Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

nyccarguy

Let's start off by a show of hands:

How many people have leases expiring in 2014? Me!

abacomike

On that note, does anyone wish to register guesses for the number of 2014 punches?

Sure! But first some rationale for arriving at my guess for punches for 2014.

We have had 29 thus far for 2013. Since I am not going to submit any punches for next year and taking into account that Sandy punched, and further that it is my opinion that we will have new posters join our forum in the coming year, my guess for next year is 27. This is based on my further assumption that Sandy's wife will probably punch one and nyccarguy will probably have to replace his BMW next fall and will be punching.

Corvette, how many regular posters do we have on CCBA?

ronsteve

Honda aimed the Element toward the 19-26 year old males but the missed the mark. I sold more to older and retired people.

They certainly weren't my favorite Honda.

The Element owners I know are 30-somethings that are into cycling and triathlons. Really good car for those types.

Of course, my bike lays perfectly in the cargo area of my V70 with the seats folded down. Sometimes it looks like a bike shop exploded back there.

stever

I don't happen to think that there was ANY "best looking Honda Element!

That was a softball lob but I wasn't expecting the whiff to come from you Isell. :-)

It really became a hit with dog owners and other manufacturers took note (Subaru for one).

Dog friendly package - EX (Honda.com)

oldfarmer50

"...depreciation on Buicks..."

That's so sad. American cars are at least 99% as good as any import these days but people still act like snobs. It's their own fault I guess for making such junk in days gone by but still...

On the plus side, when you trade in your LaCrosse in 10 years I'll be able to snag it for a song.

Will my wheelchair fit in the trunk?

fintail

I am technically up just into 2015, but if there's a pull forward and I feel good about cash flow, I might go early.

Regarding Element, from what I can see in Seattle, it is maybe 75% mature dog owners, and 25% 30-something-somewhat-outdoors types.

28firefighter

Put me down for a guess of 26.

I would love to find an excuse to flip my wife's 2011 Mazda3, but I don't think that will happen unless I plan to find another wife :-)

jayrider

won't have in 10 years.
what's your top price paid for a car in the last 5 years ? I could always keep it until it hits your number and we might both be happy.

corvette

"Honda aimed the Element toward the 19-26 year old males but the missed the mark. I sold more to older and retired people.

They certainly weren't my favorite Honda."

Mine, either. My dad has an orange AWD EX model. It's underpowered, the interior is plasticky, and it has a zillion blind spots. Exactly the opposite of what I look for in a car! He loves it, though.

corvette

"Since I am not going to submit any punches for next year..."

Ha! I think you said that last year! :P

Sorry, I don't really have any metric for how many regular posters we have. 17 people submitted guesses for 2013, but that doesn't include all of our regulars.

imidazol97

>Will my wheelchair fit in the trunk?

Your chair will fit in the backseat. Lots of room in that car like a Park Avenue had.

tjc78

Honestly, the trunk in the LaCrosse is tiny for the car size. A wheelchair (from personal experience) barely fits.

NYC... As you may have read I have an expiring lease.

abacomike

Ha! I think you said that last year!

Actually, I said that this year in May and again 2 weeks before I bought this one. But financially, I'm into this one for big bucks - so absolutely, positively, there will be no more new cars for at least two years, if not longer. I've never spent this much money for a car before - and since the resale value on the CLS is very poor, I can't afford to trade it for several years.

$71000+ is quite a lot of money to spend on a car even though the MSRP was $82250 and I got a once in a lifetime great deal.

But I an enjoying the car and it sure turns lots of heads. Of all the 4-door coupes available out there, this one is truly the most beautiful of the pack. The ride is unbelievable as is the handling. This is the most powerful automobile I've driven in over 25 years.

No, I won't be submitting any punches next year.

isellhondas

Elements weren't bad cars by any means but they had their limitations.

They only held four people and the rear seats were a nightmare to remove and reinstall. They had poor visibility and I felt like I was sitting in a hole even though I'm 6'0. The wind blew them around on the freeway.

Still, they had their fans. Just not enough to continue production.

The CRV's probably outsold them 10-1 and they were in many respects the same car.

ab348

The lease on my 2011 Regal Turbo expires in October. Right now I'm guessing I'll buy it unless something unexpected happens. It's been a good car. I will be retired by then most likely and my vehicle needs will be different, so I suppose if they offer me a screaming deal on something else I could change vehicles, but right now I expect to keep it.

