Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

given all the work done and money invested, that black one seems to have an awful lot of needs. I guess it depends on how handy your are. rubber parts probably not a big deal. Tearing into the doors/windows a bit more. Tracking down fluky electrics, well, that can drive a man to drink.

Mr_Shiftright

It reminds me of a rather typical scenario with an old German car---some work out better than others. Thats' why you need a car with them "good bones". Something butchered or neglected is just going to disappoint.

stickguy

I find this to be an extremely attractive car and love the color combo.

http://www.redbankvolvo.com/used/Volvo/2013-Volvo-S60-1647d7ff0a0e08bd62bbf13f144ea00a.htm

though this is close to perfect too.

http://www.redbankvolvo.com/used/Volvo/2015-Volvo-V60-bf780bd60a0a00305edd270429ed5cca.htm

stickguy

Paging RoadBurner. is this the Sube you want? Looks clean, nice low miles. No power seat or hole in the roof. And won't lose it in a parking lot.

http://www.subaruofcherryhill.com/certified/Subaru/2015-Subaru-WRX+STI-Cherry+Hill+NJ-42d8bf540a0e0adf484d5bd16f6efefa.htm?searchDepth=39:47

corvette

I like the plain white V60 (and the interior color scheme is great). Was commenting the other night that metallic white has become mainstream. Used to be only Lexuses and the Oldsmobile Aurora had metal-flake white paint. My 2009 Altima (base model with cheesy hubcaps) had metallic white paint. I think you can get it on the Civic now. I think I'd rather have a solid white at this point, even on a luxury car. It always looks good.

kyfdx

Bring back the hatch!!

roadburner

stickguy said:

Paging RoadBurner. is this the Sube you want? Looks clean, nice low miles. No power seat or hole in the roof. And won't lose it in a parking lot.

http://www.subaruofcherryhill.com/certified/Subaru/2015-Subaru-WRX+STI-Cherry+Hill+NJ-42d8bf540a0e0adf484d5bd16f6efefa.htm?searchDepth=39:47

Didn't click on the link, but that's a Launch Edition STI- World Rally Blue with gold BBS wheels; the iconic STI color scheme.

corvette

WRX - like the exterior color. Do not like the rear wing. Do not like the quarter windows between the windshield and front windows. Do not like the gold wheels. Maybe the driving experience makes up for that?

stickguy

Yeah, the ad said it was a launch edition. Is that good? You buying?

hey, I'm a busy man

(actually I'm not, don't tell my boss)

but for you, I would happily run over tomorrow and take it for a test drive.

roadburner

My BMW dealer cut the price on the CPO 2012 135i M Sport DCT again; $32,950- down from $35,500. qbrozen though $33,000 was a decent price and it does have every option but Comfort Access; I'm still not sure if I'm ready for a long term relationship with a two pedal car...

stickguy

Don't do it. You'll regret it. I learned the hard way that when you have to talk yourself into something that hard, it will end up being a mistake.

corvette

roadburner said:

I'm still not sure if I'm ready for a long term relationship with a two pedal car...

My Yukon has three pedals: gas, brake, parking brake.

Mr_Shiftright

I wouldn't do it unless you're planning daily commutes in large cities.

roadburner said:

My BMW dealer cut the price on the CPO 2012 135i M Sport DCT again; $32,950- down from $35,500. qbrozen though $33,000 was a decent price and it does have every option but Comfort Access; I'm still not sure if I'm ready for a long term relationship with a two pedal car...

nyccarguy

@roadburner - I know FOR SURE that YOU of all people ARE NOT ready for a long term relationship with a 2 pedal car. Speaking of long term relationships, I'd be curious to know how many times that (ab)used "Launch Edition" 2015 STi was launched. Why was it traded in and for what?

stickguy

If a high performance car being used as intended scares you, buy new fresh off the truck.

I think lots of extreme cars get traded early. Fall into the "seemed like a good idea at the time" category. Closely followed by "next shiny toy" theorem.

nyccarguy

@stickguy - I dig those Volvo V60s as well. Just not FWD versions

nyccarguy

Here's a 2010 S60 2.4i with the "coveted" manual transmission. 68K miles. Black/Black. Asking $12,900. According to CarFax it has been there since May 2015.

http://www.stamfordvolvo.com/used/Volvo/2010-Volvo-S40-stamford+ct-5790306d0a0a00e050a764ed485f6da2.htm

stickguy

A rare bird with no following. Plus I prefer FWD on these.

