I forked out the 2K for my sons first car (then traded that almost even for the Acura he still has). Technically it is still mine, but if he can make it last until next spring when he graduates college, we are just going to turn it over to him. Will be his call if he wants to keep driving that, or sell and get something new or newer. Assuming of course he lands a job!
he says he will keep driving it for a while, but that might last until the first paycheck comes in, and he drives past a BMW dealer.
considering we paid 2K for the Acura in December of 2008, I think I have amortized it enough to let it go.
My first car technically wasn't mine either - wasn't in my name, couldn't legally be in my name as far as I know. A 66 Galaxie wasn't terribly expensive back in 1993 however - not even worth a whole lot now. When it got hit, I didn't get the settlement either. First car I fully funded and had in my name was the fintail, didn't happen til I was 18.
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.
Outback Sport... with those miles, could be damn good. Sadly, I live in the wrong part of the country, and the only Impreza seats I ever got along with were the leather ones in the WRX Limited.
The mazda would be OK, but the AT will make it a dog. Now, a 5 speed EX, that would be a winner.
AT?? No, no. That's a manual.
Problem with that DX is it seems to be missing the front and back tilt of the seat.
Yeah, i've been keeping my eye on that outback, too, since you first pointed it out. Waiting on pics. He's certainly been taking his time with them. Problem is, it is a bit over budget (and we know he is non-negotiable). Not really willing to do that for a 10-year-old car.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I chatted with a friend last night, who's up to around 231,000 miles on his '04 Crown Vic LX. It's been a pretty good car for him, and is actually holding up quite well for its age, with the exception of some HVAC issues that he was quoted about $1800 to fix.
Well, he got the new(er) car itch, and is planning on replacing it with a 2011 Grand Marquis LS that he found at CarMax. I think it has around 31,000 miles, and they want $15,500 for it.
Sounds like a decent deal IMO. Although I'd think that after 222,000 miles of this '04 (he bought it slightly used), and about 121,000 of a '95 Grand Marquis before that (bought used in 1999), you'd think he'd be in the mood for something different!
Oh, here's a kick in the slats...they're only giving him $300 in trade. :sick: I was tempted to offer to buy it from him, and use it as a beater, since it would get better fuel economy than most of the cars I have, and seems like it has plenty of life left. But, he's the type of guy that would feel guilty as heck if I bought it and then something broke on it, so maybe it's for the best that I don't.
Somewhere on that a I know it said AT. Will have to go back and check.
and yes, a DX is a penalty box. I love the seats in that vintage, at least the EX and P5 with the front and rear individual adjusters (I detest the ratchet lift they went to on the 3, and that was a big reason I did not get one of those).
Edit: OK, I see why. Detail says (and pics confirm) stick, but I only read the title.
Well, we went in over lunch today to see if we could do anything with that A4 Avant, but it's basically sold (buyer is coming in this afternoon to close the deal). If it falls through, they'll call, but can't say there wasn't a little relief that we just keep what we have (for now )
It's not an EX-L. The reviews I've read indicate the Crosstour has a lot of extra sound insulation that is missing in the Accord. No way would I want something as big/heavy as the Crosstour without the V6, though.
The Crosstours aren't great sellers. I think they would have been more successful by taking the existing Accord and giving it a hatchback option. But we won't buy hatchbacks so what do I know.
I give it 2 months, tops. You are a bad influence on him.
Nah, he tends to hang on to a car if its paid off. The last one he bought new and paid off was his 1988 F-150 2WD reg cab 6-cyl manual trans, he drove that in Alaska for nearly 10 years and 150k. I see the Civic sticking around a while.
The only car he's trying to talk me into selling is the Escort, yes, its still here. We've been at odds about that one, our son isn't taking it, so its either sell it or take it when we move (which is who knows when, all depends on that job front). I want to keep it, hubby says sell it. We'll see who wins that battle.... :mad:
well, my friend went ahead and pulled the trigger. But, instead of getting the 2011 LS he was looking at, he went with a 2009 LS Ultimate, with 52000 miles, which was around $13,500. So, 2 years older, 21K more miles, but it was about $1500 less. He ended up going with the 2009 because it was better-equipped. Although oddly, it's a bit de-contented compared to the 2004 Crown Vic he traded. First things he noticed were no radio controls on the steering wheel, and no compass, both of which the Crown Vic had.
