Sounds slightly depressing. I might be thinking about bailing, but then I have a ridiculously low tolerance for car problems. You have the run-flat tires? Even so, the car should be built not to shake & rattle on rough pavement. Electrical? Sometimes a problem area with European cars.
Today I decided to keep my E-39 bmw forever, or, until I change my mind, which happens 10-20 times a week. The only thing that's kept me from thinking about buying a different vehicle is that I had a Major Audio System Crisis occuring the last few weeks. (If people think being a car nut is bad, they should try being a Audio Nut, or check out some of the audio forums).
My beloved British speakers that I'd owned for 8 years started dying a few weeks ago. I put an ad "as is, need repair" on one of the audio sites & sold them yesterday for $1100 cash. They weighed 80 lbs. each, & i helped the buyer out to his Volvo 850 wagon with them. Frankly, I couldn't believe I got that much, which is why I'm not posting this on an audio forum.
When you start measuring the cargo area of every vehicle you're considering to see how much audio gear you can pack in for your various audio buying/selling/schlepping-for-repair adventures, and want the handling of a bmw......it seems normal to me, but could be some advanced combination of audio/automotive neurosis(?).
Uuummmm.......I guess I'm OT again. But Good Luck with your 3-series,
I've never been much of an audio aficionado. I have been nursing a decade-old hand-me-down Bose Lifestyle system, which was insanely overpriced when new, and is probably not worth fixing should anything else go wrong with it. My parents installed a "home theater" in their basement that I, the ex-computer programmer, have difficulty operating. I have been on AVS Forums before, but thankfully haven't been bitten by that bug, yet.
Thanks for the kind wishes... Even if everything gets sorted out, I'm not sure I'll want to keep it as a daily driver after the warranty ends. It seems like there are too many uncertainties in my life right now to trade it in, but on the other hand, it will never be worth more than it is now. Not to mention, I'm not sure what car I'd rather have. (This sort of analysis paralysis is what led me to keep the lemon Jetta for at least a year longer than I should have...)
An update on my friend's lemon-yellow Beetle: I was at her house today, and she asked me to check the oil, as she was unsure of how to read the dipstick. She said she had added a couple of quarts. I looked at it, and found it seriously overfilled. Then, she said the oil tended to spill out as she was filling it. After a little more Q & A, I figured out she had been adding oil via the dipstick tube. I showed her the location of the oil filler cap. It goes in tomorrow to have the oil pan replaced, so the overfill isn't a huge concern.
Hello fellow CCB'ers. Took the plunge again last weekend, purchasing a CPO'd 04 Audi A4 Cabriolet, which replaces my 325i convertible. Call me insane, but I never really took to the BMW. Oh, I appreciated everything the car could do performane-wise...it handles like no other car I have experienced, but for me it was just wasn't the right thing. I guess I'm more of a cruiser-type. Anyway, this makes eight cars in the last six years...not an all-star among this group, but enough to make my wife crazy (at least until she drives what I bring home.)
As I tell her, I don't go out drinking with the boys (anymore), chase skirts, gamble, lie, cheat or steal, so she should indulge this one mild vice.
My parents installed a "home theater" in their basement that I, the ex-computer programmer, have difficulty operating.
When we bought our house 6 years ago, I specifically had it pre-wired for the home theater. My wife is just like you ... she looks at the 5 different remotes (TV, Cable, Receiver, DVD and VCR) and just says "help". She can at least turn the TV and cable boxes on, but if the TV is set to the wrong input, she's stuck.
Anyway....
Not sure if I should feel grumpy today or not, given that GM just announced their '72 hour' sale - 0% for 6 years on pretty much everything in their inventory. Based on the purchase price of the ION, the payment would be about $75/month less. Oh, well.
I have been given the option of moving to Connecticut for a semi-promotion. Seems like a long way away from Georgia thought. And we are almost finished with our basement .... seems like a case of bad timing.
not to mention, much more expensive to live (housing especially), although that varies depending on which part of the state.
Plus, I bet it is going to be a little more expensive to buy/sell lots of cars, but that is just a guess, because everything seems to be more expensive in the great NE.
That, and you will have to buy a lot of snow tires.
