Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

qbrozen

Yeah, my '07 was showing its age, so I had to get an '08.

qbrozen

Found one for your daughter.

:shades:

He's got another one for you on the way, too. And only $1!!
And another one on the dollar menu.

How about this?
Or this?

Seems to me you might be able to spend several hours at his store.

stever

I hope that reporter works for the Onion.

stickguy

I look at his site on occasion. Seems to have some interesting stuff now or soon.

How far is he from you? Not exactly convenient to me, but could always make a run up.

a 151K Volvo might be a little tough to jump into... But the 2006 is intriquing.

I am curious to see the BMWs. the 2001 could be good. I like the wagons, but not sure I want to get into an AWD one. But for the right price?

Will have to check the site now to see when the new ones show up.

qbrozen

about 20-30 mins north of me.

That Saab wagon seems like a good deal. Alot of car for the money. Should be quite safe for her, at least.

tjc78

Have you looked at any older IS300s? I know not as fun as a 3 series, but still a pretty nice ride.

nyccarguy

I like that S60 & the Saab might be worth looking into.

stickguy

those IS300s seem pretty rare. I do like the wagon version though.

the S60 does look like a potential good deal.

the SAAb wagon cold be a tough sell, but it does kind of push my buttons!

kyfdx

The IS300 SportCross would be really, really rare... I like those, though... and, the IS300 isn't a bad idea, overall, but worse fuel mileage than a 325i...

S40 or S60 would be boring, I think...

qbrozen

S40 or S60 would be boring, I think...

drive one first. And make sure its a turbo model.

stickguy

an S60T may not handle like a BMW, but it has great seats and really hauls the butts in them.

qbrozen

Right... but also remember a BMW isn't even the competition for Volvo. Its a lower-tier luxo brand, like Acura. And I would take an S60 over a TSX every time!

stickguy

well, I would take either one. But I bet that a 2006 TSX, same miles and identical condition, would be more like 14K instead of 9K.

one thing that bothers me on the S60 is that most of them have the normal AT, not the geartronic.

and that is something that I insist on having (helping me wean off the stick!). Though for the right price, I can be bought!

qbrozen

The geartronic is really so slow to respond to manual inputs, it just isn't worth bothering with. And if that's all that matters to you, you can just as easily move the shifter through the actual gates.

kyfdx

Driven them.... even the turbo... still bored...

My wife really liked the XC60 for the features, and the looks... I liked it, too.... sort of..

But, even she said, "It's nice... but, it's no BMW..."

Of course, she says the same thing about her Infiniti...

qbrozen

Yet you like Lexus. :confuse:

Well, there's a butt for every seat.

kyfdx

I like one Lexus..... lol

It's not really much like the other ones, though...

I do like some Volvos.. just neither of those you mentioned...

corvette

"Of course, she says the same thing about her Infiniti..."

Just remember I called dibs on the lease takeover... I could replace both the Altima and the 540 with that.

anonymousposts

It seems like the RAV4 is getting a solid "no" from the group. I drove it, seems like a solid, well-maintained ride. It is not as nice inside as our 03 RAV4 and even further from our Tiguan. However, I am trying to weight the things I don't like about it against the cost. At only $9,000, it would be hard to find a 2007 Toyota anything for that price. We have tossed the idea around of buying another Tiguan (this one an automatic with a roof) but I'm not sure that it justifies spending another $15,000 over the cost of the RAV4.

The one we are looking at is a 4 cylinder. The V6 gets great reviews for it's power but not so great once maintenance comes due. Apparently, you have to pull the engine just to replace the water pump and spark plugs.

nyccarguy

I'm going to echo what the rest of the group has said regarding the RAV4. In the research stage for our family hauler (when child #3 was on her way). I liked what I read about the RAV4. Especially the V6. I was turned off to it the instant I sat in it. Materials were way too cheap for a $30K + MSRP Toyota. Like kyfdx, I expected a Camry like interior. Very dissapointing.

The one we are looking at is a 4 cylinder. The V6 gets great reviews for it's power but not so great once maintenance comes due. Apparently, you have to pull the engine just to replace the water pump and spark plugs.. Like the Genie in Disney's Alladin said: "great cosmic power, itty bitty living space."

It seems like you are making excuses to buy this RAV4 because it's cheap. You are probably going to end up hating it. You'll be looking to dump it 3 months down the road.

I know rear seat room is a priority for you with the rear facing car seat. Definitely if you're happy with the Tiguan, you might want to consider another one. Another car I'd suggest is a 1st generation X3. We leased an '07 for 3 years & absolutely LOVED it. It was a blast to drive. Besides having absolutely zero trips to the dealer other than scheduled maintenance, the back seat had plenty of room to accommodate a rear facing car seat (Britax Marathon). I'm sure a used X3 (or 2nd Tiguan) will be much more expensive than a $9000 RAV 4, but it'll be a helluva lot more fun to drive.

stickguy

Finally managed to make a trip down to cow country (seriously, cow and horse farms surrounding the dealership) to the VW dealer with a 2005 325i that I was interested in. Even took the wife (who seems to be clued into the "plan" my daughter and I concocted). Found the place, and went for a drive.

