Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

oldfarmer50

"...Oxmoor Toyota..."

Wow! $5k for a 20 yo K-car? They have hopes. Love that overdone interior. That's one of the things I like about those old Chryslers.

corvette

"You know they don't put the X on the back any more, right? All of them are 335i, with the X-Drive symbol on the side of the car..."

I didn't realize that, thanks for pointing it out. That's something you would expect to see on a pickup, not a BMW sedan!

Running the one I saw through the VIN decoder roadburner provided, it is indeed a 335xi but lacks the sport package.

roadburner

Good color combination, three pedals, M Sport suspension...
2004 Z4 3.0

koctailz

OK Car guru's. What is your opinion on this 08 S80. Apparently the S80 is #1 in fastest depreciation. I am not sure the exact reason for this. I have not driven one of these but I have sat in one and found it a great interior. What is your take on these?

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=95051&endYear=2- 014&modelCode1=S80&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&showcaseOwnerId=0&startYear=2007&makeC- ode1=VOLVO&sellerTypes=b&searchRadius=500&mmt=[VOLVO[S80[]][]]&listingId=3329242- 58&Log=0

stever

If you were recently denied auto warranty coverage for a surprising reason, please email PR@edmunds.com no later than Wednesday, January 9, 2013 to tell your story to a reporter.

(Not positive, but I don't think the reporter cares if you used a denial of warranty as an excuse to justify buying a new car. )

oldfarmer50

"...2004 Z4..."

Sweet. What would you look for to make sure it wasn't abused?

corvette

Do the Sport Package Z4s not have adjustable-length seats like the 3 and 5-series? I know even less about the Z4s than I do the other models.

corvette

It's a lot of car for the money, but the base model is going to be pretty bland. The T6 would be more entertaining. I don't think the one in that listing has any options. I would not buy a car with leather without heated seats, but that's probably not a deal-breaker in most parts of CA.

oldfarmer50

"...fastest depreciation..."

As long as the depreciation isn't due to reliability issues take advantage of the snobbery of others. What was original MSRP $32k? Take it for half price if you like it.

fintail

Overpriced new but without mass market prestige makes for bad resale. Add to that earlier S80s having some bad repair issues (I think the newer ones are better), means a bargain can be found. I bet that thing was closer to 40K new.

kyfdx

Yeah.. Z4 sport seats don't have the adjustable thigh extension..

roadburner

Sweet. What would you look for to make sure it wasn't abused?

I always check out the service history and look at things like the front fascia and the wheels. If the PO parked by ear or curbed 2 or more wheels it indicates neglect- to me, anyway.

koctailz

i agree that the t6 would be more fun. this car would have had a msrp new of close to 40k. i think its a good looking car with a nice interior. i went by a local volvo dealer to take a look at a new one, which is basically the same car as this as it was last remodeled in 07. they had none, new or used. very odd. another volvo dealer a little farther away does have some. they even have a few new 2011's! i have heard older s80's had issues, but couldn't find much info on these newer ones. there just isn't much info out there on the s80, its like the car time forgot?

corvette

The first generation T6 models had a tendency to eat automatic transmissions every 50,000 miles or so... The transmission was undersized for the amount of power produced by the engine. My parents own a first-gen non-turbo model. It's pretty boring to drive, and occasionally the electrical system will do something odd like disable the cruise control until you turn the car off and on again. Some of the interior trim pieces haven't held up well. Mechanically, it's been okay, but they don't drive it much any more.

I haven't heard much about the newer models, either. I suspect that Volvo isn't selling as many of them, but if there were widespread problems, we probably would be hearing about them by now since that generation has been on the road for several years.

nyccarguy

I'm sure you are aware of this already, but Z4s I believe have trouble with trunks that aren't sealed properly. People have garage kept them in perfect condition, then left them out in the rain once and water either flooded the trunk or got into where the motors are that raise & lower the top. This causes (obviously) extensive damage. BMW won't warranty it & I'm not sure if insurance covers it. Also those early Z4s have (this is not a problem for you) the run flat tires that make people aHate runflat tires.

ateixeira

A neighbor was car-sitting for a friend who had an assignment in Europe and his Z4 had that issue. Plus the speakers blew, could even be related, dunno.

stickguy

some years ago I was looking at a used Z3 (at a local chevy dealer) and looked in the trunk. So of course, I pulled up the trunk floor (pretending I actually knew what I was looking at!) and discovered the well in the back was 1/2 full of water. Seemed to be an issue to me, since IIRC that was the place they located the battery. And pretty sure that it is not good to have your battery sitting in a puddle like that!

