Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

ateixeira

A similar age GTI would be the more practical choice, but let the wife choose. Happy wife, happy life.

Were the coil issues on the 1.8T all sorted out?

stever

My sister's '00 Bug was a nice ride, very comfy on the 9+ hour trips we did several times. Drove good.

But boy, did she have trouble with the electrical stuff. Mostly the power windows but there were some other niggling issues all too frequently. The dealer was awful too, but finally got a bit better and eventually fixed the windows right, out of warranty. She claims mentioning that her brother worked for Edmunds finally did the trick. :shades:

She's sworn off VWs, went to a boring (to her) Forester and now wants a Mini. Talk about going from the VW kettle into the fire. I don't think I can warn her off too many more years, and she attracts car trouble like fruit flies on old bananas. Keep trying to tell her that her Subie seems to be running good but she wants a go kart.

breld

Yeah, an older GTI would certainly be more practical (and nicer, in my opinion) than the Beetle, but they tend to hold their value much better too.

Saw this in my search this morning - obviously more money, but sure would be getting a lot more too.

Mazda 2

And it's a fun color that the wife would like.

ateixeira

Thing is, you just know they will come out with a SkyActiv version in a year or two that will make twice the power and use half the gas.

Supposedly fun cars, though.

oldfarmer50

"...Mazda2..."

Cute car but why the low miles, is it a demo? If not, I'd want to know what landed it back at the dealer so quick.

The Beetle is nice too. A woman at work had a 2000 that she sold privately last year for $5,500 with 50k miles. She didn't experience any electrical problems but I hear they were common.

ateixeira

Autoblog just said the next 2 may not come to the USA.

Would be a shame to give up so soon. Put a better powertrain in there and sales will improve.

nyccarguy

That VW Bug would be a horrible car for your daughter. Electrical problems, MASSIVE blind spots. No thank-you.

michaellno

That VW Bug would be a horrible car for your daughter. Electrical problems, MASSIVE blind spots. No thank-you.

+1 on that. Having owned a '99 Beetle for about 5 years, I can agree on the blind spot issue - with both the A and C pillars. Not something I would want a new drive to have to deal with.

We were lucky to have a GL, so no power window regulator issues to contend with. Also, as mentioned, coil packs were frequent trouble spots as well with the turbo engines.

I like the Mazda 2 .. nimble sized, not overpowered (100 HP!) and the manual will probably make it a fun runabout. Good visibility and practical, too.

If only they offered a version of the SkyActiv engine .. the 2 actually gets worse mileage than the 3, though not by much.

ateixeira

The 3 doesn't cost much more, and the SkyActiv would have better resale. I wonder if TCO would be roughly the same, to be honest.

michaellno

The 3 doesn't cost much more, and the SkyActiv would have better resale. I wonder if TCO would be roughly the same, to be honest.

One more advantage to the 3 ... 6 speeds in the manual; only 5 for the 2.

breld

Just drove a few cars over the lunch hour.

'03 Mini Cooper S - Only 55k miles, listed at $10.5k. Drove fine, but required a bit of "effort" with a somewhat heavy clutch and tricky shifter.

'09 Mazda3s hatch (at the same dealer) - much more expensive at $17k, but obviously was reflected in the way it drove.

I then went over to the Mazda dealer next door and drove the only manual Mazda2 they had. I almost didn't bother, figuring "why wouldn't you just get a Mazda3," but I was surprised at how fun the character of the car is. It was a really "easy" manual to drive, with a nice clutch and short shifts. Definitely lacked a bit in power, but was nonetheless smooth, and certainly fine for the purpose.

I'd like that used green Mazda2 - for a touring model, seems like a good deal, assuming you could talk them down a bit. But I'm not sure the wife is too enthusiastic about it, particularly at the cost. She'd like to stay under $10k - as would I, but I think it's worth spending a bit more for something like the '12 Mazda2.

ateixeira

Split the difference - get the Mazda3 SkyActiv. Cheaper than the s, but fuel efficient like the 2.

breld

Yeah, but not cheaper than the used Mazda2.

tifighter

I've always wanted to test drive a manual 2. Seems like something that would be fun to rev the nuts off on the proverbial twisty road with a 25mph speed limit. There's a lot of those roads around here in the bay area.

stickguy

posted on the sales thread too (but too lazy to redo!)

had a dealer pull the old "puppy dog close" on us tonight. Twist my arm!

for those not familiar with it, the PD close is when they put you in a car to take home overnight to try is out, see how it fits in the garage, etc. But mostly so that, like the puppy that follows you home, you fall in love and don't want to give it back!

