Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

Sandman6472

Yes, the M6 might just be the right choice. But don't do what I did, settle, because you won't be happy and will always be looking to get out. Get what you really really want because in the long run, you'll be happier!!

The Sandman

au1994

Thanks all!

And now the rest of the story...If you recall at the end of the summer we sold the fiancé's 09 MDX as A 2 car garage and 3 cars had us keeping one of the BMW's in storage as street parking isn't cool with the HOA. I then began driving the ZHP daily and she took over the 335 as her DD and our primary family car. We need a C/SUV in the fleet for road trips, hauling sporting goods etc. Many. many scenarios were discussed. Everything from trading both cars in to reversing field and going back to a storage unit situation. We shopped around a lot...X4, Q5, Grand Cherokee, GTI, A3 among others to fill various scenarios I had worked out. We really liked the X4 but she always preferred the larger size of the X6. This car popped up at a dealer about 45 min away in a color combo we loved and an already pretty aggressive price. After a few emails the price became better and off we went Sunday to close the deal. The details:

2016 X6 with Drivers Assistance, Driver Assistance Plus, Premium Pkg and Soft Close doors.
1500 rebate
Strong trade on the 335 that covered the remaining lease payments and just a bit more
Just over 8500 off sticker
And they threw in a rubber cargo mat

We, of course, love it after the first 24 hours. The rear visibility is not as restricted as you would think and with the same powertrain as the 335, there is plenty of power when needed.

Oh and I had forgotten that I predicted 33 for the year! Put me down for 27 next year.

stickguy

I'll go high at 30 for next year.

houdini1

roadburner said:

I think I've got a bad case of decision paralysis- even worse than when I was shopping for a(relatively) high end CD player back in 1990. I wound up with a Rotel RCD-855; for what it's worth, the runners-up were the Adcom GCD-575 and the Denon DCD 1520- but I digress...
I guess it's the excitement(or lack thereof) factor; I want something that will keep me entertained for at least 4-5 years, and nothing I have driven has left me with the "I MUST have this car!!!" feeling that I had after test driving my old 535is and M6. Maybe I should throw all the candidates in a hat and draw one out...

Have you driven the M 235i ?

stickguy

Michael, based on emails from my Hyundai dealer, you can get a screaming deal now. Especially on a sonata if you want something a bit bigger. Doesn't hurt to ask, especially since you are going to do it (lease) again anyway!

carnaught

au1994, congrats on the punch!

Put me down for 29 for 2016 (after 3 punches this yr., doubt I'll be a contributor next yr.).

nyccarguy

Not sure what I guessed this year, but I'm going low for 2016. 25 punches.

@graphicguy - Glad to see you made it back from your cruise in 1 piece. Stinks that somebody got your AMEX card number, but I'm happy you resolved it. I saw a White RC-350 F Sport last night. I think you should put that on your "to drive" list. I know @carnaught is very happy with his.

stever

Congrats @au1994 - curious about the soft close doors and how they work. Details?

I'll take 27 and a half for 2016 (someone's gotta buy a Harley or sport bike next year ).

graphicguy

nyccarguy said:

Not sure what I guessed this year, but I'm going low for 2016. 25 punches.

@graphicguy - Glad to see you made it back from your cruise in 1 piece. Stinks that somebody got your AMEX card number, but I'm happy you resolved it. I saw a White RC-350 F Sport last night. I think you should put that on your "to drive" list. I know @carnaught is very happy with his.

Thanks, Bradd. Had a good time regardless of the AMEX foibles. Just what the DR ordered.

It's raining and grey here. Dangerous....me with nothing to do, it's end of year, and dealers may be looking to make deals. Headed to Lexus this afternoon. Unfortunately, I get compensated for my car from my company. Coupes are not on the "list" for our program.

