Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

jayrider

Michaell said:

Hmmm. I'm gonna guess Buick Regal. 

Buick has some really cheap zero down leases. Of course the cars are base. A base Altima with keyless start is advertised for 179 /36 months/36K miles. Even with taxes pretty good if you don't want any extras.

ab348

The tension is killing me.

A base Regal is still a pretty well-equipped car. You give up a power passenger seat, pushbutton start, and a few other niceties. But it comes very well-equipped, generally better than my ATS in base form.

Michaell

ab348 said:

The tension is killing me.

A base Regal is still a pretty well-equipped car. You give up a power passenger seat, pushbutton start, and a few other niceties. But it comes very well-equipped, generally better than my ATS in base form.

I was thinking Regal for a couple of reasons:

1) stick all but challenged by saying we couldn't guess what it is

2) I think of the Regal as something more premium that a Malibu

That, or he's going with a CLA or a 320i or an A3.

stickguy

Punch it punch it punch it. My waffle finally pulled the trigger, and new wheels are in the driveway. And my wife it very relieved to have the process over with. Hopefully within the 3 years I will own it I figure out how all the technology works.

No one guessed right, though they were all fine guesses. Expect the Porsche. Would have to get the kid to drop out of college to afford that!

The winner? 2015 Hyundai Sonata 2.4i limited with tech package. Loaded to the gills. Pano roof. Heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats. Navigation (a first for me). memory seats with leather. BLIS. and probably more stuff that I forgot. Actually an amazing car. Drives great, and even with a bunch of idling in the lot setting things up, by the time I got home was showing 29.5 MPG on the computer. Sticker price was $31,125. Here's the exact car:

http://www.faulknerhyundai.com/details/hyundai-sonata-2015-5npe34af6fh088782/

I actually think the interior is lexus like, and IMO the exterior looks high end too. Vast improvement over the old model. Was about a 20 mile drive home, including a stretch of I95 through Philly that was under construction, and it drove great. Smooth, quiet, peppy. Good visibility too. Range like a camel. toys out the wing wang.

more details on the saga to follow. Will try for some sort of brevity.

stickguy

anyway, picking up from where we left off (I couldn't pull trigger on a very good deal on a 2014 Accord EX, wife was P.O.'d). next day for some reason, I think looking at inventories, a 2014 leftover Sonata limited 2.0t turbo popped into my head. Looked at it at dealer, liked it. drove it, seemed nice. Decided to pull out my passive aggressive lowball approach, and try to make a deal. Dealer makes first pass. It was crazier than my number, which I give back to them.

back and forth ensues, with various managers. They keep bidding against themselves. I don't budge. they keep finding just a little bit more. I don't budge (they had 5 identical cars except for color). happily when I was waiting for the first pencil, I fired up the Edmunds app (thanks guys!) and got a quick quote on identical car from dealer in Philly. When pressed for where I made up my numbers, I show them that.

eventually get to their bottom line. About $15/mo over my max, with an extra $950 up front. So not worth it. But, I had conversed with PA guy to get price converted to lease, and he was actually right about at my #. so go home, trade some emails, set up appointment for this morning to go over there and do business.

cut to this AM, while at Dunkin donuts fueling up for the grind to come, local guy calls. Still wants business. Still asking can't I meet in middle? I came close to just saying screw it, pay a little more and save the trip. But thankfully, I stopped on the way to call the PA guy.

TBC...

stickguy

What went through my mind (and I asked the local guy for a #, which he said would be way too high) on the model I ended up getting. He quoted me on a much cheaper sport, at $60/month higher than the 2014, and would not even give me a # on a limited, since it would be way higher.

Meanwhile the PA guy gets back to me. I had sent another Edmunds request last night on the 2015. It came back with a # I don't know how the did, but they did. PA guy (one of the nicest salesmen I have ever worked with) said the lease would only be about $18/month more. Now my ears were way perked up. So, tell local guy "we had to talk, I'll let you know if we are going to come in later" and head off to PA. Snooze you lose works both ways, because if he had just met the other deal last night, I would own a 2014.

Make it to NE Philly (surviving the nightmare that is I95 rebuilding). Dealership had a LOT of cars piled up (hence their aggressive pricing). Met by saleskid (man I feel old). Had the 2014 out front, but an identical model on floor. So I send wife to scope it out while I made a pit stop. Got back, and she said it seemed nice enough.

then we went out and checked out a 2015 limited tech. Took about 30 seconds to know that the 2014 was an also ran. The interior alone sealed the deal, and all the extra features was the icing on the cake. took a lap around the parking lot. Drove very nicely. We were hooked. Looked at colors, and the one we drove was the winner. Say we are good with that one, he sends it off to prep, and we go in to do paperwork.

