Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

Michaell

stickguy said:

So, I started thinking again (always a dangerous state of affairs). Depending on how a few things go though the summer, I may "upgrade" my princess before next semester, and get her something newer (or new) to take back to school for sophomore year.

The Volvo will have about 111k by the time it arrives back home in a few weeks. I really don't think I would try to stretch it through 3 more years of 450 mile each way runs to school. Though it has done surprisingly well so far, it ain't no spring chicken!

so my latest plan, until I come up with a better one, is sell the Volvo, use money to pay off the loan on the RDX (2 years and change left on that), and grab one of the "hey it's August and we got way too many 15s left so let's offer distress price leases" on something small to midsize, modestly equipped but with the important features, so the $200 range.

the logic (besides getting a new car, though it won't be for me, so who cares!) is twofold. First, monthly cashflow will improve by ~$225+. Which can come in handy. 2nd, no need to worry about sending her off on the hell ride that is I95 from Philly to Richmond in an older car. Or the potential for something to happen to it 8 hours from here.

Plus, a 36 month lease will take us a few months past graduation. so won't have to deal with anything auto related other than a few oil changes. And she can run around anywhere over that time (summers, breaks).

also in favor of this is that next year, she will be parking in a lot right in front of her building. This year she had to park in a remote lot for freshman, off in the fringes of campus. So car should be safer.

so, assuming all the $ factors work out, we could be having some fine father-daughter bonding this summer (she actually likes to go looking as a hobby. Apple, tree!). Hardest part might be narrowing down the options!

oh, the other option was a newer car to buy (say a 2012 with 30-40K on it). But I would end up with higher payments, payments on a 7 YO car by the end, and still have potential for used car issues. But that is still an option.

Great plan. I have but two words for you:

Honda Civic

Or, if you want two different words:

Hyundai Elantra

Can get either of these for under $200/mo.

Any compact sedan should comfortably fit in your budget today - and the deals should only get better later this summer, though availability may be down at that time.

Time for some summer test drives!

kyfdx

js06gv said:

ab348 said:

stevedebi said:

It won't make a difference if the vehicles have WiFi inside, if there is no connectivity outside. Unless they get external Internet via Satellite, if there is no cellular service, there is no Internet to pass on to the WiFi. I'm not sure I see satellite service being cheap enough to put in all cars, but who knows...

Up here in Canada, cellular service is more expensive than what it typically is in the US from what I understand. My niece bought a GMC Terrain with GM's built-in WiFi. But since you need an internet connection, it used her cellphone data plan. After the first month, the bill came in and she was stunned. She has 2 kids, 9 and 11, both with various devices along with her own, all of which tapped into that one pipeline. The kids were downloading games, music, etc as they all like to do. I gather the bill for data was in the hundreds of dollars that first month, after her data plan got quickly used up.

That's the part I don't understand with GMs wifi feature. If all the downloading is going to be tied to a user's own data plan, just as it would in any other car WITHOUT wifi, then just what is the point of having wifi in the car to begin with? I must be missing something.

If you have wi-fi, passengers with non-cellular equipped tablets and laptops (which is most of them), can surf the net. Same reason that Starbucks and McDonalds offers wi-fi

suydam

if you are thinking of leasing a new car for your daughter, first close your eyes and imagine typical college dorm and parking lots, with inexperienced and often, to put it mildly, less cautious drivers. Every one of my kids graduated with cars that had dents and dings. They had older cars so we didn't sweat it. All part of the college experience.

stickguy

I have experience now with her car at that school. So far, no issues. so not all that worried about it. Can also get the prepaid 'damage waiver" (at least I could on my Sonata) where they take car of all the dent doctoring for you. In this case, distance is a big part of the decision. It is a long drive, and I95 is not the most pleasant road (to put it mildly) from Philly to Richmond (beyond that, I85 is actually quite pleasant!).

if she was going to school 50 miles from home up back highways, i would think differently.

