Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

kyfdx

Oooh... my wife's birthday is in a couple of weeks... Maybe she would like a nice '96 M3? :surprise:

boomchek

But it makes you wonder if the speed camera readings are inflated to get more motorists.

kyfdx

Especially, once you consider that the camera company usually gets a cut of the fine.. for administering the system....

[Deleted User]

Yeah, we're out in Parker right now, but looking in your neck of the woods as one possibility. I said one pregancy, not one kid We were blessed with triplets boys back in November of 2003!

akangl

Anyway, it sure has been quiet here lately .. has nobody been looking at / drooling over / thinking about a new car?

Nothing here, pretty content with my big diesel. Wandered around the Dodge dealership in Anchorage while waiting for service looked at the Chrysler T&C, Pacifica, and the new Dodge Nitro. The Nitro is a pretty cool little SUV, lots of vehicle for the money.

Also went over and ran my hands over my Titan, she's still there after 5 months! While I was out there a salesguy came by and I asked him what he knew about the truck (hehehe, just for laughs), he said it was nice, one owner, low miles (yeah right, 56k on an 04??), no issues. I laughed and said well, you can make up a story, then told him I was the original owner of it and it has lots of issues, ran down the list. He shook his head and said well, I won't be pushing that truck anymore. I guess they have had a few critters try to buy it, but they can't get financed on it.

andre1969

over the weekend I found a beautiful light teal colored '79 New Yorker with ~30,000 miles on it on eBay. It was near Pittsburgh, PA. Looked almost brand-new. While the bidding was around $1500-1600 I was really tempted, but then it shot up over $3,000 and I came to the realization that there's better things to spend my money on.

And then, just yesterday, I spotted a 2-tone green/teal '79 New Yorker, with the elusive 360-4bbl on eBay. It was in Indiana though. Higher mileage, around 122,000, and not nearly as pristine, but it had this wild teal leather interior I thought was kinda cool. I forget what the bidding got up to.

And I have no rational explanation of why I want these. I already have a '79 New Yorker, but it's two-tone cream. Guess I'm just a sucker for a pretty green/teal color!

michaellno

We were blessed with triplets boys back in November of 2003!

Ouch ... 3 3 year old boys and another on the way? Are you nuts, man?

BTW, we lived in Parker for a couple of years before buying our house in Castle Rock ... I don't think you could pay me enough money to go back, given all the growth and traffic problems they now have. Any particular area of CR that you're looking at? I've looked at most of the new housing developments in town and would love to share my opinions of them with you. Offline, perhaps.

The Nitro is a pretty cool little SUV, lots of vehicle for the money.

The first time I saw a Nitro I thought to myself, "Self, that is one fugly schnozz!".

But it makes you wonder if the speed camera readings are inflated to get more motorists.

There have been numerous articles in the local Phoenix papers about the speed cameras used on that stretch of road. I believe that they have been discontinued, as it was only meant to be an experiment.

Oooh... my wife's birthday is in a couple of weeks... Maybe she would like a nice '96 M3?

Dare ya to do it and give her the keys as a gift. Wasn't she the one who didn't like the 3-series convertible you got her a couple of years ago?

kyfdx

Sorry..not that brave...

The convertible is now just over a year old... Once warm weather hit last year, all worries ended...

Now, she loves it...

michaellno

Sorry..not that brave...

I hear ya on that score. Never had enough of what it took to buy somebody, even a loved one, a car as a gift.

Glad to hear that she warmed up to the convertible.

(pun most definately intended!)

rayainsw

“Anyway, it sure has been quiet here lately .. has nobody been looking at / drooling over / thinking about a new car?”

Well – um – my FIRST payment on my new Corvette is due today.

Though I always do drool over new cars – no SERIOUS drooling is likely to commence until next year.

Wait – there’s only 18 more “shopping days” until ‘next year’. . . .???

- Ray
Thanks – now counting them down ( sigh )

boomchek

I got my Mercedes just about a month ago, so nothing in the store for me for a while.

Speaking of that i'm paying double in fuel what I paid on my Civic, and i can see what they mean with small electrical gremlins on these cars:

-the heater cushion on the passenger seat doesn't work, only works on the backrest.
- the vanity mirror light works sporadically when the passenger visor is opened
-the little light by the shifter that lights up which gear you're in sometimes doesn't go on

Minor stuff that doesn't worry me much, but annoying if it were a brand new car.