I would also absolutely go with an S60 over a 40.

stever

Sell!

(and then buy....)

“Our advice is do not wait,” he said. “The longer you keep a car, the more it will lose value.”

Your car’s value will start dropping faster this year (Boston.com)

Edmunds posted '16 Prius numbers the other day and my wife just found them. She's happy that she got 3 medium sized cacti in the '14 Prius rental on the way home today, so she's shopping the sedan heavily at the moment.

She assures me that we could get one tricked out nicely and still retain the 15" wheels. There is a Sport trim available this year.

Mr_Shiftright

Did you use the word "sport" and "Prius" in the same sentence?

stever

Too funny eh?

They lowered the total available HP too. But it's electric "longer" for 2016 so there's more torque for a few more seconds. They also fancied up the rear suspension with some wishbone configuration.

The '14 passed my tool loading test (saw, table, toolbox). Forget to try to cram a bike in the back. And I think the trim we'd want only comes with 17" wheels.

Mr_Shiftright

The Prius reminds me of the old Citroen DS---poofy seats, that kind of leisurely pillow-sofa ride, the oddball controls.

corvette

There used to be a Prius Touring trim with 17" full-alloy wheels instead of the standard 15" wheels with trim rings.

nyccarguy

Uh-oh. Got a mailer from a local BMW dealer saying if I show up on Saturday that I will get a $20 Amazon Gift Card.

stickguy

I love those. Got one of those hokey "circus" mailers from the local honda dealers. Had all the tricks. Need your trade, try your number to win a car, etc. But, also had something for showing up ($20/25 card of some sort). And if you took a test drive, got $50 in some sort of cards (there was a lot of fine print!).

I would have stopped in, but I was sick last week, and the one time I went by the wife was with me. Sadly, that dealer is on her list of places she won't set foot in again (because of me, not them!). So, missed out.

roadburner

So I found a used 2015 Mustang GT Premium:



It's optioned just about the way I would have done it except for it being white with black stripes- could that be any more boring? I'm pretty sure the stripes are aftermarket so I may go see the car and find out if the can be removed. I think the white might just be tolerable with a set of blue stripes patterned after the 1965 GT350

Mr_Shiftright

Car rental white is not the best, but as you say, with tasteful striping and nicer wheels it could look pretty good.

Michaell

Mr_Shiftright said:

Car rental white is not the best, but as you say, with tasteful striping and nicer wheels it could look pretty good.

I always thought that if I got a Mustang GT, I'd choose white - but with no stripes. And wheels that aren't black.

roadburner

Michaell said:

I always thought that if I got a Mustang GT, I'd choose white - but with no stripes. And wheels that aren't black.

On the 2016 GT Performance Pack you can get a satin finished silver wheel for a few bucks more.

stickguy

You like that more than an STI?

Better get there and grab it before it gets sold.

Wheels definitely not my cup of tea.

Mr_Shiftright

Sometimes black wheels work very well on a car (like black wires with a chrome hub cover) but not those. All you see are gaping holes in the body. The car looks like it's on jackstands.

stickguy

Take them off and get painted

Mr_Shiftright

Might help with a satin silver but that design just isn't chunky enough for the car IMO.

stickguy

One thing no shortage of us aftermarket wheels for a mustang. Keep those for snow tire duty. Or track tires.

ab348

stickguy said:

One thing no shortage of us aftermarket wheels for a mustang. Keep those for snow tire duty. Or track tires.

They look like winter wheels anyway. Hope the black wheel trend dies an early death.

stickguy

yeah, all black does nothing for me.

nyccarguy

I like the black wheels on some cars (Grand Cherokee Altitude), just not on that Mustang.  

@stickguy - you posted a picture of a Mustang a few days ago.  Those wheels I love.

tjc78

Black wheels need to go away! I just don't get it.

carnaught

On many car enthusiast car boards, frequently the mods. include black wheels. They just don't do it for me at all. IMHO, they detract from the car and for thousands of $$'s.

fintail

I like when dopes rattle can their black wheels, and the paint starts peeling in a month or two, or when they paint them and then curb the wheels.

