Looks like the service department got it right the 3rd time. No rattles, shakes, groans or clunks from the front end.
I suppose that if any good came out of all of this, the dealer service manager was the guy shuttling me to and from work this past week. Got to know him pretty good - I'm hoping that it will come in handy down the road.
With 3 Saturns now in the family, it surely can't hurt.
BTW, has anyone here played with OnStar? It came with the ION we just picked up for our daughter and I have to say I'm pretty impressed. Right now we get the "Safe and Sound" package for the first year, then it's $16.95/mo after that.
She also gets 30 free phone minutes for the first 2 months and there is an introductory offer of $14.99 for an additional 100 minutes. Now, compared to our cell phone plan, that's pretty expensive, but since the kid doesn't use her cell phone in the car, it might be a good way to keep track of her when she's commuting to/from college. It's about 90-100 miles each way.
Anyway, just wanted to know what others thought of the product.
I envy all you folks who buy cars every year. I am stuck with same car for 5 years now. I put >100k mi and maintained it well. It prolly will run forever
How do you satisfy the craving for a new car without buying a new car? :confuse: Wifey is in the lets-drive-this-to-ground mode right now :mad:
Work for a car dealership. So far this year I have had four different official Demos and more then a dozen cars I have taken home just for the night or weekend.
I feel your pain. Your wife and mine sound like sisters. The secret is wearing her down little by little. And it works - I seldom make it five years in one vehicle. I'm on about a 3 to her one ratio so far.
For me it's the thrill of the hunt that makes it so much fun, so I, like many others here at CCBA, help my friends and family members whenever they're looking for new wheels. I guess you might call it vicarious car buying.
How do you satisfy the craving for a new car without buying a new car?
Read the car mags--they're pornography for car nuts. (Which can also make you feel worse, I suppose). And realize that every car purchase can turn out great--or not. Esp. if what you already have is reliable & not giving you problems.......
I know this may be heresy here, but sometimes, following the dictum "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", is by far the best plan. Meanwhile, you can save your $$ & fantasize about the next new vehicle......
you could always try leaving the keys in the ignition in a bad neighborhood. Your old beater is some one else's shinny new wheels.
I'm with jeffry on this, you need to start wearing her down earlier than 100k. First you start with the uncomfortable seats, than it's poor gas mileage, than these seats are hurting my back. By the time you reach 20k she will be begging you to get a new car just to stop the whining.
This morning at the office, I got, "is your car in the shop, or did you just go ahead and dump it?" :P This despite the fact that the X3 has "courtesy vehicle" written on the back window.
...but the wife and I were talking over the weekend and she said that if I wanted to trade in the L300 on something else, I could do so.
She's thinking that since I suffer from CCBA I should just lease and get a new car every 2-3 years.
Pros: 1) A new car every 2-3 years. 2) Always in warranty.
Cons: 1) The L300 only has 16 payments left on it, and then it'll be mine. It has less than 50K on it, though I'm adding miles at the rate of 1300-1500 per month. 2) Not sure what I would replace it with. I would want the payments to be less than the L ($464/mo). 3) Would never not have a car payment.
CCBA vs. fiscal responsibility. Man, what a dilemma.
Didn't really notice--I drove it home at low speeds during a torrential downpour, so my concentration didn't focus on the ride of the car. I think it's softer than my 3-series with runflats. I'll report back after I've driven it under more ideal conditions.
I did notice that the engine in the X3 is noisier than its counterpart in the last-generation 3-series. The dual-pane moonroof is a nice touch.
I was suprised to see in CR the poor reliability ratings of some Saturn models (altho didn't one of yours need quite a few repairs?). So owning a Saturn out-of-warranty doesn't seem like a great idea (to me).
But I would hate never-ending car payments as well. If you're putting on a lot of miles, would you consider buying a (different) brand you could run up to 100K miles or so w/o worrying too much about repairs?
1) The L300 only has 16 payments left on it, and then it'll be mine. It has less than 50K on it, though I'm adding miles at the rate of 1300-1500 per month.
I dropped my '03 Maxima, with 34k miles on it off at the dealer today to get its oil changed. I made the mistake of sitting in a '07 Max.. man, did they fix the seats. I always felt like my car's seats were just a touch too narrow, well, they widened it out a good 3-4" or so. The interior is greatly improved over the '04-'06 as well. It was easily better than the Acura TL I looked at back in January (Auto Show). It was weird, I actually got a BMW vibe.. probably because the interior was completely jet-black. The TL and previous Maximas had all kinds of titanium/silver accents inside. The whole thing felt substantial and really well put together.
The weirdest thing was looking in the cupholder, and seeing only a keyfob. On the dash was this thing you turn to start the engine.. no key required!