I guess as the years went by, these cars were kept around mainly for police/taxi use, and the occasional senior citizen on a fixed income, so they started deleting things here and there to keep the prices reasonable?
And, alas, he did this transaction before I had a chance to suggest trying to sell his old car on his own. But, I think he just wanted to get it done with as quickly as possible.
They add required safety stuff but then remove options to keep prices level.
True. I think his '09 has side curtain airbags, whereas the '04 just had the two front airbags. There's also something under the hood that runs for a few seconds after he starts the car...sounds like a small compressor or motor or something. I'm guessing it has some kind of air leveling suspension? His '04 didn't do that.
It was dark when he came by the house last nite. And hot and muggy, so we didn't bother to open the hood.
I kinda wish he hadn't bought this car, because now it's giving me the new car itch...
The features I most wish my rental-fleet Altima had are stability control and steering wheel radio controls. It's really nice to be able to adjust the volume without taking your hands off the wheel.
I just looked it up on Edmunds and yup, in 2009 it looks like rear air suspension was standard on the Grand Marquis. So, I guess that's what that noise was.
Oh, and in looking around locally, I found this 2009 LS Ultimate with only ~30000 miles. Nice bluish silver color that would just have matched the hair in Grandma's wig.
Hmm, maybe I should go check it out. It's pretty close by, although I've never heard of Nissan of Bowie. I think I might have known it as Walker Pontiac, though. My grandparents bought a new '49 Pontiac from them, and for whatever reason, Grandmom felt like they got screwed over. Been so long now though, that I think she's finally forgotten.
It's really nice to be able to adjust the volume without taking your hands off the wheel.
I didn't think those controls were any big deal at first. But, after getting used to them on my 2000 Park Ave, yeah, I agree it's a really nice thing to have.
For those of you buying Nissan 2013 model impressed by mpg and CVT technology, think twice. We bought a brand new model few days ago and we have taken it to service twice already. It initally made metal on metal rubbing noise when we were driving between 30 -40 mph. After we took it to dealer it made a jingle bell like noise when we drove slowly (probably its making that noise in higher speeds but just can't hear!) Again took it to the dealer. But still makes that noise when we drive slowly at random though not consistent. We can hear it on rough surface at some instances. I wish we had not bought this car.My husband fell for the extra 15% gain mpg..We regret this decision now :mad:
Maybe more, but not a huge amount more...demand for the thirsty 6.2 engine is set to fall off a cliff with the amazing new twin turbo V8 being on the market now. That wagon is also not fully loaded.
keeping it lying around is not really a big deal, if it is cheap on insurance. But you would be insane to waste GVW moving it!
Right now its on storage insurance which is $38 for 6 months. It still has studded tires on it which aren't legal on the road until September 15th, I didn't want to spend the $$$ to put summer tires on it since I wasn't sure it was going to be driven much past May 1st (date the studs have to come off). Insurance after the storage insurance comes off is dirt cheap.
As for getting it out of Alaska, I had planned on having someone drive it out to Bellingham where hubby is meeting me, then I'll get it from there and he can take the truck/trailer. The Civic will go into the trailer, he would never let anyone else drive his beloved Honda. Will cost me about $500 to get the Escort through Canada if I can find someone who is looking to drive out anyway (lots of people want to do it but don't have a car). I think I trust the Escort to make it 1800 miles through Canada and then the rest of the way to where we are going.
I feel a battle coming over my plan though, he really wants the car gone. He doesn't have the fondness for the rabid little beast that I do. :sick:
Fun day of car browsing today ended in a purchase. I won't actually complete the transaction until Monday, but we agreed on pricing to trade our GTI for this:
We ventured out to look at some A4s, but when I mentioned how much I like the look of the A5's, my wife suggested I go that route, considering we have other more practical cars in the garage. The backseat on these is actually pretty usable for kids on short trips (meaning I can take my boys to school and still enjoy the car the rest of the day - something I couldn't do in my previous Miata the GTI replaced).
While not quite as usable/practical as the GTI, I'm excited about picking up an A5 which I've lusted after for quite awhile. I expect the automatic to be a welcome change for our long work commute (we'll hold on to the 530i so we still have a stick) and the AWD makes it feel a bit more planted than the GTI.
