Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

my SIL is visiting, and is getting the Jones for new wheels (she is currently driving a 2008 MDX, and set a record at 5 years. normally never keeps a car over 3). so, took here out to the Caddy dealer since she had seen a lot of SRXs on LI, and thought it might be interesting.

turns out she liked it a lot, and I was very impressed. We did not drive one, but played with a Luxury trim (md-level) one in the showroom. Very comfortable, and really loaded. I was impressed. not in my price range (even I was in the market!) but it would be strongly in consideration if I was looking for something like this and was able to pay in the mid-40s to 50.

tons of features.

Sandman6472

Going back for a 12 noon gig...moving vehicles back to the now empty out parcel and then to other out offices for Dollar/Thrifty. Should be a nice day as the sun is out and no monsoons expected like we had the other day...thank the lord! Am finally at the point where the others told me I'd be,,,a car is just a car! i no longer care what i get to drive as at long as it's got 4 tires and a steering wheel, I'm good to go! If I get something I really like, it's just a bonus but I take what's close. Luckily I know all the models which does help when we do longer trips so I can get a super comfy power seated ride. Did finally get a new Verano last week and was very impressed...it has almost no resemblance to it's Cruze cousin, a good thing in my book. I could be persuaded to have one of these on my side of the garage very easily! Nicely executed compact GM...very nice!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

ateixeira

It's selling well. Maybe too well - it's cannibalizing the Regal.

tjc78

My brother has a Verano and he loves it. He came out of a Malibu and even though the Verano is smaller he prefers it.

Naturally, he has only had it for a few months and some moron ran him off the road and it's in the body shop right now.

The Regal does seem to be a bit redundant, but overall a much more sporty car that probably appeals to a different customer.

ateixeira

Ouch, that sucks.

I felt it was a tad small. The family sat in one at the DC Auto Show.

Sandman6472

All I know is that I am very impressed with the Verano and felt the seats were very comfortable in the unit the dealer had. It's night and day different than the Cruze and for me, it's the perfect size and would fit on my side of the garage as the wife ain't switching even when she gets her sub compact, she's already let me know this. But right now, the Verano is the only domestic that I would purchase. Great job GM!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

graphicguy

kyfdx....missed your X3. Sounds beautiful. 'Grats!

stickguy

in the local (philly) paper today, a tempting teaser lease offer.

22K down, $2,049/month for 36 months. And get this, 2,500 miles/year ($2.00/mi overage).

Yes, that works out to ~ $97,000 over 3 years to drive 7,500 miles. And at the end you have to pay $750 to give it back.

Oh, it is for a Lambo Gallardo.

why anyone would not just buy it I do not know. But man, $13/mile (before gas or insurance!) is a tad on the steep side. And just a smidge out of my budget (though the miles cover me at the moment!)

ateixeira

22k down ... I thought that was a typo and was warming up to chime in.

For rich people dumb enough to shop payment, I guess.

tjc78

I've seen that lease before (or darn similar) and let's hope that any person that has been sucessful enough to afford a Lambo realizes what an awful deal that is.

The dealer by the bridge correct?

stever

Maybe there's a tax dodge associated with it?

tjc78

Well yes, you are correct. If leased by a corporation as a business expense I believe the entire thing is deductible, but so is a car purchase I believe.

stever

So a wily business person would invest the "excess" cash they would have had to spend on the Lambo outright into the market and profit.

Don't forget to add in the cost of the magnetic sign for the door that says "Acme Corporation". Gotta keep it legit.

me beep!

fintail

Terrible deal for the base model low end lambo. I could probably turn more heads in the fintail (that's the only reason why 99% of them sell).

And yeah, most will probably be subsidized by our pity the rich tax policy.

kyfdx

Depreciation on a car purchase for business is limited... Used to be about $5K/year was the depreciation limit, but I'm sure that's been raised.... but, still far from the $24K you could write off with the Lambo lease...

Either way, the lease would be a lot more advantageous from a tax standpoint..