But.... I'm slowly planting a seed in my fiance's mind that we should pick up another used luxury car in the near future.

She really wants an Audi A4, and they can be had for cheap nowadays (99/00) but she drives a 2004 Civic with 26000kms, so I wouldn't want her trading that away as it is halfway paid off, and reliable.

Last thing we need is two used luxury cars (my Benz and especially a used Audi A4), god forbid they both break at the same time. :sick:

The plan is to keep her Civic as her daily driver, and buy her something more fancy for cheap if the opportunity arises. This way if anything goes wrong, she can reverty back to her Civic.

But until we go through with our wedding next September there will be no car shopping for us.

fintail

haha yeah I wouldn't want to have that pair of 6+ year old small lux cars either, without a backup car. You should try to get something cool, like an S4. A little more expensive, but a lot more fun.

You are lucky that the electrical issues on that earlier W203 don't impact vehicle operation. I've heard stories about engine electronics going awry.

And about Andre's post...I think he's itching to buy something...

[Deleted User]

Ouch ... 3 3 year old boys and another on the way? Are you nuts, man?

BTW, we lived in Parker for a couple of years before buying our house in Castle Rock ... I don't think you could pay me enough money to go back, given all the growth and traffic problems they now have. Any particular area of CR that you're looking at? I've looked at most of the new housing developments in town and would love to share my opinions of them with you. Offline, perhaps.

Well, sadly we're not expecting any longer, but could still use the extra room and want to get away from year round schools. We have some family in Castle Pines North, but surely that's out of our price range. We've looked in the Meadows and Founders Village a little, but plan to do some more sightseeing after the first of the year. And yes, the growth around here has been tremendous since we moved here back in 2000. Funny though, my wife hates the fact that they finally put in a few dealerships, and are working on another one...and I love it!

boomchek

An S4 would be nice, but then i'd have to teach my fiance Marina how to drive stick.

And speaking of Andre I know the feeling. It's hard to resist not to buy when you're in a position to do so.

Not to worry Andre, you will find the New Yorker of your dreams. I have this obsession over a 1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass International Salon 4 door. I saw an ad in one of my old Motor Trends, and just love the lines of it for whatever reason, especially the front end before it became changed with ugly bumpers and square headlights.

hmm someone is giving one away:free olds

michaellno

So, will you be changing your Edmunds name to "dad24"?

We live in Founders .. when we bought our house there in 2000, it seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere. Now, lots has been built around us, so it's not so bad.

I stopped by the Burt dealer in Parker a couple of weeks ago, just to poke around. Nice, but nothing really that caught my eye.

[Deleted User]

So, will you be changing your Edmunds name to "dad24"?

Maybe some day, we actually lost the baby last month, so three three-year-old boys for now which at times is more than enough anyway LOL, like you said, what were we thinking???

The inventory at the Burt has never really been that full in Parker, not a lot of used stuff either. They're building a Jeep/Chrylser/Plymouth dealership across Parker Road behind the old Target.

lilengineerboy

Sorry for your loss...I know that is really rough.

nyccarguy

what are thedetails of the '96 M3?

fintail

I didn't know all S4s were stick. Oops. Being a MB enthusiast, everything from the past 40 years or so is auto, so it never crosses my mind.

I couldn't see a mint example of that Olds costing too much. Go for it.

Sometimes I am glad I live in an apartment with one garage space. C43 gets it, I have cheapish rent on the fintail's garage, and I can't justify renting another garage, so that keeps the old cars at bay. If I had a house, I'd have more I am certain...if the house wasn't bleeding me dry.

kyfdx

Other than just seeing it, I don't know much... '96 M3.. Silver with gray leather... Exterior cosmetics are top-notch... Driver seat bolsters are cracking (typical).. Car lives outside.. so the fuzzy covering on the rear deck is fading from gray to grayish-pink.. M-Contour wheels that are about 8/10.. not too bad, but a little rash..

Spoilers are all intact and unchipped (mostly).. No visible paint work (though I'm not too good at that).

Don't know the mileage or the asking price... I see the car now and then.. always looks clean.. In good enough shape that I alway assumed it was a '99 or '98..

Not sure I want to bother them, given the slim chance that I'd actually buy it...

kyfdx

All S4s are sticks? Maybe he just means he wouldn't buy one with an automatic?