Sandman6472

Did the next best thing, I made the diner and even cleaned up as she has work to get done before she leaves tomorrow evening. Think we're going to catch a bite out tomorrow night right now if I do not work...if I work then all bets are off. And to be honest, I need to work right now to replenish the accounts I raided so as not to finance a penny. We did sit and have a long discussion about finances tonight and how we're doing with us both working just part time...decided to tweak the amounts that come out of my pension and what comes from our personal business accounts as we have to have $ three times a year and that's to pay the yearly auto insurance bill, the yearly property taxes and finally the yearly home insurance bill. Luckily these all come at different times...February, end of June and November and if we pay the property taxes in November, we get that nifty discount so that's a given right there. So there always needs to be enough funds in the joint checking to pay them and with my pension, there is.
Was good to discuss this stuff as we need to be on the same page about finances as we'd like to take a trip this year either to the Keys or a cruise in Alaska plus pay for all our day to day stuff. So plans must be made and additional hours will need to be worked to reach our yearly goals but I have faith that all will work out nicely as we each like our jobs and just staying home is no longer an option. Just hope my spinal issues do not crop up too badly or we are in trouble. And once we finally spin off the 3rd kid in a few years, we'll have that cushion back and can definitely spend a bit more on us. We discussed her taking retirement at 62 so we'll just have to see what the numbers work out to be with her s s and my pension.

The Sandman

jpp75

My G37x lease is up in January but with the pull ahead offers I'm looking at a punch next week.

stickguy

I am going to wait to see what happens the rest of this month, but I am likely to just double down on my guess from this year (25). But don't hold me to that!

I hope to get back on the hamster wheel and pull at least a 2. But remains to be seen.

I do think a couple of the the main "offenders" (yes Breld and Michael, looking at you) just have to scale back in 2014, right? Right? Bueller?

stickguy

The only colors I could stand were the later models that were monochromatic. they just looked goofy, as opposed to hideous.

I actually only know personally 1 person that owned one. She at least fit the demographic desired (about 25 when she got it, and single). She did also get a Mastiff (ginormous dog) and it was extremely handy for that!

crkyolfrt

Had a post about car count for 2014, but lost it My 33 is looking solid for '13. I suspect higher gas prices for 2014 and we have some commuters here..so..Was thinking 29 for '14, but then thought that Steve and Mrs Steve might pull the trigger this coming year...and little Miss Alaska's Explorer will be almost a year old so its probably gonna be on the replacement hit list soon,haha And Andre might dump his '12 Ram if he can't find out its nostart at times..31 it is then.

Also meant to mention..glad you were able to walk away, Corvette. Do keep in mind that some ailments can surface months after the fact, so don't be too quick to sign off for any body aches and pains. Hope they total the VDube for ya.

corvette

Thanks for your concern! I have no intention of settling the bodily injury claim while I'm still being treated, and I have a physical therapy evaluation next week and will keep an eye out for any additional symptoms.

On a more positive note, I think I have everyone's punch list guesses registered so far! Keep 'em coming!

oldfarmer50

"...what's your top price paid for a car in the last 5 years?..."

New or used? New about $24k a little over 5 years ago. Used about $3200 a few months ago. I'm kind of an all or nothing guy. Brand new or old beater.

If I were to pay big money for a car (over $20k) it would have to be new. I've got my eye on the 2015 Mustang convertible which I'm sure will top $35k so anything used would have to be at hooptie pricing.

kyfdx

"How many people have leases expiring in 2014? Me!"

The G37X lease is up in October... ;-)

I'm going to hold off on my guess for next year... I might drop it some from the 45 I guessed for this year..

kyfdx

"...what's your top price paid for a car in the last 5 years?..."

$32K for the wife's 2011 X3 (purchased May, 2013).. That is her retirement car... hoping to get 7-8 years out of it.. This is the most I've ever paid for a purchased vehicle.