The move will entail a raise. I've done some preliminary research on the internet and the houses are no where near as nice, new, or cheap as what we have here in GA. I looked for around $250,000 within 30 miles of Hartford and didn't see anything that stood out. With the increase in interest rate, even with the equity from this house, our outgo would go up a good bit if we tried to buy a house. We could rent because I've been told that if this goes well I will move to another NE location within a few months. Right now we are leaning towards no as the answer but I will wait for the official offer to come my way.
Well, for the extra cost, at least you will get peonty of snow!
North of Hartford should be the cheaper part of the state (cheap being relative). Go down toward NY, and 250K won't buy a 1 bedroom condo.
Depending on where else in NE you go, it gets worse. Anywhere near Boston is outrageous, and even lower NH has gotten quite pricey.
Of course, yo ucan go further North, but their isn't much there except for snow, but that would at least give you an excuse to buy a bunch of AWD vehicles!
One of my best friends owns his own car audio shop and he is imminently more qualified than I to answer any questions in this area. But, as I understand it the issue with the sub is about more than just pushing more watts. With a sub its about pushing air. And most factory subs are less than adequate - but it really all depends on what you want.
If you want a pleasant listening experience you don't need a huge amp or six 15-inch subs. However, if you're wanting to impress the teenagers driving the Evos and tuned up Hondas, then you need a lot of power and really good speakers. AND, they're not really interested in how loud it is. They want to know what the Sound Pressure Level or SPL is. There is a brand of speakers and amps called Massive that recently broke the record for SPL. Ron has some of their amps on display at his store. The cheapest is around $600 and they go way up from there. But there are a multiplicity of brands out there that will do what you want for a lot less money. Just be tasteful in what you do.
Then, she said the oil tended to spill out as she was filling it. After a little more Q & A, I figured out she had been adding oil via the dipstick tube.
I can't help myself here. So, is your friend a natural blonde? Just had to ask?
The house I am closing on today is in Litchfield county but not in the actualy town of litchfield so much cheaper but just as nice an area. I am right on the litchfield line.
I would be about an hour away from hartford probably. The only areas that are cheap directly around hartford that are any good to live would be parts of bloomfield and certain areas just north of hartford. The Granby/East Granby area can be nice and fairly inexpensive. I am not familar with the area east of hartford in the Glastonbury area except that I have lots of customers that live there in very expensive houses.
I would guess there are more reasonable parts of the area but not any I have seen.
I live in GA as well, north of Atlanta. Sure the traffic is a PITA sometimes, ok most of the time, but the cost of living is hard to beat. It would have to be one heck of a promotion to get me out of the southeast again.
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited Velvet Red over Wicker Beige
2024 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Daytona Gray over Beige
2017 BMW X1 Jet Black over Mocha
She's a brunette. I don't remember exactly, but I think her husband watched her pour the oil down the dipstick tube, but he believes that doing anything that involves opening the hood is something you pay someone else to do.
Buying a house in ANY nice, desirable part of New England is difficult & expensive. Or at least, very expensive. You must be doing well selling LR's!
I've been looking in York County, Maine (the southernmost part, on the coast, from the N.H. border, to almost Portland). Still expensive, but not compared to the metro-boston area.....
I dunno. I've owned 2 bmw's, both bought used, at 2 & 5 years old. Neither one had as many problems as it sounds like yours has now (well, I owned the older one for 10 years, so eventually it did have a fair amount of problems as it aged). The rattling on rough roads......neither one did that, more the opposite, usually total composure over any surface.
Then there's the depreciation rate of bmw's, which gets esp. scary after the warranty runs out.....is the current-gen 3 made in SC, or Germany?
How sad. But then again my BIL is the same way. He has the knack for making something hard out of something easy.
How did she manage to get the oil down the tube anyway? Did she use the lid off a Mustard Bottle for a funnel or what? I laugh everytime I think about it!
Perhaps I'll ask her for a demonstration of what she was doing the next time we meet. :P
When I first figured out it was two quarts low, I just opened the sludged-up filler cap and added it as best I could, sans funnel. Some of it spilled, but that's better than running with no oil.
Years ago when I had Taburbitha (1990 Suburban) and she would go through a quart of oil every 250 miles. One night I was at the gas station and she once again needed oil. It was dark and I couldn't see the oil cap to get it off, I must have looked like a complete ditz. Anyway, this guy comes over and asks if I need help, so I played the part, he had a flashlight, and he put the oil in for me.
Now keep in mind, Taburbitha was lifted 4" and riding on 33's and I'm only 5'6". It was a struggle during the daylight hours, let alone when it was dark out.
