Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

breld

morepower4me said:

New poster, just thought I'd look for advice from the other addicts...

Wife & I are expecting our 1st in December & thought it may be worth revisiting the car situation. She has a 2012 MDX, and I have an 09 SRT8 Challenger + a 14 Civic EX Sedan as a daily.

The Challenger technically fits a baby seat, but its not great & we genuinely dont like the civic. The goal was originally to trade them both for a Hellcat Charger - but they cant be found. Then a Hellcat Challenger (nothing near me), then a SRT 392 Challenger... That last one is awfully close to my current car which only has 13k miles, but is about $20k more.

The (pregnant) wife is getting kind of sick of my car [non-permissible content removed], and just thinks I should get one of the crazy lease deals on an Accord Sport & trade them both in, get a check back & a low payment.

Any car peeps give up their nice car for the baby? Ever get it back?

Otherwise, who's made the baby work with a 2dr/sports car? We'll be using the MDX mainly with the lad, but they'll always be the emergency situations.

If it's really just for emergency situations, seems like you may want to just keep the Challenger and Civic. In an emergency, the Civic should be completely fine for baby hauling.

Now, if you would like to use this awesome life-changing event as a reason to turn some cars, we're all in for that too!

Should be plenty of entertaining cars out there that would fit the bill. Much of it comes down to how much hassle you're willing to put up with to keep/get the car you like. Even it's just occasional, you're gonna want enough truck space for the baby stuff, like a stroller. And then just have it somewhat convenient to get the baby seat in the rear seat without breaking your back.

breld

Michaell said:

nyccarguy said:

We all constantly plan our next "punch" in our heads. The Prelude obviously isn't going anywhere. I'm really excited to drive it to work tomorrow AM (in a few hours) & I'm 9 months away from owning the Pilot free & clear (with less than 70K on the odometer). That leaves the Legacy as the odd man out.

Obviously the sensible thing to do is start paying down the principle once the Pilot is paid off. Drive the Legacy into the ground and save as much money as I can. It has proved itself worthy as a solid daily driver with excellent wet weather traction, and enough space to fit my family of 5. It's just gutless.

Going with @Michaell's idea idea of looking at CPO Infinitis, I see some Q50s in my area already priced below 30K.

I wasn't looking at CPO - just used with less than 60K. If I get a premium make / model, the idea is that I'd drive it into the ground, so long as it had the features I want (AWD, backup cam, heated leather, Bluetooth, XM).

I don't need anything overly powerful, which is why I'd be OK with the G25 as opposed to the G37 (or the IS250 to the 350).

I found a few ATS4's, but they are still pretty pricey (mid to high 20's).

@Michaell - I don't seem to see many of the G25s around at all. I would think with the supply of G37s, the premium would be minimal, and well worth it.

All in all, seems like a great used car buy.

breld

I do sincerely hope I am more entertaining than annoying on this forum.

I pulled the trigger on the S4 I drove last weekend. I'll pick it up next week.

Bruce's S4

breld

Wife and I talked cars this morning, and she made a compelling point to me, that she feared the 4-series would probably be more similar than not to the 535i I had for the last year. Meaning, a very nice, stylish vehicle that didn't quite fit the bill for me on the sport side of things - the one I traded for the compact Mazda3 with a manual trannie.

So, that got me pretty set on the S4. And I decided I really wanted the one I drove last week, with its color and equipment.

Traded some texts with the salesperson and decided to take the deal they gave me.

roadburner

Congrats!

nyccarguy

@breld - Mazel-Tov & Congrats on the S4! Stick too? Love it! Great color combination!

stickguy

trading in the Mazda I assume.

man, 35 series tires, and only 255s? what bandaids! I would not venture out of my driveway around here on those. would likely not last long.

looks like you will be adding a winter wheel/tire package to the mix, since it has summer tires.

Nice looking though. I'm sure it is a hoot to drive.

Michaell

@breld - congrats on the S4! At least it's the same color as the 3 was. 

