Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

british_rover

Of like cream interiors on the right car with the right color combination.

Parchment leather with navy piping on the Range Rover is one of my favorites. It needs to be paired with Zermatt Silver, the silver has a hint of blue in it that pairs well with the navy, or Buckingham Blue which also pairs with the navy.

Click on the parchment navy button.

Also you really need the cherry wood for that interior.

scottphillip

I agree with you. RR has the nicest interiors. My RR Sport has a black interior with the cherry wood. I don't care for the black lined oak that goes in the special edition models--you don't even notice the wood.

british_rover

The lined oak is going to be a no cost option on the Supercharged Sport for 2007.

It all depends on taste if you like contrast then you will love the cherry wood but if you want a more monotone look then the lined oak would be more your style.

I have had a couple of people that wanted the more techy look of the rhodidum trim so we swapped out the cherry wood for the silver rohdidum trim.

scottphillip

I haven't bought a new car in 14 months. I am considering trading my black Range Rover Sport Supercharged (13,500 miles with few problems) on a 2007 Audi S8. I fear the S8 will depreciate quickly, but who knows.. The Rover had done fairly well.

Am I crazy, or do I just have a common bug? I know I am among friends here.

woodyww

That was the interior color on my '98 RR! Only then it was called "Lightstone" I think. Possibly the nicest car interior I ever had. I loved that vehicle, when it wasn't in the shop, or I wasn't going broke at the gas pump.

If I remember the pic of that Volvo interior--I'm too lazy to go back & look--it had a Yellow-ish cast--more like a "Butter" color than a "Cream".....

Parchment leather with navy piping on the Range Rover

british_rover

Yeah Lightstone is a good interior color although I don't think the piping was navy I thought it was a slightly lighter blue.

The volvo interior looked like cream with just a bit of yellow stirred in. Maybe more like a rich French Vanilla color.

woodyww

Am I crazy, or do I just have a common bug/

I'd say crazy, :-) but that's because those are both vehicles I couldn't afford; &/or wouldn't buy because of the steep depreciation & iffy repair records of LR's & audi's. (I owned a used RR for a year once, & it cost me a bundle).

As long as I'm fantasizing tho, I'd keep the Range Rover Sport if I were you. I'm sure the S8 will better it in performance terms, but would be way less "cool" of a vehicle imo.

Only vehicles I'd trade the RR for would be an M5, or a Porsche 911. 911's seem to have great resale, & M5's used to; I'm not sure about the current gen M5......

british_rover

Audi S-line and RS-line vehicles tend to have the worst depreciation of all the hot german cars.

I recently appraised a 2001 S8 with 50,000 miles. It was in average condition and was a two owner car with a little bit of paint work on the drivers side that didn't show on Carfax. Didn't look like a major accident more like a parking dot incident.

We could only put 20,000 dollars on it.

Original MSRP was almost 75,000 dollars I think.

steine13

Well, $75 to $20 sounds awful... but when you think about it, there's two strikes here: Nobody NEEDS a $75 car the way they might need an '03 Camry. And secondly, that's a six-year-old car, albeit with fairly low miles.,

A fair comparison would be to one of the depreciation stalwarts, say, the 2001 Lexus LS430... similar original price.. would that REALLY fetch $30 at this point?

Boy I'd love to just drive an S8 some time...

-Mathias

british_rover

It was actually very nice. Still felt very tight over all and the seats were some of the most comfortable and supportive I have ever sat in. Had very good power as well.

To sort of put this in comparisson a couple of months before the S8 I took a 2003 BMW 540i with every option but Nav. It had 93,000 miles on it and was worth about $20,000 as well.

Original MSRP of that vehicle was only in the middle 50s.

qbrozen

That's shocking to me.

I mean, once you do this and that and get it to the lot, fair retail is somewhere around $23-$24k, right? Who in their right mind is paying $24k for a non-M bimmer with almost 100k miles??!

british_rover

Surprised me too but thats what the numbers come back at. The 5 series was hmhh about six months ago I guess and the S8 was about six weeks ago.

I am trying to remember what the exact price was hmhh wonder if I can look up his old deal...

michaellno

I've taken the Subaru off the market.

My wife and I discussed it yesterday and we've decided we're going to give it to my son in CA next summer as his HS graduation gift. I'll fix up the things that need to be done (muffler, drivers door lock) and then drive it out from CO to CA next June.

