Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

nyccarguy

@Michaell - 4 weeks per year vacation? Ha! I know you deliver pizza on the side, but didn't realize you also do stand up! I get 2 weeks vacation per year plus a handful of major holidays (New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Rosh Hashana (jewish new year - 2 days), yom kippur (jewish day of attonement), Thanksgiving (work the Friday & Saturday after), & Christmas.

@breld - I'm sure I could make it work, but I'd just always have it in the back of my head how many miles I'm driving.

@ab348 - interesting post. The Focus ST peaks my interest, but only comes with an manual transmission. I can't have 2 of 3 cars in the stable that my wife can't drive.

Mr_Shiftright

I wouldn't want one---too unreliable.

roadburner said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Still time to bid: You won't see another for a while at least.

http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1991-bmw-850i-4/

Gee, do you think repairs and maintenance would be expensive?

If you are wired into the E31 community AND you are a fairly competent DIY guy(or gal) I'd say that it wouldn't be cheap to run- but it might-MIGHT-not be horrifically expensive either. To quote my friend Rob Seigel- AKA: The Hack Mechanic,

Opinion is divided on the economics of owning an E31. At the time, the press harped about the car’s complexity, including the proliferation of computers and electric motors. Now, I’d wager that your basic suckling Toyota Celica is a more electrically complex car. The E31 8 Series and the E32 7 Series shared the new twelve-cylinder M70 engine. The engine itself is reported to be quite reliable, but because it was basically designed as two M20 engines forced into a V, it has two of everything—two ECUs, two throttle bodies, two air flow meters, two fuel pumps—and if something isn’t right, it’ll throw the car into limp-home mode, where it runs on half the cylinders.

In addition to electrical complexity, the car was mechanically complex, with stability control and a multilink rear end. Some folks who own them tell me that, by a country mile, they’re the most expensive BMW to keep running, much less keep well-sorted—but others tell me that it’s not that bad if you hack and scrounge.

Obviously not a car for the person who wets his/her pants at the thought of changing their own oil or swapping pads and rotors.

And yes, I've been tempted to bid on it ever since the BAT auction went live...

Sandman6472

Was thinking, for just a minute, about trading in the Golf for a Tiguan but have decided to nix that idea. Could probably do it for a decent amount added to the Golf but think I'd regret dumping the Golf as it is the perfect vehicle for me. I know the wife would kill me if I trade again since I've not even had the car a year yet. No, the Tiguan is just not to land on my side of the garage...for awhile!

The Sandman

henryn

TrueCar’s website today showed the average price paid for an F-150 SuperCrew XLT with two-wheel-drive as $191 less than invoice and $3,093 less than sticker, before $4,000 in customer incentives.

I bought my F-150 Supercrew XLT with two wheel drive for $10k below MSRP, $5k dealer discount, $5k incentives / rebates. That was just a few weeks ago.

I have been eligible for X-Plan pricing for the last … 20 years? Long time, certainly more than 10 years. I’ve never used it. Now the “A-plan”, that would be nice!

This whole thing sounds to me like just another sales gimmick. Not nearly as interesting as the VW $2k owner loyalty incentive.

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

I wouldn't want one---too unreliable.

What systems have you found to be problematic? My friends that have E31s tend to think the main problems are minor electrical glitches and aged suspension bushings and mounts(which any 20 year old car is subject to)- nothing that would sideline the car.

Michaell

@nyccarguy - OK, it was just a guess as to how much vacation time you got each year. No desire to do stand up - I figure 3 jobs is enough.

Mr_Shiftright

Yes, electronic gremlins abound, trim pieces falling off, gaskets cracking around the glass, eating up brake rotors (not cheap!). It's just nickel and dime, nickel and dime---it never seems to stop with these cars. Lovely cars to drive, lots of power, great handling, and the build quality of a Kia it seems when it comes to trim and seals.

roadburner said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

I wouldn't want one---too unreliable.

What systems have you found to be problematic? My friends that have E31s tend to think the main problems are minor electrical glitches and aged suspension bushings and mounts(which any 20 year old car is subject to)- nothing that would sideline the car.

suydam

Maybe it SHOULD have the build quality of a Kia!

iluvmysephia1

I was gonna say-I've never had a piece of trim come off of any of the 3 Kia's I've owned.