I miss that old Suburban, probably one of my favorite vehicles.
Like I said, not sure what I'd get to replace it. If I end up working in my hometown, the following are the only makes with dealerships within a thirty mile radius: Mazda, VW, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Ford-Lincoln-Merc, Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge, Pontiac-GMC-Chevrolet-Buick-Cadillac. Nothing there as fun as the BMW, although a Mazdaspeed car might come close.
Is this an excuse to go out and test drive some cars?
Is this an excuse to go out and test drive some cars?
Absolutely!!! Did you really think the CCBA forum would prompt any other answers?? The Sentra SE-R Spec V is a load of fun to drive, but its such a small car that it detracts from the fun factor.
You might love New England. Could be major culture shock moving from GA, & it is wicked expensive, inc. state income tax in CT I think. But tons of beautiful areas to explore, all w/in driving distance. If you love the ocean, mountains, culture, sports, historic sites, & food (!), you'll dig it. (I could almost write my own guidebook). Not to mention, access to NYC from CT.
One of the things I hated about living in FL (besides the bugs, the heat, & the lack of cultural opportunities), was that the only place you could drive to in a day's drive, was another part of......FL.
good point. When you live in the NE, you forget how spread out the rest of the country is.
I drove from Boston to Philadelphia on Sunday, two areas that are radically different from each other, and I didn't even have to make a potty stop. About 5 hours with normal traffic.
What does 5 hours get you in MOntana? THe middle of the state?
The worst oil burner I've ever encountered was my uncle's 68 Chevy pickup. My dad was trying to sell it and my brother and I would run it around town and out to my aunt's farm. To aunt Jewel's house was about an eight mile round trip. The truck would burn up at least a half a quart of oil :sick: . We had no need for one of those mosquito fogging trucks as long as that truck was around.
tons of beautiful areas to explore, all w/in driving distance. If you love the ocean, mountains, culture, sports, historic sites, & food (!), you'll dig it.
Woody, have you ever been to North Georgia? The ocean is the only thing missing from your NE list.
Anony, all I've got to say is that if you move to NE, I'll think about you this winter, when we here in the South are still running around outside in our shorts and t-shirts.
You have to pay a personal property tax on the value of your vehicle(s) on a yearly basis.
Heh. A few months back I got a nasty letter from a city in Connecticut about a couple hundred bucks in personal property taxes they claim I owe on an Eagle Premier. I sold the car in 1993 and moved out of Connecticut in 1997. Needless to say, the dunning letter got the circular-file treatment
Not to mention it's got a fairly hard, punishing ride. And currently they are trying to figure out why their engines are bursting into flames, but hey, that's a whole different subject! :-P
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Its been 3 months since I checked on Zippy's value and well, now she needs tires in addition to the windshield being cracked, not to mention she has a few more miles on her.
Anyway, the Chrysler dealer in Anchorage doesn't want her (really lowballed the trade), said they have too many as it is, so I checked with a couple used car places in Fairbanks. One of them is offering $5500 for her, that's ACV. Dealers don't get a warm fuzzy feeling during summer when looking at a car with no A/C.......imagine that, lol.
So, would I be better off trying to sell her on my own? Downside is I really don't want to spend a lot of time doing it, not to mention I live 85 miles from town. Or do I just say heck with it and sell her to the used car dealer and be done with it?
Zippy is a base Focus ZX3 with ABS, 5-spd, 54,500 miles, no a/c, no pwr anything. Nice car but needs tires, windshield, probably an alignment, and possibly some suspension work......she's a little squeaky in the front, could be a rock though. I'll try to figure the squeak out tomorrow, last time it was a rock.
In that condition, I'm tempted to say, grab the $5500 before the dealer changes his mind, or regains consciousness, or the suspension gets worse, or......
I am firmly in agreement with woody - the car's condition is too rough to sell it privately - potential buyers will be turned off when they see it, even if cracked windshields are much more common up there, as they suspect they are! It will be hard to close the deal privately.
Take that dealer up on his offer before he changes his mind.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Woody, have you ever been to North Georgia? The ocean is the only thing missing from your NE list.
Unfortunately, my only experience in GA is driving thru it on I-95. I'd love to check out Atlanta, Savannah, etc. I don't know anything about North Georgia tho.