Also, I bet the lease would work out cheaper than buying and selling after three years... which just goes to show how expensive owning a Lambo can be.. :surprise:

gouldn

If you're just looking to turn heads ... you could probably find an old exotic for 40k that would do the trick just fine, and still be worth 40k in three years. Now you'll still need to budget the $2k/month for maintenance

Sandman6472

Only had one run ti Jupiter today with the starting point around the corner from the Sandman abode, hell, they could've just picked me up and saved me the 52 mile round trip! Started at 9 and was on the way home by 12:10 but this was apparently the 2nd run they couldn't do yesterday because of an accident on 95 which slowed the whole day up. Rail Head closes at 5 so the accident made it impossible to do the 2nd run so I should be happy...getting paid to do something is better than getting paid zippo! It's just that to drive 52 miles, I'd rather work for the 8 hours or do multiple runs somewhere to make it a full day. Right now nothing on tap for tomorrow or Thursday...summer has come early to my job. But he knows that I'm basically free until the beginning of August to work. We are going to spend a few days down in the Keys but that'll all depend upon hurricane season and summer rates down there...I want to stay in downtown Key West in a nicer place and the $ isn't going to be a factor, we want to be pampered a bit!

The Accent will be coming up here for about a week while we leave the Mazda at my kids place. We got some kind of recall notice on it so have a Saturday appointment at 10 a m to do it. Service guy said it'll take about an hour or so and if I'm off, I'll take it and wait and if I do have to work, the girls can take it. It's basically across the street from our development so they can wait or get the shuttle there and back. Personally, I like to wait and I'd prefer to do it as I don't want them to con the girls into doing anything else to the vehicle. I plan to do the oil change/rotation in August which is about a year since it was last done. I don't even think she's driven the car more than 300 miles the whole year which is crazy...I've begged the wife to take the car and use it for a few weeks each month but it falls on deaf ears...I've explained that it's not good for it to sit that way and not be used. Hell, I even said I'd leave mine down there and use the Accent but that idea was shot down because of the insurance issues that might crop up...I'm not on the policy whereas the wife is as I recall. We were also discussing replacing the Mazda as soon as the 2014's come out but she really likes her Mazda...I told her that if she likes it that much, just get another one as it'll drive the same and even the dash is very similar. Time will tell as I need to keep her happy so I can do what I am cooking up...once I get her mind off her vehicle I can upgrade or whatever I'm thinking about. Women...ya can't live with 'em...ya can't live without 'em!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

stickguy

yup. Kerbeck. Lot of nice cars in a really strange location.

stickguy

motor trend this month did a comparison (or was it R&T?) on compacts. The Forte actually won, beating out the Mazda 3 with the civic mid-pack. Dart and Sentra did not fair too well.

breld

I was just reading that comparison article this morning (I'm pretty sure it is indeed Motor Trend) - I enjoy the comparisons like this and mid-size cars as opposed to the comparisons of exotics and such.

With that Forte just barely hitting the dealer lots, the second place finish by the Mazda is pretty impressive - I think the current model came out in 2009 or 2010?

I didn't read the whole article in detail yet, but I did find it amusing that one of the disappointments with the Sentra was poor fuel economy - considering how well the new Altima does in this area, it's surprising Nissan couldn't duplicate (and better) the results for its smaller offering.

A couple of the other magazines have some comparisons involving the new Mazda6 - and the Mazda is winning them all. I like what it offers, but just wish they still offered a wagon or hatchback. The pics of the European wagon are nice.

Sandman6472

We've been discussing the whole vehicle situation and I think the best thing for the wife is to just go with another Mazda3. and not necessarily the "S" model. The 2.0 Skyactive model should be perfect for her and drive almost the same, if not better, than her '05 S model...she says it's the easiest driving vehicle she's ever had and can get into whatever space she tries...it drives so easily for her. So who cares that it's so similar to the current one that we have, and personally, I do not think she's gonna be happy with a sub compact smaller engine vehicle. Our Accent is coming home on Friday for awhile so she can really see if it's doable but I have let her know that the newer model does drive better than the '08 model that we currently have in our stable...it drives better and is just a better vehicle. I also told her to just keep what ya got until whenever...if the a/c goes, we fix it and keep it and maybe get a 2015 model. With the miles it's got now, trading it in with the a/c working or not, I don't think the trade in price will change that much personally...so why throw $ into it and then trade it in...makes zero sense to me, get what we can for it either way!

So time will tell what she ends up doing here. I've told her to just go test drive whatever and narrow it down and then we'll go from there. I only drive her vehicle when it needs to be serviced so the miles arer all hers. I think it is time to trade her current 3 but all I can do is suggest...her car, her $!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

(Personally, I like the new Sentra very much except for the brakes. It is a smart looking vehicle and it drives very nicely!)

michaellno

... that talked about the "one strike" rule?