Not having owned an Audi before, I'm also excited about the CPO warranty.
Congrats on your new ride. A real beauty. I'm jealous of everything but the costs -- getting old has it's benefits. Chasing cars is not part of my present but I totally understand your passion. Good luck.
I concur. I've always considered Audis (and most German cars) a bit too blue for my blood, but will confess that I find the A5 coupe, and A8 sedan to be very attractive cars.
I'm jealous of everything but the costs -- getting old has it's benefits. Chasing cars is not part of my present but I totally understand your passion.
I find I'm starting to get that way, too. With cars I'm starting to take sort of a grandparent mentality, I guess. I enjoy going to the new car shows, and classic car shows, looking at them and enjoying them for the day. But, like a grandparent, I'm content to hand them back over to the "parent" at the end of the day, and let them deal with the hassles, messes, and expenses.
My mom has a 2011 A5 Premium Plus Coupe equipped exactly as yours is, just in Deep Blue over Cinnamon interior. It is an absolutely wonderful car, and I can attest to the backseat being comfortable - even for my 6'1 frame.
Enjoy!
2025 Jetta GLI Autobahn, 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xE
Comments
he says he will keep driving it for a while, but that might last until the first paycheck comes in, and he drives past a BMW dealer.
considering we paid 2K for the Acura in December of 2008, I think I have amortized it enough to let it go.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Outback Sport... with those miles, could be damn good. Sadly, I live in the wrong part of the country, and the only Impreza seats I ever got along with were the leather ones in the WRX Limited.
AT?? No, no. That's a manual.
Problem with that DX is it seems to be missing the front and back tilt of the seat.
Yeah, i've been keeping my eye on that outback, too, since you first pointed it out. Waiting on pics. He's certainly been taking his time with them. Problem is, it is a bit over budget (and we know he is non-negotiable). Not really willing to do that for a 10-year-old car.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Well, he got the new(er) car itch, and is planning on replacing it with a 2011 Grand Marquis LS that he found at CarMax. I think it has around 31,000 miles, and they want $15,500 for it.
Sounds like a decent deal IMO. Although I'd think that after 222,000 miles of this '04 (he bought it slightly used), and about 121,000 of a '95 Grand Marquis before that (bought used in 1999), you'd think he'd be in the mood for something different!
Oh, here's a kick in the slats...they're only giving him $300 in trade. :sick: I was tempted to offer to buy it from him, and use it as a beater, since it would get better fuel economy than most of the cars I have, and seems like it has plenty of life left. But, he's the type of guy that would feel guilty as heck if I bought it and then something broke on it, so maybe it's for the best that I don't.
and yes, a DX is a penalty box. I love the seats in that vintage, at least the EX and P5 with the front and rear individual adjusters (I detest the ratchet lift they went to on the 3, and that was a big reason I did not get one of those).
Edit: OK, I see why. Detail says (and pics confirm) stick, but I only read the title.
USED 2002 Mazda Protege 4dr Sdn DX Auto
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
and for $30 more, you can move up to a V6.
http://automobiles.honda.com/current-offers-detail.aspx?ModelName=Crosstour&Offe- rID=62198&ModelID=TF1H3CJW
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Maybe his first, uh, experience, was in one of those, and he wants nothing else now?
Or maybe he likes the cop car factor.
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=40245&endYear=2- 013&modelCode1=CRV&startYear=1981&makeCode1=HONDA&transmissionCode=MAN&searchRad- ius=25&listingId=326657863&Log=0
2024 Audi Q8 e-tron - 2017 911 C4S - 2025 BRZ - 2023 A6 Allroad - 2024 Genesis GV60 - 2019 Cayman
These are actually cool cars that drive quite well.
Styling is subjective. Some actually like them.
They have NOT been good sellers for Honda and it looks like they are trying to dump inventory. A great lease deal for sure!
Not anymore, 4cyl and 6cyl available...
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0
the lease deal listing specifically said they were all FWD, but the more expensive one was a V6.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
agreed price=$6500
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Nah, he tends to hang on to a car if its paid off. The last one he bought new and paid off was his 1988 F-150 2WD reg cab 6-cyl manual trans, he drove that in Alaska for nearly 10 years and 150k. I see the Civic sticking around a while.