I have considered other parts of the country as possibilities to move to, besides New England. Austin TX, NC, Pacific NW (Portland or Seattle areas), but it's real complicated to relocate that far (duh). I did like the winters in FL. It was sort of fun when the temp. would occasionally get down into the 30's, & everybody would freak out & think they were freezing to death.
I'd be fine staying in Taxachusetts, apart from the Winters, but the cost anywhere near Boston is insane......
Heck, I spent a week in Daytona Beach in February one year and the temp was in the middle 60's for most of the week. Folks were breaking out the heavy coats.
I, OTOH, was loving it as I left behind 30 degree weather in Denver at the time.
Was offering $4500 sight unseen, the used car dealer in Fairbanks saw the car yesterday but didn't drive it. I'm going to pull that wheel back off today and see if there's another rock in there. They will drive it in the next couple days when I take it in to sell it to them. If there is something wrong with the suspension I'll fix it before I sell it.
The tires are bad, at least the fronts are, they have a bald patch in the middle, seems to be normal for blizzaks (I left the winter tires on her since her summers are worn out too). The crack in the windshield is just par for the course up here, all 4 of our vehicles have broken windshields.
I think in order to sell her private party I'd have to put new tires on, a new windshield, and figure out the squeak. I might be able to see another $1500 over what the used car dealer offered which after spending another $500-$600 on the car doesn't seem worth it.
The Anchorage dealer offered $8000 for the Dodge (nada trade is $12,500) and $21,000 for the Titan (nada trade is $23,500). I feel those are fair, the Titans tires are less than 50% and it has a big time cracked windshield. The dodge has good tires, windshield cracked, dented tailgate, and some other scratches and such, nothing too big for being 7 years old.
The truck we are buying seems like a fair deal so I'm not grumbling too much about the trade values. I just hope we don't have to go through this for another few years.
Yeah, that reminds me, I also spent a week in Daytona Beach in February one year, & it was grey & chilly all week. Low 50's & damp during the day, Possibly in the upper 30's at night. Not common, but it happens.....& not what people go to FL for, even if it's "better" than the 20 degree weather they left behind. Oh, & there's practically a State Emergency if it ever gets near freezing at night in citrus growing areas. Again, rare, but it's a huge deal when it happens.
I got some great color film pics of the 24 Hours of Daytona tho.
Yeah, I was there the week before the Daytona 500, but wasn't there for the race. I was actually training the City of Daytona Beach on some new software.
OT: Try finding a hotel room within 50 miles of there during the races ... IIRC, I paid over $100 a night for some fleabag hotel that I wouldn't want my worst enemy to experience. What's funny is that for several years afterward, I got a Christmas card from them inviting me back.
Having grown up in SoCal, I totally get the freezing issue when it comes to produce. The growers put huge fans into the trees and fields to keep the ambient temperature above freezing.
ak: let me make sure I understand.
1) You're trading in the old Dodge, the Titan and Zippy for the new Dodge.
2) You still have the Sebring.
3) You are looking for a third truck (part work, part play).
1) You're trading in the old Dodge, the Titan and Zippy for the new Dodge.
2) You still have the Sebring.
3) You are looking for a third truck (part work, part play).
Am I up to speed on this?
Almost. We are trading the Titan and the old Dodge on a used Dodge. Zippy is being sold to a used car dealer.
The used Dodge was way too good of a deal to pass up, so we jumped on it, its perfect, will do everything he needs so he shouldn't need another truck for many many years. Saved a BUNCH of money over the cost of a new one. Thankfully he doesn't deal well with change and likes to keep his truck for a long time, with the V10 gas prices pushed him over the edge. I can't see that happening with a diesel.
akangl: I misunderstood - I thought you HAD to trade Zippy in. If she's paid for, why not just keep her as a third car? Is the 5 or 6 thousand you might get for her crucial to the truck purchase you want to make?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
akangl: I misunderstood - I thought you HAD to trade Zippy in. If she's paid for, why not just keep her as a third car? Is the 5 or 6 thousand you might get for her crucial to the truck purchase you want to make?
Zippy is not paid for, thus the reason I'm selling her. I don't need the extra car, insurance, and car payment now that I have the Sebring which is paid for. I'm selling her to a used car dealer because A. they offered more money than the dodge dealer and B. it does away with the hassle of trailering Zippy to Anchorage (3 vehicles going).