Michael, I actually priced out Civics, and they were not too bad. An EX IIRC was MSRP ~22k, and that has everything she really needs. We looked at the Elantra and she was not that comfortable with it (I think it was visibility, but pretty sure she just drove a Sonata and got confused which one it was!) But they are both on the list. Kia Forte and Corolla too. Maybe a Jetta. Certainly a Mazda 3, but from my experience, leasing one of those is going to be much higher (even at a comparable MSRP)

Depending on the #s, might look to step up to a midsize. Camry, something like that. A bit more substantial on the highway, with longer range.

Ideally around the time I need it (say, beginning of August) some company/dealer will have a glut, and put out a well below $200/mo S&D offer on something we can live with. So I think we will take some time in June to do the looking, then I can start hunting the right deal. Would be happy to go back to my Hyundai dealer, if she happens to like the elantra (or move up to another Sonata! Just a more basic one).

stickguy

Oh, one thing that we would like but I don't anticipate getting is Navi. Not that common on smaller cars, and still expensive (stand alone, or to get to a high enough trim level). I'm hoping that whatever we get has fancy enough phone integration that she could potentially run something like Google maps through the car. if not, pretty sure her Garmin has free lifetime maps!

suydam

Most kids (and grownups too) just use google maps on their phone. The voice directions are very clear. I can't imagine getting a car with Nav but I know some people still do. Everyone's comfort level (and budget) are different. Our kids' college is 500 miles away. And of course they drove all over the country too. Naturally we did the same thing at their age, only in much sketchier cars. Theirs were pretty reliable.

stever

It's funny, I used to love to drive 90% of the time (yes, even our minivans) and my wife would ride shotgun, sightsee and help me navigate.

Now about half the time, it's "sweetie, would you mind driving?" I get on the wifi and check in here or play pinball on the iPad.

fintail

I see that too. Often, they are yapping at a passenger. When I see hands moving, I know it can't be good. It's maybe just a step below texting, IMO. Hands-free stuff is here to stay, and has enough demand to eventually be standard in all cars.

The hands-free system in my car works fairly well, not perfect, but generally works on the first try.

berri said:

Fin, you make a good point about being able to keep eyes on the road with hands free, provided the system works well and you don't have to end up fighting with it. But I can't begin to keep count of the number of cars I've been behind sitting still at a green light while the drivers lips appear to be moving. Now maybe that driver is just a lip syncher pretending he/she is a famous rock or country artist on stage, but I never seem to see the flailing head or air guitar motions that I assume would go with that

slorenzen

"to eventually be standard in all cars."

You mean, like turn signals?

Oh, wait...

Michaell

stickguy said:

Oh, one thing that we would like but I don't anticipate getting is Navi. Not that common on smaller cars, and still expensive (stand alone, or to get to a high enough trim level). I'm hoping that whatever we get has fancy enough phone integration that she could potentially run something like Google maps through the car. if not, pretty sure her Garmin has free lifetime maps!

I'm sure you can accord LX or an Altima s at that $200 price point

stickguy

probably. have to see if she wants something bigger. she has driven the Sonata a few times, and seems to like it. But not sure she would be as thrilled with a "strippo" model!

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

probably. have to see if she wants something bigger. she has driven the Sonata a few times, and seems to like it. But not sure she would be as thrilled with a "strippo" model!

So we can keep Daddy & his princess happy. Give her the Sonata & get something for yourself (the GTI seems to be the car du jour on the board nowadays)

Michaell

stickguy said:

probably. have to see if she wants something bigger. she has driven the Sonata a few times, and seems to like it. But not sure she would be as thrilled with a "strippo" model!

Strippi new car or the Volvo. Her choice. 

corvette

xwesx said:

Hah! I love this discussion. It makes me feel so incredibly sane!!!!

I closed on my new house Thursday and have already spent well north of $3,000 at Lowe's. Granted, a lot of that was for a fridge, washer, and dryer (not included with the house), but also had to get a window unit a/c for the upstairs, a mower, etc. I finally bought myself a Shop Vac (on sale) and a basic electric pressure washer. Before I moved, I could borrow either of those items from my parents a couple of miles away, but it's not so easy now!

ab348 said:

...then I realized they were talking about 2014 F-150s. This is May 2015. How many 2014 F-150s are still out there on dealer lots?