Mr_Shiftright

Well give it 25 years. We are talking about pretty old BMWs here. My MINI keeps up the tradition. Here's to superglue and contact cement.

Remember when the 3 series BMWs front parking lights would pop out going over bumps? It looked like a disconnected eyeball hanging there.

roadburner

Well, no broken trim on my 1995 3er- or on my 2004 X3, which is knocking on 180k miles.

Mr_Shiftright

Maybe we get all the mongrels here in California. Never been impressed with BMW build quality so I cast a critical eye.

kyfdx

Am I right that even the Autobahn package GTI doesn't come with HID headlights, unless you get the lighting package?

28firefighter

kyfdx said:

Am I right that even the Autobahn package GTI doesn't come with HID headlights, unless you get the lighting package?

Correct.

nyccarguy

Michaell said:

@nyccarguy - OK, it was just a guess as to how much vacation time you got each year. No desire to do stand up - I figure 3 jobs is enough.

I only wish I got 4 weeks vacation

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

kyfdx said:

Am I right that even the Autobahn package GTI doesn't come with HID headlights, unless you get the lighting package?

Correct.

Geez.. I was looking at local inventory (6 dealerships) and didn't see any stick-shifts with the lighting package.

roadburner

kyfdx said:

Geez.. I was looking at local inventory (6 dealerships) and didn't see any stick-shifts with the lighting package.

I'd want a GTI S with three pedals, and both the lighting and performance packages- nothing else.

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

Maybe we get all the mongrels here in California. Never been impressed with BMW build quality so I cast a critical eye.

Well, here's the ti interior at 19 years and 135k:


And the engine compartment:

kyfdx

Given all the E36 M3s we looked at, I can tell you that isn't typical for an E36.

Major, major interior issues with 95% of them.

But, I think any 15-25 year old car will have trim/interior issues, in general. Sunlight is not kind to plastics

(Love that interior, though)

nyccarguy

@roadburner - I love your car's interior. For some reason I never knew it had the red inserts, door panels, & stitching. Truly a unique vehicle!

nyccarguy

I just checked on the VW website. Hot seats and rear view camera are standard on the GTI S w/ Performance Package - I'll take mine with Plaid seats

breld

@roadburner - wow, that 318ti is in great shape! Very nice.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

@roadburner - I love your car's interior. For some reason I never knew it had the red inserts, door panels, & stitching. Truly a unique vehicle!

Thanks, I bought it sight unseen with respect to the interior. The description was simply "Millpoint red cloth inserts with Montana black leather bolsters and headrests." I sounded good and turned out to be handsome and durable.

roadburner

breld said:

@roadburner - wow, that 318ti is in great shape! Very nice.

I still love it- and plan to keep it for my son to inherit. In a couple of weeks I will have had it for 20 years.

Mr_Shiftright

I have watched too many of my friends once-new BMWs disintegrate slowly over time to consider Roadburner's as typical. I'm sure as soon as his cars develop a deficiency, it is corrected. I mean, just look at it. This car gets exceptional care.

And I have my own Mini, which started squeaking and rattling like an old taxicab at 50,000 miles, to remind me. BMWs impress me on any number of levels, but how they are screwed together isn't one of them. I'd offer the opinion that they are built at Saab or Volvo level, at best.

kyfdx said:

Given all the E36 M3s we looked at, I can tell you that isn't typical for an E36.

Major, major interior issues with 95% of them.

But, I think any 15-25 year old car will have trim/interior issues, in general. Sunlight is not kind to plastics

(Love that interior, though)

au1994

roadburner said:

breld said:

@roadburner - wow, that 318ti is in great shape! Very nice.

I still love it- and plan to keep it for my son to inherit. In a couple of weeks I will have had it for 20 years.

My ZHP is 10 yrs old and the interior still looks great. Slight wear on the drivers side seat bolster and some scratches on the softer plastic on the console and that's it. And this is a car that spends its time with the top down in parking lots when I am running around on the weekends. I swear by 303 Aerospace Protector and Leatherique.

jpp75

nyccarguy said:

stickguy said:

Just put down the ipad and walk away.