I I guess we should all be lucky that Audi doesn't make an SQ7, cuz then the Sedona might be on the block next. 

Do you still have the ZHP or did that get traded in, too?

breld

Thanks guys!

Yes, winter wheels/tires will be a necessity, though I've always used the van with winter tires for the snow.

The mazda is being traded and part of me will certainly miss it, having owned it for such a short time. It really is a great little car.

The ZHP will stay in the fleet for the time being.

benjaminh

New 2015 Mini Cooper 4-door for $19k. Has a list price of 25k. Seems like a nice little economical BMW for the money:

http://www.minioflouisville.com/VehicleDetails/new-2015-MINI-Cooper_Hardtop_4_Door--Louisville-KY/2550608873

roadburner

Yes, FWD Bimmers are my Holy Grail; even most of the new RWD BMWs leave me cold. Anyway, I'm one and done with FWD.

jpp75

nyccarguy said:

We all constantly plan our next "punch" in our heads. The Prelude obviously isn't going anywhere. I'm really excited to drive it to work tomorrow AM (in a few hours) & I'm 9 months away from owning the Pilot free & clear (with less than 70K on the odometer). That leaves the Legacy as the odd man out.

Obviously the sensible thing to do is start paying down the principle once the Pilot is paid off. Drive the Legacy into the ground and save as much money as I can. It has proved itself worthy as a solid daily driver with excellent wet weather traction, and enough space to fit my family of 5. It's just gutless.

Going with @Michaell's idea idea of looking at CPO Infinitis, I see some Q50s in my area already priced below 30K.

I'll make you a good deal on a Q50 Hybrid AWD.

rayainsw

'Bruce's S4'
Congratulations - and post a few interior pics
when you pick it up?
- Ray
Not driven an S4 in years.....

jpp75

breld said:

@Michaell - I don't seem to see many of the G25s around at all. I would think with the supply of G37s, the premium would be minimal, and well worth it.

All in all, seems like a great used car buy.

I loved my G37x, much more so than than Q50 that replaced it. I had the G25 as a loaner a few times while having the G37x serviced, the power difference wasn't that noticeable but if I remember correctly there were a couple of options (Bose, maybe sunroof?) that you couldn't get on the G25 at all. Not sure if those are important to you, but I always found the G25 really wasn't worth it. The cost wasn't that much cheaper and the gas mileage wasn't that much better.

jpp75

breld said:

I do sincerely hope I am more entertaining than annoying on this forum.

I pulled the trigger on the S4 I drove last weekend. I'll pick it up next week.

Bruce's S4

Congrats!! Beautiful car and a great drive from what I've read. Hope to see it in person on one of my trips out to Denver sometime.

Sandman6472

Nice Audi there, especially the color combo. Mentioned to the wife last night at dinner that her paint looks real glossy after just a wash. Really need to get it waxed sometime soon. But as your wife knows, these new Audi's are great vehicles!! Congrats!!

The Sandman

Sandman6472

Drove a new Camaro drop top yesterday and was very impressed with it. Plenty of power and the seating position felt better than the Mustang I drove a few weeks back. Could see getting into trouble with that much power under my right foot!!! Pesonally, liked the interior better than the Ford's but we're just not Ford people.

The Sandman

corvette

breld said:

The ZHP will stay in the fleet for the time being.

All the car dealers in Denver hear the sound of a cash register ringing whenever you use the phrase "for the time being."

If my record keeping is accurate, you have earned the distinction of making two punches in a row (I don't think anyone here bought anything from 7/25 to today). Congratulations on the S4, I think you will like it!

roadburner

sandman_6472 said:

Drove a new Camaro drop top yesterday and was very impressed with it. Plenty of power and the seating position felt better than the Mustang I drove a few weeks back. Could see getting into trouble with that much power under my right foot!!! Pesonally, liked the interior better than the Ford's but we're just not Ford people.