$21K for my current ride.. 2006 330Ci. (purchased April, 2010)

Leased a 2011 Z4 service loaner... original MSRP $55K, but that was just $335/month.. (flipped it to a friend after 1 month)

Leased the G37X with MSRP of $42K , but only $378/mo..

breld

I do think a couple of the the main "offenders" (yes Breld and Michael, looking at you) just have to scale back in 2014, right? Right? Bueller?

We had five for 2013 but that did include 2 as we made up our minds on the stepdaughter's car. The A3's is here to stay, the Ody is certainly not going anywhere, and I don't think the wife is ready to do anything for awhile since she found her dream wagon (though she is already thinking she'll return to an X3 when the time comes).

Either way, realistically I'm probably in for 1-2 next year.

Sandman6472

The wife thinks that I will get bored with this in a few years and want something different but as of now, I am happy and hope by the 5k point, the miles/gallon do go up some. Right now computer is showing 27.5 which isn't the best but it's not the worst either. Either way, I am definitely happy at this juncture. I know I will get used to the darker alloys in time and know that come Tuesday afternoon, I will have an even bigger smile on my face once I hear the sound with the amp! And I do love the XM and definitely plan to get them to offer it to me at a great price come the end of February...hell, I had gotten them down to $9/month back in early '09 with our Accent but the kid didn't want it but I do and plan on having it but at my price!
Saw they had put my '06 Civic on their lot yesterday with a $10.5 asking price and someone grabbed it up because it's not online as of an hour ago. Weird thing is they didn't fix the rear bumper cover, they just probably washed it and put it on the lot, maybe gave it an oil change but basically, it was perfect as it was. Did find the quick guide for it yesterday and will drop it off at the dealership so they can send it on to the new owner. Also kept the important records just in case the new owner wants to get them from me...I know if I found out who owned a vehicle before me, I'd call and get the low down on it...curiosity would motivate me to do this..and I hope they do as they will be happy to talk with me. And I did leave in those great speakers to as they would've been too small for the Tuscon...and too costly to swap. So glad that the last body shop I went to pulled out that fender to save me the over $1300 needed for repair...looked like nothing ever happened afterwards to!
Holding off on my 2014 number as I'm still crunching the #'s in my head but somewhere in the low 20's is going to be my guess as I know we're going to be one of the new buyers, I can just feel it!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

sda

Much to my wife's chagrin, and she doesn't know it yet though I know how she'll react, I plan on replacing our 09 CRV EX L. It has been a joy to own and currently has 79000 miles. Drives and looks new, with new Michelins about 3k ago. Not sure what will replace it, but I'm on a mission.

stever

I'm hoping to skate by one more year. :shades:

There's still a good chance that this old forums software will get retired in the next few months, and if it does, that may attract some new blood and some new punches. Meanwhile I'll go for 26, and if the format and activity changes drastically, we can make some "adjustments".

isellhondas

Seriously, sandman I would toss all of those old receipts.

You may not want the new owner to know who you are.

I know we used to toss anything that tied our trades to the old owner due to privacy laws.

They probably won't care about that quick start guide either.

sda

My mom has claimed I was born with cars in my genes. I have had an interest about them for as long as I can remember . My first car I paid $100 for, a 62 Ford Galaxie 2dr sedan, 292 V8, three on the tree, no power anything. No door review mirror, no back up lights, one speed wipers, no washers. Only luxury was a tube type AM radio. It was ugly, not very fast, handling, ha, but it was my pride and joy at 17. While in college I bought and sold some cars. Bought them cheap, did basic maintenance, thorough clean up and sold for a profit. Great for a poor college student. My favorite was a 65 Olds Cutlass 2dr hardtop. 330V8, 4bbl, buckets, floor tach, 2speed Jetaway transmission. One of my all time favorites was a 70 DeVille convertible. It had all options except the split bench seat. I spent the summer of 82 stripping the paint and changed the color from silver to black. It has a lipstick red leather interior and looked sharp. My dad even picked up his boss at the airport with it as dad's 79 Eldorado diesel was in the shop--again. Hard to believe I have owned 40 plus cars since then. My wife says I am beyond help. I have you guys, right?

carnaught

"Seriously, sandman I would toss all of those old receipts. You may not want the new owner to know who you are. I know we used to toss anything that tied our trades to the old owner due to privacy laws. They probably won't care about that quick start guide either."

