Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

qbrozen

Seems that other buyers are braver than I. That Xi with the replaced engine is already at $3750 with 8 hours left, and the 318i is already over $2k with more than 2 days left.

Granted, the latter is not quite at my top number, but its pretty obvious it will go over. The former is just crazy money, IMHO. I mean, alright, I guess not bad if you ASSUME the swap was done professionally and the claimed mileage is correct.... but that's a mighty big assumption.

So, in addition to the Passat trade I was offered, you can add a Harley and '95 diesel Benz to the list. I'm passing on all, obviously.

roadburner

No, you are dead right; the difference is attributable to the AWD.

ronsteve

Rated 25 highway. That's a joke. I average just about 20.5 with my '11 328xi. I also have a hard time keeping the speedo below 80 & sit in some serious bumper to bumper traffic some days (last night it took me 1 hr 20 minutes to go 30 miles).

Once after a Yankees game, I filled up & pretty much had the cruise set at 65 for my entire way home & the OBC showed 27.5 average.

It's pretty clear that your ability (or not) to hit EPA mileage numbers is very dependent on how you drive. My Volvo is rated at 28 MPG highway, and my actual can be anywhere from 24-25 when I mix in enough non-highway to get to/from the freeway to 32 MPG in May when we drove up to Cedar Point (read: 70-72mph cruise on flat Ohio interstates).

More of an estimate than a joke, I would say.

ronsteve

I don't remember exactly, but was that one in the 13s an above average example?

I dare say it was. Definitely looked nicer than the one on ebay.

roadburner

As most of you know, I currently have six cars in the driveway and I need to get rid of one.

My wife has the CPO 2009 328i and my son is appropriating her 2004 X3 2.5- which leaves me with one car too many.

My original plan was to sell the 1975 2002 and keep the Mazdaspeed 3(now at
104,000 miles); using the Mazda as my work car for the @3 years I have left in my
current job- which meant putting at least 15,000-25,000 miles per year on it.
Once I was through I would sell it off and buy a new toy.

However, I thought about it a bit more and concocted an alternate plan: Sell the
Mazda instead of the 2002. The theory is I could put 60%-75% of the work miles
on the '02 and split the rest between my 1995 318ti and 1999 Wrangler. The
advantage to this plan is that the 2002 is much cheaper to insure, has a rebuilt
motor/tranny, and will be worth the same -or more- in 3 years, while the Mazda
will probably lose another several thousand dollars due to age and mileage. If I
sell the '02 I can maybe get $6,000 for it, the Mazda $9,000-$10,000. My wife is
good with either plan(although I virtually certain that she prefers keeping the
'02 as she likes to drive it).
So, which car should I keep- and why?
Discuss...

stickguy

the obvious answer, is sell the Mazda. But not for the reason you might think.

Rather, that means shortly you will be out looking for another car for yourself (and after all, that is the ultimate goal, right? at all times?

The 2002 is probably not really suited for DD duty and longer distances. You won't want to rack up the miles on the Ti, and the Jeep will get real old real quick.

so, after a few months, you will realize that you need something newer/nicer/funner for your regular car, and be out shopping!

stickguy

and if you were going to move the 2002 out, I would say sell the Mazda also, and combine the proceeds of the 2 sales into 1 replacement.

28firefighter

I have to agree with Stick here. I can't see the Mazda or the 2002 being viable long-term options for high mileage daily driving. Makes sense to flip them both and buy something else while still splitting mileage with the Wrangler and 318 to keep the miles off the new one.

corvette

No way would I drive the '02 10,000+ miles per year. I'm sure it's in excellent mechanical condition, but lots of things just happen with older cars. I'd dump the Wrangler, probably because I have never liked Jeeps.

If the Mazdaspeed 3 has been reliable lately, you should be able to keep using it as a DD for the next three years.

stickguy

A little local gas garage I pass often has had a Jag out front for sale for a while. Today, thee was a nice medium red Mustang next to it, so decided to take a look.

Mustang had promise. a 2004 GT 40th anniv (not sure, was that a model package, or just doing the math?). 5 speed, on 30K on it. super clean. Had aftermarket black mesh wheels. Not too bad looking, but wide (315/35-17s on the rear). No pirce.

THe Jag? A white 1996 XJ6. actually looked pretty clean. some paint issues on the trunk lid (peeling clear coat maybe?) but no signs of rust, and not dented up. Only asking $4,100. Styling on the cheap!