It really does look bad.

stickguy

so, got asked on a different thread what my "short list" was to replace my Sonata when the lease is up (and yes, it is 22 months from now, so a touch early to act, but never too early to start thinking about it!)

from what has struck my fancy lately, if I had to do today:

Mustang GT (go sporty!)
Jeep Wrangler 2 door (fun!)
Infiniti G37
Volvo S60
MB C class (prior style)
MB E class
Acura TLX
Lexus GS350
Mazda 6 (have to pick something economical!)
Civic Touring (same)

That seems like a solid working list. Assuming I have enough budget! always an issue of course. But, not that hard to create a more cost effective list (including those nice teaser leases!).

a year and a half from now, could be entirely different. Especially if the move becomes inheriting the wife's car, and getting a different family truckster type.

Sandman6472

Love alloys and think they really make or break the looks of a vehicle. Never liked the alloys on my Tucson SE, they had a grayish tint to them...I saw a name for that color today on the spec sheet of a new 2016 Camry SE I drove from Miami to our office but can not remember it at this juncture...a senior moment I suspect!! Wish I had been given a longer time to choose my current style of alloys on my VW, they got me very confused with what I originally wanted with them screwing up the size of the original swapped alloys I wanted from that diesel Golf TDI. Like what I've got now but whenever I see the choice I didn't take, I want that one...just wish they had given me some more time to have made the final decision last year. To be honest, the ones I really love are the original 17" alloys from the 1st generation VW CC. They changed the alloy style in year 4 I think but the original ones are just beautiful and would look great on my Golf. Oh well, such is life!!! Next vehicle I will be more concentrated on and take pictures right from the start so I do not get confused again.
Black wheels just are on the ugly side in my opinion...but growing up, I never liked blackwall tires, only whitewalls but now, only blackwall will do! But yes, the right alloys will just pop on a vehicle, just take it to the next level!!

The Sandman

tommister2

stickguy said:

so, got asked on a different thread what my "short list" was to replace my Sonata when the lease is up (and yes, it is 22 months from now, so a touch early to act, but never too early to start thinking about it!)

from what has struck my fancy lately, if I had to do today:

Mustang GT (go sporty!)
Jeep Wrangler 2 door (fun!)
Infiniti G37
Volvo S60
MB C class (prior style)
MB E class
Acura TLX
Lexus GS350
Mazda 6 (have to pick something economical!)
Civic Touring (same)

That seems like a solid working list. Assuming I have enough budget! always an issue of course. But, not that hard to create a more cost effective list (including those nice teaser leases!).

a year and a half from now, could be entirely different. Especially if the move becomes inheriting the wife's car, and getting a different family truckster type.

I certainly agree with the first 2 items on your list.
My daughter drives the Jeep most of the time now, much to my wife's dismay. We all love it. The Mustang sits more than it should.

Sandman6472

Drove a whole mess of new vehicles today, most with the plastic still on them inside and out. Super tired so will talk about them tomorrow. Have a n/s day tomorrow...yay!!!

The Sandman

nyccarguy

As a Chronic Car Buyer by nature I'm also a Chronic Car Looker. Build & Price, check out the incentives (I could theoretically get about $12K off the price of a 2016 E350 4Matic Sport), lease questions boards. The Legacy is a fantastic all around commuter. I've voiced my lust for (argh, argh, argh) more power, but in reality I don't NEED more. Especially since I sat in traffic last night for an hour because a Tractor Trailer decided he wanted to take a Parkway (a big NO-NO in NY) and hit an overpass. I don't NEED to lease a car and be constantly worried about miles (although if I take our Pilot 1 week per month I can do 15K per year instead of 20K). I WON'T voluntarily trade in a car with negative equity. Financially I know the smart move is to pay the Legacy off early. I will say that WHEN the time comes, I do WANT something with a much more powerful motor.

stickguy

power is nice. I appreciate the hot rod aspect when I drive the RDX.

nyccarguy

Speaking of power & hot rods, I saw a Jaguar F Type in Silver (there was an "S" badge on the back). The guy was stopped at a light in front of my store. I told him: love your car! It's gorgeous! He let it rip when the light turned green. That is quite the vehicle.

Michaell

stickguy said:

power is nice. I appreciate the hot rod aspect when I drive the RDX.

Same when I drive the Outback or the MINI.

rayainsw

'power is nice.'
Same when I drive the Hemi...
- Ray
TQ addict

henryn

Life is too short to drive a boring car. A car doesn't have to have massive horsepower / torque to be non-boring, but it certainly helps!