Great advice!

carnaught

"Hard to believe I have owned 40 plus cars since then. My wife says I am beyond help. I have you guys, right?"

I have the very same problem. Fortunately, my wife patronizes me, partially due to her loyalty, and partially due to her catching the car bug after all the years of exposure.

abacomike

Seriously, sandman I would toss all of those old receipts.

I agree wholeheartedly with you, isellhondas. Every time I trade a car, I go through the glove box where I keep all my receipts. I even tossed the tint warranty because it had my name and address on it. All service receipts (only 1 or 2) were also tossed.

Not all dealers go through trades with a fine-tooth comb. Since my trades are in immaculate condition, I always tell the General Manager and Sales Manager that if they get a customer who wants to buy my trade, but they insist on contacting the previous owner, that they should call me, give me the customer's phone number and name, and I will call the customer to share with him/her why I traded the car and that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the trade. They have only done that once in all these years, so they do not abuse that at all.

You definitely do not want someone who is trying to buy your trade knowing where you live and your phone number. Every time something goes wrong with the car, you can expect a phone call from the new owner.

Heck, with all the tracking going on using cell phones, emails, etc., you sure don't want someone calling you out of the blue about a car you traded.

abacomike

"Hard to believe I have owned 40 plus cars since then. My wife says I am beyond help. I have you guys, right?"

You certainly have me on your side. There are definitely worse habits a person can possess than buying a new car every year or even sooner. Drugs, gambling, internet sex, picking your nose, eating a whole pizza and drinking two six packs, alcoholism, to name a few, are some really nasty habits. Being a chronic car buyer isn't so bad when you compare it to other possibilities.

houdini1

Mike, I have bought around 57 cars over the years, counting the ones for my two boys, myself and my wife, so I also understand. However, my biggest vice is golf, and thank goodness I also have a very understanding wife. I just tell her to think of the golf club as my adult daycare center.

Sandman6472

Done except the battery,tires and last few services and will dump those in a couple of weeks. Probably not worth calling my sales lady about that quick items book either. Thanks for the advice from all you guys. Probably right that I don't want any folks calling me about the vehicle. The Ford manager called again this morning and had to tell him again, yes, I bought a vehicle and no, I do not want your Ford. He just doesn't seem to get it that I am done here.
Not surprised that my Civic sold so quickly and just a shame that folks don't trust private sellers as much as they do dealers. Would love to know how little the Hyundai store spent on reconditioning it before they put it on their lot...not very much I'd suspect. Bet they only did the oil change and check all the fluids as it didn't need much. It did drive flawlessly to...someone got a nice vehicle yesterday! Funny, I just do not miss it at all so guess the time was right to do this.

The Sandman

Sandman6472

Loved the folks '70 Deville drop top they had, a light blue with a white top. My dad and two of his golf buddies each got Deville convertibles from a store in Orlando and they were driven down to the club where I remember going to pick it up. Ours was blue with white top, another was gold over gold and the last was a white over white which I thought looked the best. Great driver and we did put the top down every chance we got. We drove in the homecoming parades every year, first my older brother and then me and when ever the school needed a convertible, they'd call our house to see if I could get the car from my mom as it was her d d. Was sad the day she let it go in 1972 for that extra large Lincoln Continental 2 door, it was soooo big and those doors were heavy suckers. But she loved it as I recall.

The Sandman

oldfarmer50

"...isn't so bad when you compare it to other possibilities..."

Yeah, but eating pizza and picking your nose is a lot cheaper.

abacomike

However, my biggest vice is golf, and thank goodness I also have a very understanding wife. I just tell her to think of the golf club as my adult daycare center.

I see nothing wrong with golf as a vice. As for car-buying, I've purchased over 70 new cars in my lifetime to date - who knows, maybe 100 - I have no need to know the exact number - but I, too had golf as a vice. When I moved to California in 1990, I was able to indulge in my favorite pastime whenever I wanted. Then, when I moved to Florida, I was able to continue that indulgence until just recently when my back started to go.

There is something about driving a new car that entices me to the dealership. I thought that working in the car business would decrease my interest in new cars - sort of like working in an ice ceam shop decreases one's desire for ice cream - but that didn't work with cars.