No clue about miles or anything.

michaellno

Am in richfield Utah tonight and will finish my 2000 mile road trip tomorrow. So far I'm averaging about 30 mpg.

I have just under 500 miles to go tomorrow. Almost 2 full tanks of gas.

[Deleted User]

I'll throw the safety card into the pile of arguments. Accidents happen, and the more miles you commute the higher your statistical odds of an incident occurring. Chances are you won't be involved in a serious collision, but if one were to occur, I'd personally want to be strapped into the safer alternative, which would not include a lightweight 2002.

sro43

My 2007 Sienna minivan has 78,000 miles. Private retail value is $12,500. I would like to get a new Sienna only b/c I want some more features in a minivan (navigation, camera). The van has had no problems and been a great van to own. We have $25000 saved for another van. Should I sell my van now and use the combine money to purchase a new van, or wait till next year about this time, and buy a new one, while having the value decrease in the van, but having more cash saved. I would still use what money I could get out of the van next year towards a new van, it just won't be as much. Also, do Siennas hold their value well even after 100k miles? I am sure we will hit that next year.

stickguy

I would likely go now, since you seem to be well set financially to do it.

At that miles, you may have maintenance and repairs due (routine of unexpected), and yes, hitting 100K can make a difference.

so, might as well get the new one now and enjoy it if you are doing it by next year anyway.

ateixeira

The 07s have a timing chain, so no belt to worry about.

I think you can easily go another year on that. You have a while to go before the 100k barrier. I wouldn't be too concerned about selling it, as used Odys and Siennas are highly sought after.

The new ones suffered a bit of cost cutting, though, and the 8th seat is smaller than it used to be. The trans is a 6 speed now, though. Same engine as yours.

I wouldn't rush to trade up. I have an 07 also, but a lot fewer miles. It's been flawless.

qbrozen

I'm going with option C. Wait about 6 months. You should be able to get a good deal on a 2013 model in the dead of winter when the snowy tumbleweeds are blowing across the dealership lots, and your car would be in the high 80k mile range, which still looks good to prospective buyers.

The problem, of course, is selling YOURS in the dead of winter. But low-dollar cars are easier to move than new units, especially after the xmas bills have hit everyone (and with tax time right around the corner).

ateixeira

Gotta trust the guy who shares all the auction prices...

qbrozen

So after a little more thought, I'm going to at least look at the guy's Passat wagon. He keeps emailing me, so he's definitely an interested party. I figure, with the right deal, maybe, worst case, I'll take it and trade it in on something I really want. He probably won't like my value on it, but we'll see.

laurasdada

"THe Jag? A white 1996 XJ6. actually looked pretty clean. some paint issues on the trunk lid (peeling clear coat maybe?) but no signs of rust, and not dented up. Only asking $4,100. Styling on the cheap!

No clue about miles or anything."

Warning Will Robinson! That $4100 will most likely be just the beginning for the '96 Jag...

I'm just a fool for a pretty face, hence my '09 Jag XK (which is really quite a fabulous car, actually. Great GT: smooth, powerful, handles, not too bad on fuel, luxurious. Did I mention it's kinda purdy, too?)

Anywho, TGIGAW (read: Thank Goodness I've Got A Warranty!). I've had the Audio Control Module replaced, the NAV system replaced (not surprised, I bought a British car. A British (European?) car without electrical gremlins is like a day without sunshine...) and the AC unit outflow tube replaced (passenger side footwell filled with water, recall issue). No idea how much it would have been ex. pocket sans warranty, and none a show-stopper that detract from my enjoyment of my pace-with-grace-mobile. But, I shudder to think of what it may cost to keep a '96 XJ on the road! But, as I mentioned, I'm a fool for a pretty face!

As I bought two cars in '11, I hope I'm a current member of the CCBA.

qbrozen

Yup... he didn't like it. I didn't like his car, though. He supposedly didn't realize that both rear quarters and the rear left door have all been repainted .... and badly, too.

