Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

xwesx

abacomike said:

The dealersip was outstanding and did everything they could to make me happy.

Well, of course they did! They know that you'll be back in a year or so, so why would they do *anything* to threaten your satisfaction?!

abacomike

xwesx said:

The dealersip was outstanding and did everything they could to make me happy.

Well, of course they did! They know that you'll be back in a year or so, so why would they do *anything* to threaten your satisfaction?!

They went to bat for me with Mercedes Corporate.  But, you are correct, as you usually are!  Why tick off their "gift-horse".  They get reimbursed from Mercedes for my USAA and Mercedes Benz Club Of America every time I use those fleet incentives - they don't care where the money comes from.  But they do sell me cars for their invoice less fleet discounts.  They've even dug into some of their hold-back at times.

But they know I'm good for at least one new car a year along with the many referrals I send them.

stickguy

Plus they make money on super clean ultra low mile trades.

ab348

stickguy said:

Plus they make money on super clean ultra low mile trades.

Yes, it will be interesting to see the price they stick on Mike's trade.

abacomike

@ab348‌
@stickguy

Definitely.  They usually love my trades.  This last one should bring them $3000-$4000 in quick profit.

stickguy

I had a tempo rental once. Horrible beast of a car.

ab348

My brother bought an '84 Topaz new after his Pontiac 6000 got totaled. I drove it a few times. Thought it was absolutely awful, a total slug. But he loved it for some reason, and to this day still talks about how much he liked it.

Michaell

ab348 said:

My brother bought an '84 Topaz new after his Pontiac 6000 got totaled. I drove it a few times. Thought it was absolutely awful, a total slug. But he loved it for some reason, and to this day still talks about how much he liked it.

When I met my wife in 1996, she was driving an '86 Tempo she had bought new. Miserable piece of junk - we got rid of it not long after we started seeing each other ('97 Ford Escort).

qbrozen

Michaell said:

qbrozen said:

so here's something I find a little odd. Just perusing and came upon an XJ supercharged for sale, so I was doing a little digging ... how did Jaguar manage to make the XF weight MORE than the XJ? I'm comparing 2012 models of each in supercharged form. The XJ is only about 30 lbs lighter, but lighter nonetheless, while being a class larger.

More aluminum (aluminium?) in the body of the XJ?

I assume so, too, but usually the body doesn't make a huge difference. I don't even know... do the XJ and XF share a platform? I guess that could make some sense because stretching a platform usually only involves a couple hundred pounds, which could be offset with a lighter body ... still, though, I'd expect all the extra gadgets, leather, and sound deadening to amount to quite a bit in the XJ. Ah well, it is what it is.

For what its worth, on the used side, a 2012 XJ supercharged is about $10k more than an XF supercharged.

I think I'd have to go with a CPO XFR, if I were serious.

qbrozen

oh, but this is rather tempting given the price. I think the warranty is good till May 2016 if they count from when it was first titled.

Mr_Shiftright

Miles are good. Hungry little fellow though isn't it for a 5.0L? With anyone putting the boot to the Boschware all the day long, they'd be lucky to get 12 mpg. Yeah, I know, if you're buying a supercharged V8 you aren't hypermiling.

qbrozen said:

oh, but this is rather tempting given the price. I think the warranty is good till May 2016 if they count from when it was first titled.

laurasdada

Yes, the XJ is aluminum intensive, the XF isn't. In LA, great for car watching. Went to the Mullin Museum Bugatti collection in Oxnard today. Wowzer.

graphicguy

Michaell said:

ab348 said:

My brother bought an '84 Topaz new after his Pontiac 6000 got totaled. I drove it a few times. Thought it was absolutely awful, a total slug. But he loved it for some reason, and to this day still talks about how much he liked it.

When I met my wife in 1996, she was driving an '86 Tempo she had bought new. Miserable piece of junk - we got rid of it not long after we started seeing each other ('97 Ford Escort).

Had a '93 Tempo. Made more noise than forward motion. Good luck getting it over 60MPH...wasn't all that frugal with gas, either. Forget about hitting the interstate if you had the A/C on.