Almost had that happen this morning with the wife's CX-7.

A bit of background - a couple of weeks ago, I had to replace the battery (I might have mentioned that already). When we did so, a few warning lights came on, but I was able to clear them with a short test drive and a couple of on/off/on cycles of the ignition.

Problem solved, right?

Uh, apparently not. We did notice a couple of anomalies -- the memory seat wasn't working, and the one-touch up/down for the front windows was also on the blink. I figured I can get it to the dealer at any time to have these items reset.

Today, the wife leaves for work but comes back less than 5 minutes later, mad as heck that she's got warning lights on (specifically, BSM, traction control, parking brake and service due soon). She's cycled the car off and on to no avail. Told her she had 3 options:

1) not go to work
2) drive the car with the warning lights on
3) take the ION

She chooses number 2, and I tell her I'll contact the Mazda dealer (only a mile or two from her office) to see if I can get the car in for an emergency review.

I call the dealer and they agree that they'll try to 'fit us in'. I get to the wife's office around 9:30 to switch cars with her, and - lo and behold! - I start the car up with no warning lights. Power windows also seem to be working fine as well.

Wife decides that I don't need to take the car in, as she needs it to get to her child-care sites.

So, I head home, fully expecting her to decide that the Mazda has had its last days with us and to start working on a replacement.

Haven't heard from her yet on that issue, but I'll keep everyone here posted.

EDIT: On Sunday, she texted me while I was working and told me she had seen her next vehicle - Subaru Crosstek XV. Why? She' said it looked "bad [non-permissible content removed]". I told her she might change her mind once she drove it - 148HP and a CVT might dampen her enthusiasm. The one she saw was the "Desert Khaki" color.

tjc78

... that talked about the "one strike" rule?

It wasn't me, but my wife was ready to start a holy war on Hyundai when her battery died in the Elantra. It took alot of explaining on that one!

The problem you are having with the Mazda is an odd one. I would throw a meter on the battery just to confirm it has good charge and then again with the engine running to make sure it charging properly. It sounds like either a low power condition or maybe a bad ground somewhere.

michaellno

I've finally booked my "Supercar Experience".

On August 31, I'll be driving a Ferrari F430 at Pikes Peak Int'l Raceway.

rayainsw

'I'll be driving a Ferrari F430'
Yee Haw!
Enjoy!
- Ray
One brand still on my 'bucket list'....

roadburner

Sounds like a great time!

stickguy

That was me. Actually, my wife.

it goes back to the early 90s and our Mazda 323 (I loved driving that car actually). We drove the same highway stretch to the train station, but she left first (I had AM daycare duty). So, I am beebopping down I295, and just after a bridge I see a car in the median. That looked just like ours. with a woman that looked just like my wife standing next to it. I was in the LH lane so pulled over quick and backed up, just as the tow truck arrived.

5 minutes later, she has my car and I am riding in a tow truck.

Turned out that the tip of the crankshaft snapped. Engine toast. We ended up putting a used engine in, but my wife refused to drive it again and we sold it shortly after.

after that, she had no tolerance for being stranded by a car. thankfully it really hasn't come up again, but I guarantee once she doesn't trust a car, it will be time to shop.

tjc78

after that, she had no tolerance for being stranded by a car

I've determined that my Wife will always have the newer car (or at least as new as mine). I saw what just being stuck in a parking lot did to her and I just don't want those issues!!

You should have heard her when the brand new Genesis stranded us. I thought she was going to kill. Seriously.

Speaking of the Genesis. I guess I'm jinxed by them as a white one on RT73 tried to kill me yesterday. I'm not sure how you don't see a white Grand Marquis with a black top at 55 in the other lane, but who knows.

michaellno

but I guarantee once she doesn't trust a car, it will be time to shop.

Your wife and my wife are cut from the same cloth. The '05 VUE stranded us about a mile from home. Had it towed to the dealer where they couldn't find anything wrong. Traded it in that day for the '08 VUE, since the wife was taking our daughter back to college later that week.

tjc - yes, my wife will probably always have the 'newer' or 'nicer' car, but at some point I'm going to want to replace the ION (88K and still going strong, mechanically). I suppose it all depends on whether I'm still delivering pizza, but I'm still all over the map as to what to replace it with.

If I'm still delivering pizza, I'd probably get a used Subaru of some sort - model and body style not as important as running condition. I'd love to get a used Audi with Quattro, but I'd be a bit concerned about the running costs of something miled up.