TBC

roadburner

stickguy said:

Punch it punch it punch it. My waffle finally pulled the trigger, and new wheels are in the driveway. And my wife it very relieved to have the process over with. Hopefully within the 3 years I will own it I figure out how all the technology works.

No one guessed right, though they were all fine guesses. Expect the Porsche. Would have to get the kid to drop out of college to afford that!

The winner? 2015 Hyundai Sonata 2.4i limited with tech package. Loaded to the gills. Pano roof. Heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats. Navigation (a first for me). memory seats with leather. BLIS. and probably more stuff that I forgot. Actually an amazing car. Drives great, and even with a bunch of idling in the lot setting things up, by the time I got home was showing 29.5 MPG on the computer. Sticker price was $31,125. Here's the exact car:

http://www.faulknerhyundai.com/details/hyundai-sonata-2015-5npe34af6fh088782/

I actually think the interior is lexus like, and IMO the exterior looks high end too. Vast improvement over the old model. Was about a 20 mile drive home, including a stretch of I95 through Philly that was under construction, and it drove great. Smooth, quiet, peppy. Good visibility too. Range like a camel. toys out the wing wang.

more details on the saga to follow. Will try for some sort of brevity.

Congrats!!!

stickguy

so we sit down, and he pulls out a 6" high stack of manuals, etc. starts talking about process, and doing financial application (we had by now decided that a buy was out, lease was in). He takes it to finance. We are still expecting the bad shoe to drop, and ready to bolt if needed! after a bit, manager comes over and says something about an issue with the price. Ah, here is the whammy! But, of all things, he tells me that it is going DOWN. He had supplied the first number at their discounts, but redid with the Edmunds price, and it came out lower. Keep in mind I had already agreed to the higher number. Impressive.

plus, their "we are paying 1st 3 payments" deal turned out to actually be true. So he gave option of putting it down, or getting a check. I say put it in the deal. he goes off, and after doing some set-up for Bluelink (like Onstar in Hyundai land), and looking at brochure, off to Finance. Quick and painless. I did bite (at "cost") on their protection plan (basically wheel/tire protection, but also waived any fees from Hyundai at turn in for damage, etc. ) Not that much so I splurged, figuring it guaranteed no problems.

paperwork went quick, everything in order, so we went for delivery. Showed us all the features, paired the phones, shook hands, and we were done.

end to end, probably there 2.5 hours, but a lot of that was looking at models and deciding. I thought they moved along well. And everyone was friendly and up front. Polar opposite of the Honda dealer I went to.

stickguy

so bottom line, I seemed to get a 2015 loaded Sonata for $4,000+ off MSRP. Thanks Edmunds, I don't know how you got it so low, but I appreciate it.

31K+ sticker on a brand new model. terms were $1,000 at inception, and 35 more payments of $290. That includes tax, tags, everything. 12K/year too. That is without the extra protect pack ($15/mo)

I have no clue how that got that low, but I am not complaining.

so endeth the saga. I am please. Wife if more than pleased (not just being done finally, but she really, really likes this car). even the princess approved.

jayrider

stickguy said:

so bottom line, I seemed to get a 2015 loaded Sonata for $4,000+ off MSRP. Thanks Edmunds, I don't know how you got it so low, but I appreciate it.

31K+ sticker on a brand new model. terms were $1,000 at inception, and 35 more payments of $290. That includes tax, tags, everything. 12K/year too. That is without the extra protect pack ($15/mo)

I have no clue how that got that low, but I am not complaining.

so endeth the saga. I am please. Wife if more than pleased (not just being done finally, but she really, really likes this car). even the princess approved.

A great measure of any lease payment is 1% of msrp per month [36-36k] BEFORE taxes and fees. $310 a month before fees would have been outstanding. Looks like you hit a walk off home run to win game 7 with that negotiation. What is your buy price after the lease is over ? Must be high.

stickguy

residual is ~$17,500. 56%. The finance guy flat out said not to buy it out. Partly because it was unlikely to be worth that much, but also because it would not be a CPO. Works for me!

yes, I think my stubborn procrastination, for a change, actually worked in my favor. Very glad I did not cave earlier to wife pressure and settle on something I really did not want.

and even better, in 3 years, I get to buy all over again!

rayainsw

Stick - Congrats - looks very nice -
- And the deal sounds even better!
- Best of luck!
= Ray
No punch here - yet......

brian125

stickguy

Nice deal. I'm wondering if Fritz automall bought out your selling dealership with a deal like this.