Used to stop without warning in the middle of the road, just stall out. Would have to get it towed. After awhile, when the warranty ran out, Ford quit covering having it towed to the dealer, stating I didn't know how to drive it.

1st wife talkef me inti buying it. Let her have it as part of the divorce (gladly).

Sandman6472

At 1/2 tank and 201 miles showing, am throughly pleased with the Golf. Had my detail guy throw on a silverish stripe today and it really help define the lines of the car...there was just too much blue. With the shinier rims from the TDI model and the stripe, it sure looks sharp and getting to really like the cornsilk interior. Have always done black or gray and even tried to get them to find me a blue over black unit but there were none to be had. Glad I didn't wait for a silver or charcoal model as it's really a great looking shade of blue and time to change things around a bit. Since the wife has her A3 in white, couldn't get the same color though the white was really really nice and it was over black but didn't want two of the same color anymore.
Still no regrets here about swapping out the Tucson and doubt there will be any...it was a really good vehicle and met my needs at the time but was really ready to get back into a smaller vehicle and though I tried a lot, think this was the best choice. Should've driven the Sube Imprezza though just to see how it drove but the sedan isn't due in for about 3 weeks and was ready to just do it already. Whoever buys it will be getting a great vehicle at a decent price and it still drives like new!!

The Sandman

fintail

That's something I remember about our Tempo too - not great mpg, especially for the size of engine or car. Maybe 25 on the highway? With all these modern gears and controls, even my E350 gasser shoots past that. And slow - I think my fintail would beat the Tempo in a drag race. But ours kept going and going, other than primitive computer sensors failing now and then, it never really died. Sold off in 1999 with 190K on it.

graphicguy said:

Used to stop without warning in the middle of the road, just stall out. Would have to get it towed. After awhile, when the warranty ran out, Ford quit covering having it towed to the dealer, stating I didn't know how to drive it.

1st wife talkef me inti buying it. Let her have it as part of the divorce (gladly).

Sandman6472

200 miles on a 1/2 a tank so far, not too bad I'd say and it's still the first one. So far, I like everything about this puppy and am happy with the decision. Hope all the jokes will stop soon from friends and family about changing so fast because it's really all noise to me right now and it's not going to detract from my enjoyment to be honest. I no longer look for my happiness in others and what they think...I find my happiness through me. So to all you folks who think I need your opinions or whatever, save your breathe and quit trying to piss on my parade. If tables were turned, I'd wish you every happiness and move on...your happiness would be mine also.
Amazing how both our vehicles drive so similarly and that neither of us got push button start, something I would have liked a lot. The Jetta had it on the model I test drove and think a higher level Golf has it also but unfortunately, we both lack that option this time around. Maybe next time.

The Sandman

qbrozen

Mr_Shiftright said:

Miles are good. Hungry little fellow though isn't it for a 5.0L?

I thought that, too...till you look at similar cars. I think the e63 is the highest I saw at a whopping 23 mpg hwy. the CTS-V makes your gas card cringe.

stickguy

Hmm. I thought the Golf SE had push button. I know my son's Jetta SE does, but it came as part of the moonroof/radio package. Since your Golf has all that already surprised about the button.

not a huge deal, but I have certainly gotten used to having it on both cars!

graphicguy

qbrozen said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Miles are good. Hungry little fellow though isn't it for a 5.0L?

I thought that, too...till you look at similar cars. I think the e63 is the highest I saw at a whopping 23 mpg hwy. the CTS-V makes your gas card cringe.

Yeah....but would the MPG matter if you could go Mach2 in your car?

