Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

corvette

We've only been keeping track of the punches since 2012, so the timeframe for the "most total punches" award would be limited. Also, our data is in a Google Document format, so it's something that would have to be calculated/updated by hand. It appears that breld has the most punches so far for 2013.

roadburner

Congrats and welcome!!!

carnaught

Let's hope HHS Secr. Silly-us doesn't have anything to do with the new updated website.

roadburner

Today I had eight cases to hear in Maysville KY- @140 miles away. After that I drove another 60 miles to the teeming metropolis of Florence KY where I have an all day Family Court DNA(Dependency, Neglect, and Abuse) docket tomorrow.So... I decided to take the 159,000 mile 2004 X3, as I won't get to drive it again for about a month(No. 1 son comes home from SC tomorrow). I have to admit that I was spoiled by the heated seats and wheel. It's one of the early trucks that came with the stiff suspension, so as a result it handles pretty well- and even the automatic is okay if you know how to work around its shortcomings. Anyways, I kicked back and geezed along at 9 mph over the speed limit all the way.
I hope this doesn't lead to me checking out a 7 Series or an A8... :P

Michaell

Most expensive has to be Mike's CLS550.

Michaell

Just finished a short road trip - 300 or so miles to the middle of Colorado and back. The CX-7 worked quite well - part of the trip was over a pass where the road was still covered in snow and ice. Next to the Arkansas River.

Probably got low 20's for MPG.

fintail

Is there an ETA yet on the new site? Or will it be between 24 and 2400 hours?

And congrats to jpp on the new ride. I've seen some decent lease ads for those on TV already.

breld

Those would all be great choices. I agree with trying to get four doors, or at least a backseat, on the fun car. Makes it much more flexible when you have kids.

I'm starting to see a few used accord sports on the market for right around $19-20k. Definitely a lot of car for the money.

I'll be interested to hear your impressions.

roadburner

My wife liked the CX-7 a lot but-like me-she has zero use for the local Mazda dealers and she doesn't want to have to drive 100 miles away to get competent service...

Michaell

I'm pretty lucky to have two decent Mazda dealers - one in Colorado Springs and the other in the south Denver suburbs.

stickguy

I know what you mean about geezering. Maybe it was turning 50, but I don't think I could live with a real "sports" car at this point. A decent ride is nice! and of course, comfy seats and all the goodies are a must.

I also can't deal with anything too low slung on a regular basis. A weekend toy sure, but for regular use, something reasonably "mature" and comfortable is the way to go for me.

still, to me that probably means an ILX or a Jetta 1.8t or some such. Though if I could get an ES350 cheap enough...

stickguy

Have been in NY by myself the last few days (dealing with family (parental) medical stuff. fun fun). So to kill time after getting something to eat, popped into a few dealers. First the Honda, just to check out the new accord.

sat in one in the showroom. Not sure about the dash screens (though to be fair, did not seem them lit). Nice seats though. And what surprised me, is that I was attracted to the style, because it was the 2 door body. Looked pretty good, and seemed decently roomy in the back seat and trunk. Need to drive one of these.

not sure what this one would have cost real world. It was a 4 cyl AT EX-L navi. MSRP about 30.9, and it was a 2013. Odd duck probably. THough did not like it in white.

then I stopped at Buick. Did not enjoy the experience, and the car was outside so hard to see. Interior I guess was OK. WIll need to see in daylight to really form an opinion. They did start the engine, and was not impressed by the sound quality of the 2.4l. Liked the ILX better.

If I have time tomorrow (probably won't) I will stop at the VW dealer I drive by to scope out the upgraded 2014 Jetta. Sign and drive is cool, but I doubt the SE + connectivity and moonroof (or an SEL which is almost the same thing) is going to cost $189/mo, otherwise I would take one home with me!

laurasdada

Hi: Congrats on the CLS and the deal! Why no Jag?

I hope the forums don't become "read only" for another couple of weeks. If I can't post about my potential punch, I ain't buyin'!!!

stever

For you and Fin (and everyone else), we're hoping for ~48 hours of downtime while stuff is moved over.

hehehe.....

(Rumor has it that Kirstie is bugging out for Mexico or somewhere as soon as they pull the switch. Smart woman).

oldfarmer50

"...most expensive has to be Mike's..."

Bet mine's the cheapest!