The Sandman

V8 right? I absolutely smoked an old f*rt in a V6 Camaro with my Mazda

28firefighter

Congrats, Breld!

nyccarguy

@corvette - what's our punch total for 2015?

qbrozen

benjaminh said:

New 2015 Mini Cooper 4-door for $19k. Has a list price of 25k. Seems like a nice little economical BMW for the money:

http://www.minioflouisville.com/VehicleDetails/new-2015-MINI-Cooper_Hardtop_4_Door--Louisville-KY/2550608873

Its showing me $16,855.

Thing is, the description says it is an S, but I see no such badge on it.

benjaminh

qbrozen said:

benjaminh said:

New 2015 Mini Cooper 4-door for $19k. Has a list price of 25k. Seems like a nice little economical BMW for the money:

http://www.minioflouisville.com/VehicleDetails/new-2015-MINI-Cooper_Hardtop_4_Door--Louisville-KY/2550608873

Its showing me $16,855.

Thing is, the description says it is an S, but I see no such badge on it.

I think that price involves rebates of $1500 or so that few people will be able to get. No, it's not an S. But it has a manual transmission. In fact, the MT maybe why you can get 6-7k off?

corvette

nyccarguy said:

@corvette - what's our punch total for 2015?

22, I think.

corvette

My curiosity is getting the better of me... Can't help but wonder what happened to the Toyota Priuses that Google had modified to self-drive. Apparently, they are no longer in the fleet. Do they remove the tens of thousands of dollars of hardware and resell them as is? Send them to the recycler? I suppose the same question applies to the Street View cars. I can't seem to find an answer online.

They seem to be using Lexus RX450h vehicles in the current fleet. Google's own prototype vehicle looks as if it offers about the same level of crash protection as a golf cart with seatbelts--not important in the many instances where the car with 360 degree visibility and zero reaction time can avoid a crash, but probably not so good when the car encounters a situation it can't avoid.

stickguy

well. packed the new Jetta up so the princess can head back to school tomorrow (wife and I will go down Saturday with the rest of her stuff). Though the Jetta held so much, I have hardly anything left to bring (to the extent that I will probably just take the Sonata instead of needing the carrying capacity of the RDX).

my father was visiting this weekend, and checked out the jetta. He seemed to really like it. Maybe because he drives a 4 YO Sentra!

stickguy

so Bradd, for all the Infiniti talk, is this something that would strike your fancy in terms of what it is (and is the price reasonable?).

I like this. Loaded up too.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2013-infiniti-g37_sedan-4dr_x_awd-used-13929936.html

stickguy

OK, there are so many things wrong with this, but for the price, I actually like this. Weird. Pretty sure my daughter would disown me, and I doubt my wife would ride in it. Bet the dog would like it though.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2005-honda-element-4wd_ex_manual-used-14016579.html

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

so Bradd, for all the Infiniti talk, is this something that would strike your fancy in terms of what it is (and is the price reasonable?).

I like this. Loaded up too.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2013-infiniti-g37_sedan-4dr_x_awd-used-13929936.html

Yes. It would be VERY hard to walk away from 326 horsepower at that price.

au1994

Congrats on the punch Breld. Looks like a nice one!

graphicguy

Congrats breld!

qbrozen

stickguy said:

so Bradd, for all the Infiniti talk, is this something that would strike your fancy in terms of what it is (and is the price reasonable?).

I like this. Loaded up too.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2013-infiniti-g37_sedan-4dr_x_awd-used-13929936.html

My personal problem with it is that it still looks too much like my 2004 did.

xwesx

stickguy said:

OK, there are so many things wrong with this, but for the price, I actually like this. Weird. Pretty sure my daughter would disown me, and I doubt my wife would ride in it. Bet the dog would like it though.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2005-honda-element-4wd_ex_manual-used-14016579.html

All told, it looks pretty nice. SO many miles, though! If it is fully up on maintenance items (including suspension/steering components, which would be my biggest concern), then it could be a nice find for the price.

jpp75

stickguy said:

so Bradd, for all the Infiniti talk, is this something that would strike your fancy in terms of what it is (and is the price reasonable?).