I called him last night with the news and, needless to say, he was just a bit excited. Of course, I told him that he'll need to be able to insure it, maintain it and put gas in it. The gift that keeps on giving!

So, it looks like the "Barney car" will be at our house for the next 8 months or so. Gives me a project, of sorts, to occupy my time this winter. Plus, having the AWD for those snowy days can't be too bad, either.

scottphillip

I am still debating the S8--your input has helped.

I have a silver 2005 MB SL55 (no scratches) with 6,000 miles. I paid 125K, it is now worth $80 in trade. That's depreciation!! :sick: Do you think that I should hold it until Spring. :confuse:

Thanks

BTW, I would miss the Range Rover a lot more than the SL55.

nippononly

No KIDDING, that's depreciation.

Why sell a 6000-mile car? Buyer's remorse? If you like the car, I would keep it at least another year or two if I were you. You might as well get a little more use out of your money than that, and besides, you have barely had the chance to enjoy this car yet.

I know, I know, it runs counter to the spirit of the CCBA...

:-)

qbrozen

hmmm... well, maybe my math is faulty, but 36% depreciation on a 2-year-old car is pretty normal, i think. Even our Honda dropped 33% in 2.5 years. Obviously, $45k is ALOT of money, but the percentages are in alignment.

british_rover

Yup it is just a high gross dollar amount because of the high inital cost of the car. Even the 6,000 miles of driving isn't so bad when you think about how those kind of high end cars are not driven that much per year.

That is low mileage for a 2005 SL but not super low miles as those cars are only expected to be driven about 8,000 miles a year or so.

scottphillip

Thanks, I feel better now. I do like the car, but it isn't as comfortable as the Rover. I just don't drive it very often and it just sits in the garage.

If I get the S8, I will post a photo.

british_rover

Thats funny one of my clients who I just leased a SC Range Sport to last month called me the other day and decided he doesn't like it anymore.

He has a SL55 or SL65 as well and his complaint on the Sport was that it was too taught.

I asked if him if it was as taught as the SL and he said well no but that is different cause it is a roadster.

Err ok well I can give you a good deal on our last Supercharged Full size Range Rover if you want I think you would like that better.

He says ok when next week can I pick it up?

This will be car number three he has bought from me just this year.

qbrozen

it always seems strange to me that the folks who would drive the hell out of such a car can't afford it. You can bet I'd put at least double those miles on it.

british_rover

Well maybe for some it is a matter of not affording it but for most it is because they have five other cars and so can't drive them that much.

I just looked up in my galves book what average miles for a 2005 SL55 was and it is 14,000 miles currently.

So barely 7,000 miles a year.

My client that is picking swapping out of the Range Rover Sport SC next week and also has the SL55/65 has so many vehicles he doesn't drive any of them more then 7,000 miles a year.

Just off the top of my head he has...
Three different Range Rovers
one 2006 MY Range Rover
one 2006 MY Range Rover Sport Super
one 2004 Range Rover
Two X5s one 4.4 and one 4.8
The SL55 or 65 can't remember which one
XJR dont't remember the year
Couple of porsches various 911s no Cayennes or Boxters for him.

He used to have a G55 but I think he just got rid of it.

Thats all I can remember right now.

qbrozen

Anytime I think about having more cars than days in the week, the collection in my mind does not involve any more than 1 or 2 new cars.

And there is no way in hell I'd have 5 new SUVs. There are so many great classic cars I'd much rather give my garage space to.

woodyww

I have a silver 2005 MB SL55 (no scratches) with 6,000 miles. I paid 125K, it is now worth $80 in trade.........I just don't drive it very often and it just sits in the garage.

That's pretty sobering (to me). You could buy some very nice cars, new, or esp. used, with just the $$ you're losing on depreciation. Altho, if you've got $5 or $10 mil. stashed away (none of my business), then I guess it's not a huge deal.

If you really want an S8 tho, does audi have any good lease deals? Let audi deal with the depreciation. Or, buy a nice 5 y.o. one for $20K......

scottphillip

I was going to trade my RR Sport on a Range Rover Supercharged, but didn't because the larger Rover is a little old-fashioned feeling. I may get the 2007 model with the updated suspension controls and electronic parking brake. The Rover has such nice seats. I am a sucker for good shoulder support.