If I'm not delivering, then I would have more options .. used pony car? CPO 1- or 3-series?

I'm starting to think like RB - for $20-25K, I can get a new loaded Mazda 3 or a fairly nice used BMW / Audi / MB / Infiniti.

Of course, if the CX-7 keeps acting up, there may be a new CUV in the family before too long.

stever

The trust level in the old van is sagging but so far so good. We got stuck 50 miles from home last month when the timing belt broke and we had to get towed home. Then it started running a bit rough but cleaning the throttle body has helped that. So probably (still) no new car in our plans yet. New shoes are on order though.

Out of pocket maintenance, towing and repair costs this year are running $1200, including the new tires that are coming next week. That's what, three car payments?

We're heading to Northern Virginia in a couple of weeks to visit my sister, and Plan B is Fitzmall if worse comes to worse. :shades:

tjc78

I'm starting to think like RB - for $20-25K, I can get a new loaded Mazda 3 or a fairly nice used BMW / Audi / MB / Infiniti.

That's always a tough call. I like a little different type of car, but for me the price of a new compact will buy something used in a much larger size.

I know my 04 Grand Marquis will be sticking around for a while. The LaCrosse is on the downside of the lease and the wife is happy with it (although I know visibility is tough for her) so as long as it stays reliable it will most likely run full term and then an SUV is in our future. It does need a dealer visit as I believe the passenger door lock is dying (noisy as heck) and I smell antifreeze combined with a foul smelling A/C. Wife says I'm nuts, but the nose doesn't lie..

I'm replacing the cabin filter this weekend, hopefully that addresses the A/C smell.

imidazol97

>heading to Northern Virginia in a couple of weeks to visit my sister, and Plan B is Fitzmall if worse comes to worse.

Now that's what I call combining trips to reduce the miles driven on errands.

Errand 1: Visit sister.
Errand 2: Pick up new vehicle at Fitzmall.

nyccarguy

You and I think alike Michaell. You want to get rid of the Ion for no other good reason than you are sick of it & want something different. But the car is mechanically sound & you don't want to get a new car while you are delivering pizzas. I was at that point with the Prelude years ago. There was nothing wrong with it, I still loved it, but just wanted something new after 6 or 7 years.

Also like you I'm so undecided as to what to go for when the lease is up on my BMW next September. I'm going to keep the budget between $25K & $30K. My choices are as follows: buy out the lease on my 328xi, buy a lower mileage (mine will have 50K) CPO 328xi, a CPO X1, Mazda 3i Grand Touring, or a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited :confuse:

I'm going to have to do a lot of test driving next summer!

stever

The regulars in here probably carry their titles 24/7 just in case they spot a deal. :-)

With my aging van, I have taken my title along "just in case" on longer road trips.

nyccarguy

My Prelude is still going strong @ 11 years & 149K. Our 2011 Pilot will officially be 2 years old in a couple of weeks. We've got just over 35,000 miles on it. After I make this month's payment, just 3 years until it is paid off & all mine (hers). I plan on running the Pilot into the ground.

stever

I was just informed that we're swinging by the Toyota dealer while we head over to run errands tomorrow. This is a repeat of the aborted trip we were trying to make when the van died last month. If the van hiccups tomorrow, I'm toast....

michaellno

You and I think alike Michaell. You want to get rid of the Ion for no other good reason than you are sick of it & want something different. But the car is mechanically sound & you don't want to get a new car while you are delivering pizzas. I was at that point with the Prelude years ago. There was nothing wrong with it, I still loved it, but just wanted something new after 6 or 7 years.

One big difference .. you picked the Prelude, whereas I inherited the ION when it was deemed "unsafe" for our daughter to drive to and from college 100 miles away. It's been 10+ years since I bought a car that was my daily driver. Everything we've bought in the last decade has been either for the wife (2 VUEs and the CX-7) or the daughter (ION and MINI).

All that said, there isn't anything wrong with the ION. And, at 88K miles, it's relatively young compared to what some of the other drivers have. One has an early 00's Grand Am with 200K+ miles. Another has an '03 or so Corolla with 250K miles. A third has an Odyssey with over 200K as well.

But, you're right - I'd like something different just for the sake of it being different. Lots of choices out there that will get mid 20's mileage in 80-90% city driving.