There are more 2015s than 2014s, but still a a decent number of 2014s available. Towards the end of production of the 2014s, they offered some desirable option package discounts (basically, free or almost free xenon headlights and leather seats on mid to low-end models). Those trucks sold very quickly. Most of what is left in my area are the stripped fleet models, and a few extremely loaded models ($7,000 off a $55,000 truck is not going to be enough to make an old model desirable, especially when the $55k model has lots of gadgets which have been upgraded on the new model).

(Yes, I've looked at the 2014 F-150 as a replacement for the GLI... Don't hate me!) That said, I don't think a full-size pickup will fit in the garage at the new house. I think a Grand Cherokee/Durango or a Traverse/Acadia/Enclave would, though.

Weird thing on those GMs, 90% of them seem to be FWD. The higher end models seem to be more likely to have AWD, but even then, the take rate seems to be under 50%. It's almost an open acknowledgment they are GM's entry in the minivan segment.

stever

Congrats on the new house! Hope you got a "moving" coupon from Lowes. (Forget if it was 10 or 20% off one item - seems like it was a better deal than the coupon you get in the USPS moving paperwork).

Guess it's too soon for the coupon to arrive in your mailbox, but no matter - you'll be buying plenty of other stuff for the house.

stickguy

Oh, any new car is going to be on the more basic side. Just have do decide how big it is. But, a smaller one could potentially have a few more options (civic EX with moonroof vs. an Accord LX, or mazda 3 touring with roof package vs. a 6 Sport).

I do like to online shop, that is for sure!

should probably avoid the models that tend to not be lease dumps. So the 3 is likely out. Elantra, Forte, Corolla, Civic, Sentra could all be in the running!

stickguy

Bradd, I did think of the hand me down idea. But I screwed myself over getting a fancy model. Too nice (and expensive) to hand down. I should have stuck with the $200 Camry, Would be happy to hand it down!

the other problem is, my lease runs out in the 1st term of her senior year. Not good timing. another reason a car now is perfect. lease ends right after she graduates!

stickguy

here's a car for Fezo. Too bad it already went. I believe it was priced just over 14K.

Imprezza wagon stick with a moonroof. What's not to love?

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2012-subaru-impreza_wagon-5dr_manual_2_0i_premium_pzev-used-13290956.html

Michaell

@corvette - congratulations on the new house. Less money in the car budget, for sure. But, could be time to get something more practical. When we moved into our house 15 years ago this month, we had a '99 New Beetle and a '99 Ford Expedition. We've almost always had an SUV, but never a pickup.

slorenzen

I couldn't IMAGINE not having a pickup. I load my 3/4 ton Super Duty to it's max. pretty frequently. Just picked up a yard of 3/4 crushed rock...

fezo

stickguy said:

here's a car for Fezo. Too bad it already went. I believe it was priced just over 14K.

Imprezza wagon stick with a moonroof. What's not to love?

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2012-subaru-impreza_wagon-5dr_manual_2_0i_premium_pzev-used-13290956.html

Checks all the right boxes with two exceptions - 1. It's sold; 2. It's white.

corvette

New neighbors have a newer Golf and a newer Passat, it may be hard to leave the VW family. I washed the Jetta tonight and ordered a set of wide-angle mirrors from ECS Tuning. Apparently, these are available as OEM in Europe (they have a VW part number). The GLI has a huge blind spot on the driver's side. I've tried adjusting the mirrors as recommended to reduce blind spots, but for some reason it's not working.

I really like the built-in blind spot mirrors Ford includes on most of their vehicles. GM started doing something similar on the Terrain/Equinox and the Traverse, but in typical GM fashion, they messed it up. Their newer pickups have a tiny little dot on the mirror which is too small to be effective--I think Edmunds has complained about it.

iluvmysephia1

Hey, stever, I used my Lowe's "welcome to the neighborhood" $25 off coupon here in Moses Lake, WA, ta get a Troy-Bilt 21" self-propelled 3-in-1 mower with bag to catch the trimmings. Yes! Brought the price down to $244 + tax. The mower totally kicks butt. No, a ridin' mower? Are you kidding? That would take all the fun out of it.