I like this. Loaded up too.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2013-infiniti-g37_sedan-4dr_x_awd-used-13929936.html

That's a lot of car for the money, especially with such low miles.

Sandman6472

Set appointment for the Golf's 10K service on September 14th when I'll be very close to 9600 miles. Still haven't decided if I'm going to drive it up to New York in October though if I do, the wife said she'll come along. As of now, I've got a hotel by the Westchester airport for 5 nights as I really think I'd rather fly to be honest. Driving is going to add an additional 5 days plus the additional food and lodging and travel costs. Just not sure I really want to drive through Jacksonville, Washington and up through the city. Flying would be so much easier as there are a few places I need to go see for one last time, places I don't think my wife would care to see. Places from my youth that brought great happiness that I need to see again in my lifetime. Going solo would give me the flexibility to close the book so to speak.
Reserved a compact vehicle, as that's the smallest I could get at the Westchester airport which should work out just fine. Seem to remember certain roadways like the Taconic and the Merrit parkway as being a bit narrower than 95 and 75. Have decided that at the 6 week out date, I'll make my final decison and then make a plane reservation if I do decide to fly. Decisions, decisions!!!


The Sandman

xwesx

True enough that flying makes a strong argument for that trip, Sandy. Pretty cheap airfare versus a two-day drive (one way). Unless you want to make a road trip out of it, there's no practical reason to do it.

carnaught

breld said:

Wife and I talked cars this morning, and she made a compelling point to me, that she feared the 4-series would probably be more similar than not to the 535i I had for the last year. Meaning, a very nice, stylish vehicle that didn't quite fit the bill for me on the sport side of things - the one I traded for the compact Mazda3 with a manual trannie.

So, that got me pretty set on the S4. And I decided I really wanted the one I drove last week, with its color and equipment.

Traded some texts with the salesperson and decided to take the deal they gave me.

Geez, returned from a long weekend in San Diego to read this....

Congrats to the CCBA Grand Poobah. Nice car!

xwesx

akangl said:

So, in the end the kids will recover from their injuries and we will end up with a repaired wreck that was my brand new car.

That is a real bummer. And, definitely not a good experience regarding the insurance companies, either, but that's their job: deflect responsibility! Truly, you are their customer until you have to make a claim, then you are the enemy. That's my experience as well.

All I can say is that witnesses are key, as well as ensuring that all relevant information provided is in the police report, less any speculation on the part of the officer. They can be rather.... uh, elaborate, in their narratives at times, and that doesn't necessarily bode well for you.

Michaell

xwesx said:

True enough that flying makes a strong argument for that trip, Sandy. Pretty cheap airfare versus a two-day drive (one way). Unless you want to make a road trip out of it, there's no practical reason to do it.

I face the same dilemma when I want to go to CA to see my family. 1100 miles one way - the drive is usually one long day and one short day. Two hour flight, but the door to door time between my house and my folks' house is probably 6-7 hours in total. Plus I rent a car when I get there.

It all depends on what I am bringing. Not sure I would trust my golf clubs to the airline, so if I plan to play, I'll probably drive (or rent clubs when I get there). Adding 4 days of travel time will limit the amount of time I can spend in California, so it becomes a tough decision.

It has been 3 years since I drove - I did that because I lugged two sets of golf clubs with me, and left one set behind with my son.

But, I do like me a road trip. Great scenery in Utah on both I-70 and I-15.

Sandman6472

To be totally honest, on this trip, just want to go and come back. Since I'm not fully retired anymore, still have to come back to my job...and driving an extra 5 days total isn't something I really want to do at this juncture. If we had unlimited time to stop and see things leisurely, then it would be no issue. But that not being the issue, and it being a class reunion where she won't know anyone and I haven't seen these folks since I left in 10th grade in 1969, no real sense her going. Just for me alone, it's going to cost almost a grand...driving will just almost double that cost. This really isn't the trip or time to be doing this.
Guess I'm gonna fly solo here and get those things out of my system that need doing!

