Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

oldfarmer50

"...The 3 definitely holds it's value better than the 5..."

I always thought that if I should ever be able to afford a BMW (fat chance) I would only buy new as I would worry what kind of abuse such a car would suffer in the wrong hands. I also don't like the idea of paying $2K for a brake job.

Having said that I saw this one and it just kind of spoke to me.

http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/2752971275.html

On a used BMW I might actually prefer a 5 over a 3 as I don't see a 5 owner tearing up the race track in it. As I get older I have been getting more fond of the luxury aspect of driving more.

What do you experts think? Is that price what you would expect? That milage seems in-line with an 11 year old car.

Hey, it doesn't cost anything to dream, does it?

Oh, BTW, I officially bought my son's old Vette today. I must be nuts. :sick:

stickguy

wonder how good that price is?

Let's see, I will be in Amsterdam Sunday, with a spare driver. Yeah, could work!

I do like that color combo too. Not real fond of the big wheels though. Base ones would be better, but minor quibble.

having the expensive work freshly done is a bonus.

oldfarmer50

"...Chrysler isn't that great either..."

I owned a small Chrysler 3 generations removed from the 200 and it had decent reliability. Bought it used, put 100K miles on it and it was still going strong when an oil change fiasco took it out through no fault of it's own.

Trouble is, I don't see Chrysler having improved the car much since mine. The current generation from what I can see has a better interior and I havn't heard anything bad about the Penstar V-6 (295hp if I remember right). Then again, the 2.7L engine of the last two generations was suposed to be great until it started to have sluge problems.

The last Sebring I drove in 2009 had a just awful interior so anything would have been better.

If I was going for a Sebring/200 type vert I would buy an old pre-2001 with the Mitsu engine but I'm weird like that.

oldfarmer50

"...wonder how good that price is?..."

I should have checked before I asked. Edmunds TMV is under $6K. Shows that I know nothing about BMW values.

Oh well, dreaming is cheap.

nyccarguy

I don't think those wheels are correct for an E39 525i either.

corvette

The seller calls it a "V6" (it's an inline 6), and I'd really rather have a 530 than a 525 since the 5-series is heavier than the 3. Looks very nice and clean in the pictures. I like the larger BMW wheels (which do appear to be from a different model, but this isn't really a negative to me), a lot of the aftermarket ones look ugly.

corvette

You beat me to it. All of this BMW talk is beginning to give me the bug again. If I bought one with 100,000+ miles, I'd want to keep the Altima too. And I'm about 70 miles away from the nearest BMW specialty mechanic.

stickguy

I have a really good one about 1/2 way between home and work. 2 miles each way! and a couple others near by that I would have no problem with.

kyfdx

As noted, you would want the stock 16" or 17" wheels at the largest... Those heavy wheels really take their toll on the suspension, as well..

And, for that kind of money, you could probably find a 530i.. 225 HP vs. 184 HP... with a slushbox, that really makes a difference.... especially on a 5-series...

I certainly wouldn't try to put someone off of an E46 or E39 BMW... They are fantastic daily drivers.... I put my money where my mouth is..

stickguy

KY, what year and model did you get?

I liked, and my daughter fell in love with, the 2005 330ci couple we drove. 80K, felt like 40 and look it too.

nyccarguy

He's got an '05 330ci ZHP (performance package). It's pretty slick.

kyfdx

I have an '06 330Ci with the Performance Package.. I've had it about 20 months.. It now has 57K miles.. (40K when I bought it..)

But, my wife has had an '03 325i sedan and an '05 330Ci convertible... Sold the '03 to a friend of mine, who still has it...

So, this is our 3rd E46...

The '05 is the last year for the sedan... so, that is as new as you are going to get, without going for a coupe... The 330 is nice, but she'll be able to get into just as much trouble in the 325... BMW horses are bigger!! 184 is plenty..

nyccarguy

Yeah, reading certain boards drives me nuts too. I do so LOVE the way BMWs drive. I miss our 2007 Montego Blue X3 that we turned in when the lease was up at the end of July 2010. Now I've got 3 Hondas.

1 is my '01 Prelude Type SH that is LOADS of fun to drive. My 2010 TSX that I like, but I inherited it from my wife. I originally bought it for her to shuttle the kids around & I'd obviously drive it on the weekends. It became my car when we found out we were to be blessed with our gorgeous little girl. This is the car I'd love to replace with an E60 535xi. I can dream:)

#3 is our Pilot. The Pilot is for hauling the kids and all their gear around.

roadburner

The seller calls it a "V6"

Confirmation the seller is ignorant at best, brain-dead at worst.