Too bad my wife is 1. having a baby next month (for a total of 2), and 2. buying a new car next year, since the lease on her Explorer will be up.
Kids are the ultimate CCB cure, although it's funny you all were talking Hot Wheels/Matchbox a few posts back. My 2 YO had been stealing cars from his daycare, so when we went grocery shopping on Saturday I let him pick out a couple plus a playset.
The (Matchbox, ironically the Hot Wheels playsets were junk) playset came with a Jeep Commander, and he selected two Matchbox cars. Out of the dozens of cars he had to choose from, he picked two differently colored Audi TTs. Let's just say I'm glad I opened his college savings account last month, LOL!
One strange thing I noticed is that Mattel now makes Matchbox AND Hot Wheels. I wonder when they bought the company, and more importantly, why they still make both.
CCBA vs. fiscal responsibility. Man, what a dilemma.
Yup. That's the standard problem we all face (well, unless some here are ridiculously wealthy).
I went through this decision a few months ago and decided to swap for the lease. I've been avoiding it for so long, thinking that I was being smart by buying my cars ... but no matter what I buy, I can't seem to keep it for more than a few years, so what am I really saving? As a matter of fact, I think it was costing me more. So we'll see how the leasing goes.
Here is a pro you may have missed, though. You pretty much HAVE to keep the car throughout the lease period (or incur a major hit to the wallet). What I mean is, with the last 3 cars I purchased, none stayed in my stable for more than 9 months. So the lease will force me to keep the car longer.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I've been down the lease road before, so I'm well aware of the issues you mention. To do a lease, I'd have to get 15K of miles per year.
Ironically, the local chain of AutoNation dealerships here in Denver (under the John Elway brand name) is currently offering 110% of NADA book on all trades.
Looked up the L300 on the nada website and came up with a trade value of 11725 - 110% of that is 12897. I owe about 7400 on it, so I've got about 5400 in equity.
Elway has the following brands:
Buick Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ford GMC Honda Hyundai Jeep Mazda Nissan Pontiac Scion Subaru Toyota
Thinking about buying instead of leasing to get around the mileage limitation and to get a car that is now in warranty.
woody - yep, the L is what just had $1800 worth of repairs in the past few months.
For what it's worth, I'm enjoying the freedom of just having paid off my 03 Altima. I've got my first baby on the way so I figured that I could use the extra $375 a month. The car has 36k so I figure that I'm looking at at least 5 years of payment free living... long enough to get the baby into school.
My wife and I went to the mall for a new vacuum yesterday and sprung for the Dyson. $399 is alot for a vacuum, but it's the best and without having the car payment this month, it didn't hurt that much.
I've found to squash the CCB urge, for a little while, at least, is to give my car a good, thorough cleaning, both inside and out. It's amazing what a difference a clean car can make! Now this trick might not work for everyone, so YMMV.
I actually just gave my newly paid for car a good washing inside and out yesterday. It was especially sweet to look at it afterward and know that it's free and clear.
went to the mall for a new vacuum yesterday and sprung for the Dyson
Did you consider a miele vacuum cleaner? They're the most expensive, made in Germany, have all kinds of Hepa filters, & are the sexiest vacuums imo. A few years ago I convinced myself that I HAD to have a top-of-the-line miele, which is like $1000 new. I mean, this baby was loaded, it had headlights, miniature attachments to vacuum audio or camera gear & such, you name it. Fortunately, sanity prevailed, & I kept my 20-25 year old Sears & Panasonic vacuums, which are both still working great (knock wood!).
Congrats on paying off the Altima--must feel good.
I wouldn't consider a $1000 vacuum if I hit lotto. I just wanted one that was capable of keeping up my modest sized house and was bagless. Once I got into the high 2's, I figured might as well go for the Dyson for $399. My first run with the Dyson was pretty impressive. It pulled up all sorts of crap that the old one was completely missing. It seems pretty well constructed so it should last as longer than the car, I hope.
I washed the L yesterday too and, while driving around at lunch today, I'm inclined to keep it. I need to get after the interior - the black carpeting is starting to show a bit of dirt.
I hate to admit it, but the last time I had a car that was paid off was when I went off to college in 1983 - paid off the '79 Sunbird I had bought as a senior in HS. After graduating college in 1985, I bought a year old Accord and have had a car payment ever since. Is that a sign of a true CCB?
The other motivation to keep the car is to have some extra money to (perhaps) buy a larger house in the next couple of years. Of course, with the daughter heading off to college in a few weeks, it will be just the wife and I, and how much house does a couple really need? We've also thought about buying the kid a townhouse or condo up in Ft. Collins as an investment ....