Good thing my car is leased. Otherwise I too would have been looking for the killer GTI deal.

Why couldn't VW wait 2 years to get caught? Would have timed out much better to me.

I tried putting the iPad down, but my hand started shaking:) I also took a look at Infiniti Q50S numbers (lease questions people say they are getting $7K plus off MSRP). Unless I was inputting the numbers into leaseguide's calculator wrong, doing a 39 month lease for 15K per year will still be expensive, not to mention I'd be over the miles by more than 15K at the end of the lease and most likely have to buy it out.

The GTI Performance Package looks sweet. 220 hp & 259lb/ft of torque:) How low will they go?

I'll make you a great deal on a gently used 2014 Q50 Hybrid.

qbrozen

Mr_Shiftright said:

I'd offer the opinion that they are built at Saab or Volvo level, at best.

Just what are you trying to say? Sounds like a compliment to me. The Saab we had was pretty good, and our '98 Volvo is still largely together, despite my wife's best efforts. Certainly, my 2000 540i was more fragile than either of my '98 Volvos. But, to be fair, the German had many more miles on it.

jpp75

breld said:

Just dropped off the stepdaughter's A3 for service at our local Audi dealer - I had been using an independent but had such a nice experience with the wife's S3 in the shop (for routine maintenance) last week that I just figured we'd start using them for all the cars.

Since this dealership is affiliated with VW and Mazda, I've sort of had a nostalgic tour of cars past with the loaners - last week I had a Passat 1.8T and today I have a Mazda6.

Last week I was reminded at what a spacious car the Passat is - if backseat room is important to you, the Passat has it to spare! And I do still like that 1.8T engine.

And today, they actually were trying to get an Audi for me, but I thought it'd be more interesting to have the Mazda6, reminiscent of my recent Mazda3 experience. After driving the 6 back to work, I'd say I'd still go for the Mazda3 for its more compact size and availability with the hatchback, but the Mazda6 is definitely smoother and quieter over rough roads.

I've had the good fortune to have the 1.8T in some Passats and Jettas as rentals. It's a great engine.

jpp75

roadburner said:

Well, here's the ti interior at 19 years and 135k:

Why does it have two brake pedals?

breld

roadburner said:

breld said:

@roadburner - wow, that 318ti is in great shape! Very nice.

I still love it- and plan to keep it for my son to inherit. In a couple of weeks I will have had it for 20 years.

I often wish we would have held on to our 318ti - it was something we just stumbled upon on Craigslist a few years back and it turned out to be in great condition w/111k miles. We sold it when I found that E39 530i sport - made sense at the time, but may have been a nice treasure to hold onto (as would have the 530i, come to think of it).

I need more garage space. And something like a "blanket" insurance policy.

nyccarguy

An article about VW discounts - no mention of the GTI though: http://news.yahoo.com/vw-dealers-offer-hefty-discounts-diesel-crisis-keeps-210316443--finance.html

jpp75

nyccarguy said:

An article about VW discounts - no mention of the GTI though: http://news.yahoo.com/vw-dealers-offer-hefty-discounts-diesel-crisis-keeps-210316443--finance.html

But my beloved Touareg is mentioned.

corvette

I wonder whether most dealers are hiding their TDI inventory out of sight from the public. 

au1994

breld said:

roadburner said:

breld said:

@roadburner - wow, that 318ti is in great shape! Very nice.

I still love it- and plan to keep it for my son to inherit. In a couple of weeks I will have had it for 20 years.

I often wish we would have held on to our 318ti - it was something we just stumbled upon on Craigslist a few years back and it turned out to be in great condition w/111k miles. We sold it when I found that E39 530i sport - made sense at the time, but may have been a nice treasure to hold onto (as would have the 530i, come to think of it).

I need more garage space. And something like a "blanket" insurance policy.

Thumbs up on the more garage space! I'm really getting the hankering for a nice driver quality 2002.

jpp75

corvette said:

I wonder whether most dealers are hiding their TDI inventory out of sight from the public. 