Been meaning to ask you, what do your tips average as a percentage of the pizza bill? I use to tip 15% just like in a restaurant but I wonder if I was being too cheap considering car costs.

abacomike

We've only been keeping track of the punches since 2012

I bought a 2013 Lexus GS350 in April, 2012, a 2013 E350 in Sept., 2013, then the 2014 E350 in April, 2013 and finally the 2014 CLS. Corvette, do you have all of those?

Michaell

Been meaning to ask you, what do your tips average as a percentage of the pizza bill? I use to tip 15% just like in a restaurant but I wonder if I was being too cheap considering car costs.

For all the metrics I do track on my tips, that is one calculation I've not done. In general, I would say that folks do not tip the pizza guy like they do a server in a restaurant. Some folks tip $2 or $3, regardless of the size of the order, while in bad weather I often get tips that can be 40-50% of the order total.

Rule of thumb is that I expect to average $3 per order; anything over that is gravy.

Also, I've found that the holiday season finds folks in more of a giving mood.

qbrozen

Bet mine's the cheapest!

wait... which one was that? My volvo was 2012, so I know that's not in contention. When was stick's beater? I think that was like $1500-$2k, IIRC. I'm not sure if that was 2013, though. It goes by so quick.

Oh, wait, I just went back and found the list. Yeah, yours must be the cheapest...unless we only count OOP for the year.

jpp75

It's a 2014, the color is Graphite Shadow, which is basically gray. Interior is black. This wasn't my first color combo choice but now that I have it I really like it in person. The color palette for the Q50 really isn't that great. I generally like blue or a gray/brown but all they have is a baby blue and a really dark brown that I didn't care for.

oldfarmer50

"...$3 per order..."

Oh good. Now I don't feel like a piker.

oldfarmer50

"...stick's beater..."

Must have missed that one. What did he get for $1500-2000? I remember someone on another board who got a Honda for $1000 and sold it a month later for $2000.

corvette

"…all day Family Court DNA(Dependency, Neglect, and Abuse) docket…"

I think I threw up a little in my mouth just then… :P Glad you're enjoying the X3.

corvette

I didn't have the 2012 purchases, but do now. You're definitely keeping the Florida car dealers in business!

jpp75

Thanks! Here's the details and my thoughts on a few comparisons I made along the way.

My car is a 2014 Graphite Shadow Q50 hybrid AWD Premium (which means no sport package). They only offer two option packages, the Nav (which I didn't really want but like all others it gets wrapped into other things you DO want) and then the Deluxe Tech Package, which is the one I was really interested in. It has the Dynamic Cruise Control, lane departure assist, forward braking, etc.

Infiniti currently has $3,250 in lease assistance on the Q50, which was a big help. Plus we were eligible for VPP pricing, although based on some of the numbers I saw on hang tags on the lot you can easily get a couple of thousand off MSRP on any Q50 out there. MSRP was $53,800 and cap cost ended up being $48,100 with taxes, fees, etc. included. I did a 39 month lease, payment is $564/mo ($538 base plus sales tax of $16 each month) and I get 15k per year. I don't have the residual and money factor in front of me but I know they were in line with what I read online. In general it's a heck of a lot more car for just $150/mo more than the G37x I was driving.

My first impressions are great, the G37 was a fun car, but the engine was a bit coarse. I drove the regular/gas Q50 and they have made significant improvements in the engine noise, still the same power but just more refined and a little more efficient. The hybrid really appealed to me for the extra torque from the electric motor and just overall driving dynamics and so far I'm very happy with it.

Here's a few other cars I drove/considered, but in the end the Q50 Hybrid was far and away my personal favorite.

Lexus IS 350 - Great car, loved the styling and I did love that it had ventilated seats. A little perk I like and isn't offered on the Q50. After driving it though I just wasn't wowed, it drove well, had decent power and was quieter than the Q50 but it was just a touch boring for me. I'm sure it would have been a fine choice but it just didn't grab me the way the Q50 Hybrid did. Plus I really wanted the adaptive/dynamic cruise and apparently that's a special order on any IS350, not sure why.