So, the RC F Sport is out. But, maybe an IS or GS F Sport could be in the cards.

henryn

Congrats on the punch, and please put me down for 33 next year. Hey, we did it this year, we can do it again!!!

au1994

The best way I can describe the soft close feature is that your bring the door closed just to the point of latching and the car does the rest. Necessary? No. But the fiancé did comment that the doors are much heavier so what do I know.

graphicguy

BTW....Edmunds seems to be rebelling against me. They're now throwing up a WEB tab over my login imploring me to turn off my ad blocker. In addition, they keep imploring me to log in to some sort of "price alert" that I guess I put in a car a loooonnnnggg time ago to look up prices. Can't wipe out the alerts.

C'Mon Edmunds....you're better than this!

Mr_Shiftright

roadburner said:

I think I've got a bad case of decision paralysis- even worse than when I was shopping for a(relatively) high end CD player back in 1990. I wound up with a Rotel RCD-855; for what it's worth, the runners-up were the Adcom GCD-575 and the Denon DCD 1520- but I digress...
I guess it's the excitement(or lack thereof) factor; I want something that will keep me entertained for at least 4-5 years, and nothing I have driven has left me with the "I MUST have this car!!!" feeling that I had after test driving my old 535is and M6. Maybe I should throw all the candidates in a hat and draw one out...

I already told you that you needed a GT350 but you just didn't listen (yeah, I know, it's out of budget--been there, done that).

rayainsw

Budget should be a factor to consider?
Really ...?

Mr_Shiftright

only if you're married

nyccarguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

only if you're married

And have a kid in college

nyccarguy

The reason I predicted so few punches (25) for 2016 is because I'm pretty certain that a bunch of us won't punch the card in 2016:

Myself, stickguy, carnaught, au1994, qbrozen, shifty, roadburner, abacomike,

laurasdada

GG: Here comes the (from me!) obvious: You drove a 535, now try a Jag XF for compare/contrast. I bought mine NYE '13, smokin' deal... Two years of faithful and fun service.

Mr_Shiftright

nyccarguy said:

The reason I predicted so few punches (25) for 2016 is because I'm pretty certain that a bunch of us won't punch the card in 2016:

Myself, stickguy, carnaught, au1994, qbrozen, shifty, roadburner, abacomike,

Oh I'm definitely going to punch in 2016. I did miss 2015, though by a hair because I bought a truck in Dec. 2014.

PF_Flyer

I always had the impression that "chronic" was a trump card to be played on top of a "budget"

henryn

Anyone gone to see the new Star Wars movie? I went yesterday (iMax of course), and was very impressed.

nyccarguy

@henryn - I loved it!

graphicguy

laurasdada said:

GG: Here comes the (from me!) obvious: You drove a 535, now try a Jag XF for compare/contrast. I bought mine NYE '13, smokin' deal... Two years of faithful and fun service.

Thought about it. May go look at them tomorrow. Off to Lexus!

corvette

That 2000 540i with the rough interior sold for $5,600. I figured it would go for $7k, even though it needs tires. $5,600 actually sounds like a fair price (no, I wasn't the buyer)! I bet it needs thrust arm bushings since it is 15 years old and at the mileage when those typically fail.

Sandman6472

GG, please post in here what you post in the other forum as I am no longer following it...too much negativity to be honest. Like it in here better as it's a much calmer forum, more enjoyable. So please, keep us in the loop whenever you post stuff as I know a lot also aren't in that forum.
Thanks.

The Sandman

nyccarguy

@graphicguy - Like me, I know you are a big fan of Honda/Acura products. I'd steer clear of the TLX SH AWD. There are a lot of people out there in internet land who love pretty much everything about the car, but are complaining about the 9-Speed Automatic's "jerky" 2-3 upshift. They have crazy lease cash on them right now and if I was in the market could probably lease one for not that much considering it is a $42K car (Tech Pkg & AWD).

stickguy

Bradd, you actually put Q on your "no-punch" list? Stay out of the eggnog man! Mike, good call there with a fresh MB in the parking slot. But, not impossible. I am definitely out. Maybe.

I have been seeing a lot of TLXs lately. Will get a long look when it is time. But I like the 4 cyl FWD with the DSG instead. My local dealer teased with a flyer on a loaner with 1,800 miles for a pretty big discount.