I'd really rather have a 530 than a 525 since the 5-series is heavier than the 3.

A manual E39 525i isn't bad, although a 530i Sport with three pedals is possibly the best iteration of the E39 save the M5.

Looks very nice and clean in the pictures.

Did you notice that it has almost no options? It even has the manual HVAC system. That wouldn't bother me, but you sure don't see those too often...

stickguy

local dealer has a silver over gray 530i manual (2003). Only $8,995. If you don't mind the 138K on it, not too pricey!

interesting if cheap enough, and all the expensive work was done. Nice car.

http://www.jsautohaus.com/used/BMW/2003-BMW-530-d10f6de24046381201b5d53ab36549a3- .htm

qbrozen

A manual E39 525i isn't bad, although a 530i Sport with three pedals is possibly the best iteration of the E39 save the M5.

Oh, I'd definitely disagree. Yes, I'm biased, but as long as the 3-pedal 540 exists, why accept any less?

au1994

I've had mixed experience with Chrysler. The ex had a PT when they came out and other than one minor recall this was actually a reliable car for the 60k we had it. Dog slow and the mileage suffered but the flexible interior was handy.

Had an 07 Ram that was dead reliable.

Had an 07 Wrangler that had multiple issues. Top leak that, its a Jeep I know, but this was leaving about an inch of water in the passenger floor board. Seal at the windshield header was defective to the point where it was quieter on the highway with the top down rather than up. Had to have the gas tank replaced as the breather valve went south and would splash gas every where. Apparently the tank and valve were one piece so it had to be replaced. Proverbial last straw was the tranny was beginning to go. Fluid burned etc. In its defense, I used it as a Jeep is intended to be used, but it should have been able to handle it. I did love that thing though. Nothing better than a top down, doors off cruise in the spring!!

ateixeira

So my pop drove a 200 convertible and liked it. Of course his current car is 11 years old, so he's probably like any new car.

Looks like he'll be buying a car tonight! I may join him and if so I'll share the details of the deal.

isellhondas

This would be a great time to buy a car. The week before Christmas is always DEAD and they may jump at a deal.

Fro some reason, a lot of "smart shoppers" seem to think the week between Christmas and New Years is a good time to buy but actually, it's the busiest week of the year.

I remember nobody took their days off and we made a lot of money that week!

ateixeira

Appreciate the tip. :shades:

Dad drove a white 2011 that was left over, they gave him a GREAT price but he doesn't like the color. It's for my step mom, though, so now he says they have to wait until she's back in town, something about registering it under her name, so she needs to be present.

He said the Pentastar had *plenty* of power.

She returns on the 30th so my guess is they'll be buying around Jan 1-2. I hope they can find another 2011 with a similar deal. I think he's crazy to pass it up, though I just looked and it's not even a pearl, just appliance white basically.

With out a contrasting cloth top (it was a hard top) that's an awful lot of white paint.

breld

That silver 530i is nice - I can't imagine why someone would put a bumper sticker on it though. Also, I assume they simply neglected to "latch down" the hood for those pictures - otherwise, there's some serious issues going on with the alignment of it.

On another note, I had a seemingly interested party call on the 318ti last week. He obviously knew his stuff - he also owns an E39 540 (like Q's) and an E30 325is. He is looking for an inexpensive, safe car for one of his teenagers, but I haven't heard any follow-up from him yet.

roadburner

interesting if cheap enough, and all the expensive work was done. Nice car.

If only it had the Sport Package...

qbrozen

So I managed to get up to that Paul Miller BMW to see the black on red 135. 90 minutes there and 2 hours back. Ugh. And all for naught.

Seemed like a nice, clean car. But they were completely unreasonable on their numbers. I wasn't even trying to steal it. I was willing to pay a very reasonable price. More than reasonable, in fact. What they wanted, though, was just to flat out rape someone. $4k below Galves on my GTI and $7500 over on theirs. And that was after giving me a whopping $500 break on the advertised price. Needless to say, I couldn't get to the door fast enough. Its the most beautiful showroom I've ever seen, so I guess they haven't paid for it yet and are looking for a homerun on every deal. :sick:

stickguy

all dealers are like that in my experience, but BMW dealers take it to an art form. One reason whatever I do will be a straight cash deal. I can worry about the Accord later!