So, now that I have depleted my car-buying savings account (I add $500 a month to that account), I must now wait for 2015, at the earliest to purchase another new car. But my health is not good - so who knows if I've purchased my last new car or not. Doctors don't give me too much longer - no cure for what I suffer from - but there is always God and hope!

fintail

I like having old records, the dealer can remove the names if they wish, but the papers are nice.

Back around the turn of the century, when I bought a one owner W126 from a dealer, they gave me a pile of paperwork, nothing edited. Cars since then have included nothing, but the C43 and E55 both had the original owner's info in the manuals. The seller probably didn't even look.

carnaught

Many of your words about car buyer habits can equally apply to me, and very accurately at that.

Sorry about your health problems. All the best...

corvette

Sorry to hear of your health issues. For some reason I thought it was your dad who was ill?

abacomike

Sorry to hear of your health issues. For some reason I thought it was your dad who was ill?

No, Dad is 91, is suffering from macular degeneration of both eyes, his hearing is not great, but he will probably outlive me. I take care of his meals, shopping, getting him to his doctors and his banks and take him to the shopping mall every day to walk for his daily exercise.

I truly believe he is physically so healthy and strong because of the fast paced walks we go on every day. I'll keep doing this for him for as long as I am capable. He's a great guy and deserves to live out his years peacefully and for want of nothing. He is still taking care of his own hygiene needs and refuses to have anyone else prepare his meals, etc.

So long as he is capable of handling his needs, I will hang in there for him.

roadburner

Your dad's outlook and exercise go a long way towards keeping him healthy. So many people give up in their later years and just sit in a chair waiting to die. And they usually don't have to wait for long.

nippononly

The SI is a 2013. This car is fantastic, I find myself going way out of the way on my commutte, going to the store, whatever, just to get more seat time. I know they say the SI now is a less exciting version of the ones in the past (8000 rpm redline is gone, etc), but it still revs to 7000+ and it is an absolute blast.

Plus, I had to buy ONE model that is only sold with a manual, to support the cause, before the manual slips into history entirely. ;-)

I have had several SIs in the past, both Civic and CRX, and loved them all, but this is the first one I have ever bought new. Highly recommended... :-)

nippononly

Funny you should mention "cheap gas"! There is a bill before the House of Representatives which would raise the Federal Gas Tax significantly (like 30 +/- cents a gallon)...

Don't forget, it has been stuck at $0.18/gallon for more than 20 years now, so not only is the proposed amount not a huge increase over the old amount, but it has not been scaled to inflation so it is less effective with every passing year.

I'm no fan of taxes, but I'm also really sick and tired of the terrible roads.

nippononly

The dealer I traded my Yaris to put it on the lot for $14,5 after doing nothing at all - they didn't even remove a bumper sticker I had on it. They gave me $10,5 in trade, I wrote them a check for $1500 for the negative equity to get out of the lease ($1500 well spent to get out of that car, it seemed crappier every day I had to drive it, really disliked that car).

And of course the advertised price of $14,5 is an "internet special, reduced from $14,998!!!!!!!". The car business seems like a real good racket to be in...

oldfarmer50

"...tired of terrible roads..."

And you think that extra money will actually go towards roads? Dream on.

imidazol97

>Don't forget, it has been stuck at $0.18/gallon for more than 20 years now, so not only is the proposed amount not a huge increase over the old amount, but it has not been scaled to inflation so it is less effective with every passing year.

This has been discussed on some shows I've heard. The gas tax from federal and state taxes have not been used for the repair, maintenance, and improvement of the current roads and bridges. 25% has been directed toward building walking trails and other things that are "nice" environmentally or for PR, but they are not the purpose of the original gas taxes.

Let's direct 100% of the gas tax toward the purpose intended before increasing it.

crkyolfrt

I was curious before, but am even more so now that you mention it again so unequivocally...list all the ways that you disliked the Yaris..even the little things. There was a time within the last year I had considered getting a used one as a second car. An auto (so that I would not be stranded if I happened to break a leg) so since yours was a stick, that would be one significant thing at least that you surely DID like, cuz the autos are real dogs/gas guzzlers. Please do not list these dislikes with the comparo thoughts now of the new SI, but rather the dislikes before you got the SI.

It sounds like it was not as good a car as your older Echo was..I think you had an Echo a couple years ago, no??