Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stevedebi

stever said:

I'm impressed by the Gremlin and the Fox, @stevedebi.

@ab348's Volvo and Cutlass make me shiver a bit (had almost as many strandings in the late 60s in a Cutlass Supreme as the mid 70s Volvos in the family).

Actually, both good cars. The VW drove really great. It was a stick, and I loved that the front seats slid back so far that even a toddler wouldn't fit in the back. Great for my legs.

The Gremlin? A nice car for the time, but I never knew exactly where it came from, lets see, the starter was Chrysler for sure, I recognized the sound. The 232 engine was AMC. The tranny was Chrysler. Seats were from some kind of torture organization, no padding at all. But it drove well, rendered 22 MPG or so at 70 MPH, never complained, and I could spin the wheels from a standing start if I wasn't careful.

And of course the body was 2/3rds from a Javelin.

henryn

Mr_Shiftright said:

yes, motorcycles are okay, but not riding lawnmowers. I'd say anything with a license plate.

What? No fair, I say! I have owned riding lawnmowers that cost over $3k, and have owned many, many used cars that cost much less than that amount.

stever

I suppose we could ask how many years since the regulars in here have had a car or lease payment.

Or perhaps I should say months or weeks. Or days....

nelsonf

Kinda fun thinking back on all the cars. Since 1981:

'72 Ford Torino
'69 Austin Healey Sprite
'87 Nissan Sentra
Toyota Corona (Can't remember the year)
'78 Toyota Celica
'78 Ford LTD (License To Destroy)
'90 Plymouth Colt
'85 Chrysler LeBaron
'77 Suburban
'68 Chevy Impala
'84 Jeep Scrambler
'80 Honda Accord
'82 Honda Accord
'87 BMW 325is
'95 BMW325i
'98 Jeep Cherokee
'04 BMW 325xi
'08 VW R32
'11 Nissan Frontier

corvette

10 since 1998 for me. I feel unworthy!

Michaell

Maybe we aren't as chronic as we all thought.

(except for @breld, that is)

suydam

It is fun thinking back to cars we owned. My Dad had a Colt Vista wagon (stick shift) when he moved in with us. My oldest son inherited it in high school, and between that and our Mazda 323 that's how he learned to drive stick. That '90 Mazda 626 hatch MT. He drove in college was one sweet car. And the best part? Only a very few of his friends could drive it.

xwesx

kyfdx said:

I found it was a lot easier to justify a big payment to my wife, if the car was "hers".

Funny how that works!

xwesx

xwesx said:

My first acquisition was in December 1994 when I bought the body for my Econoline, and my longest "dry spell" was between August 2000 and January 2007; the period when we were a "one vehicle" family and had our 1996 Outback. As of now, however, our 2010 Forester takes the record for our longest-owned daily driver, although it does not beat out the '96 in terms of miles during that time. We put about 140,000 on that car over 6.5 years, while this one, at just over 6.5, is only at about 91,000.

All of this car listing talk made me think back to this post a week ago. I was thinking I listed all of mine, but it looks like I just glossed over. Twelve seems like a lot now after seeing some of your lists! So, my experience w/ buying starts in 1994, but I sorta "acquired" my first vehicle in 1989, at the tender age of eleven (nearly twelve!) when I convinced my dad not to sell his 1971 Ford Econoline and that I would drive it when I turned sixteen.

So, full list in order of acquisition, including length of ownership:

1969 Ford Econoline (1994-*)
1969 Chevrolet C20 Pickup (1997-*)
1974 Ford Pinto Wagon (1998-*)
1996 Subaru Outback (2000-2006, 6.5 yr)
2007 Subaru Outback (2007, 6 mo)
1998 Dodge Grand Caravan (2007-2010, 3 yr)
1976 Ford F250 Ranger XLT (2007-*)
2008 Subaru Outback (2007-2008, 5 mo)
1998 Ford Escort (2008-2012, 4yr,2mo)
2009 Subaru Forester (2009-*)
2011 Ford Fiesta (2012-2015, 2yr,8mo)
2008 Subaru Forester(2015-*)

*Current "Inventory"

Kinda interesting.... I currently own half of all the cars I've ever had.

jpp75

I've had 14 cars since I started driving 24 years ago, although the pace has picked up more recently.

