Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

kyfdx

I had an '84 911 Targa... owned it from '90-'94...

'84 was the first year for the updated body style... It stayed the same through '89... Also, that was when they started using the name "Carrera" on all 911 models..

No chain tensioner issues or anything like they had on the pre-84 models..

Personally, I would avoid the Targa... Issues with seals, top, headliner, etc, are a real pain, and not cheap.. Plus the coupes are more aerodynamic...

Those two have really low-miles for 20 year old cars... But, I wouldn't pay extra for that... Any 20 yr.old car will have had the same issues, whether it has 40K or 140K miles....

If they are in nice shape, the price should be somewhere between $15K-$20K, I think.. I paid $20K for my '84 Targa with 53K miles in 1990, and sold it for $16,500 in 1994 with 72K miles.. It is still my favorite car that I've ever owned...

I'm not wild about green, and it isn't a very popular color for a 911... but, if you like it, you should be able to get it cheaper than a comparable red, white or black model.

regards,
kyfdx

woodyww

kyfdx, thanks for the info. The 2 Porsches weren't on the lot when I was there today--maybe they're on consignment or something. And the green does look kind of dowdy from the pic. Also, I'd want to have a good Porsche mechanic nearby before taking on something like this (it seemed like such a good idea last night at midnight!).

I'll post again if I start getting closer to buying a Porsche.....or after a test drive.

thanks again, woody

lilengineerboy

'84 had improved chain tensioners, better fuel injection, slightly more displacement (I might be off on that) and I don't think those needed the airbox pop off valve thing. That is kind of the beginning of new age Porsches. I don't think I would go post-'73 or pre-'84 if I could avoid it.

corvette

Doesn't your truck already have heated leather seats?

Anyway, don't think we'd try to dissuade you, a two-door convertible in Alaska is exactly what you need as a family vehicle. :P

corvette

120 miles... Hope you don't commute to Boston regularly!

qbrozen

You just need to look at the asking price on that S60R to see that place is WAAAYYY overpriced. With the discounts, you could have bought that car new for less than that.

akangl

Doesn't your truck already have heated leather seats?

Anyway, don't think we'd try to dissuade you, a two-door convertible in Alaska is exactly what you need as a family vehicle.

LOL, yes it does have heated leather, but I wasn't driving it, I was driving hubby's 06 Ram.

I did notice that the leather seats in the PT Cruiser were softer and much more comfortable. Then again, the car had 17k on it and was a year old vs 7k and 3 months old. Kinda like my Titan's leather seats, they were wonderful, but it took a while to get them there. They were just about perfect at 56k miles, but the driver's side seat heater had all but quit working.

I'm sure a 2-dr convertible would be a great family vehicle here in Alaska.........kinda like a snowmobile in So. California.

I wouldn't buy the car, but it was fun and I will request it again when hubby's truck goes back in for service. His service contract pays for a rental, my truck doesn't have a service contract so I get to sit in the waiting room if it goes in.

woodyww

120 miles... Hope you don't commute to Boston regularly

Actually, I don't, but I bailed on the house near Portland ME. When push came to shove, it was too much dues to re-locate 120 miles away (I'm on the lower end of the scale when it comes to moving/relocating tolerance). And prices have come down "some" in towns/suburbs near Boston from a couple of years ago, so my current plan is to buy a better house around here. Still very expensive, but I remember thinking 20 years ago it was too expensive. (And may still seem insanely overpriced to people not on the coasts).

I picked up my 6 (or 7?) y.o. bmw 5 series today. Cost $434 for an oil & filter change, & a repair/replacement to the "Tailgate actuator & latch". Not horrible I guess, as it's only the 3rd fairly minor repair the car's needed in the 4 years I've owned it.

But that doesn't neccessarily stop me from using it as a reason to try to sell the car, & buy a newer one. I figure I'd ask $16,800 maybe????, or $17,900 for a 2000 bmw 5 series wagon with 24K miles, to sell privately. (I've checked the prices on edmunds & fee-bay). And buy a 1-3 y.o. 4runner.

The Porsche idea is a great fantasy, but.....

corvette

But that doesn't neccessarily stop me from using it as a reason to try to sell the car...

Of course not! :P

Have you test-driven a Tacoma or 4-Runner? I've found that my impressions of a vehicle are often different than what I've read.