oh, and so the neighbors all see your spiffy new car, and you are too embarrassed to give it back.

the car is a new Acura RDX AWD. My wife really likes it, so the debate about the Hyundai base engine being powerful enough may be irrelevant (to us at least!).

gotta admit, it is a nice driving car. Not quite as roomy as the hyundai, but probably big enough. But there is an abundance of power from the V6, and it is very smooth. worth trading a few MPG for that I think!

will be interesting to see what happens when I have to bring it back tomorrow (as to what my wife wants to do).

bigger dilemma might be the color. they only had a red with parchment interior, but it is not the color she wants. And the saleslady is real eager to move another unit in August. But, they have a FWD in the color SWMBO likes, and for the price differential, I am fine with that (we really don't need AWD with all the electronic stuff they have these days, and the AWD on this car is pretty basic anyway.)

so, the saga could be coming to an end by Friday! Almost definitely if the local guy will match price quoted by the one in central Jersey, that is about $800-1K less than the other local guys that internet quote (they are all about 2K of sticker, my other offer is 3K)

just might happen.

the other debate was Lease or Buy. Will probably just buy, though doing this with cash back to me (from selling the van and pocketing that $) is tempting...

breld

Particularly with that kind of discount, sounds like a whole lot of car for the money! Can't imagine you can go wrong with that RDX.

Congrats! (Oh wait, I guess you haven't actually purchased the car......yet )

ateixeira

We live vicariously through you, so I'm hoping it drags out a little longer.

If you want support, I took my kid to a parade and a dealer brought a bunch of cars, Chevys, Jeeps, and Acuras. His favorite among the entire fleet was the RDX. It may have helped that the A/C was on and it was a hot day. :shades:

The SH-AWD is indeed gone (too bad), I think it gets the CR-V's AWD system now.

stickguy

it does have the simple CRV AWD. But, being the cheap bas (err, frugal guy) that I am, we may just get a FWD to be different. The dealer we are working with here (that gave us the loaner) actually sells quite a few FWD models, and we honestly have no need for AWD other than to say we have it. Cheaper, a little better MPG.

but mostly, if we buy now! (they really want to deal to make #s for August), the one they have in the color she likes is a FWD. Though the red color of the one in the garage (the AWD) might be growing on her.

ateixeira

Let her choose, happy wife happy life.

michaellno

The dealer we are working with here (that gave us the loaner) actually sells quite a few FWD models, and we honestly have no need for AWD other than to say we have it. Cheaper, a little better MPG.

Here in Colorado, we like to say that there are about 10 days a year where you really need to have AWD. However, the wife refuses to have a DD without it. She's OK with the reduced MPGs.

What is the other (preferred) color?

stickguy

she likes now "amber brownstone" (sort of a brownish gray?) we saw one just now when we dropped off the loaner. Wife did say she likes it now, and seems to be warming up to the red. But really, none of the Acura colors are that exciting. She was good with graphite luster (none of them around) and is thinking about black (yuck IMO). But like Teix said, her car. I just take car of it...

Oh, and of course, my daughter (with us today) hated the amber that my wife liked. Shocker there!

Limited options if we decide to take advantage of the strong desire they have to move a unit this month (as in tomorrow). That would be the Red AWD we drove, or an Amber FWD.

michaellno

Limited options if we decide to take advantage of the strong desire they have to move a unit this month (as in tomorrow). That would be the Red AWD we drove, or an Amber FWD.

Just peeked at the Acura website, and I like the Amber Brownstone color. The red isn't too bad, either.

Of course, my household has two silver and one grey vehicle, so anything beyond that is gonna look good to me.

Kinda surprised that there isn't any shade of blue offered for the RDX.

stickguy

my wife really wanted blue also. Hyundai has a nice one on the Santa Fe. And Acura offers a good one on the MDX. But nada for the RDX. Really a dull color palate on the RDX.

ateixeira

Amber's a trendy color, I think the Buick Enclave started that trend, though theirs is a darker brown.

stickguy

one thing I worry about with something trendy or "different" is in a few years, you get tired of it or it looks dated. Could be an issue, since unless I decide to lease we are going to have this for a long, long time (10 years is the deal!).

ateixeira

Silver is easy to resell, but I'd go with that red.

stickguy

we were just discussing it. Daughter is not fond of it, but will accept it. Wife though does not really want it., not that it looks bad, but not what she was looking for.

