Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

kyfdx

roadburner said:

Very tempting: 2009 328i M Sport Wagon

That's very nice..

Here is the same year.... but a Coupe, lower miles, about the same price... and, a little closer to home.. Not as nice a color combo, though.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=796333

kyfdx

Oh yeah.. the guy with the Z4M Coupe? Sold it to EAG..

roadburner

kyfdx said:

Oh yeah.. the guy with the Z4M Coupe? Sold it to EAG..

Grrr...

kyfdx

roadburner said:

kyfdx said:

Oh yeah.. the guy with the Z4M Coupe? Sold it to EAG..

Grrr...

I know.. .didn't even give me time to rationalize buying it...

corvette

The GLI has been a faithful companion here in the Ozarks. Lots of fun roads, lots of motorcyclists with poor riding skills.

nyccarguy

Lookin' good!

qbrozen

roadburner said:

Very tempting: 2009 328i M Sport Wagon

64k miles for $22k? Yikes!

corvette

qbrozen said:

roadburner said:

Very tempting: 2009 328i M Sport Wagon

64k miles for $22k? Yikes!

If you were trading it in, it would be "nobody wants a stick shift, we have to be way lower than book value on it," but if you're buying it, it's "rare" and commands a premium.

qbrozen

Of course.

Speaking of which, I can't find a manual Honda Fit anywhere, and the dealers have no clue. I'm told they are having trouble getting the cars and they never know what they are getting until they arrive on the truck at the dealership.

stickguy

If I can finally make it to the auto all with the TL for an oil change, I will pop into Honda and check in person.

stickguy

Burns in marlton shows a 6 speed EX in their inventory. I did a chat and they think it is available but needed to check to make sure.

Nothing in turnersville or Burlington.

stickguy

Just spoke to burns. Not only does the 6 speed fit exist, it is sitting on the showroom floor.

qbrozen

ooo... hey, thanks, stick. 33 miles from work might be a bit of a stretch for a lunchbreak, but if some day this week is super slow, maybe worth it.

qbrozen

also see that Davis Honda is 19 miles away and lists an EX stick on their website. well, had to take the Volvo through inspection today, and tomorrow I have a service apt for the stang, so maybe Wednesday.

roadburner

My Mini dealer's used car manager must be smoking crack, they have a 2011 Cooper S Clubman with 13k miles and the limited edition "Hampton" trim package. Beautiful car, but they are asking $34,000. Insane...

stickguy

I wouldn't pay that uf it was a brand new 2015

kyfdx

Who wants the "Hampton Inn" package, anyway?

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

Very tempting: 2009 328i M Sport Wagon

So you could lose your license getting groceries? Is that the idea?

I assume the M wagon is comparable to the M sedan. I was driving today and passed a house with 3 M3 sedans in the driveway. Looked like one frisky family.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

Of course.

Speaking of which, I can't find a manual Honda Fit anywhere, and the dealers have no clue. I'm told they are having trouble getting the cars and they never know what they are getting until they arrive on the truck at the dealership.

Do you believe them? I've heard that story too. Seems like a pretty screwy system which doesn't take into account market demand or customers at all. Could that be just with manufacturers like Honda?

oldfarmer50

kyfdx said:

Who wants the "Hampton Inn" package, anyway?

Better than the Motel 6 trim option.

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

Very tempting: 2009 328i M Sport Wagon

So you could lose your license getting groceries? Is that the idea?

I assume the M wagon is comparable to the M sedan. I was driving today and passed a house with 3 M3 sedans in the driveway. Looked like one frisky family.

It's an M Sport- which means it has an M suspension and body kit, but it has a civilian engine. Europe got a couple of versions of the M5 wagon- but not the US...

corvette

Stopped today at the Branson Auto & Farm Museum. Like The Auto Collections in Vegas, every car is available for sale. Unlike The Auto Collections in Vegas, admission is not free. It was something like $22 to get in, not sure it was worth it. They had a few showpieces like a Testarossa but a lot of junk, e.g., a very well worn 2002 Cadillac DTS, a worn 2000 Cadillac Eldorado, 1998 and 2001 XJ8s (both of which looked nice), a Cadillac Allante, Zimmer Golden Spirit, and some Corvettes and other cars which had their authenticity ruined by LS3 swaps and huge aftermarket rims. Here are a few of the better pieces on display:










Like everything else in Branson, they have a gimmick. There are also wood carvings available for sale:

stickguy

I really, really like that Z28. would not throw that out of my garage.

corvette

The Z28 was nicely done. The pictures don't do the green metallic paint justice. If you zoom in closely on the Testarossa, you can faintly see that it has an aftermarket backup camera in the license plate area. I'm sure you need it in that car--you probably need a Honda Lanewatch system as well. That car is a 1988 but has the "mouse motor" seatbelts which were required for cars without airbags beginning in the 1990 model year.

qbrozen

oldfarmer50 said:

Do you believe them? I've heard that story too. Seems like a pretty screwy system which doesn't take into account market demand or customers at all. Could that be just with manufacturers like Honda?