Steve - what Toyota are you looking at? It's possible the wife is wanting something more reliable before heading out on the road again.

stever

Prius V. It's "big" for a hybrid and gas is so "cheap", you can sort of get a deal right now.

We've been tire-kicking since Cash for Clunkers, so Plan B is "shouldn't we really test drive a C-Max before deciding?" That could buy me another three months lol.

I *really* hope to keep the van for 200k so I can get bragging rights (at 182k now). In fact, I'd likely sell the Outback and keep it for a while unless we finally wise up and go back to one car.

nyccarguy

I did pick the Prelude. Inheritance was an excuse (just 1 of many) to get rid of my perfectly good TSX (it was my wife's before we decided we needed an SUV w/ 3 rows). When I traded it in & leased my BMW last March, it was the 1st time in 10 years I had bought a car for myself. '07 X3 was leased for my wife, '10 TSX (bought in '09) was bought for my wife, '11 Pilot was bought for my wife.

Since I plan on making whatever I replace my BMW with a long term purchase (finance for 5, drive for another 5), so I want to make it count;)

michaellno

Since I plan on making whatever I replace my BMW with a long term purchase (finance for 5, drive for another 5), so I want to make it count;)

Exactly! Though the wife doesn't really understand why I need a new (or newer) car when I work from home.

Like stickguy, if I didn't do the pizza delivery, the ION would probably only get a few hundred miles a month put on it.

If I could convince the better half, a low mileage lease could be the way to go. Infiniti is blowing out G37's - I've been seeing posts in the "Prices Paid" forums of $300-400 a month.

Problem is, there is only a two car garage at my house - the ION lives outside already.

A local lot has this for sale. Seems a bit pricey for something that is 16 years old, but the miles are sure nice for something that could be a weekend toy.

nyccarguy

There is something off with that Z3. The aftermarket shifter bothers me as does the fact that those aren't the proper wheels that came with the car (I think they are from the 1st Z3 2.8). What else is going on with that car that we don't know about? Looks to me like it is a "hey let's buy a cheap Bimmer ragtop at auction and try to make some money on it since it is the spring time."

Since you do work from home and you need your car for work to deliver Pizza, couldn't you lease a car and write off a portion of the miles, gas, insurance...? You'd have to keep a detailed log of course

kyfdx

While there is nothing wrong with that 4-cylinder, there are so many Z3s around, why settle?... I'd want a 6-cylinder...

nyccarguy

I'd think you could find a really nice private party sale on a Z3. Someone who bought it, took care of it obsessively (care & maintenance), still loves it, but finds himself driving it less and less each year.

tifighter

I had the "2.3" which was actually the 2.5 inline 6 a long time ago. Plenty of smooth power, and the car was pretty well balanced, but felt a bit heavy for a roadster to me. No real issues.

$10k for a 1.9? I'd spend an extra $2-3k and get a NC Miata with zero hesitation.

kyfdx

Yeah.. that was the replacement for the 1.9 model... I think it was around 170 HP vs. the 138 of the 4-banger?

My barber bought a 2.8 model, a few years back.... he hardly ever drives it... but, then it's a slushbox..

michaellno

Since you do work from home and you need your car for work to deliver Pizza, couldn't you lease a car and write off a portion of the miles, gas, insurance...? You'd have to keep a detailed log of course

Hmmm .. that is a good question. Have to research that. I'd say that I average 40-70 miles a shift, and I work 4 shifts a week. I can usually get 3 shifts (plus other errand running) to a tank of gas.

Wife got her second mileage reimbursement check from her employer yesterday. Was around $160, or approximately 3 tanks of gas. Since we've been filling up the CX-7 once a week, it means that 3/4 of the gas cost is covered through work driving.

28firefighter

My C30 will be 2 years old next week. By contrast though, it only has 11,000 miles, of which 7500 were put on in the first year. Since we moved to Seattle, I take the bus to work (parking in downtown Seattle is insanely expensive) meaning the Volvo only gets driven on the weekends.

It is also first up on the chopping block since my wife's Mazda3 is a 4-door and the C30 is only 2-door -- not exactly conducive for starting a family!

kyfdx

I'll need a car in about 17 months.... just saying..

michaellno

I'll need a car in about 17 months.... just saying..

And until then, you've got to suffer with the Infiniti... :mad: :sick:

nyccarguy

You buy 28firefighter's C30, I'll buy your G37X, & 28ff will get a new ride. Everyone's a winner;)