And, then, started trimming with my hand-me-down gifted Troy-Bilt trimmer, and, everything in the undercarriage was just ready ta go. Everything just came apart at the seams and started spinning apart and flying everywhere. So, at the Ephrata, WA, Walmart, I spotted a $48 Worx 15" electric trimmer and snapped it right up. Two cords spinning at once straight across from each other! What a stealthy design. And the thing holds up, too. I highly recommend each product purchased here, for sure.

Yardwork can just plain be so...cool and fun! And outdoorsy.

Michaell

More help required .. this one is kind of interesting:

http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/34090/general/x/3-years-5000-what-to-buy#latest

stever

iluvmysephia1 said:

No, a ridin' mower? Are you kidding? That would take all the fun out of it.

lol, shades of the manual/automatic transmission debate. Not missing mowing here nor do I miss the whine of all the neighbor's mowers (although the guy behind me mows a 10x20 patch near his pool every few weeks).

breld

stickguy said:

Forgot to add, maybe she was switched at birth with the Brelds. Accounting major, who likes to go car shopping!

LOL!

Wish we could convince my stepdaughter to consider accounting - we keep talking up how good it's been to us, but just doesn't catch her interest. Understood it's not a sexy major/career, but stability goes a long way. But, of course, that's boring grown-up talk.

Michaell

breld said:

stickguy said:

Forgot to add, maybe she was switched at birth with the Brelds. Accounting major, who likes to go car shopping!

LOL!

Wish we could convince my stepdaughter to consider accounting - we keep talking up how good it's been to us, but just doesn't catch her interest. Understood it's not a sexy major/career, but stability goes a long way. But, of course, that's boring grown-up talk.

Let's not go there. Of the three kids, only the step daughter has a college degree ... in English. Is currently the office / property manager at the non-profit where the wife also works.

Step son is a handyman, but is real good at it and makes a decent living from it.

Son in CA works almost full time at a bagel shop, and helps his mom with Pampered Chef parties and such.

slorenzen

stever said:

iluvmysephia1 said:

No, a ridin' mower? Are you kidding? That would take all the fun out of it.

lol, shades of the manual/automatic transmission debate. Not missing mowing here nor do I miss the whine of all the neighbor's mowers (although the guy behind me mows a 10x20 patch near his pool every few weeks).

Yeah, but does he use a riding mower?

nyccarguy

breld said:

stickguy said:

Forgot to add, maybe she was switched at birth with the Brelds. Accounting major, who likes to go car shopping!

LOL!

Wish we could convince my stepdaughter to consider accounting - we keep talking up how good it's been to us, but just doesn't catch her interest. Understood it's not a sexy major/career, but stability goes a long way. But, of course, that's boring grown-up talk.

How about Physical Therapy? My wife is a PT and is NEVER without work. We get mailers/phone calls/emails all the time from different hospitals/rehab facilities... looking for PTs

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

breld said:

stickguy said:

Forgot to add, maybe she was switched at birth with the Brelds. Accounting major, who likes to go car shopping!

LOL!

Wish we could convince my stepdaughter to consider accounting - we keep talking up how good it's been to us, but just doesn't catch her interest. Understood it's not a sexy major/career, but stability goes a long way. But, of course, that's boring grown-up talk.

How about Physical Therapy? My wife is a PT and is NEVER without work. We get mailers/phone calls/emails all the time from different hospitals/rehab facilities... looking for PTs

Another specialty area that is always in demand is education for special needs students, especially for infants and toddlers and preschoolers (ages 0-5).

henryn

Michaell said:

nyccarguy said:

breld said:

stickguy said:

Forgot to add, maybe she was switched at birth with the Brelds. Accounting major, who likes to go car shopping!

LOL!

Wish we could convince my stepdaughter to consider accounting - we keep talking up how good it's been to us, but just doesn't catch her interest. Understood it's not a sexy major/career, but stability goes a long way. But, of course, that's boring grown-up talk.

How about Physical Therapy? My wife is a PT and is NEVER without work. We get mailers/phone calls/emails all the time from different hospitals/rehab facilities... looking for PTs

Another specialty area that is always in demand is education for special needs students, especially for infants and toddlers and preschoolers (ages 0-5).

My next door neighbors have a disabled kid. Very obvious, very bad. The kind of thing where you have to be very careful not to stare, and not to avoid looking at all. There are home health care workers and PTs over there all of the time. I'm sure most of that is on the taxpayers dime, but what are you going to do? We are still talking about a human being. Bad stuff, all around.