I stopped by a dealer on Sunday, all the TDI sedans and wagons were parked in an obscure lot out back. They can't sell them but they are paying interest on them.

qbrozen

too bad that's to purchase. if they'd come out with a really cheap lease deal...

stickguy

ouch. but dang, wish I was needing to lease now. Would save even more over what I got the Jetta for back in July.

Michaell

au1994 said:

breld said:

roadburner said:

breld said:

@roadburner - wow, that 318ti is in great shape! Very nice.

I still love it- and plan to keep it for my son to inherit. In a couple of weeks I will have had it for 20 years.

I often wish we would have held on to our 318ti - it was something we just stumbled upon on Craigslist a few years back and it turned out to be in great condition w/111k miles. We sold it when I found that E39 530i sport - made sense at the time, but may have been a nice treasure to hold onto (as would have the 530i, come to think of it).

I need more garage space. And something like a "blanket" insurance policy.

Thumbs up on the more garage space! I'm really getting the hankering for a nice driver quality 2002.

A month or so ago, I was taking my wife to work ... along the way, we went past a place called "Man Caves". Wife asked what it was ... told her it was warehouse space you buy and customize for whatever purpose .. large enough to store cars, etc.

She actually approved of the idea. Now, to figure out how to get the money for it - and something to put inside.

Here's the link: http://mancaves.com/

jpp75

qbrozen said:

too bad that's to purchase. if they'd come out with a really cheap lease deal...

I wish....but residuals can't go anywhere but down from here so I don't expect any cheap lease deals.

stickguy

almost up to 1 year on my sonata. 11/8 is the anniversary. Time flies. Just got an email that my free 1 year bluelink (the connectivity plan they offer) was expiring, and they wanted $107 to renew. Considering I have never used the button, and can live without a monthly "it's all OK" Email.

I did keep it for the Jetta so the kid has it. Plus I can stalk her. pretty cool actually. She can all me from the car, tell me to find a place for her, and I can do it through the app and send it to the car while she is driving. Plus I can tell when she needs to get gas, and where it is parked!

Michaell

stickguy said:

almost up to 1 year on my sonata. 11/8 is the anniversary. Time flies. Just got an email that my free 1 year bluelink (the connectivity plan they offer) was expiring, and they wanted $107 to renew. Considering I have never used the button, and can live without a monthly "it's all OK" Email.

I did keep it for the Jetta so the kid has it. Plus I can stalk her. pretty cool actually. She can all me from the car, tell me to find a place for her, and I can do it through the app and send it to the car while she is driving. Plus I can tell when she needs to get gas, and where it is parked!

The 2 year anniversary of the E-GT is 11/6, so we're only a couple days apart on the anniversary.

Starting to get the itch to begin the search, but I've got to be patient. Lots can change between now and when I start in earnest.

qbrozen

so i emailed a bit with Carsense and the UCM said he's thinking $13k for my Fit. I will go see him Saturday morning and find out if he is for real. That is still a decent deal for him, and more in line with what I expected to begin with, but its higher than anyone else has offered so far (other than a private party buyer who never even saw the car in person).

I was still considering trading it on a less expensive Volvo, but I think I've backed down from that. Did spot a couple of low-mileage S80s for about $10k, which seems like a good deal, but saving the monthly nut right now is more important. I can always find a volvo later if need be.

au1994

Michaell said:

au1994 said:

breld said:

roadburner said:

breld said:

@roadburner - wow, that 318ti is in great shape! Very nice.

I still love it- and plan to keep it for my son to inherit. In a couple of weeks I will have had it for 20 years.

I often wish we would have held on to our 318ti - it was something we just stumbled upon on Craigslist a few years back and it turned out to be in great condition w/111k miles. We sold it when I found that E39 530i sport - made sense at the time, but may have been a nice treasure to hold onto (as would have the 530i, come to think of it).

I need more garage space. And something like a "blanket" insurance policy.

Thumbs up on the more garage space! I'm really getting the hankering for a nice driver quality 2002.

A month or so ago, I was taking my wife to work ... along the way, we went past a place called "Man Caves". Wife asked what it was ... told her it was warehouse space you buy and customize for whatever purpose .. large enough to store cars, etc.