BMW 328d - I mainly drove this for the mileage comparison between the diesel and the hybrid. I wasn't very impressed, I suspect the 335d that NYC had as a loner is definitely the way to go. The interior seemed very spartan after the Infiniti and Lexus, I guess in some ways it's "clean" but it just seemed very plain and a bit cheap. Plus that "mini iPad" stuck on the dash like the CLA bugged me. Definitely personal preference on that but I couldn't get used to it. Overall the 328d wasn't that impressive, you could definitely feel it's 4 cylinder routes and while there was torque to be found it wasn't impressive to me.

Volvo S60 - The new 2014 design appealed to me, so added this since it's such a great bargain. A very competent car, drove fine and I liked the new adaptive dash, but not something I think I would truly love driving for 3 years.

Mercedes CLA - Just did a short drive in this one, I wasn't wowed with the back end styling in person and the entry/exit out of the back seat was horrible. A decent car overall but not at all what I was looking for, and as with the BMW that screen on the dash just looks odd to me. I started to try out a C Class but I've had those for rentals and while I liked it I would have been much more interested in the diesel that's coming with the redesign, so I knew it wasn't a serious contender and didn't bother.

So in the end the Q50 hybrid was the car for me, definitely worth driving for anyone looking in this segment.

carnaught

"I bought a 2013 Lexus GS350 in April, 2012, a 2013 E350 in Sept., 2013, then the 2014 E350 in April, 2013 and finally the 2014 CLS."

Wow, awesome.....and I thought I was a "frequent flyer".

nyccarguy

I was talking about 2013 only. Definitely going to wait to put my guess in until 2013 is all over & done with!

nyccarguy

Hysterical as always! I'd love to hear you hand down some of your decisions one day.

I too am going to miss edmunds for however short or long its going to be down. Will the new format be compatible with smart phone (because I spend way too much time here anyway, but what's a few minutes hours more)?

rayainsw

'The hybrid really appealed to me for the extra torque from the electric motor '
Thanks for taking the time to write that up!
The TQ is also the primary reason I'd look at their hybrid.
I was hoping the V6 would be fitted with a turbo or
supercharger this time around - for the same reason...
- Ray
TQ addict.

abacomike

"...$3 per order..."

Oh good. Now I don't feel like a piker.

Thanks, guys, now I feel like a piker! Most of the Pizza's we order from local Pizzerias have a delivery charge of $2.00 - $2.50 per delivery. Thus, I only tip the delivery guy $2.00. If there was no delivery charge (like with some Pizzerias) I tip $3.00.

For a Chinese Food Delivery, I tip $2.00. But of course, in the restaurant, I try to use 15% for 1 or 2 people, 20% for 3 or more. If the service is better than expected, I tip additional bucks for that.

CORRECTION

I bought a 2013 GS350 in April, 2012 (worst car I've owned in years), a 2013 E350 in September, 2012, a 2014 E350 in April, 2013, and now the 2014 CLS550 in November, 2013. Sorry for the typo.

abacomike

It's a 2014, the color is Graphite Shadow

Is that Graphite Shadow a darker Steel Grey or is it a medium or light gray? I have found that the dark greys show just as much dirt, spots and scratches as dark blue or black. That is why I shy away from dark grey. Also the hot Florida sun bakes on those darker colors with no let up in the summer.

The CLS550 is Palladium Silver which is a lighter, medium grey, as opposed to the dark steel grey they offer.

The Q50, IMHO, is one of the sharpest looking cars on the road right now. Great lines - similar to the M series - and the interior is sharp looking as well - but Infiniti is known for their attention to detail and styling. But their engines are like tigers - huge horsepower out of their 6 cylinder engines, and even their new 4 cylinder engines outperform most.

Enjoy!

Michaell

Thanks, guys, now I feel like a piker! Most of the Pizza's we order from local Pizzerias have a delivery charge of $2.00 - $2.50 per delivery. Thus, I only tip the delivery guy $2.00. If there was no delivery charge (like with some Pizzerias) I tip $3.00.

I think I've mentioned this before, but want to make sure everyone understands the economics.

Every delivery order for our store is assessed a $1.50 delivery charge. Half of that is for the store, the other half for the driver, which I collect at the end of the night along with my tips.

Last Friday I made 16 deliveries, so in addition to the tips I collected $12 in "mileage" (that's what we call it, though the $.75 per run in no way comes close to what we actually drive).

Mike - don't worry too much about how much you're tipping. I've been doing this part time for over 5 years and I've learned that nothing - nothing - can be assumed about the size of a tip you'll get on any given run.

