Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stever

henryn said:

How did we exist without backup cameras?

My brother loves the one on his '13 F-150. He got a creeper for his birthday recently so he can get to the wiring more easily for hooking up the backup camera he put on his popup camper. So now he has the OEM screen for lining the hitch ball up with the trailer and a screen for backing the camper into a slot.

slorenzen

stever said:

henryn said:

How did we exist without backup cameras?

My brother loves the one on his '13 F-150. He got a creeper for his birthday recently so he can get to the wiring more easily for hooking up the backup camera he put on his popup camper. So now he has the OEM screen for lining the hitch ball up with the trailer and a screen for backing the camper into a slot.

What's the challenge in THAT?

Whatever happened to getting in/out of the truck 17 times to get it right?

stever

He used to make his wife direct him but his hearing isn't so good anymore.

tommister2

henryn said:

After I got home, I went over everything very thoroughly, and found a mysterious $700 charge. The line item said something about “xxxxx insurance”. So this morning, I was at their front door at 9 a.m. when they opened, and asked about this mysterious $700. Turns out to be “gap insurance”. Now get this, ladies and gentlemen: I financed a small amount, $14k, just in order to get their “finance incentive” ($750 if memory serves). $14k loan against a brand new truck with an MSRP of $41k, and they stick me with “gap insurance” to the tune of $700. Without telling me, without asking me, just stick it in the paperwork.

Congrats on the new truck!

Dealers have tried the same thing on me with gap insurance, several times. That kind of deception takes a lot of nerve. I once had a business manager tell me that the lender I was using required GAP insurance (American Honda Finance!). I had to wait a few weeks for the loan to come through to prove he was lying and get my money back. The GM of the dealership actually said my wife and I must have misunderstood what he told us! Unbelievable...however I do buy at least 1 car a year and have never been back to that dealership. I would post the dealer name here but I think that is against the rules.

If anyone actually does need GAP insurance check with your auto insurace provider. Mine offers it for about $20 per year. Quite a bit less than $700 - considering you shouldn't need it more than 2-3 years for most vehicles.

stever

@tommister2, naming names is fine. You're also welcome to write a Dealer Review, although we limit those to reviews of purchases (or attempted purchases) made in the last two years.

corvette

henryn, congrats on the punch. It sounds like a great deal.

tommister2

stever said:

@tommister2, naming names is fine. You're also welcome to write a Dealer Review, although we limit those to reviews of purchases (or attempted purchases) made in the last two years.

Thanks...I'll let it go since this happened 8 years ago...sure felt good to vent

carnaught

henryn, congrats on the punch. Sounds nice, and a great deal.

I could go on and on about at least 5 car deals in the last 15 yrs., where afterwards i discovered an "over charge" in the high hundreds, which I called out each dealer on. They were all different dealers, and I am 5-0 on getting my overcharges back, and right then and there, the next day when I discovered it. I learned from each, and it hasn't happened since, but two Lexus' ago another attempt was made. It was nipped-in-the-bud when I threatened to walk on the deal then and there.

My problem (self diagnosis) was that the wait for, and during the finance office session, wore me down, and made me impatient. Then, overly infatuated with the car, I was remiss at going over the figures as thoroughly as I should have.

xwesx

carnaught said:

My problem (self diagnosis) was that the wait for, and during the finance office session, wore me down, and made me impatient. Then, overly infatuated with the car, I was remiss at going over the figures as thoroughly as I should have.

Probably a pretty solid diagnosis, carnaught, and we have all been there!

That is why I have purchased two Subarus from "my" dealer in Seattle ( a leisurely 2,200 miles away): The process is so straightforward, fast, and pain-free, that it just doesn't even make sense for me to go anywhere else if I am looking for that brand (even if I might be able to squeeze another few hundred dollars out).

fintail

Congrats on the Ford. An F-Series is like a Texas Camcord, right?

nyccarguy

@henryn - great deal on a really nice truck! You seem to have a hold on the truck market in Texas. It pays to buy at the right price.

tifighter

xwesx said:

carnaught said:

My problem (self diagnosis) was that the wait for, and during the finance office session, wore me down, and made me impatient. Then, overly infatuated with the car, I was remiss at going over the figures as thoroughly as I should have.

Probably a pretty solid diagnosis, carnaught, and we have all been there!