The Sandman

xwesx

Michaell said:

But, I do like me a road trip. Great scenery in Utah on both I-70 and I-15.

Yes, indeed! The road trip itself, even hitting long driving days, I find to be fun. Plus, when coming from Alaska, transporting four people via airline is VERY expensive, so you can justify a lot of miles for that. Since we don't typically stay in hotels or eat at restaurants, the driving expense is a moot issue, but the time is not. We generally budget ten days just for the driving, which means a three-week trip is 50% or more just getting from point to point.

stickguy

Sandy, you really should fly I think. 95 just has so many areas that can be a nightmare (I was reminded of this because my daughter drove from Philly to Fredericksburg today, and I heard all about the consturction delays in Delaware and Maryland).

Plus, worried about your back. Kind of a problem if the extended drive makes it act up, since you are pretty well stuck going the rest of the way. or back.

I am driving from here to Greenesboro and back this weekend. 7.5-8 hours each way. If I'm lucky. As much as I like to drive, at that point, I probably am not looking forward to another 12 hours, or more!

stever

Funny, there's some good I-70 pics posted just today for Edmunds' long term Viper:

2015 Dodge Viper GT: Westward, Ho! Driving 3,124 Miles Back To Los Angeles

corvette

xwesx said:

Since we don't typically stay in hotels or eat at restaurants...

Different strokes for different folks... If I didn't stay in hotels or eat in restaurants, I don't think I'd go on vacation at all!

roadburner

OK, so ...
I went and looked at a 2015 Mustang GT Premium manual with the Performance Package and navigation. It was ordered by the dealer's used car manager, and he wound up with a demo. It only has 890 miles on the clock and comes with the Ford CPO warranty(7 years 100k miles powertrain, 4 years 48k miles B2B). Ebony leather interior, and a subdued dark green(Ford calls it "Guard") exterior. It was in the showroom and the sales guy offered to let me take it out, but I said I'd just drive another GT with a stick. He found another GT with Premium trim and my wife and I took it out. My wife liked it better than the 335is we checked out Saturday. As for me, two big issues:

1. It felt S L O W. Now, this car didn't have the Performance Package, which gets you the 3.73 rear end ratio- the sled I drove had either a 3.31 or 3.55 gear set. I didn't expect it to detach my retinas(a 4.5 second 0-60 time is not exactly pulse-quickening these days) but I anticipated that it would feel at least a little faster than my Mazdaspeed- and it just didn't. I suspect that the big slug of low end torque of the MS3's turbo motor contributes to that impression.
2. It drove bigger-and heavier-than it actually is. Now granted, the Performance Package gets retuned springs, bushings and shocks(as well as serious summer rubber) but the GT I drove just didn't really excite me. At all.

On a more positive note, the car I am(or much more likely was) considering had an extremely nice cockpit. It had the "Premier" leather trim and overall I like it better than the trim in the current BMW 3ers or 5ers; I'd even say that it gives Audi a run for its money. The 12 speaker Shaker sound upgrade sounded only OK, but I would think that some time spent with the tone controls could improve things considerably. The seats are actually well bolstered and have heating and cooling- something you give up if you spring for the $1595 Recaros(paying extra to delete features- how positively Germanic!).
Finally, a few random thoughts... I had read that the clutch was a tad heavy- not so. It felt linear and progressive, only requiring a moderate effort. Steering is decent, not bad and not great. Outward visibility is the best of the three Ponycars- which isn't saying much, I realize. The fit and finish was very good to excellent.
The car I looked at is a screaming deal- $6800 off sticker and it's essentially a new car- only with a longer warranty. I just wish I could get more excited about it.

stickguy

if that is your standard of slow, are you actually John Force maybe?

and how could you decide without driving the specific car (or a clone)? Since most of your real issues may be resolved by the Performance pack, sounds like you really don't know yet if you would like it.