No, did not buy that car.

stickguy

was talking to my SIL on Christmas. She seemed to be getting very nervous about her "old" car wearing out.

it is a 2008 (I think, but going on 5 YO) MDX with a whopping 48K on it. But she has never kept a car close to this long. ANd has now decided that it is not "right". No symptoms, no lights, and the dealer could find nothing out of sorts. But she just knows it is not right (and this is someone that knows zippo about cars).

Screamed to trying to justify a move that makes no sense at this point (logistically or financially), so would not surprise me if she got something new Monday!

makes me wonder though about the trade, since this is a Long Island car that did not get flooded, but did have water briefly up to the middle of the wheels (might have hit the brakes). I wonder what dealers are doing $ wise in that area?

I do know from talking to her that dealers (that did not get flooded!) in the area were cleaned out of cars. A lot of new iron running around. Plus uspposedly the lots at the Nassau collesium are overflowing with flood cars waiting to be disposed of somehow.

corvette

"I do know from talking to her that dealers (that did not get flooded!) in the area were cleaned out of cars."

Maybe I need to take the Altima on one final road trip to get it sold at a fair price! :P

oldfarmer50

"...if the PO parked by ear or curbed 2 or more wheels..."

Wow, parking skills as a criteria for car buying. Whoda thunk! :confuse:

oldfarmer50

"...2008 MDX 48k miles..."

Edmunds say $21000 plus options for private party. I bet even though it was not flooded the dealer's will whine and moan and offer low-ball just because of the zip code. Can't blame them really, nobody wants to get stuck with all the garbage coming out of that area.

You say the dealer checked it out but maybe there's some rust in the brakes that she's feeling.

stickguy

she thinks it is not running right. Pretty sure it is hypochondria. Plus she would most likely get a new Acura to replace it, so the dealer would be motivated. She likes the RDX I got, but still thinks she wants the 3rd row since sometimes she stashes one of her son's friends back there (not that they actually fist, but you can slump sideways in that seat).

roadburner

My son and I are both off work until 2013, so we spent the day hitting the sports card and hobby shops- finishing off with a few car dealerships. We cruised through the Audi/Jag/Land Rover/Porsche dealership, but the only interesting cars were a pristine 968 and a new Cayman S.
Just for giggles we stopped at the Fiat "Studio" to check out the Abarth. They had a 2013 on the showroom floor- Black with red mirror caps and side stripes, heated seats, and the upgraded audio(if you can call "Beats Audio" upgraded with a straight face). The GM noticed my leather ///M jacket and we discussed performance cars for @15 minutes. I told him we were just looking but as we left he offered to sell the Abarth for invoice and beat Carmax's offer on my Mazda. I don't want to go into debt and I really don't want another FWD "hot hatch", but I have to admit that the Abarth is a slick little package- fun and different.
We ended up at BMW; nothing affordable lit my fire. The only car I lusted after was a new M3 coupe- white with red leathers, Competition Package, and a BMW M Performance steering wheel.
Believe it or not, my son and Mrs. RB want me to give the Abarth another look- why, I don't know... :surprise:

michaellno

Could you be comfortable dropping a hundred HP if you went with the Fiat?

A couple car related notes from Colorado ..... My son needed a new battery for his Caliber before he and his wife could go back to WY.

And, my daughters friend got herself a new car ... A 2001.5 VW Passat wagon. Fully loaded, blue over tan leather, with 138k on it, for $4k. Nice car - did she pay a fair price?

tjc78

I can't see giving up the MS3 for the Abarth. From your postings here, the only thing that you will be truly happy with has a propeller on the emblem and RWD.

corvette

The Abarth's exhaust noise would drive me nuts... There's actually an aftermarket exhaust kit available to make it quieter, but it's not cheap.

Sandman6472

Pulled up to a light in the right lane of 2 left turn lanes and noticed a new car to my left one car up and over...had a temp tag on it and I first thought it was a Lexus and then I saw it...the word Civic and I was stunned for a moment...what a nice looking tail end! I only could see the back 1/2 of the car, the whole back end and the right side and all I can say is WOW! It appeared to have the bolt on wheel covers so it had to be a LX. It was a black car and the tail lights were just awesome looking, looks so much better than the ILX, which I really like. Honda did a really good job here and I'm in awe here right now. A shame that it made a sharp left and went the opposite way as I wanted to follow it down the street a bit.