I don't blame you for bailing on the house--it's enough of a headache to move across town, much less 120 miles away.

kyfdx

From the owner's manual on the '84 911.

0-60 is 6.3 seconds

200 hp

woodyww

Have you test-driven a Tacoma or 4-Runner

No, but I almost bought a previous-gen 4-Runner, a '99 or 2000. I thought they were "OK" in most respects, after taking a few test drives. Since the current gen. 4-Runner is reportably much improved, & I have owned a few trucks/SUV's, I feel pretty sure I could live with one. Obviously I need to drive one tho. The problem is the patience & work & dues involved in shopping for a used vehicle.....

But a $434 service/repair bill on my bmw, if they're not too frequent, wouldn't even pay the sales tax on a $25K or so vehicle purchase. Maybe I'll just have my brand new snow tires mounted on the bmw, for now......my 5 series is the best road trip/high speed highway driving vehicle I've owned. And the E-39 is supposedly one of the most reliable bmw's; some think it is the "best" 5 series generation (pre i-drive, pre bangle-butt, no runflats, etc.)--I even have a real full size spare tire!

I sure hope no one's noticed that I change my mind about house buying/selling, & car buying/selling, about once a day. It does make buying a house or car slightly more difficult however. And would you believe it: sometimes realtors, or car salespeople, seem to get bugged with me???? Go figure......

anonymousposts

so maybe one of you can help us out with this. We are currently driving a 2003 MB C320. Love the car. However, we can't seem to find the child safety locks and with a rambunctious 2YO, we need them, just in case. I find it hard to believe that a 2003 luxury car would not have this feature. Anyone have any hints? Are we missing something?

boomchek

Are they not on the rear door jambs? There has to be a small switch somehwere on the rear door.

british_rover

Could also be recessed into the door jam where you have to use the tip of the key or a small slot screw driver to turn them.

They should be marked with a little yellow tag.

corvette

The places I've seen them are on the latch itself, near the latch, or like b_r said, a little slot that you put the key in. I can't imagine that they'd try to do some sort of electronic thing, but I suppose anything is possible. If I were going to design something that way, I'd probably wire it to the rear window lockout button.

british_rover

I can't imagine that they'd try to do some sort of electronic thing, but I suppose anything is possible.

Ahh but this is merecedes and they love over doing it on the electronic gizmos.

guss

I know they have been around for a long time, but I still love seeing the wipers for the headlights on Mercedes. Overkill to the max.

corvette

Volvo did that as well, and I think BMW did it in other countries. Now the cold-weather package cars just have washer fluid sprayers for the headlights. Most of them are retractable and pop out when you use the windscreen washer.

GMC offered the washers on the Envoy--not sure if they still do or if it was one of the things that got dumped due to decontenting.

british_rover

Oh we have moved beyond that now. A lot of vehicles have super high pressure washer jets mounted by the head lights that when activated swivel and turn basicly powerwashing the head light lens.

nippononly

has gotten to almost 8000 posts....everyone get your final thoughts in, as I am sure the hosts will be shutting this one down any second now...

:-(

qbrozen

a tad bitter today, nippon?

nippononly

It's true, I'm afraid. Monday morning and all...

;-)

However, like four of the small group of threads I was still following here at N&V got shut down in the last week because of some bright new idea of the folks running this board. They were replaced by silly pointless threads that I won't track. Oh well. They apparently have an aversion now to any thread with a 4-digit number of posts in it.

guss

Does anyone have any idea if the total number of postings on Edmunds is down ?

Maybe it is just the threads that I track are down, but it seems to me overall the number of people posting has gone down also. I'm thinking the new format is to blame, the constant changes makes thread harder to find.

Luckily this one remains fairly active. I guess once you have thee CCBA disease , you have it for life.

stickguy

Working to find a new SUV type vee-hicle for my SIL. She has an FX35 now, and is ready to move on.

Anyway, I worked through the usual competitors (SRX, RX350, etc.) but she decided that, if possible, she would like to spend less. So, some research on the next tier down (Murano, Highlander, Edge).

Ended up driving, and really liking, one that I hadn't even thought about (she was looking at the MT truck preview issue I saved for her, and said it looked nice): the new Rav4.