But, I gotta admit, it's fun to look online. And with a bunch of dealers not more than a 10 minute drive from my office, I can always check something out in person if the desire strikes.
I've gotten far enough along with my 2002 Honda Accord that I'm about to pay it off early. Maaayyyyybe thinkin about that payment that I'm not shelling out every month will curb my automotive wanderlust... or just put the Subaru lust on hold.
My dad just bought a blue 06 TL. If I had known he was in themarket for a TL, I woulda bought one too when was getting my TSX. Of course Anony, with her enabling butt, is like "I'll take the TSX and you can get rid of the Accord for one". She's a loon.
at how good my Intrepid still looks once it's washed and waxed and cleaned up real nice inside. Especially when you figure that it's almost 7 years old, had about 120,000 miles on it, and is silver. Remember how once upon a time silver would fade and crack and crows-foot in record time?
Oh, and this December will mark my second year of being payment-free. Woo-hoo! That's $347.66 per month I haven't had to shell out for car payments. And if you add up everything I've had to put in the car since the final payment, with the exception of gas and insurance, I doubt if I've had to put $500 into it since then.
Yeah, I keep thinking that same way about the L. With 49K on the clock now and averaging about 1400 miles a month, I figure it will have 70-75K on it when the last payment is made.
If (and it's a big if) everything holds together and it doesn't need any more big $$$ repairs, another couple of years after that would put me around 105K.
At that point, the VUE will be close to being paid off - we went with the 6 year loan as the wife is the anti-CCB; I know she'll keep her car for 10 years if we take care of it.
Again, one of the things that I like about the Saturn is that the side panels won't have any door dings or anything like that. Keep 'em clean and change the fluids regularly ought to do just fine.
Should I renounce my membership?
OTOH, I priced out an ION Quad Coupe. For under $20K, I can get the 170HP 2.4 engine, sunroof, ABS/TC, stick shift and XM radio. Saturn is offering 10% off; I wonder if I can combine that with my GM Supplier discount, use the 4 or 5 grand of equity and get one for about $13K?
q....I'm going through the same thing myself. I've got the TL (I know you warned me) several months ago and find myself eyeballing some BMW's, Lexi and Audis (actually getting close on a BMW 330i).
I can't make myself lease, though. Several years ago, I made up a spreadsheet for myself comparing the financials of leasing vs buying after 12-24,36-48 & 60 mos. Buying made more financial sense in every scenario.
You dumped the Lincoln for the Accord, right (or was it the Volvo)?
Nice...I used to work for Galileo before they were bought out by Cendant who shipped my job off to India. We had GM Supplier and Ford X-Plan, but never pulled the trigger like I should have
is doing employee pricing right now. It's never too late for a good deal for a true CCBA'er.
Yup, that is a pretty good deal. It started about 6 days before I picked up my 06 Ram. We bought both of our trucks using that. With my ordered 06 Ram I had a choice of keeping the deal I had (2% over invoice and a $3000 rebate) or going with the employee pricing and $1500 rebate. I chose the latter since it saved me another $1100 on the truck, almost paid for the exhaust brake I had installed.
Washed the black beast yesterday, today it looks like it hasn't been washed in a week.......ugh, guess that's what I get for buying black. Sure is pretty. I did manage to get pictures of it while it was clean though.
I'm a Honda guy, but was never in the position to buy a Pilot...but with my little bit of equity in the Mazda minivan and the recent dealer cash on Pilots, its tempting.
I did just have it detailed....wow, so much nicer.
It needs new tires and some brakes....31,000 miles in 4 years....
My friend is 33...on car number 19, he just scored a Honda Fit and almost had me trade in my 05 Scion xB....but glad he bought the Fit....too small for my needs.
I'm going to the dealer tomorrow....hope they lowball me on my trade and hit me up for full MSRP....that way I will walk..........we shall see.
That means you "shud" have $8,322.48 sitting somewhere in a savings account... somehow, it doesn't work that way, at least it doesn't for me.
I've only had one car with payments on it, at $555.55. Paid it off last year, and it feels like I have an extra $200/month or so. NO IDEA where the other $300 are going.
I would guess if you are like most you have an extra $100 going for gas and maybe another $50 for heat and A/C.
I have'nt had a car payment on my car for 15 years. I figure I should have a drawer with $55k sitting in it, but all I have is a 4 year old Escape worth maybe $12k.
My wife's cars have had a payment for the past 10 years, but hers will be done in 18 mos.(0 % interest so no incetive to pay it off early).The smart thing to do would be to up my automatic savings deduction by thet amount , but for some reason I am sure that ain't going to happen.