I think Honda has hit a home run here...with the new Accord...I think Honda is back on the right track now! Absolutely stunning back end!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

stickguy

I was looking to stop at the Honda dealer one day to check them both out but haven't passed it without the wife (we aren't in the market, so she ain't stopping!).

But, mid-January is the Philly auto show, so we have to go in for that. There are a few cars I want to see (Civic, Accord, mazda 6, and probably a number others I am forgetting). Plus I go every year.

Sandman6472

My wife picked up my daughter the other day and she came home for a few days and they brought her Accent so I could get some items checked. Mechanic found the car to be in perfect shape and only ended up topping off all the fluids and adjusting the tires air pressure. I ended up driving it a bit and really enjoyed her little runabout. Though not as powerful as my Civic, it drove very nicely and I really found nothing to dislike about it. The only slight negative is the mpg's which are decent but not as good as my heavier Civic. But it's a very pleasant car to drive around. I asked the wife if she missed her more powerful Mazda3s and she said not really. They had left her car down at my kid's place as it made more sense.

The car has about 14.5k on it so I think it's safe to say that we'll keep it in the stable for many years to come...or until my daughter can afford to buy something else.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

stickguy

this one could be fun. Or incredibly scary. I just like that the pics were taken right around the corner from my house (though I have never seen it there). Place does usually have a bunch of buicks (need 3 reattas?)?

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3506651797.html

"The issues (listed below) are not difficult to fix". Well, 1 and 2 maybe...

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3511267632.html

an "upgrade" for oldfarmer.

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3491620252.html

Freak show with no top? feel lucky?

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3511198208.html

Room for the whole family!

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3511090555.html

fintail

That first one is bizarre. I'd really like more info about it, for the price and for its strangeness. The intake...wow.

stickguy

Now, this looks really nice. someone call Roadburner! I could certainly live with it, but triple black w/leather could be nasty in the summer!

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3511085450.html

why not? Will never see another one on the road.

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3510888056.html

like it. bet it has some "secrets" though.

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3466250691.html

Love the color and the style. lots of room. And who really uses reverse anyway?

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3510786959.html

roadburner

Now, this looks really nice. someone call Roadburner! I could certainly live with it, but triple black w/leather could be nasty in the summer!

You know, I'd buy my friends' black/tan Z3 2.5 if it wasn't a slushbox- I love the M Sport wheel/seats and the H-K upgrade.

Love the color and the style. lots of room. And who really uses reverse anyway?

Just do what a friend of mine did- he bought an E38 740i Sport and had Brett Anderson of Koala Motorsport ashcan the slusxbox and install a six speed manual 'box. Way, WAY, cool...

stickguy

I do like the Z3. at least from pictures, seems to have been cared for.

And I am guessing that in this case "way way cool" costs "lots and lots of money".

Though maybe not much more than a new slushbox?

And I am one of the few people that would consider a 7 series stick an object of desire!

corvette

Transmission not shifting out of park is probably a brake light switch or the solenoid or wiring for the shift interlock. $3k seems steep considering the issues and the age of the car.

corvette

I don't know why the Passat wagon would have heated leather seats and steel wheels with hubcaps. I don't think that was a factory configuration. Then again, the local Nissan dealer had a 2013 Altima 2.5 (base model with no smart key, tiny exhaust outlets with no finisher, and no cruise control) and had installed heated Katzkin leather on it. :confuse:

kyfdx

Yeah.. I thought maybe those were the winter wheels/tires, but those pictures look like they were taken in May (of '07?)

corvette

This week, I was messing around with the 540i and discovered that my mechanic overfilled the brake fluid reservoir. On that car, the reservoir is hidden underneath the HVAC intake, so he almost got away with it.

I still have a slow coolant leak towards the rear of the engine. I think it's the valley pan gasket but will probably do the rear heater hoses while I'm in there. My indy couldn't locate the leak, so it's an ideal DIY project since the labor is pretty involved and the benefit is relatively small (from what I gather, the valley pan leak is more of an annoyance than a ticking time bomb).

stickguy

certainly the brake interlock would be my initial WAG. But, remember, this is a 740 so it is entirely possible that it is much more significant.

I also use the skeptic smell test. that is, if it really was a quick/easy fix like that, the owner would have done it. Not only because he could get more $ for it (certainly a positive ROI!), but because it comes in really handy to have reverse...