Size of order - nope. I've been stiffed on orders of various sizes and I've been given tips over 50% of the order size.

Economic demographics - again, nope. The town I live in has both low income housing as well as a gated community with million dollar homes. I've gotten great tips in lousy neighborhoods and lousy tips in great neighborhoods.

In short - it all averages out in the long run. I don't get too down when I get stiffed nor do I get too excited when I get a large tip.

stickguy

that was my 2000 Integra. But it was bought in December 2012. And cost $2,700. Sold it in June 2013 for the same price.

stickguy

can't wait for the new platform!

Sandman6472

Ran into the old boss and some of the old crew at Miami airport Friday night...very awkward! The boss and a close friend, so I thought, ignored me while others shook my hand and wished me well. Very strange way to end friday the 13th but karma is a [non-permissible content removed] sometimes! So far, like the new company though the commute is a bit longer so the petrol expense will be going up a bit. Ah, such is life! Think I will be happier in the long run. Also, Hertz is not to be unfortunately and I am a bit upset by that chain of events but I will find something, eventually.
Was talking with the wife and she said I should've got that BMW drop top as a toy after all! WHAT??? She said sure, why not! I was flabergasted really but who knows if she really meant it...hindsight is always perfect huh. Oh well, still loving the Tuscon as it has everything I wanted and it drives so smoothly with the 2.4 engine and hopefully the mileage will move up a few points after the break in period. Sitting a bit higher is really nice and ingress/egress is super easy now. A very nice vehicle!!!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

Michaell

OK we seem to be back on-line! Hope all the CCBA folks find us so we can continue the conversation.

Wonder if there were any punches in the few days it took us to migrate. Last I checked, we were at 29 punches for the year and the guesses for 2014 were trickling in.

roadburner

If our local Mini dealer wasn't quite so sketchy I'd give this sled a hard look:

Michaell

Is that BRG? Not sure how I feel about the gold in the wheels.

roadburner

@Michaell@Edmunds said:
Is that BRG? Not sure how I feel about the gold in the wheels.

It is a BRG Cooper S with alcantara sports seats, Xenons, CWP, and H-K audio. It's a demo w/1200 miles.
The wheels aren't my favorite color, but I could live with them. But I don't know if the front spoiler and side skirts would survive my gravel drive:

nyccarguy

Howdy Folks! Nice to see you all!

roadburner

Another temptation- a 2001 328i M Sport manual with virtually every option- I'd even put up with the AWD:

au1994

Hello All!

Good to be back! Takes a bit of getting used to but so far things seem pretty user friendly. Lets see how many punches we had while we were locked out!

Enjoyed reading the hosts profiles. Michaell...I too have a mini doxie at home or maybe he has me living in his house. We're still working that part out.

Kirstie_H

@au1994

And who knew you'd arrive here looking like a pirate? When you get a chance, go to your profile and edit it. You can add a pic as your avatar, and/or a signature. Don't like seeing signatures? You can hide others' signatures there too.

corvette

Wow, we're back! Still trying to figure out how to follow a discussion, can't seem to find "My Watched Items" on the new platform. I assume clicking the star up at the top of the board will do the trick.

RB, I really like that 328i M-sport wagon.

tifighter

I dig that BMW wagon. A lot. Had that been available a few months back...

tifighter

@corvette said:
Wow, we're back! Still trying to figure out how to follow a discussion, can't seem to find "My Watched Items" on the new platform. I assume clicking the star up at the top of the board will do the trick.

RB, I really like that 328i M-sport wagon.

Yeah, looks like the star adds it to 'my bookmarks'. It's a brave new world.

abacomike

New Format Takes Some Getting Used To

After figuring out how to post, I still feel like a fish out of water. Will need to practice reading and posting.

nyccarguy

It's not that bad roadburner. The AWD actually does come in handy __

oldfarmer50

Is this how you post? Don't like change.

stever

Don't like change? Just remember which discussion you are posting in (and just think about how often folks in here change cars).

Give it a few days and it'll feel more like broken in seat leather. And welcome back!

Mr_Shiftright

@roadburner said:
If our local Mini dealer wasn't quite so sketchy I'd give this sled a hard look:

You can paint those wheels, no problem. Looks like my car otherwise! Is CWP the "cold weather package"? That's a good option to have.