Sandman6472

Not all Golf's do have it and would've liked it, a lot! But not missing all the safety stuff the A3 has and smile every time I walk into the garage or approach it in the parking lot at work. It's a hoot! My pharmacy school daughter came in last night and had already heard about it from her sister and couldn't believe it...seems to be the general consensus from the family. But in time, they'll love this puppy as much as I do! Played with the Fender audio yesterday and it was set at basically 0/0/0/0/0 so I tweaked the bass, midrange and treble a bit though not quite right yet. My stereo guy said to bring it by and he'll look at it and see what we can do here even though he knows I won't be spending much on it unless...unless it isn't super expensive and it can really improve an already adequate system.
Still under 200 miles but that'll change as the months go by...should be less than with the Tucson as I no longer do that West Palm Beach run several times a week. I was at about 15.9 for the 376 days I had it and hope to stay around 12k/year from here on out.

The Sandman

qbrozen

Sandy - so you had your Tucson over a year and people are giving you grief? Oh well, like you said, you can't let it bug you. I've had a few cars for shorter periods than that. I used to get grief, but my friends and family have simply gotten used to it. I also tend to not say anything to any of them. When they eventually notice, I just say "oh, that was a while ago. where you been?"

ab348

sandman_6472 said:

So to all you folks who think I need your opinions or whatever, save your breathe and quit trying to piss on my parade. If tables were turned, I'd wish you every happiness and move on...your happiness would be mine also.

I haven't seen any of that here. I think everyone is happy for you.

breld

Yup - I think everyone here is thrilled for you that you indulged and made the switch to something you really enjoy.

My wife and I, deservedly so, have earned a reputation here at our workplace for switching cars often. We have reserved parking spots in the garage, close to the entrance to the elevators - so most walk by and notice any changes (and temp tags). Most everyone is simply amused by it at this point.

au1994

breld said:

Yup - I think everyone here is thrilled for you that you indulged and made the switch to something you really enjoy.

My wife and I, deservedly so, have earned a reputation here at our workplace for switching cars often. We have reserved parking spots in the garage, close to the entrance to the elevators - so most walk by and notice any changes (and temp tags). Most everyone is simply amused by it at this point.

I too am a running joke with family and friends but that's what 17 cars since 1987 (+3 or 4 with the ex) will do to ya! Heck if I thought someone would give me a good enough trade on the 335i I'd try to take advantage of some year end aggressiveness and get something new! I'm still a little over a year out on that lease so its upside down city right now.

stever

Do you guys ever move? I'm on my fifth car and fifth house since 1982.

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

qbrozen

No. Bought our first house in 2000 and the 2nd in 2004. I have no plans to move. All of our family lives here in NJ, although we have played with the idea of moving to another state on a couple of occasions. But I absolutely hate the moving process, so odds are pretty damned slim that we'll be in our current home until a major change in life comes about.

Obviously, since I've been perusing the v8 sedan segment lately, I am thinking about another car change. I've had the Stang about 18 mos now. I put very very little money out of pocket and I'm pretty much at a break-even point if I were to trade it. I dunno, though. Its a tough decision. I haven't even gotten to take it to the track yet. But I'm finding it harder to get in and out of, utility is pretty poor, and the truck-like clutch can get pretty tiresome. Still, the noise and thrust are damned intoxicating. Problem is what to replace it with. Part of my reason for choosing it was to not worry about things breaking anymore. Getting a used Jag would certainly put me on the other end of the spectrum. The current Chevy (SS) and Chrysler (300 or Charger) auto transmissions kill those choices for me. I may have to wait for the Charger to get the 8-speed, but a new one is going to be out of my price range.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

No. Bought our first house in 2000 and the 2nd in 2004. I have no plans to move. All of our family lives here in NJ, although we have played with the idea of moving to another state on a couple of occasions. But I absolutely hate the moving process, so odds are pretty damned slim that we'll be in our current home until a major change in life comes about.

Same here; I *hate* moving. Our current place is our first ownership; built it from scratch and *still* building it! LOL

Before that, we rented a little 12x14 cabin for a couple of years as we wrapped up college. We talk about options, but I honestly don't think we'll leave this place until after the kids are grown.

au1994

stever said:

Do you guys ever move? I'm on my fifth car and fifth house since 1982.