Well, so far, 3 different salespeople at 3 different dealers have expressed the same thing, so there must be something to it. Might also explain why Honda doesn't have inventory on their website (you can't build a car and then "find" it on there. you have to go to each dealer's own website and search).

qbrozen

My Benz on ebay ends in less than an hour and nobody has come to see it. Had several inquiries, but no follow-through. Right now, someone has a bid in at the entry price. Kind of disappointing, but since that bidder hasn't seen it in person, either, there is probably a strong chance he won't complete the transaction, although he has good feedback history. I was hoping that my low entry bid would spur more interest. Oh well.

fintail

Is that a 6.9? That Beetle is identical to one I remember seeing at an auction in BC back around 2000.

corvette said:

Stopped today at the Branson Auto & Farm Museum.

fintail

Takes the right buyer to want an almost 30 year old gold MB sedan. I wonder if there would be better luck selling on the west coast, where such a car can be daily driven year round without risk of it dissolving.

qbrozen said:

My Benz on ebay ends in less than an hour and nobody has come to see it. Had several inquiries, but no follow-through. Right now, someone has a bid in at the entry price. Kind of disappointing, but since that bidder hasn't seen it in person, either, there is probably a strong chance he won't complete the transaction, although he has good feedback history. I was hoping that my low entry bid would spur more interest. Oh well.

stickguy

Q, at some point, you just take some cash, cut it loose and move on to the next toy. Unless you want it as a permanent driveway ornament.

Other choice is to use it as the bad weather daily car and tun it into the ground.

I would take the bid and kick it loose.

stickguy

After no activity at all on the Volvo, I renewed ad at $500 less asking. Might have been greedy. If that doesn't work, the TL goes on the block next week. If that sells I will just keep the Volvo for now.

suydam

I have never bought or sold a car on CL. Maybe because I live in a small town. Also i don't own a Mercedes. I just park them in our Credit Union parking lot with a price and a phone number. Very low tech!

breld

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

Very tempting: 2009 328i M Sport Wagon

So you could lose your license getting groceries? Is that the idea?

I assume the M wagon is comparable to the M sedan. I was driving today and passed a house with 3 M3 sedans in the driveway. Looked like one frisky family.

It's an M Sport- which means it has an M suspension and body kit, but it has a civilian engine. Europe got a couple of versions of the M5 wagon- but not the US...

RB - are we sure that's a real M-sport package? No pics of the front, back or steering wheel to confirm those upgrades, but the shifter is the "normal" type, not the "M" short shifter. Someone could've simply added the wheels - I looked at a sedan once that was like that.

Still a nice wagon either way.

ab348

The wheels on that Branson '57 Chevy are mid-70s Chevy issue, used on Novas, Camaros, etc. I have a set gathering dust in my garage.

Is that a late-70s Olds 98 sitting next to the Benz?

qbrozen

stick - yeah, at this point, just need to move on, even at a loss. Anxious for the next car, and the benz money will be the down payment.

stever

suydam said:

I have never bought or sold a car on CL. Maybe because I live in a small town.

I recently did it both ways in the small town we used to live in. One sold to someone driving by the parked Subaru with the sign on it and the van sold to someone an hour away via craigslist.

@qbrozen, I guess the lack of viewing is a bad sign but doesn't most stuff get sold on eBay thanks to a bid in the last twenty seconds?

Michaell

fintail said:

Takes the right buyer to want an almost 30 year old gold MB sedan. I wonder if there would be better luck selling on the west coast, where such a car can be daily driven year round without risk of it dissolving.

qbrozen said:

My Benz on ebay ends in less than an hour and nobody has come to see it. Had several inquiries, but no follow-through. Right now, someone has a bid in at the entry price. Kind of disappointing, but since that bidder hasn't seen it in person, either, there is probably a strong chance he won't complete the transaction, although he has good feedback history. I was hoping that my low entry bid would spur more interest. Oh well.

q, when you put up your MB I had a friend of mine in CA look at it. He's kinda sorta looking for a replacement for his '94 Infiniti with 200K on it. I thought the low miles on your car might entice him. We kicked it around for an hour or two - he figured it would have cost $2000 to ship it from NJ, and it didn't have all the safety features (ABS, dual airbags) that his current ride has.

roadburner

breld said:

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

Very tempting: 2009 328i M Sport Wagon

So you could lose your license getting groceries? Is that the idea?

I assume the M wagon is comparable to the M sedan. I was driving today and passed a house with 3 M3 sedans in the driveway. Looked like one frisky family.

It's an M Sport- which means it has an M suspension and body kit, but it has a civilian engine. Europe got a couple of versions of the M5 wagon- but not the US...

RB - are we sure that's a real M-sport package? No pics of the front, back or steering wheel to confirm those upgrades, but the shifter is the "normal" type, not the "M" short shifter. Someone could've simply added the wheels - I looked at a sedan once that was like that.

Still a nice wagon either way.

The VIN Decoder shows sports seats and M Sport suspension at least...

qbrozen

well, thanks for the consideration, michaell.