On my way home from work yesterday, I called the salesman who sold us the ION last month. Asked if he had an ION 3 Quad coupe with the 2.4L engine. He looked; nothing like that on the lot.
He did mention that they still had the "Fast 'n' Furious" ION Quad Coupe (bodykit, graphics, big wing, etc.) on the lot.
I passed.
RE: employee pricing at DC -- not sure what they make that I like enough to pull the trigger. If I were to do this (and it's a big if), I'd probably stick to something in the low 20's at most. That way, the equity in the L would bring the amount financed into the high teens and keep my payment reasonable.
Have a friend of mine in St. Louis. Bought a 1992 Toyota Camry new. Paid about $11k in cash.
In 2000, as he approached 100k, he decided that he was going to start putting away $350/ month in a mutual fund for his next vehicle. After all, it is better to have the money ready.
Called me the other day. Has $42k in the account. Wonders how much a new Camry will cost him as his car has a small oil leak ...
You may not have a car payment, but you do have car costs. The way I see it what you have been doing while making your car (loan) payments is prepaying for the use you will have of the car after you stop the payments. So yes, you are not making payments, but that's because you have already paid.
I've got the TL (I know you warned me) several months ago and find myself eyeballing some BMW's, Lexi and Audis (actually getting close on a BMW 330i).
Oh, man, already? haha. Do you think it would be different if you had gotten the 6-speed?
I traded the Lincoln on the Accord. I just sold the volvo outright on Ebay. I do miss the volvo. Best car I ever owned.
I've been stuck in the "i'll never lease again" mentality for so long now that I wasn't realizing the kind of penalties I was incurring by buying and trading so often. I have been buying used, though, so that was helping somewhat. Actually, the Accord is my first brand new car since I leased my last vehicle ('99 Mazda 626).
Anyway, as I mentioned before, I'm hoping that the restrictions of leasing will serve me 2-fold. One is that I get to look for another vehicle in 3 years, without guilt. Two is that I have to WAIT 3 years for another vehicle.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
q....I know how I am. The TL isn't a bad car. Matter of fact, it's quite good. I'm reserving my manual transmission buying to cars like the Mustang (I'm on the list at my local Ford dealer to have right of first refusal on a GT500), or a Porsche...or a 'vette.
I can't get over the FWD "quirks" after having RWD cars for so long. Every time I "air it out", that tug in the steering wheel makes me nuts. The manual tranny would have just exascerbated the issue. NOthing anyone can do about it. It's the nature of the beast.
While the TL is no slouch when it comes to the luxury dept, the German iron seems to be in a whole other league. Drove an A6 V8 last night. Mercy! It's a big heavy car, but man can it scoot. Fit/finish and materials are also in a different league, too. Audi is going through some questionable reliablity concerns, though.
The BMW 330i has all that, is just as fast, but smaller (which appeals to me). Plus, it seems very connected to the driver. I don't know what the differences are between the earlier versions of I-Drive and the one on the 330i, but it's better to use than the navi on the TL. I don't have to take my eyes off the road to use it. Fit/finish and materials are most impressive. Ride/handling trade-off is just about perfect. No maintenance charges, either.
Lexus IS 350 is the fastest of the bunch, but everything else disappoints. It rides hard. Handling, while good, isn't any better than the TL (except for no torque steer). I've driven two of them. Both had rattles galore....the first one only had 8 miles on it, too....quite unlike Lexus. It's a bit smaller (by my feel) than the 330i (IS is almost too small).
I'll lose about $800 and change on the TL. I bought it "right" when new....current model. It only has 7K miles on it. Got a neighbor who wants to buy it from me. He knows I only keep my cars for about a year (sometimes less) and keep them in tip-top shape.
Audi dealer is offering $9K off on the A6 (i guess they are trying to clear the '06s off the lot....he's only got 3 left). BMW is a little harder to deal with....about $2,500 off the 330i (but lower sticker).
The vaunted Lexus dealer experience has been a disappointment for me. The IS 350 cost about the same as the 330i comparing MSRP. But, you'd think they were dealing in precious metals when trying to get a good deal. It's not like they don't have at least 8 of them sitting on the lot (they do...the've been sitting there for about a month and only sold one of them).
I'm getting 3-4 phone calls a day from the different dealers trying to coax me back into their showrooms.
Right now, I'm leaning towards the 330i, with the Audi as 2nd choice.
Probably do something this weekend.
You liking the Accord? What model did you get? Options?
I leased once a long time ago. After getting through with all the disposal fees, lessor fees, getting dinged for the smallest of paint chips, I swore I'd never do it again. I couldn't believe I had to pay nearly $1,000 just for the privilege of sending the car back to the leasing company.