Nice 10 footer in dark silver/light gray with tan guts. Had some cosmetic needs (scratch on fender, window trim coming off, some carpet holes and armrest tear in the rear seat). And the self-dimming mirror seemed to be cracked?

But, this one drove mice. Did not feel like 92K on the clock. tight handling (just had some front end work done), and pulled strong.

biggest issue was we noticed a burning smile on the way back to dealer. Popped the hood, and thee was smoke coming off the engine (you could see it) and smelled like burning rubber. Slight red flag...

It may have been dressing on the plastic burning off, but not sure it was really the right smell.

Given that the place was 45 minutes from home, and no where near the indy guy I would use, think I am passing on this one.

I may go look at the private sale near me (2004 with 75K on it), since last week was in the freezing cold and snow. If I can work out a low ball price, could be worth it even needing new sneakers. Owner was OK with making the deal pending inspection, and figuring out a day to get it to the shop.

fezo

It drove mice? Where did it drive them to? :P

stickguy

well, there are a lot of mice out in the country.

Heck, the directions he gave us to find the place again was to head down the road, and make a right at the burned out barn!

fezo

Could be worse. Getting directions where I grew up might land you with "take a right turn where the Esso station used to be."......

stickguy

Well, when I am back in my home town (where my parents, sister, and a good friend still live), I still would say I was by the Finast, and I think that supermarket went out of business sometime in the 70s!

corvette

I noticed a gash in the sidewall of the right front tire of the 540i (but it wasn't leaking any air), so I ordered a replacement Pirelli from Discount Tire Direct. I went to the tire store this morning to have it installed and also mentioned to them that the right rear tire was losing air pressure. Turns out that the right rear had a nail in the sidewall, which can't be repaired.

I decided to replace the entire set and ordered three more Pirelli PZero Neros from Discount Tire as soon as I got home. I then got an email from them asking me to call them. I did that, and they explained that the front tire is in stock, but the rears are backordered and there is no expected delivery date on them.

The person I spoke with identified two tire models which were in stock, and agreed to take back the one new Pirelli I had just installed. I settled on a set of Kumhos, which were in stock. They are even paying for return shipping on the Pirelli. At this point, I couldn't be happier with Discount Tire's service.

fezo

Up north there is a restaurant that everyone, including my kids, calls The Maple. As in The Maple Snack Bar. It was last actually named that in 1973.

steine13

You've got a zealous spell-changer on whatever device you use to post... If you check what you wrote, the car drove "mice" and you popped the hood to investigate a "smile." New computer? Smart phone? Siri taking dictation? :P
Cheers -Mathias

stickguy

generally due to a combination of clunky fingers and lack of proof reading!

houdini1

I just saw a preview of a Super Bowl commercial where these two guys were playing around with a new iphone. Siri would deliver anything they asked for. One guy asked for "three hot girls" and Siri sent three Rottweilers instead. Hilarious.

anonymousposts

We have used Discount Tire several times. We have always been pretty happy with their service.

We are still in talks about what to do next. There are three options on the table. 1. Keep the Odyssey and buy an extended warranty 2. Trade the Odyssey and get the RAV4 and just plan to upgrade as soon as something better comes along. 3. Trade the Odyssey for a 06-09 328 wagon or another Tiguan automatic with a sunroof.

We keep going back and forth ...

nyccarguy

I know Rear seat room & the ability to sit in the front seat with a rear facing child safety seat is a priority. You should cross the 3 series touring off your list right now. I love the way the E90 3 series drives, but the car is really cramped on the inside. With a rear facing car seat, your knees will be up against the dash. The wagon doesn't give you that much more cargo space than the sedan. The rear window is raked for a sporty appearance, but really impedes the wagon's cargo capacity. I had my heart set on an '07 328xi wagon until I saw how small it was on the inside. With a sky high 65% residual after 3 years & the cargo & passenger room we needed, not to mention the performance, the X3 was perfect for our needs.

I wish I had bought it out at the end of the lease.

omarman

I like the reject "make your own" commercial. Watched it 3 times and laughed every time. Kept thinking that this might be the kind of "cooking" show Gilbert would host.

stickguy

Seems like a good price actually, but what the heck do I know?

a 2004 RX-8 with an automatic (I know, sacrilege).

appeals to my odd ball tastes (though the red is too much!), but pretty sure turning this over to my daughter at some point wouldn't happen. Though it probably isn't really that fast...

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/2801914716.html

roadburner

a 2004 RX-8 with an automatic (I know, sacrilege).