Not sure... but, I was betting they came in auto..

lilengineerboy

I am holding out for a '98 M3/4 with a stick. I think that would push my weak spot until I caved. Maybe...and its a big maybe, a 2000-2002 S4 with the 6speed might do it too.

kyfdx

I see a bunch of M3/4 for sale... (sedan..for those who are wondering).. Easier to find than the coupe for the two years they made them... ('97-'98).

[Deleted User]

Thanks lil,it's been a tough few months, but we're looking forward to the holidays and a new year

dman

The majority of the E36/M3 4doors are automatics.

S4's come in both stick and auto AFAIK.

paulhuang

S4 (at least the previous gen) come with both stick and auto. I know a guy who had to buy an automatic one because his then gf couldn't drive stick.

qbrozen

because his then gf couldn't drive stick

I'm not sure I'll ever understand this. Unless you are married and have only one car in the family, there is no reason to make a sacrifice like this. My wife of 6 years can't drive a stick, yet my Accord, Alfa, and pickup truck are all sticks. The only automatic is her Pacifica.

michaellno

Sorry about your loss ...

Didn't know about that new dealership going in.

[Deleted User]

Thanks...

They've been building for about a month or so now, but just recently put up a sign, not sure how soon they'll open. Not much open space around here any longer.

british_rover

Can't drive a stick either which means any car we are looking at that would be for both of us has to be an auto.

It can be very frustrating at times. I have tried to teach her to drive a stick on a couple of different cars including my Cooper S which had one of the most forgiving clutches in the world. It was all very, very hopeless.

fintail

If I had a SO, I wouldn't want a car to be used by both parties. My parents seemed to run it that way too, each car was clearly belonging to each person. I'm too careful with my cars to want someone else to possibly abuse it.

michaellno

I have tried to teach her to drive a stick on a couple of different cars including my Cooper S which had one of the most forgiving clutches in the world. It was all very, very hopeless.

Had the same problem with my daughter .. she's a bright girl, but for some reason she just couldn't get the coordination between the feet and the hands. Oh well.

My wife has driven stick shifts most of her life. In fact, when we got our first automatic (Ford Expedition) she was a bit scared of it since she had to use the brake more often!

Now she's a committed fan of the slush-box.

graphicguy

kyfdx....I'm living vicariously through you.

Please, oh please, buy the wife that sweet '96 M3 for Christmas and let us know how she likes it....

boomchek

If I were getting an S4 I'd probably want a stick one, but since it would be for my fiance I'd want to her to be able to drive it too.

I think an S4 in auto would be a waste, but then I have never driven one so I shouldn't comment.

dman

Guys, my wife and I were a one-car family in Chicago and b/c she doesn't drive the stick we had to get the auto. I wanted the E46 M3 but not with the SMG so I opted for the "best" automatic transmission out there and went with an '01 CLK55.

We moved to Washington state over a year ago and had to buy a car here and ended up with an '05 Accord Sedan V6 but also automatic. Reason for this was b/c I interchange between taking the Honda and the Benz to work. I use the Benz when it's nicer outside and when my wife has to haul a few things around in the Accord. However, I do like the Accord for my 38 mile one way commute b/c it's better on gas and rock chips don't bother me as much. It also keeps the miles down on the AMG but I think the market for used AMG's is pretty soft so I'm not sure if keeping the miles low on it is even worth it.

Having said all that, I've been wanting to get back to a stick for almost 3 years. I think the ideal solution is to get her something like an X3 or X5 that she can use daily and for me to get something that's stick, is decent on gas and still quick/fun to drive. I don't think AWD is necessary as I can take her "future" SUV when the streets are covered with snow (which isn't too often out here).

I've bounced around the ideas for a daily commuter for myself. A4, A6, S4, 3 series, 5 series, //M car, and even the new Subaru Legacy GT's. I'm just not sure right now. This might be a good thing b/c I've only had the Honda for 15 months and the CLK for 2.5 yrs. :surprise:

mustangfan23

Definity opt for the stick for the S4... I'm sure once you have it purchased, she'll want to drive and that'll be the extra motivation to learn. Everyone should have a good idea of how to drive one, even if just for emergencies (hey it could happen you know, at a party and you want to drive a drunk friend home but can't drive their car...) Just a part of life. Plus it is more fun and discourages cell phone useage.

guss

3 kids under 8 years old. So we need to switch cars fairly often , whoever has all 3 gets the minivan. I tried the stick route a few years ago and my wife did not want to try it. Unfortunately that made me give up my stick.