Oh, found another one that I can throw over on RWTIV. decided a little older for cleaner and cheaper is fine. not really much difference between a 2003 and a 2005 anyway!

That 2005 with 43K I mentioned the other day just seems odd, carfax wise. On their lot for 14 months, and 700 miles in that time? and a front end hit on the carfax? Something seems odd.

anyway, latest find at a small local lot is a 2003 in gray. 88K, 1 owner. probably better than trying for a low mile 2005, if my kid is going to end up with it!

fezo

Paul Miller? In Wayne? I grew up not 5 miles from there.

stickguy

I have noticed on a number of the cars I have seen that the headlight lenses are cloudy. At first I thought some were condensation, but now I am thinking it is scuffing. I know there have been various discussions on cleaning products, but if the lenses are cloudy on say a 3 series, how expensive of a fix is replacing them? is it lens only, or whole assembly?

stickguy

might have found my own answer. Parts geek lists lenses for about $120/pair. Assuming not too difficult to replace, an easy and relatively cheap fix.

even lens assemblies themselves are not all that pricy. Unless you get Xenon. those are.

michaellno

Well, not my ride ....

Took the daughter's MINI to the dealer today to have a couple of accessories installed as Christmas gifts. Her car is 20 months old (purchased in April 2010) and has just 12,500 miles on it.

First was window tinting ... 30% on all windows except the windshield. Daughter was looking for a bit more privacy, plus the bright sun in Colorado (both summer and winter) can damage the interior.

Second was a pair of "Black Jack" mirror covers. This is the Union Jack flag design done in shades of silver, gray and black. Here is a picture:



When I set up the appt. I asked for a loaner car. The MINI dealer is located next door to the Honda dealer, so I ended up with a 2011 CR-V EX - 6500 miles, white over gray. Nice car to putt around town in .. had to finish my Christmas shopping today, so I was in and out of it a lot. Decent power, felt solid, though the interior plastics seemed a bit low rent. Of course, I haven't been in a Honda since the late 90's, so I'm sure they're guilty of the same cost cutting that everybody else is doing.

Whilst out and about, I stopped at the BMW dealer to look around. Nice '07 328xi coupe ... space gray with light gray interior, manual transmission. 42K on the clock and they were asking something like $24,500.

corvette

They can often be polished for much less than that.

qbrozen

all dealers are like that in my experience

I haven't really experienced that. And certainly not to this level. Typically, when they realize I know what I'm doing, I know what Galves is, and I know what a fair profit is, its not too difficult to cut a deal.

stever

I cleaned my Subie's lens a few months back with a soft cloth and some toothpaste. Not sure why they were cloudy (I rarely wash my cars) but they sure cleaned up nicely.

People have reported using everything from Brasso to throttle body cleaner. For more traditional ingredients, you can get Meguiar's PlastX, Novus (#2 for fine scratches, #3 for polish), Mothers Plastic Polish or DuPont polishing compound (white). I think 3M makes some stuff now.

If there's a protective layer on the lens, polishing it may remove it. Some of the kits include a final coating you apply after polishing. Car wax or 303 Protectant supposedly works okay too.

stickguy

not that you can't get there from here, but almost always they start with an offer like that.

hey, don't ask, don't get! the real danger is you either tick off someone so bad they walk, or you just get someone that doesn't want to negotiate wo they don't bother to counter.

Guess the occasional home run makes up for it.

mark156

Jolie, what actually happens when the truck starts acting up? Does it start jerking or something?

BTW, I hope that your daughter gets well soon.

Mark156

qbrozen

Yesterday's disappointment has me serious about finding a 135.

There are 2 more in northern NJ. Another black on red with 42k miles. Awaiting word from dealership if this is CPO or not. $26,995 asking. And a CPO black on tan with under 30k and Nav. $26,995 asking. That's actually a very very good CPO price on that second one. So that's my frontrunner. It is more than I wanted to spend, but with those miles, its tough to overlook. And, honestly, if they just pay LOW galves trade-in for mine, I'd even pay their asking price! How weird would that be? Me paying list?

Karen_S

A reporter is interested in talking with shoppers who held, or are still holding, onto their vehicle longer than usual and are now finally returning to the market. You should have already bought after deferring a purchase, or expect to buy in the near future. If you are interested in commenting on your experience, please reply to pr@edmunds.com no later than Friday, December 23, 2011 and include your contact information.

Sandman6472

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my Edmunds friends and hosts!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

qbrozen

Is holding onto my car for 17 months longer than usual?

rayainsw

I wonder what the discount on a new Saab,
'as is'.... is?