Your model invoices at 29,177 with mats and Tech pck. After 3 yrs Throw this one back and look for another sleeper. Way to go.

stickguy

thanks Brian. That is the plan.

28firefighter

Congrats stick!  Awesome deal. 

stever

Congrats @stickguy! - can't wait until the home office hears all about your deal.

fintail

Congrats on the Sonata. The 15s make the 14s look like old cars - the overstyling really didn't age well, just as many predicted.

fintail

I went car looking today, just at the MB dealer. I am well into "pull forward" territory now, but I won't make a move unless the deal is good and the car is right. The salesman I deal with was busy, so I just browsed. There was a bright blue GLA in the showroom, unique color, along with an GLA45. I sat in a C400 that was outside, but unlocked. Decently equipped, 56K MSRP. I like the car overall. Few 15 Es in yet, apparently some E400s in the pipeline. There was a pretty diamond white on beige CLS on the lot, leftover 14, I'd take it if it would lease for the same rate as my Bluetec They have a couple nice leftover wagons too, but I doubt those carry the same incentives as sedans. No deal yet, but it'll have to come sometime, I am not buying out the lease.

ab348

@fintail - I saw that bright blue they offer on the GLA online, what did it look like in reality? Is it a metallic or pearl paint? I have yet to see a GLA in the wild here but I expect they will sell like crazy. I rather like them.

stickguy

Fin, I agree about the style. I tend to like cars that are more 'classy" vs. "cutting edge flashy". As you noted, the flashy stuff runs the risk of looking dated a few years down the line.

The Sonata reminds me a lot of the Legacy, in and out. And that is a good thing.

stickguy

we looked at the lighter/bright blues on the 2014 and 2015. debated them. Wife and I both liked it, depending on the light, but were afraid it would grow old once the novelty wore off.

nyccarguy

@stickguy‌

Awesome! Mazel-Tov & Congrats on the Punch! You scored an amazing deal! I'm glad you had an easy time at Hyundai after your horror at Honda the other night.

Sandman6472

Well, looks like it has come down to the Kia Rio with the back up cam and the a folding mirrors or the Mazda3 I Touring. After test drives, the Elantra and Accent are off the short list. The dealer downtown gave the wife a price of $18,198 otd after seeing the '05 Mazda3s with warm a/c. The Rio's price was about $2k cheaper or around $16.2 otd. This is without any sit down negotiation. The wife is still debating on the size vs. safety issue so no deal as of yet. Am going onto Truecar.com, Edmunds.com and Cars.com to get some numbers now. My thinking is to buy Thanksgiving week but that might be moved up a week or two.
Just not sure about these prices. The local places were a bit higher but the wife said she needed a shower after she got home so doubt we'll go local as the Ft. Lauderdale store seems like they are serious about moving some iron right now. But this is going to happen me thinks. Finally drove the '05 tonight and with almost 136k on the clock, it's time in our garage is about to end and we have the checkbook and credit card ready to go once she decides on which one she wants!

The Sandman

Sandman6472

Online now and don't see any rebates for these models yet the Lauderdale store seemed to agree to a loyalty rebate since we own Hyundai products and also a Mazda loyalty rebate...luckily this dealer handles both Kia and Mazda. Looking like the Lauderdale store doesn't care that the a/c in her car is broke and said they'd take care of it but the local store deducted $500 for it giving her $2000 for her trade as opposed to the $2500 the Lauderdale store wanted to give. Wife liked the salesperson at the Lauderdale store and they seem very willing to deal to get her business so I think we'll give them 1st shot at making her/us happy.

The Sandman

jayrider

sandman_6472 said:

Online now and don't see any rebates for these models yet the Lauderdale store seemed to agree to a loyalty rebate since we own Hyundai products and also a Mazda loyalty rebate...luckily this dealer handles both Kia and Mazda. Looking like the Lauderdale store doesn't care that the a/c in her car is broke and said they'd take care of it but the local store deducted $500 for it giving her $2000 for her trade as opposed to the $2500 the Lauderdale store wanted to give. Wife liked the salesperson at the Lauderdale store and they seem very willing to deal to get her business so I think we'll give them 1st shot at making her/us happy.

The Sandman

At that price point ask for 3 years of oil changes and tire rotations or go for $500 more and call it a deal.

breld

Congrats Stick!

I agree with the 2015 redesign - much sharper than the out-going model. The way I see it, they needed the polarizing effect of the previous Sonata to catch everyone's attention, and now they've settled back into a simpler and classier design.

graphicguy

stick.....great car.....great deal.

stickguy

Thanks GG. Trying to keep up with the rest of you getting all the fun toys!