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Excluding my parents house I'm on my 4th since 1998 including 1 rental.

rayainsw

'I may have to wait for the Charger to get the 8-speed' - qbrozen

Did you mean the 6-speed manual?
[ Like the Challenger offers. ]
It does have the new [ to them ] ZF 8-speed automatic...??

roadburner

stever said:

Do you guys ever move? I'm on my fifth car and fifth house since 1982.

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

We bought our first house in 1987 and then traded houses with my mother in 1992 after my father passed away. So I'm living in the house I grew up in...

breld

With getting remarried 4 years ago, we built/bought a new home that would accommodate all the kids - we put a lot of thought into it and did well in anticipating all our needs. That doesn't stop us from looking - there's a few things we wish we had: 1) larger bedrooms for the kids; 2) a nice mudroom; 3) a four car garage; and 4) a separate guest bath on the first floor (currently the full bath is shared between any guests and my stepson, whose bedroom is right next to it).

All those things we can easily live without - so any time we've been tempted, the reality of the extra cost and higher interest rate have us plummet back down to earth.

au1994

"3) a four car garage"

I can guarandarntee you that if my new house had a 3+ car garage all 3+ bays would be filled. I was sorely tempted by a nice 2002 a couple of months ago. Nice one owner San Diego car, no rust (ha ha) and went for a good price but I had no where to keep her.

Street parking is not allowed and didn't want to give up one of the garage spaces and leave one outside.

roadburner

I have four covered garage spaces and one car still sits outside(two when my son is home). My dream is a garage/workshop four cars wide and 2.5 cars deep with garage doors at both ends so that you wouldn't need to move one car to get another out.

qbrozen

rayainsw said:

'I may have to wait for the Charger to get the 8-speed' - qbrozen

Did you mean the 6-speed manual?
[ Like the Challenger offers. ]
It does have the new [ to them ] ZF 8-speed automatic...??

Actually, it doesn't. Well, the 6-cyl and I think 5.7 liter versions do. But the SRT8 for 2014 still uses the old 5-speed. The 2015 should use it, but, again, that's new and out of my price range.

rayainsw

Ah - gotcha - please excuse my annoying ignorance...

ab348

I bought my first and so far only house in 1997 and have not moved since. Prior to that I lived in apartments for 15 years and moved about halfway in that period. I do like no longer having a mortgage but am starting to get the itch to either do a major reno here or sell it and go somewhere else in the area. But either of those likely would mean having a new mortgage again which I am reluctant to take on. I am not very home-handy so doing the renos myself really isn't much of an option.

stever

Well, I recently went from a paid-for house to a mortgage that will outlive me, but I'm not losing any sleep over the payments. Don't have the energy any more for the remodeling, but I could still move again. The new house is nice and all, but you have to drive everywhere, so I keep dropping hints about a neighborhood we liked close in. A Miata could fix that problem I guess.

qbrozen

rayainsw said:

Ah - gotcha - please excuse my annoying ignorance...

I was surprised to learn they were still using the old 5-speed in 2014. It defies logic.

rayainsw

Also, I understand that the 2015 Police Package Charger
still uses the 5-speed auto.

'The Charger Pursuit only comes with five-speed automatic transmissions, though civilians have an all-eight-speed lineup'

http://www.allpar.com/squads/police-cars/charger-15.html

stickguy

Same house since 1997. But I am ready to downsize and move cheaper now that the baby is in college. Just need to increase garage spots though.

Sandman6472

Trust me, that comment wasn't meant for folks in here as I know y'all get it...it was just a general rant to those elsewhere that have rained on my parade. Please folks, it's not personal and not meant at anyone in here.
Thanks!!!

The Sandman

stickguy

My take on people that always have to run down someone when they get something new (and that includes snide remarks about getting it at all) is that they are jealous. So instead of saying congratulations, or nice car, or glad you could get what you want, they have to make cracks to make you feel bad.

sda

qbrozen said:

Sandy - so you had your Tucson over a year and people are giving you grief? Oh well, like you said, you can't let it bug you. I've had a few cars for shorter periods than that. I used to get grief, but my friends and family have simply gotten used to it. I also tend to not say anything to any of them. When they eventually notice, I just say "oh, that was a while ago. where you been?"