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/20/saab-suspends-all-warranty-coverage-cars-to-b- - e-sold-as-is/#continued

- Ray
Not in the market, today.

ateixeira

What are you waiting for, 17 months is ancient, something could break at any minute, not to mention all the safety upgrades in the past 2 model years!!!

ateixeira

GM is saying they will cover the ones sold Feb 2010 or prior, when Saab was GM-owned.

New ones are Saab-Outta-Luck!

isellhondas

The same holiday wishes go out from me to all of you!

Stay safe and enjoy the times with your loved ones!

isellhondas

You know, Saabs are strange, quirky cars but for some reason, I've always liked them.

All things must pass, I suppose...

qbrozen

Update:

So a salesperson at the dealership with the black/tan one with Nav called this morn. The story he laid out for me is that the car was just put on the truck to go to auction. So he stopped the driver and took it off. I explained that I want to be up front and get this done, so I confessed that their asking price is actually quite good and I won't try to dicker about it at all (it was here he told me they already lowered it $5k since its been there and that's why its being sent to auction)... as long as they give me $11k for my GTI. Also confessed that I know what's what. Galves is $10,500-$11,500 and Manheim is right around $12k. So he figured that's great cause that's exactly what they look at.

I had already filled out a form on their website giving a detailed description of my car, the VIN, options, any damage, maintenance and repair history, etc. So he said he'd take that information to his UCM and get back to me. Couple of hours go by and he called me again just to say "Looks really good. We are really close. I've been over with the used car folk for the past 1.5 hours. The 135 is cleaned up and looking great. I've got it on hold for you. I need to go deliver a car and I'll call you back in an hour."

Do I believe the "its on the truck" story? Eh, not really. But it doesn't matter because it doesn't change anything. I even asked "you would send a CPO car to auction?" He said its just been there too long and they need to turn over inventory.

BUT... oh boy. I didn't look at the carfax till now. It has been in an accident.
I thought BMW wouldn't CPO cars that have been in an accident.?? What's up with that? Anybody know?

lemmer

Yeah, they'll certify just anything unless it was previously totalled. Certified just means it is in decent working order. The only worth to it is the extended warranty.

rayainsw

The latest version of the guidelines I have states:

'Bolt-on parts such as the hood, fenders, doors and trunk are not considered part
of the unibody because they have no structural function. For the purpose of evaluating CPO Program Eligibility, any vehicle where a Component as listed on the Unibody Review Chart has been replaced WILL NOT be eligible for CPO enrollment. Vehicles where these components have been repaired will qualify for enrollment provided that the repair conforms to the functional requirements of the body component (example: doors meet alignment and operation standards if the rocker or pillar[s] were subject to repair).'

qbrozen

well, when the guy calls back, I'll ask about it. Could be nothing... but it is a black mark on the carfax. I'm not sure how I should deal with that. Do I run? Bill usually says it won't matter much if it was minor and repaired well. But I've been dinged before on a car that only had the bumper painted but showed in carfax.

The mileage history was very sporadic. It was a 3-year lease but it looks like the owner averaged 1k per month ...up until the accident. It then only covered 5k for the next 13 months. Soooo... that of course brings to my mind that the car may have been laid up for some time.

Guy just called. I asked. He claims BMW will not certify if anything beyond bumper was repainted. I asked that he please check with his UCM and find out what panels have been repainted.

lemmer

Your sales guy is either disingenuous or ignorant. My local BMW dealer has carfaxes on Autotrader. Collision damage isn't at all unusual for certified cars.

In any case, now you know why the price is low. Keep in mind, the value takes a hit from the carfax "accident" even if it was just a parking lot bumper scrape.

Terry used to comment that BMWs take a larger than average hit from a black mark on carfax. I guess BMW shoppers are more likely to be perfectionists.

ateixeira

Well, they had character. At least until GM used them to sell Epsilon clones.

qbrozen

I think probably just ignorant. I'll set him straight.

oh man. This really has me in a quandry. Was getting all excited because this deal was working out. I really have to think how to address this. My guess is he'll call back and tell me it was just the bumpers. But what to do about it? Will I keep it long enough that it won't impact the value much at all? Do I use it to knock more money off? If so, how much?

I would email Bill, but I already emailed him like a week ago asking where he's been hiding. No response.

stickguy

Did you look south? Can't remember details, but desimone and turnersville both had something interesting looking last time I checked.