I still think of it as a mini ute of limited practicality, but the darned thing is now just about as big as a Highlander. I took a V6 sport for a drive, and that sucker was nice. Roomy, comfy, very quick, nice ride and handling, plenty of features. 2nd row had lots of room, and the cargo area was large and usable (I saw another one at the soccer field with a full size dryer in the back, with the 2nd row seats up!)

Overall, more usable space than the FX, even though it is smaller dimensionally. Wasn't able to see the 3rd row, but CR says it fits 2 adults. She would like to have it for emergency use (Grandparents in, taking th esoccer team home, etc).

Even better, the V6 (I know, you may not get this) is still rated at ~21/28 with AWD, way better than the FX. Plus, she really doesn't want to give up any of the power she is used to (I had her look at the Tribeca, but she felt it was too slow).

Anyway, I liked it enough, that I would rather get one of these than another minivan! Too bad my wife won't be in the market for a long time.

jaserb

I rented a 2WD 4cyl Rav4 (Rav2?) for a quick road trip, about 300 miles each way. Even the base rig I had is a pretty nice setup. Really good on gas for something that roomy, and it even handles decently for a 'Ute.

-Jason

Kirstie_H

A reporter seeks to interview people who switched from a GM model, Chrysler 300C, or a Ford to a Toyota, Honda or Nissan. Please reply to jfallon@edmunds.com no later than Wednesday, October 18, 2006 with a few relevant comments and your daytime contact info.

graphicguy

woody....I've got an '04 4 Runner 4 WD, which is the current platform. I use it for towing a See-do. I've got the V6, which can get strained if you're towing. But, it's got decent pick-up if there's no added weight.

Even the V6 is a bit thirsty, but it's hauling a lot of weight. Good vehicles. Only complaint I have is the floor seems high. I've never been able to get really comfortable because my knees are higher as a result of the high floor.

I've only had it in a couple of good sized "snows" around SW OH. But, it handled them well.

Since my son is spending less time "hanging out" with me (he's in college), I may dump the See-Doos, since I don't use them nearly as much as he did. Don't know what I'll do with the 4-Runner at that point.

I need to thin out my vehicle herd.

stickguy

I put this in RWTIV too, but I think a couple of the regulars here might be able to weigh in with an opinion. In NJ, as am I. Anyway:

#####
Trying to get a reasonable estimate for a private sale (I'm the middle man between a friend and a nephew, so walking a fine line about being fair all around).

Anyway, it is a 2 owner 1995 max GXE (Black over gray cloth). Normal GXE (base) options, with an AT.

From what I have been told, it has a brand new exhaust, and recent tires/brakes. Also an assortment of normal maintenance type work (need to see the receipts, but stuff like sensors). Runs well, no accidents rust or damage.

Overall, in nice shape for the age, recently inspected, well maintained, and doesn't need anything known.

High miles (highway commute) at 150,000 though.

They are looking for $2,500 for it. I was thinking maybe 2K, but it does come with a history (and receipts), and I know that it has been taken care of.

What do they pros think would make sense for something like this?

corvette

If it's in good shape and you can get all the receipts, I don't think anyone is being ripped off at the $2,500 price point.

british_rover

My mom has a Maxima basicly identical to this, with the exeption of a few dings when my sister went ditch surfing in it, and I told her to ask for 2,500 but take the first offer over 2,000 and run with it.

Without the dings I would have told her to stay firm at 2,500 dollars.

qbrozen

At either $2k or $2500, I don't think anybody is exactly ripping the other off.

If I was the buyer, I wouldn't be so anxious to go over $2k on a car with 150k miles. If I was the seller, I'd want $2500. LOL.

Anyway, the big question is the timing belt. Seems like its about ready for its 2nd one. Has that been done?

bumpy

Anyway, the big question is the timing belt.

The VQ30DE has a timing chain.

british_rover

Yup shouldn't ever need to worry about the chain in the VQ30DE. I have seen those engines with nearly 300,000 miles and no chain replacment.

stickguy

I need to run down and take a good look at it, and the receipts, to see how it looks. If everything checks out 100%, I'll suggest splitting the difference at around $2,200 and everyone should be happy.

qbrozen

at least its got that going for it, then.

Kirstie_H

A reporter from a large daily newspaper is looking to speak to consumers that decided to purchase a vehicle besides for just fuel economy. Please provide your daytime contact info to ctalati@edmunds.com no later than Wednesday, October 18, 2006.

zodiac2004

In NJ, eh.