Just before he was due to arrive, however, another guy popped in unannounced. We agreed to a deal, but no money has changed hands yet. He claims to be coming tomorrow to leave a deposit. We'll see.

jayrider

I find it hard to believe that a serious car shopper wouldn't have a hundred dollar bill to put down on a car he really wants. As you said --" We'll see."

qbrozen

So that '92 318i ended last night. Went for a whopping $3550! wow. I mean, I guess its a nice enough used car... but its a 20-year-old german economy sedan, essentially. Nothing of interest there at all. $3500? :surprise:

stickguy

I was watching that. Close to the end, it was sitting at $2,095. I was surprised to see it jump up so much.

roadburner

Well, the M42 is a very reliable engine and an E36 318i/is/ti is very well balanced and fun to drive. No, it isn't very quick, but it is a very rewarding drive(as the Brits like to say). My ti has a Conforti/Turner chip and never drops below 25 mpg on the street no matter how hard I thrash it.

qbrozen

oh, I understand. But this isn't a ti or even a coupe.
Put it this way, these don't even break $1k at dealer auction.

breld

So in my search for A4's, my wife and I stumbled upon this:

A4 Avant

I couldn't see myself in the red, but my wife loves the car and frankly, it is so "her."

So I'm pitching the idea to her that she could trade her new X3 for it. Crazy, but here's my rationalization:

Using kbb.com, I priced that A4 to have had an MSRP of about $49k, and a market price of about $47k (when new). We bought our X3 for about $45k. So, I don't lose a lot of sleep over giving the dealer our X3 plus $2,000 - it's sort of like we got the A4 in the first place, right? Remember, this A4 only has 3,000 miles.

Whether the dealer would go for that is another story, but I wouldn't think we're too far off. They've listed the A4 at $40,999 (down from $42,500 just a couple of days ago) - they said the highest bid they got on the phone for the X3 was $37k. This was all pretty quick and casual - they didn't even look at the X3. So, I'm thinking they push a bit on the trade to $38k and come down a mere $1k on the A4, and you've got the $2k difference.

I could live with that.

breld

I also looked at an A4 more for myself - a 2011 manual sedan. Pretty nicely equipped with the premium plus package, but no sport or nav. Also has 28k miles - a lot for one year.

It's at a Lexus dealer, so no CPO - they have it listed at $33k. They claim they "market-price" their used cars and it is indeed well-priced compared to other listings, but the thing is I think you could get a brand new one for about $4-5k more. Is it just one of those things where the used versus new market are kinda out of whack?

In any case, I loved the car - would be a great "upgrade" to the GTI while retaining its fun nature, but not so sure it's worth the extra dough it would take to do that upgrade.

Man - how did all this start? :surprise:

qbrozen

Ha. So the guy didn't show tonight. But, someone else did, and the same thing happened. Says he'll be back tomorrow. Only, I believe this guy more because he wrote down his number for me.

At the same time, he was out with the car for over half an hour, including a stop at his house, and I can't help but think "why didn't you grab a few bucks before coming back?" :confuse:

So now I can just see it tomorrow. I'll have 2 folks wanting to leave deposits. I'm not sure who the better buyer is. #1 knows the cars and has owned many BMWs. #2 is a nicer guy buying it for his teenage son, who is also nice ... football player at the local high school. Tough call. I guess there are far worse positions to be in, huh?

akangl

Paid off hubby's car today and got it fixed. Honda dealer was actually pleasant and we managed to get out of there without paying anything.

Picked up the title for the Civic from the bank, the car had 2 miles on it when we bought it in October 2008, it has 104,232 miles on it now. I'm sure it will see many more, hubby doesn't want another car payment for a while.

qbrozen

I'm sure it will see many more, hubby doesn't want another car payment for a while.

I give it 2 months, tops. You are a bad influence on him. :P

stickguy

might just be me, but a 540 isn't a car I would be buying to give to a HS kid.

darn, I was hoping it would stay dead and you would get anxious, then I would swoop in with the lowball!

let me know when it gets down to 6K.

ateixeira

540 isn't a car I would be buying to give to a HS kid

I wonder if he'll get an insurance quote and that kills the deal. V8 + teenager?

stickguy

There is a reason my son started out with a 4 cyl. contour, and my daughter will be using a non-turbo Volvo S40!

qbrozen

Hey, I'm with you. I choked when I first called the number he emailed me through craigs and a kid answered the phone. Turned out they lived right down the street. Father loved it. They took it to mom, who loved it. The kid's opinion is "I want something I will love and keep." I told both of them that it is a beast and the kid should NEVER turn off the traction control! So I did my part. Dad said it will at least never go out in the snow. I guess that's a start. Not that it matters in that car. You step on it in a turn with the TC off and you might as well be in the snow.