1987 Ford Bronco
1992 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24
1996 Honda Accord LX
2002 Nissan Pathfinder SE
2006 BMW 330i
2006 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD
2002 Nissan Maxima SE
2009 Toyota 4 Runner SR5 4WD
2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland
2012 Infiniti G37x
2002 Nissan Pathfinder SE (second one)
2014 Infiniti Q50 Hybrid AWD
2015.5 Volvo S60 T5
2016 VW Touareg Lux

fintail

I bought the fintail when I was 18, just over 20 years ago. My "first" car was a 66 Galaxie, but it was never legally mine, and I didn't have it too long. I drove the fintail as a DD through school and for about a year after, then kept it and got a W126 300SE, C43, E55, E350 Bluetec, E350 gas, maybe another punch at the end of the year. A weakling compared to many here

stickguy

Hey, I had a 1990 626 hatch with a stick too. I still love that car. one of my all time favorites. should have kept it (sold with 90K on it, from bought new). Mostly because I didn't want motorized seat belts any longer!

stickguy

just counted. I think I got them all, but entirely possible I missed a junker from the old days, pre-kids! But, only 30. And holding for another 1.5 years.

suydam

stickguy said:

Hey, I had a 1990 626 hatch with a stick too. I still love that car. one of my all time favorites. should have kept it (sold with 90K on it, from bought new). Mostly because I didn't want motorized seat belts any longer!

I had forgotten those motorized seat belts! It was not a very common car. Really good looking and drove well too. If I recall it had a sun roof as well, also less common then.

stickguy

moonroof, and fantastic seats.

suydam

I bought it used in '98 or '99 as a college car for my oldest son. We sold it with over 150,000 miles on it only because he moved out of the country. His was silver.

Sandman6472

Got an email from Sirius/XM today about my subscription, runs out 3/13/16. They wanted $204.00 for the next year and would automatically charge my c c. That's crazy I thought, just not worth that much to me. Called up to see what we could do. End of story...canceled subscription and getting a refund. Started brand new subscription for same price I paid last year and will apply refund to the new order. Getting a paper bill from now on, costing $2.00 extra but will credit me the $2.00 if I use my c c again. Personally, hate automatic billing as I want to decide that kind of stuff and to have my control back for $2.00 is worth it to me.
Funny, last year, we both signed up within about 12 hours of each other but she hasn't gotten the email I did today yet.
Honestly, I really love my XM, but not for that inflated price they wanted to charge me. To get it again at the same promotional price as I got last year, I'm o k with that because I do use the product on my hour commute to work the 3 days I go and use it when am off. Really love the stations I listen to and just consider it the cost of driving now. My favorites are typical for baby boomers I guess...6, 7, 8, 25, 26, & 32. Loved the James Taylor station and now also have the Billy Joel one on but since they are short time ones, not counting them. Growing up pushing the buttons all the time, need music when I drive, anywhere!
Bottom line, glad I kept it for the same price for another year. Will I do it again next year? For the same promotional price, think so because when it's broken down over the 365 day year, maybe $.50/day? Maybe a bit more? Well worth it for the enjoyment I do get from it.

The Sandman

suydam

It's a game. You wait till the day before it expires and then you get the promotional rate again. What a pain. I just put the date for the next time in my calendar so I remember to do it. There must be enough people who forget and just lay the full rate that they find this technique worthwhile.

corvette

Sandy, my 5-month for $30 plan was almost up, as well. I was going to call to threaten to cancel to try to get another $30/5 month deal, but I logged in to my account online and discovered they have a Basic package for $7 per month (with tax) or so. I'd rather have that as a recurring subscription than have to call them every few months. I usually listen to Alt Nation, which is part of that package. Looks like 25, 26, and 32 are, as well. I detest SiriusXM's business practices, but I also detest the 20 minutes of ads per hour on FM radio even more.

xwesx

fintail said:

I bought the fintail when I was 18, just over 20 years ago. My "first" car was a 66 Galaxie, but it was never legally mine, and I didn't have it too long. I drove the fintail as a DD through school and for about a year after, then kept it and got a W126 300SE, C43, E55, E350 Bluetec, E350 gas, maybe another punch at the end of the year. A weakling compared to many here

Maaaaybe, but there is a pretty solid subset of regulars here who are not all that strong on the punches. I think our commonality is more in that we enjoy the lookin' (and living vicariously through each others' adventures/purchases). And, your seven is respectable considering that: 1., you only have drivers (other than your fintail, but it's a retired driver and scores pretty darn high on the cool points), 2., you only have you, and 3., you only have one at a time.