Darn - I was there last weekend. Would have been tempted at 2500.
Ah, but it's an Auto. Never mind.

woodyww

When I was looking into RAV4's, I was getting pricing of around $28,500 (including whatever discounts) for a fully loaded AWD Limited V6 with leather, S/R, side air bags. And the V6 is quick, right, with 269 hp?

I seem to recall it has almost as much cargo room as a 4Runner (?), both with middle seats down, but I can't find the figures right now.

I can't quite get used to the looks of the new RAV, but maybe it'll grow on me--it seems like you get a lot for the $$.

What about the new RDX?

british_rover

New RDX is going to start at around 30,000. I would look at the RDX and the CX-7. Everyone I have spoken to that his driven the V6 Rav4 says the torque steer is horrible. I guess toyota is still using their questionable on demand AWD system and it doesn't send power to the rear fast enough. The front suspension and drive shaft set up is probably not so great either. No equal length driveshafts and un-equal length control arms to battle torque steer.

corvette

The RDX is around $38k with the tech package (Bluetooth, satnav, rear camera). The driving experience was great. I prefered it to the 2006 BMW X3.

corvette

Maybe I am delusional, but it seems like I've gotten more compliments driving my mom's five-year-old Volvo S80 than I do driving my 3-er...

I don't dispute that it's nice, but I certainly didn't think it was hip enough to get favorable remarks from younger people. It's an S80, not an S-class...

woodyww

Lots of nice looking Volvos out there. I almost pay more attention to them than most bmw's.

My impression from owning a whole 2 bmw's is that it takes a really special one, usually a "classic" in nice condition, to get much attention. Average people probably wouldn't notice even a recent M5 or M3. And even I'm bored to tears with the looks of my E39 5-series.....

anonymousposts

we gave up on finding the child safety locks and just turned the C320 in. There was a hole on each rear door where you would assume the locks were but there was no switch and nothing in the hole ... oh well.

Gee wants an RDX. He has sugggested we trade the TSX and the Accord and get an RDX. I'm not too keen on the idea though.

stickguy

I think he needs Prozac!

growwise

Word on the streets is that next V70 will be based on S80 and not S60 as the current one is..




BTW, I was never into BMWs.. Cost too much money for what they do. I saw an M5 yesterday stuck in traffic crawling along at 5mph. Felt sorry for the guy

nippononly

Don't feel sorry for him - you noticed him, which is the reason half of the M3 and M5 buyers choose their rides! :-P

*ducks*

growwise

I once met a guy who had M3. He absolutely hated it since it cost hime an arm and a leg and gave him a bad back with all the pothole ridden roads. Besides, he cant use the power. For starters, the traffic crawls along on 401 (busiest in the whole darn continent) and cops catch you if you decide to break the limit by over 20mph. I'd rather choose this over an M3 IF I can afford it.

corvette

Looks handsome. I'm not fond of the little black warts for the keyless go system and similar little black warts for the parking sensors. Looks like a lot of manufacturers have modernized their designs by making everything monochromatic, but then they're taking a couple of steps backward by putting black plastic sensors, buttons, and antennas everywhere.

Maybe the switch to the S80 platform is more evidence that they are killing the S60.

rockylee

I heard the next S60, was going to built on a new platform.

Rocky

growwise

Gee wants an RDX. He has sugggested we trade the TSX and the Accord and get an RDX. I'm not too keen on the idea though

I proposed replacing a 5+ year old LS2 with 110k miles and was shot down by my wife. She thinks 10 years is the right time to keep a car because thats what her dad did. :mad: She thinks I'm nuts. Go figure :confuse:

Besides, I am supposed to atone for buying 4 cars in 3 years but that seems so long ago now. I paid my dues so its time. I've never gone 5 long years and 3 months with same piece of junk.

However, I cant decide between
Plan A: Buy a compact (20k CAD) for commuting 70 miles a day and follow it up with a used minivan (20k CAD) for occasional duties.
Plan B: Buy one car/wagon for the price of above (40k CAD) and be done with it.

Flaw with plan A is that Money saved on gas for commuter could probably go for insuring the second. Ofcourse there is safety issue for small cars as well. To top it off, Plan B will get me a car I want... *grin* like this