Am I correct that the Sport has better resale than the Range Rover? The Audi salesman has offered me $56,500 for my black/black supercharged Sport with 14,000 miles and original tires. It stickered at $72,650. :confuse:

woodyww

Well, that's another thing. Think of the great classic cars you could buy for the price of one brand new SL55 & one brand new Range Rover. Let alone that mind-boggling list british_rover gave for one of his customers.

Let's see (& I don't really know the prices of these currently): Nicely restored Jag E Type. Orig. Pontiac GTO, or Chevelle SS396. '63-'67 Corvette. Maybe an old Land Rover Series. Just to name a few. And get a current-gen TLC for hauling & daily driver.

(I'm making myself ill). I mean, if you really have serious $$ to blow on cars, some well-purchased classics are going to hold their value a lot more than mega-bucks new cars.....

british_rover

56,500 seems about right.

I just put 60,000 on a White/White Supercharged Sport with 1,000 miles on it.

Same equipment level as your car.

And yes the Sports have residuals that are several points better then a full size range rover.

Car collectors...

That guy does have a few classic cars but they are all down in florida. He doesn't take any of them up north because he wants to protect them. I haven't ever seen his classic car collection and I never really asked him what he has I just know he has a few.

nippononly

Of course that's heavily subject to individual tastes. Some people like the classics, some like modernity. The classics aren't a turn-on for everyone. And of course, if you want a turn-key car, you are much more likely to get one buying new rather than 40 years old. Owning classics is for people that have lots of time (and money obviously) to devote to their fleet, and consider drives in their cars an event rather than an everyday thing.

Now of course, you don't need more than one or two everyday cars, so after that you could have a couple of classics instead of brand new models, but STILL you would have the extra time requirement that classic cars always engender.

michaellno

When I fantasize about winning the lottery big-time, I don't think I have totally extravagant tastes:

1) A German uber-wagon - MB E63, Audi RS6 Avant, something like that. Would serve as the daily driver. Can haul 4 people comfortably, or 2 people, 2 sets of golf clubs and luggage at warp speed.

2) sports car of some sort (911, Corvette) - for weekends and track time

I think the big problem is that I would be a lot like br's customer in that I could see myself trading vehicles several times a year, based on what's new and exciting.

The wife would probably still drive her VUE. :confuse:

woodyww

Well........yeah, I'm just fantasizing about what I'd do if I had the $$ to buy both a brand new range rover, AND one of the more expensive Mercedes.

I owned a bmw M6 for 10 years, & it got real depressing the last few years I owned it: it needed too much work, it was too much dues & expense for a summer-only car, etc. Now I'm driving a 6 y.o. 5 series that is a way better car in almost every way, but is really pretty boring. Of course, if I had an M5, I'd never be bored.....

It is kind of interesting to read stories of people who love buying $2000 beaters, & people who've probably spent as much on their new mega-bucks euro vehicle fleet as others have paid for their houses, on the same forum......

growwise

It is kind of interesting to read stories of people who love buying $2000 beaters, & people who've probably spent as much on their new mega-bucks euro vehicle fleet as others have paid for their houses, on the same forum......

Houses are way too expensive IMO. Not worth the money at all. Atleast for cars and goods, you get what you pay for.

Most people spend half their income on housing related expenses. I think its all one big conspiracy to keep people working forever....

corvette

Most people spend half their income on housing related expenses. I think its all one big conspiracy to keep people working forever....

One of the great successes of Home Depot and Lowe's is in getting homeowners to buy stuff for their house because they think they can save a bundle by doing it themselves. Often, they end up having to pay a professional to finish or redo it, or at the very least a weekend project turns into a ten-weekend project... :P

akangl

Wasn't sure I really wanted to, but figured I might as well since I rarely ever drove it. Put 1300 miles on it since May and hadn't driven it in a couple months. Including registration and everything I had $980 into the car, sold it for $2500. Could have probably gotten more, but figured the family that got it needed a reliable car and while the Sebring lacked in looks it made up for by being a great running car. Funny thing was I never really advertised the car, just word of mouth and it got a lot of attention.

lilengineerboy

One of the great successes of Home Depot and Lowe's is in getting homeowners to buy stuff for their house because they think they can save a bundle by doing it themselves. Often, they end up having to pay a professional to finish or redo it, or at the very least a weekend project turns into a ten-weekend project...
They have a show on TLC about house flipping and people getting totally in over their heads, but also people who come out like champs. The trick is to actually research, figure out what needs to be done and realistically plan it.
So far the worst I have been off is one very long, very painful, killin myself to get it done day.

kyfdx

Often, they end up having to pay a professional to finish or redo it, or at the very least a weekend project turns into a ten-weekend project...