That is why I have purchased two Subarus from "my" dealer in Seattle ( a leisurely 2,200 miles away): The process is so straightforward, fast, and pain-free, that it just doesn't even make sense for me to go anywhere else if I am looking for that brand (even if I might be able to squeeze another few hundred dollars out).

I'm going to guess you bought the Subie from Carter from a sales guy with the initials "JS"...am I close?

28firefighter

tifighter said:

My problem (self diagnosis) was that the wait for, and during the finance office session, wore me down, and made me impatient. Then, overly infatuated with the car, I was remiss at going over the figures as thoroughly as I should have.

Probably a pretty solid diagnosis, carnaught, and we have all been there! That is why I have purchased two Subarus from "my" dealer in Seattle ( a leisurely 2,200 miles away): The process is so straightforward, fast, and pain-free, that it just doesn't even make sense for me to go anywhere else if I am looking for that brand (even if I might be able to squeeze another few hundred dollars out).

I'm going to guess you bought the Subie from Carter from a sales guy with the initials "JS"...am I close?

I live 3 minutes away from Carter VW. Carter is super competitive, most of the time. Their customer service is also second-to-none. I wouldn't go anywhere else for a Subaru or VW in Seattle.

corvette

tifighter said:

My problem (self diagnosis) was that the wait for, and during the finance office session, wore me down, and made me impatient. Then, overly infatuated with the car, I was remiss at going over the figures as thoroughly as I should have.

Probably a pretty solid diagnosis, carnaught, and we have all been there! That is why I have purchased two Subarus from "my" dealer in Seattle ( a leisurely 2,200 miles away): The process is so straightforward, fast, and pain-free, that it just doesn't even make sense for me to go anywhere else if I am looking for that brand (even if I might be able to squeeze another few hundred dollars out).

I'm going to guess you bought the Subie from Carter from a sales guy with the initials "JS"...am I close?

Is that the Cars101 guy?

nyccarguy

How many punches are we at so far for the year?

iluvmysephia1

My brother loves the one on his '13 F-150. He got a creeper for his birthday recently so he can get to the wiring more easily for hooking up the backup camera he put on his popup camper. So now he has the OEM screen for lining the hitch ball up with the trailer and a screen for backing the camper into a slot.

Your brother is a wily one, isn't he stever? Yeah, he doesn't feel like doing it my way...which is basically guessing at the location, perhaps hitting the trailer end a bit. And getting out to look at the whole mess and then getting back in to try and line it up again.

I love it when people come up with these practical ideas to make their drives better.

corvette

nyccarguy said:

How many punches are we at so far for the year?

Henry's purchase was #26.

stever

He's also blind in one eye @iluvmysephia1. Some of us need all the help we can get.

He had a good lesson about 20 years ago when his FIL did a perfect job of backing their big RV into his yard. Kind of missed that there was a basketball goal alongside the driveway. Those backboards are real effective at making gashes in rigid fiberglass, lol.

We just don't tow.

xwesx

tifighter said:

I'm going to guess you bought the Subie from Carter from a sales guy with the initials "JS"...am I close?

That would be a fairly well-educated guess, yes.

rayainsw

henryn -
Congrats - sounds like a very nice truck,
and a great deal!
Enjoy!
- Ray
Not a truck guy....

tifighter

xwesx said:

tifighter said:

I'm going to guess you bought the Subie from Carter from a sales guy with the initials "JS"...am I close?

That would be a fairly well-educated guess, yes.

I bought a Forester from him back in 06. No BS. Yes, he does the cars101 site and I can't imagine how much time he must put in it. He is reason alone to consider a Subaru.

kyfdx

Sandman6472

Very happy with my mini usb charger I got for the Golf...works just like it should and hopefully won't blow any fuses. Would still love a aux input but not going to get upset about it. No 2016's in my dealer yet as am curious as to the changes on the dash. Not having the android system in my vehicle isn't a biggie for me since I don't use my phone in the car much. I was just pissed that all these new things weren't included in a brand new model, the logic of waiting a year is just, well, illogical! And, like anyone who knows me, I don't do stupid or illogical well!

The Sandman

au1994

I hope everyone is out shopping and our east coasters are not impacted by the significant rains.

slorenzen

au1994 said:

I hope everyone is out shopping and our east coasters are not impacted by the significant rains.