You gotta admit one advantage, though: if he does crash, a 5-series should at least hold up very well.

stickguy

So will an S40. It just won't be doing 125 when it leaves the GSP.

qbrozen

So... when this is done, I'll of course be seriously shopping. Y'all wanna pitch in? It can be group therapy of sorts. Living vicariously through me. Of course, it could drive some of you to buy your own. We should find options and hold voting or something. haha. Not that I'll go with the majority vote, but you never know. Could be an interesting experiment.

Requirements are manual transmission and at least 4 doors. The lower miles the better. I'd like to keep it under 120k if I can. Under 100k is ideal, of course. Self-imposed budget is $5k (so I've been limiting my searches to $6k). And I'd like to get at least 28mpg highway. In this case, the higher the better.

I'll kick it off with a few I found yesterday:
This is a good price if its clean.
This is a VERY good price. Almost too good.
And this is high. I'd need to knock a grand off.

michaellno

Every car can go fast enough to seriously injure or kill the driver and / or occupants.

We bought a Geo Tracker for our son when he turned 16. We figured that his practice time in a Ford Explorer taught him about car control in an SUV, plus the 98 HP engine wasn't going to get him into too much trouble.

Wrong --- five weeks after obtaining his license he was on a dirt road and lost control, rolling the car twice and sending his sister to the hospital via air ambulance. Cops estimate he was doing 63 MPH when he left the road.

Fortunately, there were no serious injuries.

Perhaps the dad should enroll the kid in some high performance driving classes so he knows how to control the car better.

ateixeira

No on the torsion-beam Sentra. That suspension belongs on a minivan.

Not a fan of the Ion either.

I vote Protoge by a wide margin, better yet find a Protoge5. Pat got one and loves it.

ateixeira

Get an older diesel with a roll bar.

michaellno

q, that Saturn is the same year and color as my daily driver. Of course, mine's an automatic, but it has only 75K on the clock.

qbrozen

Well, I love the P5s. Finding a low mileage clean one is tough.

Any reason on the Ion? I mean, the 2.2 ecotec is supposed to be a good one, right? Is a nice looking car.

I drove a sentra once. Thought it rode just fine. I never bothered looking to see the type of suspension. Is it the same in the Spec V, cause that car certainly tears up the autoX at a good clip.

qbrozen

You've been having trouble with that, right? Can you remind me?

ateixeira

Ion - I think it was mostly a matter of my expectations. I was hoping for a home run that would save Saturn, and it was so ... average. Nothing in particular wrong with it, but interchangeable C-pillar panels did nothing for me (or for the division).

michaellno

Really, the ION has been a fairly reliable car.

Make sure that the power steering recall work has been done.

I just replaced the ignition cylinder a couple weeks ago, then did a 2300 mile road trip to CA and back where I averaged 30 MPG (mostly cruising between 70 and 80 and lots of elevation changes).

Mine has ABS and a sunroof as options.

fintail

My first car was a 66 Ford with a 390/4bbl - not exactly a castrated engine. I survived. It wasn't exactly a compact though, either.

ateixeira

At my previous address the kid across the street wrapped a Mustang GT around a tree.

He survived but needed tons of physical therapy.

I just shake my head when parents help kids do that. I'm sure insurance was $3000 per year (not high enough honestly).

After he recovered he started driving pickups.

fintail

I forget what my first insurance was - nearly 20 years ago now. Probably wasn't too bad as they don't seem to care what engine is in an old boat. I remember my parents helped with that as the fuel bill alone was bleeding me dry.

Reckless driver in a pickup is even worse than one in a Mustang.

stickguy

Let's make this a win-win.

FInd 2. One for you and one for me.

I like your stick requirement (though I can go either way), and budget is perfect. And I don't need 4 doors, but there has to be some kind of hole in the roof (unless too good a deal to pass up).

small is preferable, and a back seat is only a minimal requirement.

this might not narrow it down too much, but what the hell!

ateixeira

my parents helped with that

I'm going to save that for later. :P

Actually, dad helped with my first car, too, but when he sold it he kept the money, so it wasn't really mine.

First car bought with my own money was a Datsun 210. RWD but no power. I should have pinched pennies and held out for a 510!

stickguy

Non of those 3 options do anything for me. The mazda would be OK, but the AT will make it a dog. Now, a 5 speed EX, that would be a winner.

No pictures yet, but good miles, close to budget, and at least it would be a great winter car. And it has some personality, unlike those other appliances.

http://torchlightmotors.com/newandusedcars/5241/2083165/aa92abda-ecdc-4811-9ba6-- 05e906302073/none/2002-Subaru-Outback-Parlin-NJ-08859.aspx