Yeah, i've heard good and bad with lease terminations. Its all about the institution, I suppose. I know, for instance, my wife's Mitsubishi was a pain to get rid of. Honda has a specific clause in their contract about how much damage is allowed, etc. So I'm hoping it goes well 3 years from now.
Have you checked out the G35? RWD, stick, and a touch of luxo. Might fit the bill, and at a whole lot less than the audi/bmw. But, then again, you might not find it so nice inside. They seem to have put more in the chassis than the details to keep the price down.
My accord is the 6-speed, so my only choice was Nav or no nav (much like the TL). I like the Nav, but couldn't justify $40 per month extra. So I went without.
funny you mentioned the RWD thing. I almost went into it in my last post, but stopped. here's my problem ... I was quite happy with the Volvo. But it got a bit old and I got a big raise at work, so my wife figured it was Ok for me to get a fun car and keep the volvo for bad weather, etc. In comes the 350Z. I don't think we need to rehash my love of that car. Anyway, in comes baby, out goes Z, and in comes Lincoln LS. I keep the RWD, keep the low off-the-line torque, but give up the stick and give up good gas mileage. Hmmmm... I come to find out I'm not quite so happy about that decision. So out goes Lincoln and in comes the Accord. HUGE improvement in gas mileage, get back my stick, its even faster than the Lincoln, etc. BUT ... I'm really missing RWD now. I never thought I'd say it, but its true. The Z and the LS showed me what I'd been missing all these years. Not to mention, launching the Accord perfectly is damned hard. A bit too low in the revs and it feels like a 4-cylinder. A bit too high and the front wheel just spins and hops. Don't get me wrong, its a great car, and I think I can be content through the lease.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I really thought I would finally get back into a RWD car with my last purchases (Scion tC that became a 4 cyl 5 speed Accord 1.5 years later). I looked, but in the end couldn't justify the cost differential (purchase price and gas too).
The Accord was a deal, about 20K for an EX-L that has pretty much all the goodies I care about. It drives OK for FWD, but mostly because it isn't overly powerful. I did drive a TL 6 speed once, and that baby was a handful when you nailed it, especially in a turn or in the wet.
someone really needs to come out with a compact sporty RWD sedan for around 20-25K, basically the Accord price points. THe best hope now might be GM of all companies, if they decide to use the SOlstice platform (Kappa?) for a sedan.
A BMW 1 series would be interesting if the brought over the 5 door, depending on price..
beyond that, you are up in the 30s (sometimes way up), unless I am forgetting some option. G35, IS250, BMW 325i, C class Benz(?)
I guess I could always move back to a compact PU to get the RWD/stick combo!
Comments
I suppose that if any good came out of all of this, the dealer service manager was the guy shuttling me to and from work this past week. Got to know him pretty good - I'm hoping that it will come in handy down the road.
With 3 Saturns now in the family, it surely can't hurt.
BTW, has anyone here played with OnStar? It came with the ION we just picked up for our daughter and I have to say I'm pretty impressed. Right now we get the "Safe and Sound" package for the first year, then it's $16.95/mo after that.
She also gets 30 free phone minutes for the first 2 months and there is an introductory offer of $14.99 for an additional 100 minutes. Now, compared to our cell phone plan, that's pretty expensive, but since the kid doesn't use her cell phone in the car, it might be a good way to keep track of her when she's commuting to/from college. It's about 90-100 miles each way.
Anyway, just wanted to know what others thought of the product.
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To recap, this is a 2003 VW Beetle GL with 145,000 miles.
How do you satisfy the craving for a new car without buying a new car? :confuse: Wifey is in the lets-drive-this-to-ground mode right now :mad:
For me it's the thrill of the hunt that makes it so much fun, so I, like many others here at CCBA, help my friends and family members whenever they're looking for new wheels. I guess you might call it vicarious car buying.
Read the car mags--they're pornography for car nuts. (Which can also make you feel worse, I suppose). And realize that every car purchase can turn out great--or not. Esp. if what you already have is reliable & not giving you problems.......
I know this may be heresy here, but sometimes, following the dictum "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", is by far the best plan. Meanwhile, you can save your $$ & fantasize about the next new vehicle......
I'm with jeffry on this, you need to start wearing her down earlier than 100k. First you start with the uncomfortable seats, than it's poor gas mileage, than these seats are hurting my back. By the time you reach 20k she will be begging you to get a new car just to stop the whining.
She's thinking that since I suffer from CCBA I should just lease and get a new car every 2-3 years.
Pros:
1) A new car every 2-3 years.
2) Always in warranty.
Cons:
1) The L300 only has 16 payments left on it, and then it'll be mine. It has less than 50K on it, though I'm adding miles at the rate of 1300-1500 per month.