Hey!! Quit looking in my windows!! :surprise:

woodyww

Including registration and everything I had $980 into the car, sold it for $2500

That's impressive! If you could keep that up, owning cars would not be the depreciation pit for you that they are for most people. (or even a profit source). BTW, how are the 2 Ram diesel P/U's?

stickguy

stopped to look at a car that has been sitting parked for a few weeks with a for sale sign on it (close to my neighborhood, on the way to work). It is a SAAB 9-5 wagon (I know, but I kinda like these). Not that I was likely to get it, but you know the thought process (kid learning to drive, safe, utile, etc).

So I figure, maybe if it is cheap, decent miles, and has the rare stick shift...

Well, 0 for 3. It is a 1999, sort of a khaki green color, but an automatic. Not sure what the asking price was, but they had a (very faded) print out of the KBB worksheet in the window (I think it showed private party of about 4-5K).

Oh, and a measly 175,000 miles on it!

The kicker is, it still had a 30 day temp tag in the back window, dated 9-6 9and I am pretty sure that is the day it expires, but i could be wrong). So someone bought this baby at a dealer or some kind, paid to regisiter it, and is now trying to unload it before ever getting the plates on it (although if you get the temp tag, that means plates are on the way).

Wonder if they just came to their senses, or had early dealings with Swen??

I should get the number and call just to find out, but that would be cruel.

steine13

Saturday morning, I'm minding my own business getting ready for a canoe trip... when the mailman brings a letter from GM. Once again, I'm being "topped off" in my GM Card account, bringing my savings from $1,500 up to $2,500.
At the same time, the weekend papers announce $4,500 rebates on regular-cab '06 Silverados and $3,000 on 2007s.

Fast forward to Monday evening, and I can either buy a new '07 shortbed V6 stick with decent split bench seats, air and cruise and not much else for $13 OTD or an '06 V8 auto, similarly equipped, for $14,8 OTD.

For an affirmed CCBA nut, that's pretty tough to turn down... esp. the automatic one, since the wholesale value of that truck is about $14 with a few thousand miles on it. And being a full-size truck with a decent tow rating as well as OK gas mileage, that puppy will hold its value reasonably well. I feel myself falling off the wagon here... Rutted dirt roads with a 96 Millenia are no fun, I scraped pretty good in a few places. I'd really like a vehicle that'll haul two boats and two or three bicycles.

Great trip, though... check out this view from the campsite a little after 07:00 Sunday:


And FWIW, the stick is fun to drive but absolutely a two-seater... I'd like my vehicle to be able to seat my family, small as it is. Also pretty much sale proof, I would think.

-Mathias

woodyww

Does either truck have pwr. windows? Sliding rear window? Are the prices you mentioned before, or after, your GM Card $$?

Whatever, either truck sounds like a great deal (to me).....

corvette

How much more is an extended cab? Probably less than the price of a moderately optioned Vibe, I would guess. The extended cab would hold the family--at least for short trips.

corvette

Interesting... I don't think I've ever driven a Saab before, but I have heard plenty of horror stories about their repair.

steine13

E-cab or longbed are too long for my driveway.
The reg cab shortbox is something I can drive more or less daily...
The $1k in extra money is not available on the Vibe. Go figure.

Woody -- the OTD price is after the GM card rebate. Another couple grand off, I'd be opening a store and buying a bunch of them...

-Mathias

akangl

That's impressive! If you could keep that up, owning cars would not be the depreciation pit for you that they are for most people. (or even a profit source). BTW, how are the 2 Ram diesel P/U's?

We got lucky on the Sebring and the 97 F-250 PSD. We've turned down offers of $6k for the F-250 which we are currently sitting at about $3k including purchase price and a few repairs. Its not for sale at any price, its far too useful for us.