Breld, that sounds logical. The last model did certainly get attention and jack up sales.

Sandy, I think a lot of makers always have the loyalty rebate, even if you don't see it advertised. I know the last couple of days the dealers all kept asking me if I already have one!

also, whenever you are definitely trading in, the dealer always has a few more shells moving on the table. As a wise man once said, "the only difference, is the difference".

Honestly, at this point your wife is going to be way under budget max on either car, and it does not sound like there is any real constraint so it should just be 1 question in play: Which one would she rather own for the next 10 years? Decide that, then just go with the lowest offer.

oh, and download the edmunds app, and go in and send a price request out, and entirely possible you get a better offer. Plus you already know what the trade should be.

Sandman6472

I asked her the same question just a little while ago and she said, "I want a Rio sized vehicle with all the safety features of the Mazda3 I Touring". At around the $25k price point, not sure what fits this constraint actually. Mentioned the Audi A3 since the dealer is right outside our development but think it'll be too pricey and it is German, not one of our favorites. Besides that, came up with squat. But truthfully, I think the size of the Rio wins out here plus she loves the dash, very easy and intuitive. I like either one and think we can't do wrong either way. The Rio's folding mirrors are a nice plus since I went a bit larger with the Tucson and the larger new Mazda is a concern for her as it is a little longer and wider than our '05 model. She says she's happy driving the smaller Rio since she's been using the Accent as her d d since mid July and spending less cash is also a positive for her. But if I were a betting man, and I'm not, I'd say that the Rio is going to end up in the Sandman garage before the end of the month.
She'll find out if this Marathon accounting job is a go on Monday as we'd have to leave early Wednesday morning to get there in time for me to drop her off. Think as of now, we're just going to have her pay for the petrol from her business card and use the Tucson since I will be doing the driving and the Accent has no cruise which I like. Also the Accent isn't as peppy as my Tucson and I am just used to the extra room. Would rather her not jump on the new car as of yet and see what else might check all the boxes for her...there's got to be a smaller vehicle out there with all the latest safety stuff that comes in at her price point, I just have no clue what it is so any help would be appreciated. Another thing with the Rio is at the smaller price point, if she's unhappy at some point in the next few years, she could just swap out of it without losing her shirt...Kia and Hyundai products do very well down south here. My point is that we really don't have to rush here and can wait a few weeks or even until December 30th to be ready to put a deposit on the credit card which might be the best idea. She might find something else that fits all her wants even better in the interim.

The Sandman

Michaell

@stickguy‌ - congrats on the punch! I should have known it was the Sonata - you were asking about lease numbers a day or two ago. You scored an excellent deal on a brand new model.

What sucks is knowing you're out of the market for 3 years, thus no reason to visit the dealerships.

Question for you - will your daughter be returning to college by herself in the Volvo, or will you caravan with her the first time?

@sandman_6472 - I don't think there are any premium subcompacts on the market. The Rio is probably the most "loaded" one available.

stickguy

the A3 is about 5" shorter than a 3 (I would not have guessed) but only 4" longer than a Rio. but obviously is way more expensive than either one. Actually looks like a nice car in the pictures. Not really that small I guess, and seems well equipped (at least the higher end models seem fancy). Tiny gas tank though, if range is important.

fintail

To my eyes it was more metallic. Quite bright, a couple shades more than I would prefer - but it was definitely eyecatching, and it is nice to see an unusual color in a see of grey and silver. I liked a blue MB had a few years ago, "quartz blue", which was kind a tropical sky blue. There was an even lighter "horizon blue" back around 2000-2002, but both are fairly uncommon.

The 71K GLA45 AMG I saw the last time I visited was still in the showroom. They had a couple other regular ones in stock too. Well equipped around 40K here, they will sell. Oh, the blue one also had the illuminated star, don't know if I go for that either.

ab348 said:

@fintail - I saw that bright blue they offer on the GLA online, what did it look like in reality? Is it a metallic or pearl paint? I have yet to see a GLA in the wild here but I expect they will sell like crazy. I rather like them.

fintail

Just gotta get the AWD to be like the Legacy. I am surprised Hyunkia hasn't gone there yet for their midsizer, seeing as it is a thing now.

The new one is clean and modern, inoffensive. It will age a lot better. Clean designs age well, MB sedans being a good example.

stickguy said:

Fin, I agree about the style. I tend to like cars that are more 'classy" vs. "cutting edge flashy". As you noted, the flashy stuff runs the risk of looking dated a few years down the line.

The Sonata reminds me a lot of the Legacy, in and out. And that is a good thing.

stickguy

Unless you live in real snow country, I doubt the majority of people driving 4 cyl family mobiles can even tell if they have AWD or FWD. Or understand it has more to do with the tires than anything else. Heck, with good tires, most people with RWD probably don't really need it.