The Jag for GG is an interesting idea. Just got a new issue of Automobile and they had a piece on the new model coming out (a 2017?). Sounds really nice. The E class does too. I just love the styling of the current one whenever I see it.

graphicguy

Sandy....no problem.

So, yesterday I went over to the Lexus store. Bottom line....really like the IS350 F Sport....EXCEPT....it is cramped....a little too cramped for me, and I'm not a big guy.

Electronics are "wonky", too. Like the trade rags say all the time, the "puck" to operate the screen is really the answer to a question no one asked. It's not bad while you're stationery. Try to operate anything while moving, and you'll curse it.

The GS350 F sport has the room, but lacks the sportiness of the IS. Plus, same crazy electronics.

Gotta hand it to Lexus, though. They put together a very nice car, built well, great materials, and they bend over backwards (at least initially) to do anything they can to make you feel special.

We really didn't get into numbers as I wasn't really bowled over by anything.

Headed to Benz later today.

Michaell

May not count as a 2015 punch, but I've got a service appointment for the E-GT on Saturday. I'll be checking out the Elantra and Sonata while I'm there.

If they can give me a strong trade number I might try to convince the wife that getting into a new car for less money per month is the right thing to do.

stickguy

It would actually be the prudent thing to do. Basic math! You are making a monthly payment to "rent" a car. Next year, you need to rent a different car at some TBD new monthly payment. But key is, you are going to keep renting and paying a monthly nut.

so if you can lower your rent, for no cost (just swap keys and sign some papers), it makes perfect sense to make the switch now instead of 10 months from now. really no practical difference, and you immediately save money every month if the payment goes down. Combine with the bonus of getting a newer and nicer car, and it is a win all around!

anony336

Hello all, I am not sure when I stopped having time to come here but it's an early New Year's resolution to get back to old habits. 

Good or to see everyone is doing well and I hope that everyone had a great holiday! 

stickguy

I assume this is a new ID for annonymousposter, the better half of G35coupe?

If so, welcome back!

anony336

You're right. It had been so long, I couldn't recover my old log-in. Good to be back. We did punch our card twice this year, but will probably be a big 0 for 2016. With 3 kids now, our options are limited. We have the minivan for kid duty, a stick 2013 Accord, and ... Wait for it.... A Prius. Thr Prius just made sense with my commute and the current deals on them. (We got $7500 off of msrp). We also have a 2006 Highlander that we will be selling since we just added the Prius. 

stickguy

OK, now this is a gorgeous car. I think I could live with one of these. Not too old, and reasonable miles. Price probably not too bad (21K asking, 51K original MSRP on a 2011). Sucks not being in the market, but if I was, this could be a strong contender, for the price of a mid-level new Civic!

http://www.redbankvolvo.com/used/BMW/2011-BMW-328i-dd71717f0a0a00302027edc6325a4856.htm

nyccarguy

anony336 said:

You're right. It had been so long, I couldn't recover my old log-in. Good to be back. We did punch our card twice this year, but will probably be a big 0 for 2016. With 3 kids now, our options are limited. We have the minivan for kid duty, a stick 2013 Accord, and ... Wait for it.... A Prius. Thr Prius just made sense with my commute and the current deals on them. (We got $7500 off of msrp). We also have a 2006 Highlander that we will be selling since we just added the Prius. 

Hello! Welcome back! Glad to see you guys are doing well. Can you tell us the year, make, & model of your 2015 punches, whether they were new or used, how many miles if used, & the month you made the punch official? @corvette likes to keep accurate records:)

Shifty - you & roadburner are both itching to punch your cards, but your needs & wants are way too constrictive given your respective budgets. I 100% agree with you that @roadburner needs a Shelby GT350. It would suit his needs perfectly.

I put @breld down for 1 or 2 next year. Something mechanically catastrophic could happen to his daughter's A3 & he'll swap it out for a GTI. Hi wife might get bored of driving her S3 with the DSG & switch it out for something with a manual.