The 2 Rams are great, hubby's has about 8k on it and mine has around 6800 miles on it. Hubby loves his.......heck, I really like it too, kind of wish I had gone cloth instead of leather and 6-spd vs auto. Ah well, mine's nice and seems to be a really good truck. I still miss my Titan though.

guss

Ok, so I have read Steiner's manifesto on car buying(albeit 2 or 3 years ago) and I don't remember seeing anything about buying the stripper model of new cars and re selling them.

Do you have some theory in there about buying new cars without any options and to but used cars(ie. Mazda Milleni)loaded to the gills ?

anonymousposts

It's been a while. I did get promoted .. but I actually got to stay locally and we did not have to move. I now have a demo, we sold the Civic, we got what we paid for after driving it 7 months and 11,000 miles. So far we have driven a Scion tC, MB C-Class, Toyota Tundra (we had to get our 52" TV home), Ford Freestyle, and we are currently driving a loaded-to-the-gill Infiniti FX45.

Our favorite so far by a big margin is the FX45. It has NAV/DVD and it is pretty. The Freestyle was also a nice ride. It was a bit slow but got decent MPG and had a lot of room. We are in heaven. We will get a bright yellow Hummer next to surprise Little Gee and then we will go back to our TSX & Accord for a while.

The Accord is almost at 50,000 miles and is puttering right along. The TSX is at 4500 and get smoother as each day passes.

woodyww

The place that's doing a repair on my bmw also sells used high-end Euro cars. Right now they have 2 E46 M3 converts, an E39 M5, & a few Mercedes & LR's.

Also: a 1985 Porsche 911 with 40K miles, green for $25K, & a 1984 Porsche 911 Targa with 46K miles, red for $26K. Anyone have any input on these? I have to go there tomorrow to p/u my car so I might try to drive one.

http://www.autobahneast.net/inventory.htm

Of course, I shouldn't be thinking of buying a 2nd car as I need to buy a decent house & get out of this decrepit hovel I own. I actually have an accepted offer on a very nice house in Maine, but I'm close to bailing due mainly to 2nd thoughts about the dues of moving 120 miles. Also the relentless stories in the Boston Globe & NY Times about the lousy real estate market. Still, the house in Maine is way nicer than I could get here for the $$, is in a beautiful area 1/2 mile from the ocean, & close to Portland which is a great smaller city with tons of great restaurants, waterfront, you name it. Considering all that, plus the house which is 1000 times nicer than this dump I own near Boston (which I "think" would sell for around the price of the Maine house, or another very nice house there)......I guess I "should" do it.

Does anyone else have house buying/relocation angst? Or insight into my moving dilemma? Oh yeah, & if I moved away from Boston, I might actually be able to afford a 2nd car, an old Porsche, or a 10 y.o. M3. (I might have just set a new personal record for getting OT here).

steine13

There's no such thing as "off-topic" in CCBA...

-Mathias

jlawrence01

Does anyone else have house buying/relocation angst? Or insight into my moving dilemma?

My wife was commuting St. Louis to Boston while was commuting St. Louis to Orange Co., CA in 1992-93. She really wanted to relocate to Boston. I asked her to go out house hunting. Once she saw what closets were renting for in Boston (our house payment was about $450 at the time).

Seriously, we have moved seven times in 25 years. If you think that a vehicle can be a money hole, try relocating. It is not just the cost of moving but the costs of curtains, household goods, etc.

I purchased five vehicles for the fleet today. In eight to ten weeks, I will have seven to sell ...

akangl

Had to take one of the trucks in for service today (not mine!) and picked up a neat little rental. It was a 2005 PT Cruiser GT convertable with a 2.4L 4-cyl turbo with the autostick. It had heated leather seats that were so nice to sit in. Was a super peppy car, I found it enjoyable to drive oddly enough. I have never driven a PT Cruiser before and I was very pleasantly surprised by this car.

steine13

Oh, like, wow!

tick tick tick tick...

I've got Thanksgiving.

:P -Mathias

akangl

LOL, they tried to sell it to me, but as much fun as it was I don't have any use for a car.......thus the reason I sold my Sebring.

If I was going to trade my truck in for something else it would be a Titan or a Pilot or maybe an MDX.

My black truck is staying fairly low mileage since I'm usually driving the dually (my favorite) or the Ford.