Similar to all those "AC just needs a recharge" deals...

dieselone

That first one is bizarre. I'd really like more info about it, for the price and for its strangeness. The intake...wow.

Probably a reason it's hauled around on a trailer;) That tunnel ram is interesting. Those Fieros had horrible understeer with the 2.8, a supercharged 3.8 might lift the front wheels;)

dieselone

"The issues (listed below) are not difficult to fix". Well, 1 and 2 maybe...

IIRC, Ford had a recall for the shift interlock. My dad had an '00 which the shift interlock failed and it wouldn't shift out of park. That's probably all that's wrong.

andre1969

Not positive, but if that car is a 5th Ave, I think it might have the 3.8 standard. I liked the 5th Ave because it was a 5 inch stretch of the regular New Yorker/Dynasty. That took the wheelbase from something like 104.3" to 109.3". That sounds fairly small today, when you figure something like a Charger/300 is 120", and most midsized cars are around 109" or more. But, even at 104.3", the car was fairly space efficient, and not bad inside. I'm convinced that the whole 5" stretch went into the back seat area, so it makes it like a limousine back there!

I'll see these things pop up from time to time for sale at the various car shows in Carlisle, PA. Usually they're pretty nicely kept up, and usually priced cheap enough, around $2000-3500, that I find them a bit tempting. But, I worry about the transmission.

If you get one, I'd say have the transmission inspected immediately, and after that make sure you change the fluid fairly regularly. And make sure that the correct fluid goes in. For awhile, Chrysler owners manuals were specifying something like type 7176 when it really needed 9196 (or something like that...my memory's failing on those exact numbers now). One mechanic told me the 7176 will simply make them shift more roughly, but I've heard others say that the transmission is very sensitive, and the 7176 will kill it quicker.

mark156

I saw a vehicle the other day that I've never seen before. It is called a VPG MV-1. Looks like a bulging minivan with a kind of Russian overtone. Come to find out, is the only wheel chair production vehicle produced from the ground up wheel chair ready.

http://www.vpgautos.com/vehicle-applications/

Mark156

andre1969

I've seen a few of those things in the Washington DC area. I didn't realize they were built by AM General. They have a bit of a Honda-esque look to me. Sort of a cross between a Honda Element and a Toyota FJ Cruiser

ateixeira

Odd indeed. You can get a Grand Caravan or a Sienna configured for wheelchair use so I'd pick either of those.

anonymousposts

I was up close with the new Civic while we bought the Accord. HUGE improvement over the 2011-2012. Interior is much nicer too.

It's time for a new van. We found a really great deal on this 2008 Odyssey. Only negative was it was white. We do not have a good track record with white Hondas. But, it was cheap, and we had just found out about Baby #3. Less than 2 months later and it has now been in two accidents. Will promptly get this van fixed, try to sell/trade it and find a different color 2008-2010 Odyssey.

mark156

The premise of the MV-1 is that it doesn't need to be chopped and reconfigured like regular minivan, it's ready to go right out the door. The article says it saves something like 30-50% on costs.

Andre, yes it does look like a Honda Element now that I look at it again. At the time and seeing it person, it looked Russian! LOL!

Mark

stickguy

Funny you mention Honda. My local Honda dealer also distributes those, so I have seen them there a few times.

Purpose built and well designed. Much rather have one of these than a converted minivan. especially with that "gabriel Hi-jacker" lift in the rear. Must really mess with handling being all jacked up like that!

corvette

I think I was referring to the Taurus that wouldn't shift out of park. The 740 with no reverse probably does need a transmission.

oldfarmer50

Fiero--wow, what a freak show. Is it a trailer queen because he takes it to shows or because he's a flipper who just picked it up for scrap. If you are the trusting type I think that 3800 supercharged put out about 260hp. Which could make a light car really move. But $9k? Really?

Taurus--I could see paying $3k for a reliable car with that milage but I'd have to know more about that tranny problem.

Van--upgrade? How so? My GMC is an 1988 also but only just hit 129k miles. That Ford is a lot cleaner though and it's the same price I paid for mine.

Chevy-- another freak show only more so. What would cutting off the top do to the structural integrity of that car? Throw in a little rust and you could have a wild ride.

Bus-- if it's a bus you want our school auctions them off for under $10,000 and the usually have less than 150k miles. Some are even 5 speeds.