We are trading the Titan and the old Dodge on a used Dodge.
OK, I missed this somehow.
You've got a new Dodge Ram on order; in fact, it's at the dealer getting some accessories added and you'll be picking it up soon (this is the black one). Correct?
What are the particulars of the used Dodge that you're getting? Did I somehow miss that post, or are you trying to pull a fast one on all of us?
Would I do that?? The dealer hasn't done anything to the black Dodge as of yet, he's waiting on the parts to get there. We are supposed to pick it up either this weekend or next week depending on when its ready.
As for the used Dodge, well, its a great deal and all the truck our business needs, we'll leave it at that.
I guess I was lucky. I had a job there too, for a week, & part of the deal was a room at the Holiday Inn on (?), or very near, the beach. During race week (24 hours of Daytona). I should get out the Kodachrome slides again--very cool photos at dusk, & after, of the race, when the cars turn their lights on, etc.
As I interpret all this: the old Dodge truck, the Titan, & the Focus are going. The Sebring is staying, & a used Dodge truck, & a new Dodge truck are being purchased.
(I'm so glad I spent all those years in college & grad. school......) No use trying to figure all this out at this point, it sounds like Decisions Have Been Made. Hopefully.....
Comments
Today I decided to keep my E-39 bmw forever, or, until I change my mind, which happens 10-20 times a week. The only thing that's kept me from thinking about buying a different vehicle is that I had a Major Audio System Crisis occuring the last few weeks. (If people think being a car nut is bad, they should try being a Audio Nut, or check out some of the audio forums).
My beloved British speakers that I'd owned for 8 years started dying a few weeks ago. I put an ad "as is, need repair" on one of the audio sites & sold them yesterday for $1100 cash. They weighed 80 lbs. each, & i helped the buyer out to his Volvo 850 wagon with them. Frankly, I couldn't believe I got that much, which is why I'm not posting this on an audio forum.
When you start measuring the cargo area of every vehicle you're considering to see how much audio gear you can pack in for your various audio buying/selling/schlepping-for-repair adventures, and want the handling of a bmw......it seems normal to me, but could be some advanced combination of audio/automotive neurosis(?).
Uuummmm.......I guess I'm OT again. But Good Luck with your 3-series,
cheers, woody
Thanks for the kind wishes... Even if everything gets sorted out, I'm not sure I'll want to keep it as a daily driver after the warranty ends. It seems like there are too many uncertainties in my life right now to trade it in, but on the other hand, it will never be worth more than it is now. Not to mention, I'm not sure what car I'd rather have. (This sort of analysis paralysis is what led me to keep the lemon Jetta for at least a year longer than I should have...)
An update on my friend's lemon-yellow Beetle: I was at her house today, and she asked me to check the oil, as she was unsure of how to read the dipstick. She said she had added a couple of quarts. I looked at it, and found it seriously overfilled. Then, she said the oil tended to spill out as she was filling it. After a little more Q & A, I figured out she had been adding oil via the dipstick tube. I showed her the location of the oil filler cap. It goes in tomorrow to have the oil pan replaced, so the overfill isn't a huge concern.
As I tell her, I don't go out drinking with the boys (anymore), chase skirts, gamble, lie, cheat or steal, so she should indulge this one mild vice.
I don't post much in this forum, but thought some might be interested in this topic.
Rocky
When we bought our house 6 years ago, I specifically had it pre-wired for the home theater. My wife is just like you ... she looks at the 5 different remotes (TV, Cable, Receiver, DVD and VCR) and just says "help". She can at least turn the TV and cable boxes on, but if the TV is set to the wrong input, she's stuck.
Anyway....
Not sure if I should feel grumpy today or not, given that GM just announced their '72 hour' sale - 0% for 6 years on pretty much everything in their inventory. Based on the purchase price of the ION, the payment would be about $75/month less. Oh, well.
Plus, I bet it is going to be a little more expensive to buy/sell lots of cars, but that is just a guess, because everything seems to be more expensive in the great NE.
That, and you will have to buy a lot of snow tires.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
North of Hartford should be the cheaper part of the state (cheap being relative). Go down toward NY, and 250K won't buy a 1 bedroom condo.
Depending on where else in NE you go, it gets worse. Anywhere near Boston is outrageous, and even lower NH has gotten quite pricey.