I would guess that the drive experience will be a 180 from a FWD Mazda. I assumed you wanted a big, front heavy sled feel, considering that is what you were looking at!

Michaell

stever said:

Funny, there's some good I-70 pics posted just today for Edmunds' long term Viper:

2015 Dodge Viper GT: Westward, Ho! Driving 3,124 Miles Back To Los Angeles

I read that earlier today. The only bad scenery on the whole trip to CA is the piece between Vegas and LA. I love the unlimited vistas offered by western interstates. Back east all you see is the next hill, covered with trees.

stickguy

someday I will visit the west. I have been to CA, but flew in. Never further west than Iowa, outside of a few business trips to Dallas.

Michaell

stickguy said:

someday I will visit the west. I have been to CA, but flew in. Never further west than Iowa, outside of a few business trips to Dallas.

I've been very fortunate to have traveled extensively for work from 1989-2003. Flew into a lot of cities, but was able to do a lot of driving as well - to visit friends and family or to hit some sights (Niagra Falls and Key West, among other places).

I've done one cross country trip - almost. CA to MI and back in 1986. Would like to see Atlantic Canada at some point.

Just typing that has brought back lots of memories.

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

OK, so ...
I went and looked at a 2015 Mustang GT Premium manual with the Performance Package and navigation. It was ordered by the dealer's used car manager, and he wound up with a demo. It only has 890 miles on the clock and comes with the Ford CPO warranty(7 years 100k miles powertrain, 4 years 48k miles B2B). Ebony leather interior, and a subdued dark green(Ford calls it "Guard") exterior. It was in the showroom and the sales guy offered to let me take it out, but I said I'd just drive another GT with a stick. He found another GT with Premium trim and my wife and I took it out. My wife liked it better than the 335is we checked out Saturday. As for me, two big issues:

1. It felt S L O W. Now, this car didn't have the Performance Package, which gets you the 3.73 rear end ratio- the sled I drove had either a 3.31 or 3.55 gear set. I didn't expect it to detach my retinas(a 4.5 second 0-60 time is not exactly pulse-quickening these days) but I anticipated that it would feel at least a little faster than my Mazdaspeed- and it just didn't. I suspect that the big slug of low end torque of the MS3's turbo motor contributes to that impression.
2. It drove bigger-and heavier-than it actually is. Now granted, the Performance Package gets retuned springs, bushings and shocks(as well as serious summer rubber) but the GT I drove just didn't really excite me. At all.

On a more positive note, the car I am(or much more likely was) considering had an extremely nice cockpit. It had the "Premier" leather trim and overall I like it better than the trim in the current BMW 3ers or 5ers; I'd even say that it gives Audi a run for its money. The 12 speaker Shaker sound upgrade sounded only OK, but I would think that some time spent with the tone controls could improve things considerably. The seats are actually well bolstered and have heating and cooling- something you give up if you spring for the $1595 Recaros(paying extra to delete features- how positively Germanic!).
Finally, a few random thoughts... I had read that the clutch was a tad heavy- not so. It felt linear and progressive, only requiring a moderate effort. Steering is decent, not bad and not great. Outward visibility is the best of the three Ponycars- which isn't saying much, I realize. The fit and finish was very good to excellent.
The car I looked at is a screaming deal- $6800 off sticker and it's essentially a new car- only with a longer warranty. I just wish I could get more excited about it.

I think that is the biggest mistake Ford made with the new model. It's too darn quiet. Makes it FEEL slower. The only way I can see how fast it is, is when I look in the mirror and see how far behind me the other cars are.

The clutch is thought to be stiff? After a lifetime of shifting buses and trucks it felt like the spring was broken to me.

Did you fool with the steering response controls? There's a whole row of switches on the manual version. On my automatic you only get to choose between normal, comfort and sport. I prefer sport.