I have two of mine because they were given to me by family (Pinto and F250), I went through two cars (the 07 and 08 Outback) quickly due to various life circumstances, and we've kept a pair of drivers since 2008 rather than just one. Had our 1996 Outback not been destroyed on 12/30/06, our auto story would likely be much different.

fintail

That's a good point, I am just me, and I really don't have a place to keep more than one extra car. Storing the fintail is enough work and expense for me. I also don't know if I want to have another "forever car", so my rate may increase as time goes on.

The current lease is up around the end of the year. I don't know if I will lease again, or buy something. Things like this are very tempting

Speaking of that Pinto, it needs to be a project someday, hint hint.

xwesx said:

Maaaaybe, but there is a pretty solid subset of regulars here who are not all that strong on the punches. I think our commonality is more in that we enjoy the lookin' (and living vicariously through each others' adventures/purchases). And, your seven is respectable considering that: 1., you only have drivers (other than your fintail, but it's a retired driver and scores pretty darn high on the cool points), 2., you only have you, and 3., you only have one at a time.

I have two of mine because they were given to me by family (Pinto and F250), I went through two cars (the 07 and 08 Outback) quickly due to various life circumstances, and we've kept a pair of drivers since 2008 rather than just one. Had our 1996 Outback not been destroyed on 12/30/06, our auto story would likely be much different.

kyfdx

Okay.. I feel compelled to trot out my list.

'70 Ford Galaxie Coupe auto ('76-'76)
'77 Ford Cobra II stick ('77 - '81) 1st new car
'76 Jeep CJ-5 stick ('80-'82)
'82 Honda Accord hatchback stick ('82-'94)
'67 BMW 2000CS stick ('85-'91)
'84 Porsche 911 Targa stick ('90-'94) my first car with A/C
'90 Nissan 240SX hatch auto ('90-'94) It came with the wife.
'94 Acura Vigor auto ('94-'97)
'88 Mazda 323 GTX stick ('94-'95)
'95 Nissan Pathfinder SE 4X4 auto ('95-'98)
'97 Honda Accord EX auto ('97-'99)
'98 Honda CR-V EX stick ('98-'02)
'99 Honda Accord EX auto ('99-'01)
'01 Honda Accord EX auto ('01-03)
'02 Honda CR-V EX auto ('02-'08)
'03 BMW 325i Sport auto ('03-'05) sold to my friend, who still owns it.
'05 BMW 330i Convertible auto ('05-'08)
'08 Subaru Impreza stick ('08-'10)
'08 BMW X3 auto ('08-'11)
'92 Acura Legend sedan auto ('10-'13) kid's car - in family since new
'06 BMW 330Ci ZHP stick ('10-present) my current daily driver
'87 BMW 325iS stick ('11-'13) kid's car
'11 BMW Z4 auto ('11-'11) had car one month. wife hated it..flipped lease to a friend.
'11 Infiniti G37XS auto ('11-'14)
'11 BMW X3 auto ('13-present)
'95 BMW M3 stick ('14 present) kid's car

I guess that's 26..

My daily driver has been a stick for 30 out of the last 40 years.. The other 10 years sucked.

roadburner

Since 1974- not counting cars primarily driven by my wife or son...

