. That actually does seem like a healthy boost.

Oh, as for transmissions, I did some searching (mainly on Wikipedia) and it looks like the 4T80E was only used in V-8's. Other cars got the 4T65E, although there was a 4T65 HD (Heavy Duty) version used in supercharged models.

qbrozen

Is that still the positively ancient GM 3.8? I just couldn't bring myself to buy something that new and expensive with such old tech in it.

qbrozen

I know I'm a bit of an oddball, but I like the Panamera no matter what anyone says. And driving it just made me fall in love with it.

roadburner

Happy Belated Birthday!!!

anonymousposts

After some debating, we are more or less decided on trading or selling the Genesis. It has made it a short 8 months. .... the deciding factor being how much of a beating we will take when we try to sell it.

We have been looking at replacements and have our eye on a 2012 VW Tiguan S with manual transmission. We are being offered the car for $249 sign and drive on a lease or buy for $21,700 @ 0.9% ... we "could" pay cash for it but we'd rather not tie the money up if we don't have to. We test drove one yesterday and it drives a lot like a GTI. We also considered the GTI 4-door manual but it seems expensive for what we are looking for.

qbrozen

really? huh.... I'll hate myself for asking... but what are the terms on that lease?

I'm not seeing any special deals in my area on the VW site.

tjc78

After some debating, we are more or less decided on trading or selling the Genesis. It has made it a short 8 months. .... the deciding factor being how much of a beating we will take when we try to sell it.


May I ask why? I got rid of mine (09 V6) because I just hated the jittery, unsettled ride.

isellhondas

When I said "troublesome cars", I was talking about non Honda used cars that we had in stock.

isellhondas

Happy Birthday!

isellhondas

Timing chains don't require replacement and seldom cause any trouble so don't mess with that.

I've seen many Civics with 300,000 miles and more still running great.

andres3

The Civic has 88k miles on it and has a Honda Care warranty until 120k miles that covers the car from bumper to bumper with zero deductible.

Honda's profit margin on the Honda Care Extended Warranty must be close to 100%.

Sandman6472

Sat in one at the VW store yesterday and it's a really nice sled...comfortable high seating position and a easy maneuverable size...a Jetta size I'd think. The one I saw was the blue color and it looked great with the alloy's, probably an SE model. Was definitely smitten with it...good choice for a replacement vehicle!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

andres3

Why'd you get a car that had a jittery unsettled ride in the first place?

andres3

I've personally witnessed a timing chain failure at less than 100K miles on a Ford Explorer/Escape.

For what that's worth.

Sandman6472

For the nice birthday wishes!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

tjc78

#22111 of 22113 Re: Bye Bye Genesis [tjc78] by andres3
Nov 02, 2011 (1:23 pm)
Replying to: tjc78 (Nov 02, 2011 11:11 am)

Why'd you get a car that had a jittery unsettled ride in the first place?


I knew it was firmer than the vehicle that it was replacing, I just didn't pick up on how much I didn't like the ride until I started driving it on the roads I drive everyday. I put up with it for two years and sold it for more than my buyout on the lease was. I did OK. It was a pretty nice car other than the ride, which some don't find objectionable.

akangl

Honda's profit margin on the Honda Care Extended Warranty must be close to 100%.

Maybe so, lol, we've had no issues with the Civic at all. For us the extended warranty was a good peace of mind, especially since the car leads a hard life. It spends 4 days in the garage and/or in a mild climate, then goes 250 miles through the mountains and spends 3 days outside in a harsh climate that can see -50 to -60 degree temps.

As for the timing chain, I'm really torn on what to do with that. We figured replace it around 115k. We just did the timing belt on the Escort which doesn't appear to have ever been done and the car had 155k on it.

The Honda dealer tried to get us to replace the timing chain on the Civic at 60k, I was rather confused on that one and of course didn't do it. So probably wait until 115k and go from there.

isellhondas

Honda's profit margin on the Honda Care Extended Warranty must be close to 100%/

A guess on your part?

Sorry, not even close.

isellhondas

WHAT??

The Honda dealer tried to get you to replace a timing CHAIN??

THESE DON'T REQUIRE REPLACEMENT!

Now, I suppose on a 300,000 mile Civic the chain could possible stretch and begin to make some noise but otherwise leave it alone!

I suspect you misunderstood your dealer. Your Escort is a different story. I does use a belt.

tjc78

I would be willing to bet that there are a good number of "shady" dealers that tell customers that they need to be replaced. Many older Toyotas and Hondas had belts that needed replacement at around 90K. Those who aren't car people could easily just say "oh yeah I did that on my other Civic" and not think twice about it. Add in a water pump "while they are in there" and it adds up to a nice $1000 bill.

stever

There was a RAV4 owner on Answers the other day who has been getting discount offers from his dealer for the 90k service, including 15% off the timing belt replacement. I hinted that it might be fun to schedule the appointment and insist on getting the old part back (his is a newer RAV4 with the chain).

It could get a bit dicey when the shop pulls a belt out of the dumpster though.

isellhondas

No dealer would do that. Can you imagine the adverse publicity if word got out?

I really don't believe that could happen.