On the plus side, that may be my leverage to get the MR2 Spyder I have wanted for years. Now that winter is here prices seem to be dropping.

Now I just need that Christmas bonus to come in. I feel like Clark Griswald.

jaserb

It's like I have a twin.

Married 6 years, wife doesn't drive a stick, but my truck and both Alfas are sticks and only her Mazda MPV is an automatic.

I still debate turning the truck and both Alfas into a retractable hardtop Miata, but probably won't pull the trigger. They haven't made a Miata yet as good looking as my Alfa, even though I'm sure they drive nicer and are about 1000x more livable on a day to day basis.

-Jason

kyfdx

You can't see the Alfa from inside the car..

qbrozen

both alfas??

i've been wanting to add a 2nd to my stable for years. Can't seem to find that perfect and cheap 164S or Milano Platinum, though.

I've also thought about getting a more modern droptop ... but I just can't give up the alfa. there's an emotional attachment there, even if I haven't driven it in 2 years.

What I might do is get an EOS next time i'm due for a daily driver and still keep the alfa.

qbrozen

oh come on. its so much more than that. who needs a newfangled sportsconvertible that you DON'T have to double clutch? And what's the big deal with being reliable and trustworthy? And, honestly, would I WANT to take a 2-seater with a tiny trunk on a trip out of state? Probably not. So I'd be wasting all that money on a nice reliable convertible when I could happily look at mine sitting in the garage while it waits for those parts coming from overseas.

zodiac2004

You can't see the Alfa from inside the car

That's a problem only when you are inside driving it - which you aren't doing a lot anyway since they are rarely operational :sick: :sick:

woodyww

because his then gf couldn't drive stick

If the spouse or g/f can't drive a stick, & there's only 1 automatic car in the family, it can be a real drag if the automatic trans. vehicle is out of commission, if only for a day or 2.....

qbrozen

i figured someone would mention this .... but let's think about this. It wasn't too long ago that each of us managed to get along with one car. And not a reliable car at that. If something happens, you get rides, rent a car, ride a bike, whatever. Its sort of like "my god, my cell phone is dead ... i'm lost without it!" We managed a LONG damned time without cell phones, yet now we don't know what to do without it. Why is that?

kyfdx

I might not be the best person to respond to this (not that it ever stopped me before)... I've had at least two cars since 1980... and didn't get married until 1993...

woodyww

There's a great article in R&T from about 5 years ago about buying an E36 M3 that goes into all the changes over the years, & problem areas to look out for. Including one or two potentially severe failure items, like with the water pump I think?--for certain years. (I'm too lazy to go look it up). But stuff that could be dealt with pro-actively as I recall.

If I stumbled upon nice, low mileage, M3 at a great price, I'd sure be tempted.....given the age it'd be nice to find one with a lot of stuff replaced, suspension parts, etc.

kyfdx

You are preaching to the choir... Now, if you could just get my wife to show up on Sunday...

paulhuang

Guess I opened up a can of worms with my post. Good thing nothing is off topic in here :P

The guy moved across the country with the gf in the S4 (I think he bought it knowing he was going to be moving with her soon). The auto would have allowed her to help drive. I am also not sure if she had a car or not.

I felt kind of bad because I made fun of him by saying "Why bother getting such a high performance car with an automatic" and his response was "My gf doesn't drive stick." (This was almost six years ago before some automatics became faster than sticks like the new 911 Turbo).

jaserb

Q, the 2nd Alfa sort of dropped out of the sky into my garage a few months ago. My white Miata turned into a grey Alfa plus cash. Check out the Project cars thread if you're interested.
jaserb, "Project Cars: You Get to Vote on "Hold 'em or Fold 'em"" #6482, 17 Sep 2006 9:00 am

I liked the way the Miata drove enough to seriously consider keeping it and selling the Alfa, but I just plain don't fit in a first gen Miata. The new ones fit me like a glove. I just have too much time and effort into the yellow Alfa to let it go just yet.

Oh and Kyfdx, I've put something like 2k miles on the Alfa in the nearly 2 yrs I've owned it, so I've done a lot more looking at it than sitting in it. :P

-Jason

gee35coupe

I had a chance to get 2, yes 2 Milanos for $1500 about 9 years ago. I couldn't fit behind the steering wheel. I loved that car from the day it was introduced.

I like the way the 164 looked but I couldn't put up with the quirks of an FWD Alfa when there are so many other decent and easier to live with cars out there. But they are nice cars though. Very Italian.