Plus, there are 2 other Acuras that color in the family (my sister, and our SIL) so it would look funny!

the 1st choice is graphite luster, which of course is the color that does not seem to be available right now!

really only an issue in trying to nail down a killer deal by tomorrow, but if it is not the right car, it won't matter.

If I have learned nothing else in my long, boring life, it is not to coerce my wife into getting something that is not what she really wants, just because I do (or it is cheap!).

worst case, she decides to wait for the 1st choice color, and I tell the central Jersey dealer to let us know when one shows up.

tifighter

Now I had to go look. I agree, I like the red. Nice to see an actual color for a change.

nyccarguy

To start THinking about what to get when your lease is up, is it? The lease on my current, awesome, 2011, Titanium Silver, 328xi (5 months + & over 8K miles) matures at the end of September 2014. My mind changes on a regular basis as to what I should be looking at. One thing is for certain, I think Labor Day weekend is a phenonmenal time to score a deal on a car. And who here doesn't LOVE a deal?

I LOVE my BMW (& @ $572/ month for 30 months with 20K per year including tax w/ 0 down) it is a good deal.

I'm thinking purchase for my next vehicle. I'm also thinking about something that's a tad how shall we say, economically sensible? I'd like to keep it under $30K. Obviously everything I say is predicated on me liking the way the way the car drives. I could go mega cheap & get a Fit Sport. Or I could go a step above mega cheap & go for something like a Focus SE (hatch) or a Mazda 3i Grand Touring (sky active). That's this weeks next car thought. I'm open to suggestions;)

stickguy

I'm having enough trouble dealing with my own dilemmas. Once I have the wife taken care of, I'll get onto your problems!

speaking of the wife, she looked like she was going to cry after we got back from dropping off the RDX loaner. All mopey about never getting her car, etc. Poor girl, she does deserve it I guess!

we have decided that she did not like the red acura, and I think the amber is out. I did find a FWD Graphite FWD over in PA (about 25 miles away), but I would prefer to deal local (though for the right price, I am willing to go up to central Jersey!)

such problems. So, I did the only logical thing: Did a new spreadsheet!

stickguy

assuming I don't somehow figure out a way to end up buying a car tomorrow (end of month!) or on Saturday (labor blowout!), I can move onto the defcon 3 option. Clean up the van, get new brake pads and an oil change (the maintenance reminder wrench just came on), wash/wax/vacuum, clean out the piles of junk. Then, put it on Craig's, and see what happens.

If I sell it, that will guarantee that we finally pick something!

breld

Definitely appreciate the feedback on the Beetle - some good, some bad. My wife remains fond of them, and I didn't really notice a significant blindspot problem as Michael pointed out (perhaps it was okay coming out of that CR-Z I test drove recently).

So looked at this low mileage example today, at a Lexus dealership:

'01 Beetle GLX

I thought it drove nicer than that orange one we drove a couple of days ago (suspension wasn't harsh, didn't have that annoying retracting spoiler thing), and looked to be in really nice condition, reflecting the low miles (apparently it was owned by some older couple who rarely drove it, and finally traded it on a Lexus). And while my wife liked that orange one, she is coming around toward this silver one, figuring she'd be more comfortable with it on a day-to-day basis.

Told them I'd have to get my wife by to see it before getting more serious, but they were real open to establishing a price, so I offered $6,500 - I thought they may have scoffed at it, but the manager came by and said we were close enough that maybe I should take it to show it to my wife. I took it as if we got serious they'd accept that offer, though I could be wrong. We're going to go take another look at it tomorrow.

For all the quirkiness (or character), and being fully aware of the potential issues with the VW, I still think that'd be a fun car for the money. We'll see.

Also looked at this today, and just thought it was a few thousand too high, and the dealership didn't seem willing to budge at all.

'03 325i

And may go look at this tomorrow - kinda just a more grown-up version of the Beetles we're looking at.

'02 TT hardtop

akangl

Since we've sold the Escort and paid off the Civic we are considering buying our daughter a car.

Found a really really nice 2011 Toyota Yaris with 21k miles on it, automatic (mandatory), ex-rental car, great shape, no accidents. Drives really nice, should be able to talk them down to around $10k, book is $14k, they are asking $14.9k, but I bought my truck there and know the sales manager well. Hubby wants a car for her that will last 4-5 years, has stability control, side airbags, and a good safety rating. The Yaris seems to hit all those spots.

Daughter loves the car and wanted me to buy it on the spot. Hubby is out hunting for 2 weeks, so I told her she has to wait until her dad gets home.