Of course, yo ucan go further North, but their isn't much there except for snow, but that would at least give you an excuse to buy a bunch of AWD vehicles!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
If you want a pleasant listening experience you don't need a huge amp or six 15-inch subs. However, if you're wanting to impress the teenagers driving the Evos and tuned up Hondas, then you need a lot of power and really good speakers. AND, they're not really interested in how loud it is. They want to know what the Sound Pressure Level or SPL is. There is a brand of speakers and amps called Massive that recently broke the record for SPL. Ron has some of their amps on display at his store. The cheapest is around $600 and they go way up from there. But there are a multiplicity of brands out there that will do what you want for a lot less money. Just be tasteful in what you do.
I can't help myself here. So, is your friend a natural blonde? Just had to ask?
I would be about an hour away from hartford probably. The only areas that are cheap directly around hartford that are any good to live would be parts of bloomfield and certain areas just north of hartford. The Granby/East Granby area can be nice and fairly inexpensive. I am not familar with the area east of hartford in the Glastonbury area except that I have lots of customers that live there in very expensive houses.
I would guess there are more reasonable parts of the area but not any I have seen.
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited Velvet Red over Wicker Beige
2024 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Daytona Gray over Beige
2017 BMW X1 Jet Black over Mocha
I've been looking in York County, Maine (the southernmost part, on the coast, from the N.H. border, to almost Portland). Still expensive, but not compared to the metro-boston area.....
Then there's the depreciation rate of bmw's, which gets esp. scary after the warranty runs out.....is the current-gen 3 made in SC, or Germany?
A friend of mine has one on order that should be in in a few weeks.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
How did she manage to get the oil down the tube anyway? Did she use the lid off a Mustard Bottle for a funnel or what? I laugh everytime I think about it!
When I first figured out it was two quarts low, I just opened the sludged-up filler cap and added it as best I could, sans funnel. Some of it spilled, but that's better than running with no oil.
Now keep in mind, Taburbitha was lifted 4" and riding on 33's and I'm only 5'6". It was a struggle during the daylight hours, let alone when it was dark out.
I miss that old Suburban, probably one of my favorite vehicles.
Is this an excuse to go out and test drive some cars?
Absolutely!!! Did you really think the CCBA forum would prompt any other answers?? The Sentra SE-R Spec V is a load of fun to drive, but its such a small car that it detracts from the fun factor.
One of the things I hated about living in FL (besides the bugs, the heat, & the lack of cultural opportunities), was that the only place you could drive to in a day's drive, was another part of......FL.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
I drove from Boston to Philadelphia on Sunday, two areas that are radically different from each other, and I didn't even have to make a potty stop. About 5 hours with normal traffic.
What does 5 hours get you in MOntana? THe middle of the state?
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Move to New Hamshire instead. No income tax. Not sure how they get you with cars though.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Woody, have you ever been to North Georgia? The ocean is the only thing missing from your NE list.
Anony, all I've got to say is that if you move to NE, I'll think about you this winter, when we here in the South are still running around outside in our shorts and t-shirts.
Heh. A few months back I got a nasty letter from a city in Connecticut about a couple hundred bucks in personal property taxes they claim I owe on an Eagle Premier. I sold the car in 1993 and moved out of Connecticut in 1997.
Needless to say, the dunning letter got the circular-file treatment
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Anyway, the Chrysler dealer in Anchorage doesn't want her (really lowballed the trade), said they have too many as it is, so I checked with a couple used car places in Fairbanks. One of them is offering $5500 for her, that's ACV. Dealers don't get a warm fuzzy feeling during summer when looking at a car with no A/C.......imagine that, lol.
So, would I be better off trying to sell her on my own? Downside is I really don't want to spend a lot of time doing it, not to mention I live 85 miles from town. Or do I just say heck with it and sell her to the used car dealer and be done with it?
Zippy is a base Focus ZX3 with ABS, 5-spd, 54,500 miles, no a/c, no pwr anything. Nice car but needs tires, windshield, probably an alignment, and possibly some suspension work......she's a little squeaky in the front, could be a rock though. I'll try to figure the squeak out tomorrow, last time it was a rock.
http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060629/AUTO01/606290371/- 1148
Rocky
P.S.
Here's another article...
Take that dealer up on his offer before he changes his mind.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Unfortunately, my only experience in GA is driving thru it on I-95. I'd love to check out Atlanta, Savannah, etc. I don't know anything about North Georgia tho.