2) Not sure what I would replace it with. I would want the payments to be less than the L ($464/mo).
3) Would never not have a car payment.
CCBA vs. fiscal responsibility. Man, what a dilemma.
I did notice that the engine in the X3 is noisier than its counterpart in the last-generation 3-series. The dual-pane moonroof is a nice touch.
But I would hate never-ending car payments as well. If you're putting on a lot of miles, would you consider buying a (different) brand you could run up to 100K miles or so w/o worrying too much about repairs?
I dropped my '03 Maxima, with 34k miles on it off at the dealer today to get its oil changed. I made the mistake of sitting in a '07 Max.. man, did they fix the seats. I always felt like my car's seats were just a touch too narrow, well, they widened it out a good 3-4" or so. The interior is greatly improved over the '04-'06 as well. It was easily better than the Acura TL I looked at back in January (Auto Show). It was weird, I actually got a BMW vibe.. probably because the interior was completely jet-black. The TL and previous Maximas had all kinds of titanium/silver accents inside. The whole thing felt substantial and really well put together.
The weirdest thing was looking in the cupholder, and seeing only a keyfob. On the dash was this thing you turn to start the engine.. no key required!
Too bad my wife is 1. having a baby next month (for a total of 2), and 2. buying a new car next year, since the lease on her Explorer will be up.
Kids are the ultimate CCB cure, although it's funny you all were talking Hot Wheels/Matchbox a few posts back. My 2 YO had been stealing cars from his daycare, so when we went grocery shopping on Saturday I let him pick out a couple plus a playset.
The (Matchbox, ironically the Hot Wheels playsets were junk) playset came with a Jeep Commander, and he selected two Matchbox cars. Out of the dozens of cars he had to choose from, he picked two differently colored Audi TTs. Let's just say I'm glad I opened his college savings account last month, LOL!
One strange thing I noticed is that Mattel now makes Matchbox AND Hot Wheels. I wonder when they bought the company, and more importantly, why they still make both.
Yup. That's the standard problem we all face (well, unless some here are ridiculously wealthy).
I went through this decision a few months ago and decided to swap for the lease. I've been avoiding it for so long, thinking that I was being smart by buying my cars ... but no matter what I buy, I can't seem to keep it for more than a few years, so what am I really saving? As a matter of fact, I think it was costing me more. So we'll see how the leasing goes.
Here is a pro you may have missed, though. You pretty much HAVE to keep the car throughout the lease period (or incur a major hit to the wallet). What I mean is, with the last 3 cars I purchased, none stayed in my stable for more than 9 months. So the lease will force me to keep the car longer.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Ironically, the local chain of AutoNation dealerships here in Denver (under the John Elway brand name) is currently offering 110% of NADA book on all trades.
Looked up the L300 on the nada website and came up with a trade value of 11725 - 110% of that is 12897. I owe about 7400 on it, so I've got about 5400 in equity.
Elway has the following brands:
Buick
Chevrolet
Chrysler
Dodge
Ford
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Thinking about buying instead of leasing to get around the mileage limitation and to get a car that is now in warranty.
woody - yep, the L is what just had $1800 worth of repairs in the past few months.
Options just got a whole lot more complicated.
My wife and I went to the mall for a new vacuum yesterday and sprung for the Dyson. $399 is alot for a vacuum, but it's the best and without having the car payment this month, it didn't hurt that much.
Did you consider a miele vacuum cleaner? They're the most expensive, made in Germany, have all kinds of Hepa filters, & are the sexiest vacuums imo. A few years ago I convinced myself that I HAD to have a top-of-the-line miele, which is like $1000 new. I mean, this baby was loaded, it had headlights, miniature attachments to vacuum audio or camera gear & such, you name it. Fortunately, sanity prevailed, & I kept my 20-25 year old Sears & Panasonic vacuums, which are both still working great (knock wood!).
Congrats on paying off the Altima--must feel good.
I hate to admit it, but the last time I had a car that was paid off was when I went off to college in 1983 - paid off the '79 Sunbird I had bought as a senior in HS. After graduating college in 1985, I bought a year old Accord and have had a car payment ever since. Is that a sign of a true CCB?
The other motivation to keep the car is to have some extra money to (perhaps) buy a larger house in the next couple of years. Of course, with the daughter heading off to college in a few weeks, it will be just the wife and I, and how much house does a couple really need? We've also thought about buying the kid a townhouse or condo up in Ft. Collins as an investment ....
But, I gotta admit, it's fun to look online. And with a bunch of dealers not more than a 10 minute drive from my office, I can always check something out in person if the desire strikes.