So, what do you guys think? Too much car for a new driver? What are some other good options? She was really stuck on the Fiesta, thankfully the Yaris got her off that kick! Main things are automatic, safe, side airbags, stability control, and a good safety/reliability rating.

rayainsw

HA!

My lease termination is November next year.
And I have some similar goals – including a bit less $$s than I am paying for the 2011 BMW 335iS.
I am trying very hard not to look seriously right now,
but here are a couple of possibilities that occurred to me,
for when the time does come:
CPO Infiniti G37 [ off short term lease ]
Nissan Altima 3.5L V6
Chevy SS [ I had a Pontiac G8 GT ]
- Ray
We shall see . . .

michaellno

Glad to see that folks are attempting to stimulate the economy with their purchases. In no particular order:

Stick - would the PA dealer do a trade for the Graphite FWD RDX with your local dealer? That might be the best route. Not certain that the deals will get any better in September. I suspect that the supply of 2012's will decrease to the point where the killer deals aren't available.

akangl - is the Yaris a sedan or hatch? seems like a pretty good deal if you can get it for closer to $10K than $15K. Isn't this the daughter who wasn't gonna drive anything but a VW Beetle?

breld - that silver '01 Beetle looks to be a better deal than the orange one from yesterday. The TT is nice, too, but the big difference is that the back seat is almost useless. When we had our '99 Beetle, my wife's kids were 13 and 11 and they fit in the back seat pretty well.

ray / nyc - hard to believe the two of you are starting to look for your next car so early in your leases! Having said that, we live vicariously through you, so keep us posted on your thoughts and we will, as always, offer our opinions.

As for me, no changes on the horizon. I set up an appt to take the CX-7 into the dealer for service next weekend - lube, oil + filter, tire rotation and new cabin air filter are all on the agenda. 23K and running like a top - though it doesn't get driven much lately. My wife and daughter commute together in her MINI.

The ION crossed 76K miles recently and is running great - just wish I could get better mileage out of it. 23-25 in all city driving; EPA says 24, so I'm spot on. I wouldn't mind a Prius C (53/49) but no way I can justify another car payment just to deliver pizzas.

stickguy

well, the rush to do something today had to do with being the last day of the month, and wanting to get a deal done in August. Miss that, and no rush! Though some places seem anxious to sell lots of cars over labor day.

The RDX just came out in April, as a 2013, so there is no issue with running out of stock of them, since there are no changes now.

As my hunt continues, I discovered a N. Jersey dealer that has not 1, not 2, but 3 in the color combo we want (all of them AWD). since they are only 20 minutes from the dealer with the super good deals, more likely I can play them off each other. So just waiting to get back my special internet E Price from them.

michaellno

I knew the RDX was brand new, but didn't know it was a '13.

It's the graphite color you're looking for, right?

Best of luck with your negotiations. Perhaps you can punch your card by the end of the day!

oldfarmer50

"...you get tired of it or it looks dated..."

But if you keep it a REALLY long time those quirky looks become attractive again. There were some styles from the early 90s that were slammed when new but I think look attractive today.

I bet in another 20 years the Aztek will be considered cool.

ateixeira

Fit Sport ... Focus SE (hatch) ... Mazda 3i Grand Touring (sky active)

My mom's on her 2nd Fit. They're great city cars if that's the environment you will drive them in, get it. On the highway they're a bit noisy and underpowered, so you may tire of it and be back on here in 2 weeks wondering what to replace it with.

Also, Honda Hopes and Dreams or whatever-they-call-that-tech is coming out and surely the next one will get better mpg.

Focus SE sounds good, just stick to a manual tranny.

Mazda3 SkyActiv is also interesting, and can be had for a bargain given the discounts. The next one will have the full SkyActiv tech, though, like headers, which didn't fit in the current model.

I think unless you're in the city I'd opt for one of the latter 2 choices.

ateixeira

That 03 Bimmer is a manual with no iDrive. Sounds good to me.

ateixeira

Too much car for a new driver?

A Yaris? Don't those have less power than a riding mower?

I don't like the center mounted gauges, for me those are a deal killer. Your daughter was OK with those?

I feel like you can get more car for similar money. Yaris resale is strong, which works against you buying used.

I would look domestic - a used Cruze depreciates more and is a more substantial car than a Yaris.

oldfarmer50

"...talk them down to $10k...book is $14, they are asking $14.9..."

Wow, you can get them to come down $5,000? Will you come with me the next time I buy a car?

The Yaris is a nice little car, pretty reliable, good gas milage. Not a hot-rod so it would be suitable for a new driver. Or are you worried that the cost is too much to spend on a first car?