I have considered other parts of the country as possibilities to move to, besides New England. Austin TX, NC, Pacific NW (Portland or Seattle areas), but it's real complicated to relocate that far (duh). I did like the winters in FL. It was sort of fun when the temp. would occasionally get down into the 30's, & everybody would freak out & think they were freezing to death.
I'd be fine staying in Taxachusetts, apart from the Winters, but the cost anywhere near Boston is insane......
Heck, I spent a week in Daytona Beach in February one year and the temp was in the middle 60's for most of the week. Folks were breaking out the heavy coats.
I, OTOH, was loving it as I left behind 30 degree weather in Denver at the time.
akangl - take that $5500 and run, baby.
cracked windsheilds and high mileage !
Not to mention high prices!
And it's not like the Ford Focus is a rare car, or something.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The tires are bad, at least the fronts are, they have a bald patch in the middle, seems to be normal for blizzaks (I left the winter tires on her since her summers are worn out too). The crack in the windshield is just par for the course up here, all 4 of our vehicles have broken windshields.
I think in order to sell her private party I'd have to put new tires on, a new windshield, and figure out the squeak. I might be able to see another $1500 over what the used car dealer offered which after spending another $500-$600 on the car doesn't seem worth it.
The Anchorage dealer offered $8000 for the Dodge (nada trade is $12,500) and $21,000 for the Titan (nada trade is $23,500). I feel those are fair, the Titans tires are less than 50% and it has a big time cracked windshield. The dodge has good tires, windshield cracked, dented tailgate, and some other scratches and such, nothing too big for being 7 years old.
The truck we are buying seems like a fair deal so I'm not grumbling too much about the trade values. I just hope we don't have to go through this for another few years.
Yeah, that reminds me, I also spent a week in Daytona Beach in February one year, & it was grey & chilly all week. Low 50's & damp during the day, Possibly in the upper 30's at night. Not common, but it happens.....& not what people go to FL for, even if it's "better" than the 20 degree weather they left behind. Oh, & there's practically a State Emergency if it ever gets near freezing at night in citrus growing areas. Again, rare, but it's a huge deal when it happens.
I got some great color film pics of the 24 Hours of Daytona tho.
OT: Try finding a hotel room within 50 miles of there during the races ... IIRC, I paid over $100 a night for some fleabag hotel that I wouldn't want my worst enemy to experience. What's funny is that for several years afterward, I got a Christmas card from them inviting me back.
Having grown up in SoCal, I totally get the freezing issue when it comes to produce. The growers put huge fans into the trees and fields to keep the ambient temperature above freezing.
ak: let me make sure I understand.
1) You're trading in the old Dodge, the Titan and Zippy for the new Dodge.
2) You still have the Sebring.
3) You are looking for a third truck (part work, part play).
Am I up to speed on this?
1) You're trading in the old Dodge, the Titan and Zippy for the new Dodge.
2) You still have the Sebring.
3) You are looking for a third truck (part work, part play).
Am I up to speed on this?
Almost. We are trading the Titan and the old Dodge on a used Dodge. Zippy is being sold to a used car dealer.
The used Dodge was way too good of a deal to pass up, so we jumped on it, its perfect, will do everything he needs so he shouldn't need another truck for many many years. Saved a BUNCH of money over the cost of a new one. Thankfully he doesn't deal well with change and likes to keep his truck for a long time, with the V10 gas prices pushed him over the edge. I can't see that happening with a diesel.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Zippy is not paid for, thus the reason I'm selling her. I don't need the extra car, insurance, and car payment now that I have the Sebring which is paid for. I'm selling her to a used car dealer because A. they offered more money than the dodge dealer and B. it does away with the hassle of trailering Zippy to Anchorage (3 vehicles going).
OK, I missed this somehow.
You've got a new Dodge Ram on order; in fact, it's at the dealer getting some accessories added and you'll be picking it up soon (this is the black one). Correct?
What are the particulars of the used Dodge that you're getting? Did I somehow miss that post, or are you trying to pull a fast one on all of us?
Would I do that??
As for the used Dodge, well, its a great deal and all the truck our business needs, we'll leave it at that.
I think of those as monster trucks! :-P
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
(I'm so glad I spent all those years in college & grad. school......) No use trying to figure all this out at this point, it sounds like Decisions Have Been Made. Hopefully.....