Oh, and this December will mark my second year of being payment-free. Woo-hoo! That's $347.66 per month I haven't had to shell out for car payments. And if you add up everything I've had to put in the car since the final payment, with the exception of gas and insurance, I doubt if I've had to put $500 into it since then.
If (and it's a big if) everything holds together and it doesn't need any more big $$$ repairs, another couple of years after that would put me around 105K.
At that point, the VUE will be close to being paid off - we went with the 6 year loan as the wife is the anti-CCB; I know she'll keep her car for 10 years if we take care of it.
Again, one of the things that I like about the Saturn is that the side panels won't have any door dings or anything like that. Keep 'em clean and change the fluids regularly ought to do just fine.
Should I renounce my membership?
OTOH, I priced out an ION Quad Coupe. For under $20K, I can get the 170HP 2.4 engine, sunroof, ABS/TC, stick shift and XM radio. Saturn is offering 10% off; I wonder if I can combine that with my GM Supplier discount, use the 4 or 5 grand of equity and get one for about $13K?
I can't make myself lease, though. Several years ago, I made up a spreadsheet for myself comparing the financials of leasing vs buying after 12-24,36-48 & 60 mos. Buying made more financial sense in every scenario.
You dumped the Lincoln for the Accord, right (or was it the Volvo)?
If you don't mind divulging, what do you do to get the Supplier discount???
Which includes all of their affiliated companies - Saab, Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar, etc. - but not Mercedes, IIRC.
Yup, that is a pretty good deal. It started about 6 days before I picked up my 06 Ram. We bought both of our trucks using that. With my ordered 06 Ram I had a choice of keeping the deal I had (2% over invoice and a $3000 rebate) or going with the employee pricing and $1500 rebate. I chose the latter since it saved me another $1100 on the truck, almost paid for the exhaust brake I had installed.
Washed the black beast yesterday, today it looks like it hasn't been washed in a week.......ugh, guess that's what I get for buying black. Sure is pretty. I did manage to get pictures of it while it was clean though.
I did just have it detailed....wow, so much nicer.
It needs new tires and some brakes....31,000 miles in 4 years....
My friend is 33...on car number 19, he just scored a Honda Fit and almost had me trade in my 05 Scion xB....but glad he bought the Fit....too small for my needs.
I'm going to the dealer tomorrow....hope they lowball me on my trade and hit me up for full MSRP....that way I will walk..........we shall see.
Doesn't that feel good!
Broke 20 years in January ...
That means you "shud" have $8,322.48 sitting somewhere in a savings account... somehow, it doesn't work that way, at least it doesn't for me.
I've only had one car with payments on it, at $555.55. Paid it off last year, and it feels like I have an extra $200/month or so. NO IDEA where the other $300 are going.
Maybe not so good at math,
-Mathias
I have'nt had a car payment on my car for 15 years. I figure I should have a drawer with $55k sitting in it, but all I have is a 4 year old Escape worth maybe $12k.
My wife's cars have had a payment for the past 10 years, but hers will be done in 18 mos.(0 % interest so no incetive to pay it off early).The smart thing to do would be to up my automatic savings deduction by thet amount , but for some reason I am sure that ain't going to happen.
-Mathias
Aren't you like a rocket scientist???? :confuse:
He did mention that they still had the "Fast 'n' Furious" ION Quad Coupe (bodykit, graphics, big wing, etc.) on the lot.
I passed.
RE: employee pricing at DC -- not sure what they make that I like enough to pull the trigger. If I were to do this (and it's a big if), I'd probably stick to something in the low 20's at most. That way, the equity in the L would bring the amount financed into the high teens and keep my payment reasonable.
In 2000, as he approached 100k, he decided that he was going to start putting away $350/ month in a mutual fund for his next vehicle. After all, it is better to have the money ready.
Called me the other day. Has $42k in the account. Wonders how much a new Camry will cost him as his car has a small oil leak ...
You may not have a car payment, but you do have car costs. The way I see it what you have been doing while making your car (loan) payments is prepaying for the use you will have of the car after you stop the payments. So yes, you are not making payments, but that's because you have already paid.
Oh, man, already? haha.
Do you think it would be different if you had gotten the 6-speed?
I traded the Lincoln on the Accord. I just sold the volvo outright on Ebay. I do miss the volvo. Best car I ever owned.
I've been stuck in the "i'll never lease again" mentality for so long now that I wasn't realizing the kind of penalties I was incurring by buying and trading so often. I have been buying used, though, so that was helping somewhat. Actually, the Accord is my first brand new car since I leased my last vehicle ('99 Mazda 626).