I certainly wouldn't mind SOME of that rain here on the west coast...

We are tinder dry.

stickguy

sounds like S. Carolina could spare you a few million gallons.

Up near Philly, was not too bad. Mostly just a good soaking but not enough to do more than make the lawn have puddles. It did green up my grass pretty good. The Jersey shore towns though took a pounding.

roadburner

au1994 said:

I hope everyone is out shopping and our east coasters are not impacted by the significant rains.

My son is in Columbia SC and fortunately his apartment complex is high and dry(in any case, he spent the weekend in Athens GA to see the Alabama-Georgia game). The big question is when will classed at SC resume?They were cancelled today and the school just announced that they will be cancelled tomorrow. It's a real mess; much of the campus has no water pressure and areas that do are under a boil water advisory. They had to bring in porta-potties for the dorms and only a few cafeterias are open.

robr2

Talked to a friend yesterday whose daughter is at UNC Wilmington. She and some classmates were paddle boarding on the soccer field over the weekend due to the flooding.

stickguy

My daughter is probably glad she ended up in N. Carolina instead of USC with all this going on.

suydam

I'm going to interrupt the weather specs and on other boards, the endless speculation of VeeDub's future by commenting on a test drive today. I checked out the 2016 Mazda 3 i Touring hatchback with the popular equipment package. Like my Encore, that setup gives you almost everything except Nav and leather seats. It has 16" alloys instead of 18" which I actually prefer (not looking forward to the cost of replacing the 18 inchers on the Encore).

I really enjoyed driving it. The hatch felt very light and solid all at the same time. Maneuverability is fantastic -- you can flip a U turn and end up in the closest lane to you going the other way. I had the 2.0 liter and it felt plenty punchy for my style of driving. Also quieter than I remember Mazdas of the past.

The interior is terrific with a couple of exceptions. The tech/infotainment center is the best I've seen so far. I like the joystick/knob in the middle -- avoids the reach to the touch screen like in my Accord. Really easy and intuitive to use. There are some cheap aspects and some really nice ones -- you get leather wrapped steering wheel but the inside door handles seemed pretty low rent, for example.

Overall, I'm just not sure. If we ditched the Accord and got this, we would basically have two small vehicles. Which might be fine. I would really like to try out the new Chevy Volt but I doubt they'll be in the Midwest anytime soon. That might have to wait till we relocate to California. I also love the Buick Verano but the current version gets lousy FE so I'd want to wait for the new one. Between this and the Corolla though, I'd take the Mazda, although the Corolla has more room. I think I want something a little more lux than either of them, however. But not at a high price! There are always tradeoffs!

stickguy

one thing with the Mazda. if you really want built in Navi, that is an easy add to the touring. The unit is all set up for it. Just need to buy the SIM card to pop in, and good to go. They quote $400 for it.

I know what you mean about nothing but small cars. Sometimes you need a bit more room, but we usually have that in the "family" car (CUV or in past minivan). I came close to getting the 3, but wife wanted something a bit roomier up front.

I actually am quite interested in seeing the volt too. that could work for my next car.

suydam

The sales manager showed me where the SIM card goes. However, I'm perfectly happy with Google Maps, and the turn by turn directions syncs with the infotainment system. That system is one of the best aspects of the new Mazdas.

stickguy

cool. I did not realize that they had it integrated enough to run the googles off your phone.

suydam

you don't get the visuals but you get the directions. The Accord does it too.

ab348

You youngsters with your hi-tech!

kyfdx

Anyone have input for this member?

http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/37317/dodge/grand-caravan/asking-price-on-a-dodge-van?new=1

stickguy

I tried. Actually, sounded perfect for Steve. right up his alley.

stever

You've answered it nicely, Stick. I just got back from almost finishing up the second floor; one more room and some caulking and that'll be done.

And yeah, the van was slammed with tools coming home but I'm still sure we can downsize.

Also had the TPMS light come on tonight. I noticed the LF tire looking a bit low yesterday and forgot to check it. I ignored the light and drove the 8 miles home in the dark and made it okay.

stickguy

I did my dining room some years back with that snap together laminate. Was not really hard, just tedious, and I ended up throwing my back out after all the kneeling and stuff (I think putting the 1/4 round on did me in). Not something I have any desire to do again. One hassle was having to put down a few layers of plywood to build up the height enough that it matched the adjacent rooms (or came close enough).