Makes you count your blessings.

stever

@slorenzen, he should be using a non-engine push mower on that patch, but he runs a dealership and has to have the motors I guess.

nyccarguy

Another vote for the '15 GTI with 6 speed stick & performance pack

http://carbuying.jalopnik.com/i-have-a-2015-gti-with-performance-package-for-the-next-1696093295

nyccarguy

And for all you who like to go used for your CCBA card punch: http://www.cheatsheet.com/automobiles/10-cars-youre-better-off-buying-used-in-2015.html/?a=viewall

laurasdada

My college roomie is a PT, loves it. Makes a nice living, and, importantly, does good work.

fezo

My PT is fantastic. Used to be right here in town but is now maybe 22 miles away. I like her so I make the commute.

stever

I jump around here a lot and initially read the last couple of posts as describing the PT Cruiser ownership experience.

abacomike

fezo said:

My PT is fantastic. Used to be right here in town but is now maybe 22 miles away. I like her so I make the commute.

Fezo, I have learned yet another aspect of your personality that is pretty awesome - devout loyalty to physical therapists.  I had one after my knee replacement that was so good I drove an hour each way to continue receiving therapy from her when she moved to Palm Beach.  So I know how important it is to maintain a connection with a good PT.

xwesx

stever said:

Congrats on the new house! Hope you got a "moving" coupon from Lowes. (Forget if it was 10 or 20% off one item - seems like it was a better deal than the coupon you get in the USPS moving paperwork).

Guess it's too soon for the coupon to arrive in your mailbox, but no matter - you'll be buying plenty of other stuff for the house.

My brother got one of those when he moved last year. It was 10% off one transaction!! Well, he wasn't planning any trips to Lowe's, so he sent it to me. I used it when I bought the lumber for my shed last year (I think I posted the photos of that visit, IIRC), and I ended up saving over $150. Granted, had I planned my trip better, it could have been more than double that, but so it goes.

corvette

Yeah, my experience has been that you only get one 10% coupon. The same day I closed on my house, I applied for the Lowe's credit card, which gives you 5% off everything, so I have been using that.

Michaell

 Other then the poor gas mileage, somebody tell me why I shouldn't lease an Infiniti Q 40 all-wheel-drive when my lease is up 

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

 Other then the poor gas mileage, somebody tell me why I shouldn't lease an Infiniti Q 40 all-wheel-drive when my lease is up 

No arguments here - 326 horsepower should do an adequate job for pizza deliveries

Michaell

 I am seeing lots of folks getting lease deals of under $300 per month 

kyfdx

Michaell said:

 I am seeing lots of folks getting lease deals of under $300 per month 

We had the G37X for a 36 month lease.... nary a hiccup..

Interstate on-ramps are addicting, though.. Who would have guessed that I'd drive over 100 MPH more often in my '50s than in my '20s?

stickguy

the Q40 is the rebadged carry over G37, right?

Probably drives nice. certainly quick. good size (not too big). Crappy MPG, but that is the hallmark of the VQ.

if cheap, why not?

Michaell

stickguy said:

the Q40 is the rebadged carry over G37, right? Probably drives nice. certainly quick. good size (not too big). Crappy MPG, but that is the hallmark of the VQ. if cheap, why not?

 Yes, previous generation G 37 

slorenzen

Michaell said:

 Other then the poor gas mileage, somebody tell me why I shouldn't lease an Infiniti Q 40 all-wheel-drive when my lease is up 

OK, the gas mileage sucks...

stickguy

if it has the roof/navi or other goodies package, and is leasing cheap, certainly an interesting option. maybe not so much a good idea for pizza delivery.

I saw a used one not long ago at the local place I monitor, and would have grabbed it if I hadn't already gotten "married". it was a 2004 G35 premium, with about 104K on it, super clean, for $4,400. didn't last long.

slorenzen

I remember when my sister had a G37 and I got to drive it when I was visiting.

Truly intoxicating...but I'd be "assuming the position" over the hood of the car far too much were I to own such a beast...

28firefighter

Go for it, michaell. Fun car.