On the new car front, I drove a Fiesta today. Not the one I would want, but a leftover 2013 1.6 SE manual they had sitting around. It does feel like a more substantial car than the Mazda2, as I guess 200 more lbs ought to. But it also didn't feel as tossable. When I threw the wheel sideways in the 2, the car was happy to stick its tail out, while the Fiesta just plowed. Both cars are seriously gutless but I'd rank the Fiesta's engine note ahead of Mazda's. Both manuals are vague at best, and both clutches are barely there, but I think I'd have to vote for the Mazda's clutch with the Fiesta's shifter. I'd like to see what a short shifter would do in each car.

I was able to set the seat where the back seat should be usable by my 8-yr-old. The Fiesta has more boot space, and the ecoboost engine's 42 mpg is enticing. I'd like to test drive that car, if they ever get one. Between that and the features that are lacking from the mazda2 sport (cruise and bluetooth), I think that might be my choice. Biggest problem with the mazda is that, when I think of our family of four trying to use it on the weekends, it seems improbable. I would have to crown it the more fun-to-drive, though.

stickguy

Really should drive the fit first. I think that will cure the shifter, clutch and space issues!

qbrozen

oh, I will

graphicguy

Q....my son bought a '13 Fiesta. He hasn't had one iota of trouble with it. Fun car. But, as you say, not even remotely fast. But, it's good on gas.

He wants an S3, though. I told him to save his pennies....because he's going to need 4,500,000¢ to buy one.

stickguy

GG, sounds like my son. He leased his Jetta back in February, just to have a reliable car in his own name for his short commute. Now that he moved away and is making more money, he is seriously Jonesing for something fancier. The GLI he really wanted, and now I think a Golf/GTI. I tell him to ride it out and save some money, but would not surprise me to hear some day that he managed to trade it in on something else. His life, his money!

xwesx

I find that my Fiesta is a lot of fun to drive. "Tossing" it takes a bit of coaxing, but it's more than happy to take corners at any speed and has plenty of pep with the RPMs @ or north of 4K. One huge detractor for it is the "stability control" that cannot be turned off (only a problem for early production 2011s). Very obtrusive and I'm constantly fighting it in the winter.

It is fine for family outings for four, but I am so very, very glad that my wife relented on her initial suggestion that we take it on our transcontinental last year. The epitaph would have read, "Four left, but only two returned." LOL

I nearly took the front end of it off on Friday, though. A local contractor ruined a section of road, then left it. When I hit, it literally ripped stuff off the undercarriage and crushed portions of the front bumper shell and "grille." I haven't taken it in for an estimate yet, but I would be surprised if it is less than a grand. Hopefully it ends up costing the contractor less than had they just fixed their faux pas in the first place, so that they feel good about their decision.

After that, I'm starting to think that maybe I should let it go and get something more practical.

roadburner

My son is still driving the 2004 X3, now at over 166k miles. It threw a CEL a couple of weeks after he took it to Columbia but it extinguished itself shortly thereafter. I think he'd still like an older 1 Series eventually, but so far he is happy with the status quo.

oldfarmer50

suydam said:

I have never bought or sold a car on CL. Maybe because I live in a small town. Also i don't own a Mercedes. I just park them in our Credit Union parking lot with a price and a phone number. Very low tech!

When I sold the Corvette I parked it at school for a few days and got nothing. Sold right away when I put it out at the curb at home. Previous cars ( long ago) sold well on WantAd Digest.

stickguy

I wish I had a place on a busy road where I could leave one of the cars for a while, but I can't think of one that works.

stickguy

Hey Bradd, how close to getting the Legacy are you? You said this week, right?

I really can't wait to get your real world report. Because right now, pretty sure when I can finally make the move it will be for one of these. Unless of course I change my mind again....

nyccarguy

I'm juggling a lot this week as far as cars go. I dropped my Prelude off on Friday night to get its suspension work done. I called the guy today and he says they will work on it tomorrow. After they install the springs & struts, the car needs to settle before they do an alignment.

The service light came on in the BMW, so I've got to take that in before Monday when my lease is up. My service advisor (in Rockland) said to drop it off, sign the odometer declaration, & he'll turn the car in for me after he services it.

My sister has a friend who works for Subaru corporate. This girl is trying to push a friends & family deal through for me. So I haven't even called the dealership to see what financing rate I was approved for. If all goes well, I'd like to pick the car up on Saturday after work. I'll let you know as things unfold!

stickguy

I don't think the financing rate is going to change, if you are getting the promo rate, but your price will.

Not sure if they have a F&F that is different than VIP, but VIP is a good price, and IIRC the dealer can't charge a doc fee or some such. Not a big deal in NY, but makes a difference in NJ!

corvette

fintail said:

Is that a 6.9? That Beetle is identical to one I remember seeing at an auction in BC back around 2000.

corvette said:

Stopped today at the Branson Auto & Farm Museum.

I have no idea. The placard was missing from that one and I couldn't see the badge on the back. I can't even find it on their website.

ab348, yes it is! A 1979 Oldsmobile 98 diesel. A steal at only $9,500. If only GM had combined their 1970s diesel efforts with their 1980s V8-6-4 efforts...