Michaell

stickguy said:

I did my dining room some years back with that snap together laminate. Was not really hard, just tedious, and I ended up throwing my back out after all the kneeling and stuff (I think putting the 1/4 round on did me in). Not something I have any desire to do again. One hassle was having to put down a few layers of plywood to build up the height enough that it matched the adjacent rooms (or came close enough).

I really really really don't want to talk about home improvements. As you can see from the time stamp of this post, it's keeping me awake at night. Later today the quartz countertops get installed in the kitchen, which is the last major task we're doing for now. Still have a couple of little projects to finish up this weekend and I think (hope? pray?) we'll be done for the time being. I'm tired of living in a construction zone, and I've yet to catch up on the trash we're generating.

The garage needs to have all the tools cleaned out of it so I can organize it well enough to get at least one car into it. Found out the HOA doesn't allow you to park on the street; fortunately, the driveway is long enough and the E-GT and MINI are short enough to park one behind the other for now.

It does look good, I will say that. Hardly resembles the house we bought.

stever

Sounds like you're getting there Michael.

No flat tire this morning, must just be the cooler temps. One tire was normal at 36, one was 34 and two were 32 psi.

Michaell

stever said:

Sounds like you're getting there Michael.

No flat tire this morning, must just be the cooler temps. One tire was normal at 36, one was 34 and two were 32 psi.

We get the same problem here in CO, except it triggers the TPMS warnings in the car.

stever

When my light went off, knowing my history, I fully expected to find a nail or screw in a tire. Meant to check them last week and got distracted.

28firefighter

Someone, talk me down. With all of the drama surrounding VW, it looks like dealers are starting to get pretty aggressive.

Local dealer has a 2016 4-door GTI DSG S with Lighting in Pure White, which is the exact car I've been pining for for quite some time. Initial pricing on it was $2000 off MSRP, not including the VW Loyalty Rebate, which they said I might be able to finagle as well.

My thinking is VW values will take a dip, and then cars like the GTI and TDI will eventually recover and I'll have taken advantage of the mess. I could be wrong, especially if VW really tanks from this mess...

au1994

Michaell said:

stever said:

Sounds like you're getting there Michael.

No flat tire this morning, must just be the cooler temps. One tire was normal at 36, one was 34 and two were 32 psi.

We get the same problem here in CO, except it triggers the TPMS warnings in the car.

Yep, can happen just about anywhere. I had a 4Runner in TX and GA and the TPMS in that was ultra sensitive.

Other vehicles not so much and for some reason I remember it being a real PITA to reset.

stever

28firefighter said:

Someone, talk me down.

I'd be sorely tempted if I had already had my eye on a specific VW (gasser) model. Since I drive them forever, resale is less of a concern to me than the crowd in here. Guess a lot would depend on the dealer reputation. I don't think the dealer here is going anywhere but they aren't very big. I suppose they could collapse into a corner of one of their sister showrooms, but don't think that's very likely.

qbrozen

No way in hell I'd touch a VW right now. Need things to settle down on the used market and know that they will be around for a while.

stickguy

I'd lease one if the number was too good to pass up.

rayainsw

I agree with the lease idea here -
I bought the GTI that I had, but would lease
any VW, right now...
- Ray
Also would only lease any vehicle with electric
motive power - Volt, Tesla, etc ...

houdini1

28firefighter said:

Someone, talk me down. With all of the drama surrounding VW, it looks like dealers are starting to get pretty aggressive.

Local dealer has a 2016 4-door GTI DSG S with Lighting in Pure White, which is the exact car I've been pining for for quite some time. Initial pricing on it was $2000 off MSRP, not including the VW Loyalty Rebate, which they said I might be able to finagle as well.

My thinking is VW values will take a dip, and then cars like the GTI and TDI will eventually recover and I'll have taken advantage of the mess. I could be wrong, especially if VW really tanks from this mess...

If that is what you want, then go for it...but I would hurry if I was you because these bargains might not last long. VW has said that they will not provide loaners to VW diesel owners in the U.S. because the EPA has certified that all the U.S. diesels ARE SAFE TO DRIVE. To me that means that they are safe for the owner and safe for the environment. My question is, if that is true, what is all the fuss about !!