I always thought the Eccho, predecessor to the Yaris was a better car but prior to 2005 gas was cheap and it didn't sell well.

oldfarmer50

"...wish I could get better gas milage out of it..."

That's the way I feel about the wife's PT Crusier. It's 4cyl. gets the same highway milage as my 6cyl. Eclipse and my 8cyl. DeVille. Go figure. :confuse:

stickguy

Still trying to get the wife to tell me what to do. I even organized my spreadsheet to show each of the options, the cost, the monthly nut, etc. So real easy to compare. We even agreed on the color to get for each model (Santa Fe and RDX).

Oh, I diverted her attention onto the blow out lease offers on an XC60, but of course there are not reasonably priced 2012s left. So I digress...

managed to actually find the RDX in the color we want, at a good price (not quite as cheap as the super cheap guy, but close). Of course, it is 2 hours from here, but what the heck. At least their doc fee is $50 less to help pay for the gas!

And I think she decided to just go ahead with the AWD model, though I did find a FWD in her color only about 40 minutes away. But, would have to negotiate that price on down a bit to make it worth getting over an AWD.

anyway, if she finally tells me to just get her an RDX, I can find one. But she would feel guilty not getting it at the local place that loaned us one. My opinion, if they want to sell us a car, they should have what we want! She is still however hung up on the practical nature (Hyundai a little cheaper, better MPG, regular instead of premium, and roomier). But she really seems to love the Acura. And is smart enough to think about LT reliability and value holding.

at this point, and I never thought this could happen, I am tired of looking at cars and screwing around with this stuff. Just decide, and buy something, and get on with life!

stickguy

forgot the rest of the progress.

dropped the van off to get new brakes all around. FOr a total (after mail in rebate) of $270, it gives me peace of mind, and a nice think to put in the ad.

on the way home, I will swing into honda for an oil change (the MM wrench just came n), and they do a MPI so that will show green for brakes all around. Something else I plan to display as part of my sales pitch.

then this weekend, family "detail the crapmobile" day to get it looking all spiffy.

Because the van is going up on Craig's tomorrow. I figure that way, I can sell at my leisure, and if someone comes right away with the right offer, not having any car will galvanize us into buying something else!

ateixeira

Get on with life? What else is there besides cars?

I start shopping for a new car the day after I buy one.

kyfdx

I start shopping for a new car the day after I buy one.

Slacker.. I started shopping for my next car, two years before I bought the current one...

breld

Thanks Michael for the feedback on the Beetle - nice to know that your 11 and 13 year olds fit fine in the backseat. This wouldn't be the family car, but my wife would still need to get her two kids to school before the work commute.

I think we're taking off from work early today for a little car shopping. She wants to take a look at that TT, a Mini Cooper and the silver Beetle I drove yesterday. She wants to stay as inexpensive as possible, but I keep reminding her that she needs to be comfortable enough for the 60-mile roundtrip work commute so that she doesn't hate driving the car.

I've been pushing the Mazda2 or a maybe a Fiesta, but she is really against spending that much. But, there was a green Fiesta parked outside our office building that she admired. I just think it's be worth the extra money for a more longevity, but then again, that never has been an issue for us.

Michael - how has that Mini Cooper been treating you guys?

xwesx

Garh! Sorry; I spaced tagging this discussion and it skipped my mind for a while!

Yes, it's about $5K less (depending on the Ford dealership's willingness to deal). Of course, timing is everything. The MSRP, plus standard winterization here in Fairbanks (which generally adds a little over $500), put the final tag over $5K more, so I figured I could have managed to get them to come down a little on the final price, making $5K a nice round number.

NADA value on my car was claiming $17.3. I paid $16 out the door.

xwesx

my league would be the car you're selling.

Hah; yeah, that is generally my league too. I had decided a couple years ago to retire it at some point spring of 2013, so I'd been casually shopping for the last year or so to narrow down my replacements. After having the Escort, which came with many, many needs I didn't create, I decided to get something new or *much* newer in order to have more control over the maintenance history.

The Escort is sold now, though, so no going back. I recovered $1,200 from it. So, I bought it for $800, put $3,500 into it over 50 months, and sold it for $1,200. $62/month, plus another $40/mo for insurance. That was a pretty cheap (my kind of!) ride.

Now that I have the Fiesta and have exposure to all the gadgetry in it, I'm nervous about how well it will age. :surprise:

As of this morning, after about 175 miles of local driving since our weekend's Palmer trip, my fuel economy is at 40.1 mpg. That helps to ease my nerves a bit.