1974 Monte Carlo Landau(Q Ship)
1969 Datsun SPL-311 Roadster
1967 Riviera
1979 Arrow GT 2.5
1973 Bavaria
1972 Bavaria
1987 535is
1973 Bronco(As the Brits say, a dog's breakfast)
1988 M6
1985 Thunderbird Turbo Coup(three pedals!)
1995 318ti Club Sport(still own)
1993 Pathfinder SE
1999 Wrangler Sahara(still own)
2007 Mazdaspeed 3(still own- until Saturday at least)
1975 2002A

stickguy

looking at another car you won't buy on Saturday I see.

stickguy

oh, I saw something today while poking around looking at inventory that must be rare, but I would have loved. A 2015 Forester premium, with the pano roof. With a 6 speed stick. yes, a well equipped 3 pedal Sube. 14K on the clock, in almost exactly 1 year in service, so plenty of warranty left. At a local (well, local to Fezo and close to Qbrozen) Volvo dealer. Listed at $20,995, but showing as sold. Bummer.

xwesx

I was under the impression that the stick was relegated to base-trim-only in Forester starting with MY2014. It is good to see that is not true!

Our 2010 is the premium w/ stickshift. I think it was a pretty solid value over the base model, particularly since you could not get the base (X) with roof rails back then.

xwesx

Kyfdx, that '82 Accord really jumps out in your list due to incredibly long ownership length (~12 years). What's the story on that one?

And, that's a pretty impressive list of manual transmissions. Sadly, my list includes less than half manuals (C20, 07 Outback, 10 Forester, Escort, Fiesta).

stickguy

I was surprised they still had it on the premium in '15 too. Probably a rare bird. I would have loved it!

19 of my 30 (which includes mine, the wife/family, and spares I got for the kids to use) were manuals. Proud that from the time we got married and I sold her Horizon (to get the 323), both family cars were sticks, until 10 years later when kid #2 came along, and the Legacy wagon 5-speed (yes, I had the one) was replaced by the first minivan. That was the start of the end.

js06gv

I'll have been driving 30 years next month. I counted 19 cars between me and my wife, but two of those were hers from before we were married (but dating). Add another 5 if considering company cars over the years. Shortest run was a '06 Suzuki Grand Vitara at 13 months. Got sucked in by features and low price but man was it junk. Longest is my Trans Am, still in the garage at 43K and 15+ years. Most miles put on a single car was 92K on a '97 Trans Sport. That was our just-had-a-kid-minivan-phase that ended at the five year mark. Great vehicle and served its purpose though.

kyfdx

xwesx said:

Kyfdx, that '82 Accord really jumps out in your list due to incredibly long ownership length (~12 years). What's the story on that one?

And, that's a pretty impressive list of manual transmissions. Sadly, my list includes less than half manuals (C20, 07 Outback, 10 Forester, Escort, Fiesta).

My girlfriend bought the new body style Civic hatch in 1981, and I was hooked. When I needed a new car the next year, I bought the new body style Accord hatch. 5-speed, no power steering, no A/C, not even a right side mirror. It was the greatest car, ever. 33-36 mpg (with a carbueretor!).

The best shifter/clutch combination I'd ever driven, before or since. It was bullet-proof for the first 11 years, though the rust and plastic were starting to deteriorate by then. Started to have carb issues, and had to get rid of it, after my son was born.. Can't drive an unreliable car with an infant in a car seat.

So, in 1994, at the age of 36, I got my first daily driver with A/C!! lol

suydam

Of my cars, except for the minivans, all the cars before 2000 were MT. After 2000, all AT. Age brings a desire for more comfort! And 2 of the cars for the kids were AT. My 2 younger kids never learned to drive stick shift.
In the 80's and 90's, we just thought a MT was standard. AT was an expensive option.
Of course AC was an option until the mid 80s or so too. Times have changed!

rayainsw

I bought a 1977 Accord in early 1977.
They were going for MSRP - that is what I paid.
$4145.
In about 18 months, supply had still not
caught up with demand, so I sold it - for exactly
$4145.
- Ray
Cheapest 25,000+ miles I have ever driven ....

suydam

.." Can't drive an unreliable car with an infant in a car seat."
We did when we were young and poor.
I was so excited when we got the '88 Mazda 323 (MT). It was new, it had AC, and never broke down! A great car to drive too.

sb55

Here's my list more or less in order (as I can best remember). Asterisk are cars we still have.