Not just sacrilege- it's a reliability issue. The Mazda techs that I know tell me that what kills the Renesis rotary engine is prolonged low rpm operation. Rev the snot out of it and the motor will live much longer

tjc78

Rev the snot out of it and the motor will live much longer

I apply that to all my vehicles!

qbrozen

auto RX8 ain't worth it at any price .... but I digress.

Doesn't seem to matter at auction which trans it has, for some odd reason. So it would fetch around $8k-$8500 or so.

There is no reason why you couldn't rev the snot out of an automatic, BTW. Heck, in this car you'd have to since the engine is detuned in the auto version.

anonymousposts

I would stay away from the RX-8. I've known of too many to have engine problems that never really go away.

I am really torn on whether to let the van go. One one hand, we never really use the extra cargo or people hauling room. On the other hand, the extra space is nice to have IF we ever need it. Just can't decide if the infrequently used convenience of the extra room justifies the expense. Or heck, it could all be a fabrication in my mind to satisfy my CCB habit.

ateixeira

Dad finally got it last Thursday. Saw it Friday night.

He picked up a dark copper S model, Pentastar V6, folding hard top, last Thursday. Fully loaded with GPS, heated leather, Boston Acoustics sound, etc.

I helped him program a few Favorites in the GPS, took a short ride, and we opened the top for some Facebook pics.

Impressions:

* sound system did not impress me, seemed only average
* top is slow but very trick. Seals nicely. Love the no-B-pillar look.
* back seat is comfy for adults up to 5'11" or so, or slide the front seats forward
* GPS was very user-friendly, took me 5 seconds to start using it

He's 73 so pretty cool car all things considered. :shades:

Didn't really get to test drive it, just a short ride. I'm sure he'll never use half the power of the Pentastar he got.

ateixeira

Forgot price. I'm not sure what the MSRP was, I think $37 or 39k, something like that.

We used TrueCar in VA, which was timed well because they suspended service right after we got the quote.

He paid $32,007 plus $499 processing. With MD tax and tags, he was out the door for $33.5k.

I imagine depreciation will be steep but it really doesn't matter as he keeps his cars FOREVER.

fintail

The hardtop one is the way to go, makes the cloth ones look like cheapos or rental cars.

au1994

Why did TrueCar suspend service?

ateixeira

I think VA dealers sued. Let me see if I can find the article in Automotive News...

Got it:

TrueCar.com said today that it will change its fee structure in Virginia, after regulators there determined that dealerships using the Internet shopping service were violating state law.

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20120111/RETAIL01/120119935#ixzz1kxibGPHr

qbrozen

ya know, I understand that regulators are TRYING to protect people from themselves, but at the same time ... seriously? What a waste of time and resources when you are harassing a company about charging "bird-dog fees" and all they need to do is charge the same but call it something else (like a subscription fee). Or giving them a hard time about posting dealer cost. When you can go to any number of other sites and obtain that information, what the hell does it matter? :sick:

ateixeira

I'm sure it was political. VA dealers probably got on their case, or even perhaps manufacturers.

stever

Lots of states have "no bird-dog fee" laws on the books, and TrueCar was in trouble with six of them as I recall. Not sure how auto brokers get around them. Here's another Automotive News story, and a Forbes article comparing them with us and Kelley.

If you bought a car using TrueCar, you left $300 on the table, since that's their fee to the dealership. There's got to be a negotiating angle there somewhere.

I think they make some of their money repackaging the transactional data and reselling it. Dealers have to give them access to their sales data in order to participate. At least I think that's the way it works; all I really know is what I read in the funnies.

ateixeira

Without my dad's purchase they may have been stuck at 999,999.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/30/just-18-months-into-production-chrysler-build- s-millionth-pentas/

mark156

I like the looks of a rag top on a convertible.... I guess I'm old fashioned.

I couldn't imagine the Bentley with a hard top convertible.... the soft top is quiet and fits tight. It even has a dome light built into the top!

Mark156

fintail

That Bentley soft top probably has more engineering in it than any folding hardtop. It's all about the market position...for mass market, retractable hardtop is the in thing. In other markets even cheaper cabrios have folding hardtops.

E-class cabrio also still has a soft top. It's easier to get good proportions with a soft top too.

qbrozen

I'd like to know what, if any, laws those states have preventing this same practice in a number of other industries.

Take, for example, something a bit nearer and dearer to me, recruiting fees. Headhunters charge an absolute insane amount of money to companies for finding them employees. This hurts the employees directly and to a much larger extent than a lousy couple hundred bucks on a car. A company that winds up paying 10% of a new employee's first year of salary will take that right off the top of what they are willing to pay that person. So, while someone could have come in to a job at, say $80k, they will only be able to get the company to max out at $72k.

So why is this OK? Because it is a service that sells. Free enterprise. Capitalism. Whatever label you want to put on it.

TrueCar is a middleman taking a cut. It happens every second of every day in just about every industry. Why are they singled out? :confuse:

Ugh. Look what you've done. Gone and gotten me all riled up.