@stickguy - @qbrozen has his financial hands full with the new house, the rental property, the LR, his van that suits his wife's needs well, & he loves the Caddy's 420 hp twin turbo V6. Unless he ditches the Volvo for something else. I don't know.

Michaell

stickguy said:

It would actually be the prudent thing to do. Basic math! You are making a monthly payment to "rent" a car. Next year, you need to rent a different car at some TBD new monthly payment. But key is, you are going to keep renting and paying a monthly nut.

so if you can lower your rent, for no cost (just swap keys and sign some papers), it makes perfect sense to make the switch now instead of 10 months from now. really no practical difference, and you immediately save money every month if the payment goes down. Combine with the bonus of getting a newer and nicer car, and it is a win all around!

I imagine I'd have to come up with the first payment, but that's not so bad.

Trying to decide if either the Elantra sedan or the Sonata is an upgrade. Both have the backup camera (which I want) and the Elantra value edition has the keyless entry (which I really want), plus a leather steering wheel, which is nice.

Gotta determine if getting in and out of these is as easy as in the E-GT - with the pizza delivery gig, I'm in and out of my car 20-40 times a night. Won't do if I bang my head each time.

Mr_Shiftright

@nyccarguy---guilty as charged. I've got as good a record as anybody for having bought and sold lots of cars (mostly used), but I am not a quick-trigger kind of guy. I tend to stalk a car I want, sometimes for months, even years, but I have a reserve of cash always at the ready to make a quick buy. I tend to never go beyond this reserve amount, but of course if I need to stretch a little I will. No matter how nice the car, if it's well over budget, I walk. I've found (and many of you might differ) that if I buy something I really couldn't afford, I can't seem to enjoy it.

@ stickguy---now don't be shocked but I'm thinking that Jaguar may not be around in a few years.

graphicguy

I was watching a repeat of "Fast and Loud" yesterday. I think it was the last episodes of last season. They transplanted a 392 hemi from a '15 Challenger Scat Pack pre-production car into an early '70s Challenger. Lots and lots of fabrication had to be done to make it work.

But, it reminded me of some discussion in here about some of us wanting a new Challenger with the Scat Pack (including me). Still wouldn't mind having one, but would need a beater for winter duties to go along with it.

Mr_Shiftright

Here's some photos of a 2008 BMW 650i convertible for sale. Scroll down to pictures of the console and tell me what you see.

2008 BMW 650i For Sale

Asking $31,900, comes with (allegedly) very comprehensive extended warranty to 108K miles. Mileage is 31,965.

Not my cup of tea---more of a "boulevardier" kind of car, but 360 ponies should move it along okay.

breld

au1994 said:

And we have a punch...the 335i is gone, replaced with a 2016 X6 space gray with ivory interior. Exceptional deal on an exceptional car. Details later!!

Little late to the game here, but big congrats on the X6! Wife and I have always been drawn to those, and I really like the new model. Subtle changes to the body makes it look smoother, I think.

breld

nyccarguy said:

anony336 said:

You're right. It had been so long, I couldn't recover my old log-in. Good to be back. We did punch our card twice this year, but will probably be a big 0 for 2016. With 3 kids now, our options are limited. We have the minivan for kid duty, a stick 2013 Accord, and ... Wait for it.... A Prius. Thr Prius just made sense with my commute and the current deals on them. (We got $7500 off of msrp). We also have a 2006 Highlander that we will be selling since we just added the Prius. 

Hello! Welcome back! Glad to see you guys are doing well. Can you tell us the year, make, & model of your 2015 punches, whether they were new or used, how many miles if used, & the month you made the punch official? @corvette likes to keep accurate records:)

Shifty - you & roadburner are both itching to punch your cards, but your needs & wants are way too constrictive given your respective budgets. I 100% agree with you that @roadburner needs a Shelby GT350. It would suit his needs perfectly.

I put @breld down for 1 or 2 next year. Something mechanically catastrophic could happen to his daughter's A3 & he'll swap it out for a GTI. Hi wife might get bored of driving her S3 with the DSG & switch it out for something with a manual.