1964 U Chevy Pickup 3 speed mt, white
1972 N Opel Manta 4 speed mt, yellow
1974 N Mazda RX-4 4 speed mt, silver
1976? U VW Sirocco 5 speed mt, Green, then silver
1970 U Porsche 911E 5 speed mt, silver
19xx U Ford Maverick 4 door auto, blue (Came with my wife)
1966? U Chevy pickup 3 speed mt, green
1972? U Honda 600 4 speed mt, blue
1974? U GMC pickup auto, red and white
1979 N Ford Mustang 4 or 5 speed mt, Blue
1978 U Fiat Brava 5speed mt, yellow
1980 N Honda Prelude 5 speed mt, silver
1964 U Porsche 356C 4 speed mt, red
1974 VW Thing 4 speed mt, camouflage
1980 U Mercedes 300 CD auto, anthracite
1984 N Honda CRX 5 speed mt, white
1986 N Volvo 740 wagon 4 speed + od mt, blue
1989 N Ford Explorer auto, silver
1988 N VW GTI 5 speed mt, anthracite
1987 U Porsche 944s 5 speed mt, white
1990 U Ford Explorer auto, black
1988 U Porsche 944T 5 speed mt, black. Turned into PCA track car.
1994 N GMC Suburban auto, green
1990? N Audi Coupe Quattro 5 speed mt, red
1992 N Honda Accord wagon 5 speed mt, maroon
1994 U Mercedes C280 auto, anthracite
1999 U Porsche 911 6 speed mt, silver
2002 N GMC Suburban auto, silver
2001 N Acura TL 5 speed mt, gray
2002 N BMW 530i 5 speed mt, anthracite
2003 U Mercedes SLK Amg auto, silver
2004 N Pontiac Vibe 5 speed mt, silver
2004 N Toyota Sequoia, green
2004 N Acura T 5 speed mt, silver
2004 U BMW 545i 5 speed mt, silver
2006 N Subaru Legacy wagon auto, blue *
2006 U Porsche Cayenne auto, silver
2007 N Mazda Miata PRHT 6 speed mt, galaxy grey *
2008 N Infiniti G35x auto, blue
2010 N GMC Sierra auto, blue
2010 U BMW 535xiT auto, white *
2014 N Chevy Silverado auto, Brown *

rayainsw

I recall someone here posting issues with rodents attacking their cars?

We found a clever solution in a TSB from Honda: rodent-deterrent tape, essentially an electrical tape treated with super-spicy capsaicin, which Honda describes as “the stuff that puts the fire in a bowl of five-alarm chili.” The tape (part number 4019-2317) is available through dealers for about $36 for a 20-meter roll, about 22 yards. You'll also find it online.

We bought a roll of rodent-deterrent tape to check out. Beyond the cute rodent graphics and gray color, it deceptively seems like regular electrical tape to us humans. There is no tear-inducing odor, but it does carry a label that warns against prolonged exposure to skin. Despite dares and double dares, we did not taste it and will trust that it is potent enough to deter even the most ravenous varmint.

Other suggestions for dealing with rodents under your hood include installing a metal mesh around wiring harnesses and rubber hoses and across any openings where rodents could crawl into your ventilation or intake systems. Or you could put mouse poison mixed with peanut butter around your garage for a more severe solution.

Even if these measures don’t work, you can take heart: “A mouse ate my wiring harness” excuse at least sounds more creative than “The dog ate my homework.”
Update:

Since this report was originally published in 2014, some Honda owners joined in filing a federal class-action suit. Their claim is that the automaker used soy-based coatings in 2012-2015 models that attract rodents, and they seek restitution for repairs from Honda.
- From Consumer Reports on-line

stever

Subarus have a reputation for tasty wiring. Rodents got my sister's '05 Forester to the tune of ~$4,000. Her insurance covered it.

Around here it's cute little kangaroo rats that like to nest in the engine compartment and nibble on stuff. Lots of people in my neighborhood leave their hoods open (the rats don't like being exposed to the raptors). One neighbor puts LED shop lights on the ground on a timer and they park on top of the lights.

Best is to park in a garage of course.

qbrozen

Is it time for a list again? Huh. I'll have to see if I can pull it easy enough from my spreadsheet.

Anyway, someone asked the longest we have gone without a car payment? Well, I didn't have one for the first 23 years of my life. Does that count? Since then, I've technically never been without a payment. I mean, there were rare periods where I was driving a car without payments, but we still had payments on the wife's vehicle.