Legacy of course has always been out of the mainstream on this. I thought that the take rate on other models that offered AWD was very low. Who even offers it now? Accord and Altima don't. I think Camry doesn't now. Or malibu. So that leaves the Fusion?

breld

Yup - if given the option of AWD, I'd generally go for it, but I wouldn't let it be a deciding factor on a FWD car. Tires indeed make the biggest difference. The Ody with blizzaks is my winter car, despite having the AWD sedan in the garage (of course, I don't want to drop the bucks on winter tires for the 535i).

stickguy

was looking at paperwork, and pulled out the window sticker. Turns out I also have Xenon lights (could explain why they seemed to work so well last night!), rear cross-path detection (for when you are backing up), and a "smart trunk". I don't think that is turned on, but apparently if I go stand behind the trunk for 3 seconds, it will pop open on its own. Odd feature that I am sure I shall leave turned off.

kyfdx

Great looking sedan... miles ahead of the old one.

stickguy

I think so. this was the first time my wife saw one (in my torture of her, we never ended up in the Hyundai showroom!). after seeing the 14, then getting into the 15, her comment was something along the lines of "there really isn't a choice here". It was nice that, even though this was technically my decision and I could get anything I wanted, she agreed with the choice. We even both decided on the same favorite color.

even more shocking, my 18 YO Princess approved. She also wants to know how often she can steal it. And I am sure she is already concocting reasons why she needs to take the new one back to school instead of the old one. And that ain't happening. if the Volvo crapped out, might just get a 2nd one, just without all the goodies!

nyccarguy

Stick

That's a whole lot of car for the money. Xenon lights are wonderful. One feature I miss from my dearly departed 3er.

What's the hp/tq ratings on the 2.4? Is that the same motor as in Sandy's Tuscon?

stever

We'll send him to Help Me Choose, but feel free to post in First car help! too. TIA.

stickguy

HP is 185, Tq. I think is about 178. I think it is a bit fancier version of the Tuscan motor. Moves out just fine in a car this size.

fintail

Good point. I was probably thinking of the wrong category - lack of it has held back the Genesis to the point where they relented, and I think the majority of E and 5ers I see here are AWD. I wonder if it will work its way down, or if the price is just too much.

stickguy said:

Unless you live in real snow country, I doubt the majority of people driving 4 cyl family mobiles can even tell if they have AWD or FWD. Or understand it has more to do with the tires than anything else. Heck, with good tires, most people with RWD probably don't really need it.

Legacy of course has always been out of the mainstream on this. I thought that the take rate on other models that offered AWD was very low. Who even offers it now? Accord and Altima don't. I think Camry doesn't now. Or malibu. So that leaves the Fusion?

stickguy

oh yeah, I suspect lack of AWD really hurt Genesis sales up north. Not surprised they added it on the new model.

I live near Philly. Yes we can get snow (some years a fair amount, some almost none) but we normally don't have snow on the roads very often or for long. Yet finding a new RWD BMW or Mercedes on the lot around here is almost impossible. If you want one, it will be a special order. Or fly down south to get it.

corvette

Congrats on the punch, stickguy! We're at 31 for the year.

Pro tip: Black interiors don't work well if you have a (mostly) white dog that sheds. The vinyl seats and vinyl Monster Mats help, but there's still some black carpeting that gets fur stuck to it.

stickguy

My Volvo has beige, so the the from a yellow lab blends in. There is plenty of it, even though the dog has never been in the car. That hair gets everywhere.

corvette

It's November. Anyone care to guess how many punches we'll have in 2015?

stickguy

need to see who gets in under the wire first. I guessed early last year for 2014 and got burned!

nyccarguy

How many did we have last year?

fintail

I'll chime in and say I am guaranteed to have a punch by the end of this year, or early in 2015. Just waiting to find the right deal on the right car.

My Prius driving friend is itching to get out of his car, too. His picks are a Q50 hybrid, or to be unique, a MKZ hybrid. Toyota didn't win a repeat customer with that thing, great in the city, but not good for trips, and the ICE has been a constant problem, been in the shop a lot for such a simple car.

ab348

fintail said:

My Prius driving friend is itching to get out of his car, too. His picks are a Q50 hybrid, or to be unique, a MKZ hybrid. Toyota didn't win a repeat customer with that thing, great in the city, but not good for trips, and the ICE has been a constant problem, been in the shop a lot for such a simple car.

The experience with the Pious Prius didn't turn him off the concept of a hybrid? Interesting.