@stickguy - @qbrozen has his financial hands full with the new house, the rental property, the LR, his van that suits his wife's needs well, & he loves the Caddy's 420 hp twin turbo V6. Unless he ditches the Volvo for something else. I don't know.

I'll go for 28 for my 2016 guess.

Bradd's guess for me is probably pretty good. I see us swapping out the ZHP for something more functional at some point. And, wife and I had free time on Saturday, so went looking:

• Jeeps - having never looked at them before, we checked out a Wrangler and a Grand Cherokee. Only sat in the Wrangler; wife thought it was fun, I thought it was somewhat claustrophobic. And I'd feel like a poser. Drove a diesel Grand Cherokee and loved that. Engine and trannie were great. I do like the idea that it bats in the luxury SUV realm, but with an understated image. Of course, it is priced in the luxury realm too.
  
  
• Mustang - took another look at Mustangs, but no test drives. Chatted with the salesperson about the GT350 - I understand they will be sought after, but he was talking about "addendums" to the tune of $10k-20k. Sort of takes the value of the car away, does it not? They had one in transit to their dealership - he was "surprised" it wasn't spoken for yet. I don't know - maybe someone will pay for the privilege to be the first on the block, but I think most buyers of the Shelby are also savvy enough to know that the appeal of the car is at MSRP.
  
  
• Volvo - wanted to check out the new XC90 based on the rave reviews. This might be our next punch. Both my wife and I thought it was a beautiful SUV and a potential replacement for the minivan and one of the Audis (consolidation!). They're certainly very proud of their new SUV at this point (meaning no discounts to be had). If we do think a 3-row SUV could be in the cards, the new Q7 would be a candidate too.
  

stickguy

I can't wait to sit in the XC90 next month at the auto show. Looks gorgeous, but well out of my price range!

actually, maybe the next car. One option is get a fancy new(er) "family truckster" and sell the Acura (don't need 2) and I would replace that with a cheaper fun car. Could fit in the budget instead of keeping the RDX and getting a sedan for most duties. Decisions, decisions.

and a 650i stickshift? Is that a 1 of 1 in this country?

roadburner

breld said:

Mustang - took another look at Mustangs, but no test drives. Chatted with the salesperson about the GT350 - I understand they will be sought after, but he was talking about "addendums" to the tune of $10k-20k. Sort of takes the value of the car away, does it not? They had one in transit to their dealership - he was "surprised" it wasn't spoken for yet. I don't know - maybe someone will pay for the privilege to be the first on the block, but I think most buyers of the Shelby are also savvy enough to know that the appeal of the car is at MSRP.

I've also considered a Focus RS, and over at FocusRS.org there are reports of dealers asking $10k over MSRP.
The Loisville dealers were asking $3k over sticker for MS3s back in 2007- which is one reason my car came from a Cincy dealer that wasn't playing games like that.

tifighter

XC90 is a nice machine; I sat in it when buying the 70 but didn't go any further as we have no need for a 3 row SUV. Something about the 2 liter 4 banger gives me pause, but the T8 plug-in sounds interesting.

nyccarguy

@breld - every single thing you say about the Jeep is true.  The interiors of the Limited & Overland are stunning and very nicely finished.  The diesel option is cool, but "there's nothing like a V8."  The HEMI V8 is the tried & tested engine in the GC stable.  There is definitely something to be said about the understated luxury.  Not that you need anyone else's affirmation, but it does kind of blend in (in a good way) & doesn't scream:  HEY EVERYBODY!  CHECK OUT MY (insert luxury marque name plate here) SUV!

A very close friend of my parents is a retired Chrysler employee.  They are retired & live in Florida now (Ponte Verde Beach where @abacomike's brother lives).  The wife drives a very nicely equipped JGC Overland (RWD - 6 cyl).  Over the summer my parents went on vacation to Saint Simmons Island, GA which isn't that far from their friends house.  My parents' friends know the area, so they drove the GC.  My parents were both very impressed.  They start talking cars & Marty says he will gladly give them a friends & family certificate.