List in order of length of ownership:

Year Make Model Months of ownership

1991 Benz 190E 5
2001 Volvo V70 6
1992 Benz 190E 9
2003 Lincoln LS 9
1985 Nissan 300Z 9
2004 Nissan 350Z 9
1999 Saab 9-3SE 10
2015 Honda Fit 13
2000 BMW 540i 14
2009 Mazda mazda5 15
1978 AMC CJ7 16
2004 Inifiniti G35X 17
2007 VW GTI 17
2008 BMW 135i 18
2013 Ford Mustang 18
2005 Volvo XC90 18
2012 Nissan Leaf 20
2003 Honda Pilot 24
2006 Honda Accord 25
1997 Dodge Dakota 27
1979 Mercury Zephyr 27
1985 Toyota MR2 27
1999 Mazda 626 28
1998 Subaru Forester 29
1992 Mazda B2200 30
2005 Chrysler Pacifica 34
1986 Benz 300E 36
1987 BMW 325is 40
2008 Chrysler T&C 41
1987 Toyota 4Runner 47
1998 Volvo S70 48
1986 Alfa Spider 120
1984 AMC Cherokee NA
1985 AMC Cherokee NA
1964 Land Rover SIIA NA
1966 Ford Mustang NA
2014 Cadillac CTS NA
2014 Chrysler T&C NA
1998 Volvo S70 NA
2009 Land Rover LR2 NA


So the 4 NAs at the bottom mean I still own them. The other 4 NAs above those are because I don't recall how long I had them; they were all project vehicles that I never drove on the road. I recently passed my 25th anniversary as a car owner. BTW, the full spreadsheet contains far more information. I boiled it down to just those columns for this post. I also have transmission type, new or used, primary/secondary/project, cylinder count, color, and more.

sda

We had just moved back to the US after two years living in Europe, and moved to central VA. Dad generally bought used cars, but not having enough time to shop, he bought his first new car, a 76 Olds Cutlass Supreme 8 passenger wagon. The dealership was an Olds/Honda store. Inside was the first year 76 Accord in a copper/bronze color for $3995. Add $450 for a/c. I still have that brochure with prices written in it! And what do I drive now after many, many cars--an Accord!

I will bore everyone with my list later..

rayainsw said:

I bought a 1977 Accord in early 1977.


hey were going for MSRP - that is what I paid.
$4145.
In about 18 months, supply had still not
caught up with demand, so I sold it - for exactly
$4145.
- Ray
Cheapest 25,000+ miles I have ever driven ....

roadburner

stickguy said:

looking at another car you won't buy on Saturday I see.

Probably not; I'm looking at a car at my wife's insistence- she REALLY wants me to buy a car. I fully expect to be underwhelmed.

stever

Hm, wife begging hubby to get a new car to mess around with. You retired recently right? Spending a lot of time around the house are you?

brian125

sb55
My dad had 1964 Chevy Suburban. God my friends use to make fun of that thing. Thinking back on my list growing up in NYC in the 60's here goes.

62 Ford Galaxie ( drove moms car )
65 Lemans......... 1st car 1967
70 Chevelle SS..........1st new car
74 Charger
77 Bmw 630 csi
79 Rivera ... (new wife )
83 Supra
84 Dodge Caravan
87 Bmw 735i
87 Isuzu trooper ( traded for navigator )
89 Navigator
90 Bmw 750 iL ( 1 yr. old )
95 Bmx 750 iL ( new )
96 Toyota land cruiser
00 Bmw 750 il
03 Honda pilot
08 Bmw x-5
12 MB ml 350.. ( new wife ) *
12 Bmw x-5 35i
13 Genesis R-spec sedan *
13 Accord EXL v-6
16 Bmw x-5 35i *

Cars for kids : 84 mustang, 88 Fort T- bird coupe 5 spd., 91 Ford T-bird, 92 Maxima , 97 Camry, 02 Accord , 04 Accord


Vehicles still have *

I see some pretty impressive car lists reading thru posts. I remember when gas was about 40 cents a gallon back in the late 60's.