I used to trade/ buy different cars frequently, sometimes in less than a year, often after 18 months. Some new, some used, different genre. One time I traded a 1995 black Jetta GLX VR6 for a very clean 1989 Cadillac Seville with the 4.5. The Jetta was only a year old which I bot new. Wanted to get out of car payments, so the Seville was paid for. Some of my friends would often deliberately come out to see what I was driving whenever visited as they were never sure if I'd be driving the same car. I have that itch again, oh help. I hear the ATS calling my name which isn't going to happen. Give me strength!

stever

stickguy said:

My take on people that always have to run down someone when they get something new (and that includes snide remarks about getting it at all) is that they are jealous. So instead of saying congratulations, or nice car, or glad you could get what you want, they have to make cracks to make you feel bad.

heh, like the thread-crappers we see, mostly on the comments to articles from editorial. Seems like some folks just live to think of something nasty to say.

@sandman_6472 , did you have time to try to figure out how to post a pic?

henryn

I have had some of my relatives tell me that I should open a used car lot, the way I buy and sell cars. Never phased me in the slightest. I have owned used cars for 1 or 2 or even 3 years and sold them for as much or more than what I paid. If you know how to play the game, it just doesn't cost that much, not nearly as much as some people think.

I used to irritate friends / relatives / coworkers by trying to explain to them how to get the best possible deal, and why / how they were throwing money away. I don't think I ever truly educated anyone, all I succeeded in doing was to irritate them, so I quit doing that.

sda

I have done ok and haven't lost too much thru the years. One notable success, and I have to smile on this one. In 1984 I bought an 82 Cadillac Cimarron--yes one of those--manual transmission with 45k mi for $5200. I called it my Caddy with a stick. I was moving from Knoxville to Charlotte and wasn't sure of my future, job ended, job search, and sold it for $6k with 54k mi. Ended up paying cash, less than 2k on a 79 Rabbit that I drove for a year. Folks in my office know my passion for cars so I am often sought out for my advice, which I have also learned to limit.

nyccarguy

Sandy

Definitely don't let others bring you down. After the amount of time it took you to decide to get rid of your civic, then decide what you were going to replace it with, then get your Tuscon compared to the time it took you to get trade in your Tuscon for your Golf is a 180 degree turn around and very impressive. I told you that I for one am proud of you. You bought yourself a really nice Hanukah present:) Now go and enjoy it! We want to see pictures too!

If you have trouble posting, send them to me (pm me & ill shoot you my email) and I'll gladly post them on your behalf.

jayrider

With a few exceptions, I've always lost a significant chunk of tush on every car deal since 1968.

Mr_Shiftright

I would have made money on some of my cars were it not for my compulsion to improve them. All those accessories, tuning tricks, better tires and wheels---it adds up!

graphicguy

I made some money on beaters I used to have when I was young. Most didn't run. I would buy them. Go to the local junk yard to buy parts. Get them running. Drive them for awhile. Usually make a few hundred when I found something else that struck my fancy. We're not talking about collector cars, or cars with 10s of thousands. These were $200, $500, $750 cars.

I bought a beautiful '69 MGB GT back in the '80s. Body was straight as an arrow. Paint was good. It had real wood interior and real wire wheels. It was in great shape.....EXCEPT.....for the notorious electrics and side draft carbs, which needed constant adjustment. Got the electronics figured out, at no small amount of effort. Got the carbs where they would stay in adjustment at least for a month. Sold it to a guy who, like me, fell in love with the look. Made some decent money on it, too.

The only relatively recent one I made money on was when I got my hands on the (then) new for '05 Mustang GT. Stock was scarce, for a long, long time. When every one else was using sizeable ADM stickers, I was able to find a dealer who would order one for me on Ford's X-Plan. Kept it several months. Stocks were still tight.

I sold it for about $1,500 more than I paid for it.

All of that I waved bye-bye to when I decided to buy new cars. Lots of $$$$$ in depreciation. But hey, I've loved nearly all of them.