My parents returned from vacation, itching to ditch my Mom's 2013 X5.  They walk into the Jeep showroom.  Right there on the showroom floor is a loaded JC Overland.  The sticker was either very high $50K or Low $60.  They both looked at each other & said:  for this kind of money, we can get another Cayenne (which is what they want).

if you look at the lease questions board, you'll also see that GCs have a terrible residual values (below 50% after 3 years).  Tons of rebates, cheap lease & finance money, & hefty discounts from sticker sometimes do make sense.  

Did the dealer have any CPO SRT8 GCs for you to drive?

As far as the Mustangs go, yeah the GT350 will be priced above sticker at first.  Then next year you'll see a few used ones sitting on dealer lots with 400 miles on them.  Dealer traded or bought at a Ford Auction.  I can see you guys buying one, driving it fit a few years, & selling it for what you bought it for 2 years down the road.

Funny you say that about the new XC90.  I see Volvo Ads in the paper every week with big rebates, cheap leases, & 0 % financing.  The bottom 1/3 of the ad says they have 10 or 15 XC90s ready for immediate delivery.

nyccarguy

@stickguy - no way I would even go anywhere remotely close to one of those E93 Drop Tops.  If that power top ever breaks & needs to be replaced?  Oh momma!

breld

@nyccarguy - well said on the Jeep GC. That certainly jives with my first take on it. Sounds like the used market could be a good way to go on something like that if the residuals are truly that low. I did point out to my wife that the XC90 we looked at was barely $5k more than the Jeep from earlier in the day. And, that Jeep was "merely" a Limited model, not the Overland or Summit.

This Volvo dealer in particular is always overly proud of their vehicles when we've visited them. They act as though nothing else comes close to comparing to their product - kinda funny. If they would acknowledge that there are other good choices out there, I'd respect them a bit more. Though I do have to admit their passion for the product is admirable.

And hmmm, used GT350's in a year? I'll keep my eye out!

breld

nyccarguy said:

@stickguy - no way I would even go anywhere remotely close to one of those E93 Drop Tops.  If that power top ever breaks & needs to be replaced?  Oh momma!

Yeah, I get a little nervous myself on the power top on our E46. Maybe the cloth top puts less stress on the motor making it more reliable, but I'm sure that's be an expensive fix if something went wrong.

Aah, the days of reaching over my shoulder to flip up/down the Miata top!

breld

roadburner said:

breld said:

Mustang - took another look at Mustangs, but no test drives. Chatted with the salesperson about the GT350 - I understand they will be sought after, but he was talking about "addendums" to the tune of $10k-20k. Sort of takes the value of the car away, does it not? They had one in transit to their dealership - he was "surprised" it wasn't spoken for yet. I don't know - maybe someone will pay for the privilege to be the first on the block, but I think most buyers of the Shelby are also savvy enough to know that the appeal of the car is at MSRP.

I've also considered a Focus RS, and over at FocusRS.org there are reports of dealers asking $10k over MSRP.
The Loisville dealers were asking $3k over sticker for MS3s back in 2007- which is one reason my car came from a Cincy dealer that wasn't playing games like that.

Yup, same salesperson said something similar about the Focus RS. What's funny is, while a very cool offering from Ford, it's not like it's breaking totally new ground, what with the WRX/STI and Golf R already available. Good competition from Ford, but not necessarily at a large premium.

breld

tifighter said:

XC90 is a nice machine; I sat in it when buying the 70 but didn't go any further as we have no need for a 3 row SUV. Something about the 2 liter 4 banger gives me pause, but the T8 plug-in sounds interesting.

I actually find the use of the 4 banger in such a large vehicle intriguing. Apparently, it's turbocharged and supercharged? I imagine a test drive will be in our future at some point, and I'll report back.

The T8 plug-in definitely sounds cool - it does come with a $17k premium though. Salesperson said he already has an order for one, from someone whose other car is a Tesla.