Anyway, as I mentioned before, I'm hoping that the restrictions of leasing will serve me 2-fold. One is that I get to look for another vehicle in 3 years, without guilt. Two is that I have to WAIT 3 years for another vehicle.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I can't get over the FWD "quirks" after having RWD cars for so long. Every time I "air it out", that tug in the steering wheel makes me nuts. The manual tranny would have just exascerbated the issue. NOthing anyone can do about it. It's the nature of the beast.
While the TL is no slouch when it comes to the luxury dept, the German iron seems to be in a whole other league. Drove an A6 V8 last night. Mercy! It's a big heavy car, but man can it scoot. Fit/finish and materials are also in a different league, too. Audi is going through some questionable reliablity concerns, though.
The BMW 330i has all that, is just as fast, but smaller (which appeals to me). Plus, it seems very connected to the driver. I don't know what the differences are between the earlier versions of I-Drive and the one on the 330i, but it's better to use than the navi on the TL. I don't have to take my eyes off the road to use it. Fit/finish and materials are most impressive. Ride/handling trade-off is just about perfect. No maintenance charges, either.
Lexus IS 350 is the fastest of the bunch, but everything else disappoints. It rides hard. Handling, while good, isn't any better than the TL (except for no torque steer). I've driven two of them. Both had rattles galore....the first one only had 8 miles on it, too....quite unlike Lexus. It's a bit smaller (by my feel) than the 330i (IS is almost too small).
I'll lose about $800 and change on the TL. I bought it "right" when new....current model. It only has 7K miles on it. Got a neighbor who wants to buy it from me. He knows I only keep my cars for about a year (sometimes less) and keep them in tip-top shape.
Audi dealer is offering $9K off on the A6 (i guess they are trying to clear the '06s off the lot....he's only got 3 left). BMW is a little harder to deal with....about $2,500 off the 330i (but lower sticker).
The vaunted Lexus dealer experience has been a disappointment for me. The IS 350 cost about the same as the 330i comparing MSRP. But, you'd think they were dealing in precious metals when trying to get a good deal. It's not like they don't have at least 8 of them sitting on the lot (they do...the've been sitting there for about a month and only sold one of them).
I'm getting 3-4 phone calls a day from the different dealers trying to coax me back into their showrooms.
Right now, I'm leaning towards the 330i, with the Audi as 2nd choice.
Probably do something this weekend.
You liking the Accord? What model did you get? Options?
I leased once a long time ago. After getting through with all the disposal fees, lessor fees, getting dinged for the smallest of paint chips, I swore I'd never do it again. I couldn't believe I had to pay nearly $1,000 just for the privilege of sending the car back to the leasing company.
Have you checked out the G35? RWD, stick, and a touch of luxo. Might fit the bill, and at a whole lot less than the audi/bmw. But, then again, you might not find it so nice inside. They seem to have put more in the chassis than the details to keep the price down.
My accord is the 6-speed, so my only choice was Nav or no nav (much like the TL). I like the Nav, but couldn't justify $40 per month extra. So I went without.
funny you mentioned the RWD thing. I almost went into it in my last post, but stopped. here's my problem ... I was quite happy with the Volvo. But it got a bit old and I got a big raise at work, so my wife figured it was Ok for me to get a fun car and keep the volvo for bad weather, etc. In comes the 350Z. I don't think we need to rehash my love of that car. Anyway, in comes baby, out goes Z, and in comes Lincoln LS. I keep the RWD, keep the low off-the-line torque, but give up the stick and give up good gas mileage. Hmmmm... I come to find out I'm not quite so happy about that decision. So out goes Lincoln and in comes the Accord. HUGE improvement in gas mileage, get back my stick, its even faster than the Lincoln, etc. BUT ... I'm really missing RWD now. I never thought I'd say it, but its true. The Z and the LS showed me what I'd been missing all these years. Not to mention, launching the Accord perfectly is damned hard. A bit too low in the revs and it feels like a 4-cylinder. A bit too high and the front wheel just spins and hops. Don't get me wrong, its a great car, and I think I can be content through the lease.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
The Accord was a deal, about 20K for an EX-L that has pretty much all the goodies I care about. It drives OK for FWD, but mostly because it isn't overly powerful. I did drive a TL 6 speed once, and that baby was a handful when you nailed it, especially in a turn or in the wet.
someone really needs to come out with a compact sporty RWD sedan for around 20-25K, basically the Accord price points. THe best hope now might be GM of all companies, if they decide to use the SOlstice platform (Kappa?) for a sedan.
A BMW 1 series would be interesting if the brought over the 5 door, depending on price..
beyond that, you are up in the 30s (sometimes way up), unless I am forgetting some option. G35, IS250, BMW 325i, C class Benz(?)
I guess I could always move back to a compact PU to get the RWD/stick combo!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.