The only car he's trying to talk me into selling is the Escort, yes, its still here.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I guess as the years went by, these cars were kept around mainly for police/taxi use, and the occasional senior citizen on a fixed income, so they started deleting things here and there to keep the prices reasonable?
And, alas, he did this transaction before I had a chance to suggest trying to sell his old car on his own. But, I think he just wanted to get it done with as quickly as possible.
They add required safety stuff but then remove options to keep prices level.
True. I think his '09 has side curtain airbags, whereas the '04 just had the two front airbags. There's also something under the hood that runs for a few seconds after he starts the car...sounds like a small compressor or motor or something. I'm guessing it has some kind of air leveling suspension? His '04 didn't do that.
It was dark when he came by the house last nite. And hot and muggy, so we didn't bother to open the hood.
I kinda wish he hadn't bought this car, because now it's giving me the new car itch...
I don't think it has an air suspension, does it?
Oh, and in looking around locally, I found this 2009 LS Ultimate with only ~30000 miles. Nice bluish silver color that would just have matched the hair in Grandma's wig.
Hmm, maybe I should go check it out. It's pretty close by, although I've never heard of Nissan of Bowie. I think I might have known it as Walker Pontiac, though. My grandparents bought a new '49 Pontiac from them, and for whatever reason, Grandmom felt like they got screwed over. Been so long now though, that I think she's finally forgotten.
I didn't think those controls were any big deal at first. But, after getting used to them on my 2000 Park Ave, yeah, I agree it's a really nice thing to have.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I remember wanting a manual with a tachometer.
Next car I wanted A/C and a cassette player (LOL).
Now we have more tech than NASA had when I bought my first car.
Right now its on storage insurance which is $38 for 6 months. It still has studded tires on it which aren't legal on the road until September 15th, I didn't want to spend the $$$ to put summer tires on it since I wasn't sure it was going to be driven much past May 1st (date the studs have to come off). Insurance after the storage insurance comes off is dirt cheap.
As for getting it out of Alaska, I had planned on having someone drive it out to Bellingham where hubby is meeting me, then I'll get it from there and he can take the truck/trailer. The Civic will go into the trailer, he would never let anyone else drive his beloved Honda. Will cost me about $500 to get the Escort through Canada if I can find someone who is looking to drive out anyway (lots of people want to do it but don't have a car). I think I trust the Escort to make it 1800 miles through Canada and then the rest of the way to where we are going.
I feel a battle coming over my plan though, he really wants the car gone. He doesn't have the fondness for the rabid little beast that I do. :sick:
I wouldn't be surprised if they go the way of the element.
Audi A5
We ventured out to look at some A4s, but when I mentioned how much I like the look of the A5's, my wife suggested I go that route, considering we have other more practical cars in the garage. The backseat on these is actually pretty usable for kids on short trips (meaning I can take my boys to school and still enjoy the car the rest of the day - something I couldn't do in my previous Miata the GTI replaced).
While not quite as usable/practical as the GTI, I'm excited about picking up an A5 which I've lusted after for quite awhile. I expect the automatic to be a welcome change for our long work commute (we'll hold on to the 530i so we still have a stick) and the AWD makes it feel a bit more planted than the GTI.
Not having owned an Audi before, I'm also excited about the CPO warranty.
2024 Audi Q8 e-tron - 2017 911 C4S - 2025 BRZ - 2023 A6 Allroad - 2024 Genesis GV60 - 2019 Cayman
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Enjoy!
- Ray
Still over a year away from another CCBA ticket punch.....
2024 Audi Q8 e-tron - 2017 911 C4S - 2025 BRZ - 2023 A6 Allroad - 2024 Genesis GV60 - 2019 Cayman
and we both replaced with german coupes. go figure.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I concur. I've always considered Audis (and most German cars) a bit too blue for my blood, but will confess that I find the A5 coupe, and A8 sedan to be very attractive cars.
I'm jealous of everything but the costs -- getting old has it's benefits. Chasing cars is not part of my present but I totally understand your passion.
I find I'm starting to get that way, too. With cars I'm starting to take sort of a grandparent mentality, I guess. I enjoy going to the new car shows, and classic car shows, looking at them and enjoying them for the day. But, like a grandparent, I'm content to hand them back over to the "parent" at the end of the day, and let them deal with the hassles, messes, and expenses.
Enjoy!