She actually approved of the idea. Now, to figure out how to get the money for it - and something to put inside.

Here's the link: http://mancaves.com/

That's what I want. A big ol' garage with a sitting area, wet bar, facilities and heated and cooled, of course. All to sit and look at my toys under bright, shiny lights.

I need to get some sense and money and in that order.

ab348

stickguy said:

almost up to 1 year on my sonata. 11/8 is the anniversary. Time flies.

Thanks for the reminder! It was one year earlier this week for me and my ATS. Great car, an absolute gas to drive.

houdini1

Mr_Shiftright said:

I have watched too many of my friends once-new BMWs disintegrate slowly over time to consider Roadburner's as typical. I'm sure as soon as his cars develop a deficiency, it is corrected. I mean, just look at it. This car gets exceptional care.

And I have my own Mini, which started squeaking and rattling like an old taxicab at 50,000 miles, to remind me. BMWs impress me on any number of levels, but how they are screwed together isn't one of them. I'd offer the opinion that they are built at Saab or Volvo level, at best.

kyfdx said:

Given all the E36 M3s we looked at, I can tell you that isn't typical for an E36.

Major, major interior issues with 95% of them.

But, I think any 15-25 year old car will have trim/interior issues, in general. Sunlight is not kind to plastics

(Love that interior, though)

What are the best put together cars in your opinion?

roadburner

au1994 said:

My ZHP is 10 yrs old and the interior still looks great. Slight wear on the drivers side seat bolster and some scratches on the softer plastic on the console and that's it. And this is a car that spends its time with the top down in parking lots when I am running around on the weekends. I swear by 303 Aerospace Protector and Leatherique.

The closest thing I have had to an interior problem is a bad brake light switch, which cost me a heart-stopping $18! Although the headliner material will need replacement in a year or two; I'll probably pull the shell out myself and have an upholstery shop recover it in a nicer material(and have them do the A pillars while I'm at it.

corvette

Headliner material has improved in recent years... I remember early 1990s Civics had vinyl headliners (even the high end Si versions). Some also didn't have factory radios but were wired for dealer-installed radio/speakers to plug and play. It's surprising fiddly little bits like door handles haven't broken!

Mr_Shiftright

I think Mercedes has excellent build quality.

houdini1 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

I have watched too many of my friends once-new BMWs disintegrate slowly over time to consider Roadburner's as typical. I'm sure as soon as his cars develop a deficiency, it is corrected. I mean, just look at it. This car gets exceptional care.

And I have my own Mini, which started squeaking and rattling like an old taxicab at 50,000 miles, to remind me. BMWs impress me on any number of levels, but how they are screwed together isn't one of them. I'd offer the opinion that they are built at Saab or Volvo level, at best.

kyfdx said:

Given all the E36 M3s we looked at, I can tell you that isn't typical for an E36.

Major, major interior issues with 95% of them.

But, I think any 15-25 year old car will have trim/interior issues, in general. Sunlight is not kind to plastics

(Love that interior, though)

What are the best put together cars in your opinion?

breld

Michaell said:

au1994 said:

breld said:

roadburner said:

breld said:

@roadburner - wow, that 318ti is in great shape! Very nice.

I still love it- and plan to keep it for my son to inherit. In a couple of weeks I will have had it for 20 years.

I often wish we would have held on to our 318ti - it was something we just stumbled upon on Craigslist a few years back and it turned out to be in great condition w/111k miles. We sold it when I found that E39 530i sport - made sense at the time, but may have been a nice treasure to hold onto (as would have the 530i, come to think of it).

I need more garage space. And something like a "blanket" insurance policy.

Thumbs up on the more garage space! I'm really getting the hankering for a nice driver quality 2002.

A month or so ago, I was taking my wife to work ... along the way, we went past a place called "Man Caves". Wife asked what it was ... told her it was warehouse space you buy and customize for whatever purpose .. large enough to store cars, etc.

She actually approved of the idea. Now, to figure out how to get the money for it - and something to put inside.

Here's the link: http://mancaves.com/

Is that the one right across from Dove Valley? I drive that way often and have noticed them building them. Didn't realize they were so costly. But yes, would be cool.