@qbrozen your 2000 BMW 540i 14 I always liked . My neighbor in Staten Island has a 2003 540i w/ 60k on clock, original owner, blue over tan , garaged in mint condition. I will go as high as 10k to buy. Is it worth 10k? My neighbor has never driven this vehicle in rain or snow since owned. If I have to put money in envelope and hand it to him I will

tifighter

kyfdx said:

Okay.. I feel compelled to trot out my list.


'88 Mazda 323 GTX stick ('94-'95)

Props for this one, @kyfdx ...

tifighter

I won't do the list again, but it is interesting to see what brands I've done more than once. Looks like Honda (x4) (x5 if you count the one Acura), Mazda (x2), Nissan (x2) and Audi (x2) (tangent - the first car I bought with my own money was a VW Quantum Syncro which was an Audi 4000 Quattro with a wagon suit, not counted). The rest are singles.

sda

I had fun putting this on paper, how time gets away!
List of cars owned. I have included a separate list of cars that I bought while I was in college to flip and make some extra $$ *new

• 62 Ford Galaxie 2dr sedan. 292 V8, 3 on tree, bought from a friend for $100, 1977. First car at 17!
o Ugly and beat, but never let me down
• 71 Vega GT. Fill up the oil and check the gas
• 76 Pontiac Sunbird coupe. V6, 5sp, a/c. Drove thru college years, owned for 6 years, longest I've owned any car!
o Decent car, liked to eat clutches every 30-40k
• 80 Mazda 626 coupe, 5sp, air.
• 82 Cadillac Cimarron, 4 speed. My stick shift Caddy
• 79 Rabbit C 2dr. Sold Cimarron to reduce car payments as I moved without a job to NC
• 84 Plymouth Horizon SE, 4dr. 5sp, a/c, garnet red. Surprisingly good car
• 85 Renault Alliance DL convertible. Fun car, underpowered. Sold before warranty expired
• 88 VW Fox GL* first new car $8165
• 87 VW Cabriolet triple white Wolfsburg. Demo, traded Fox
• 82 Buick Skylark X-body 4dr. Bought to keep miles of Cabriolet.
o 100k car, everything was going bad, a/c, trans, engine knocking. Ugh
• 86 Audi 4000S, fun car, electrical nightmare
• 92 Ford Ranger XLT supercab. 3.0V6, 5sp. Black, sharp truck, but I prefer sedans*
• 93 Mercury Tracer LTS. Fancy pants Escort, with Mazda DOHC engine. Fun, good car*
• 95 VW GLX VR6 5sp. Black, black leather, BBS. Sweet*
• 89 Cadillac Seville 4.5, like new
o Sold VW and paid cash for Seville. First paid off car in years, but that didn't last

qbrozen

brian125 said:

@qbrozen your 2000 BMW 540i 14 I always liked . My neighbor in Staten Island has a 2003 540i w/ 60k on clock, original owner, blue over tan , garaged in mint condition. I will go as high as 10k to buy. Is it worth 10k? My neighbor has never driven this vehicle in rain or snow since owned. If I have to put money in envelope and hand it to him I will

Stick or auto? Sport pack?

A sport, manual trans is a more desirable beast to the enthusiasts. Also very very important to know the maintenance history. At 13 years old, I would assume the whole coolant system has been replaced, but if not, plan on budgeting for that. Also has plastic timing chain guides, which will set you back a pretty penny due to the intensive labor. Oh, and a valley pan gasket between the heads can also need replacing. So it is not a cheap car to maintain by any means.

What is it worth? Eh, if its an auto trans, I think $7500-$8k is a safe bet, unless he can produce documentation showing all the above issues have been recently addressed. If it is a 6-speed, it is worth significantly more. It would be a steal at $10k. $12k is probably more like it, believe it or not.

sda

• continued.. *new
92 Chrysler Lebaron GTC convertible. 2.2 Turbo, 5speed. Black, charcoal interior.
o Decent car, was going to need some work—so traded..
• 96 Mazda Millenia L, Bose, cold weather pkg, black, tan interior. 2 yr lease*
• 92 Mazda Miata, A pkg, 5sp
o Met future wife..
• 98 Mazda Millenia L, dark blue, tan, Bose. Turned in 96 Millenia lease and traded Miata.*
• 95 Nissan Altima GXE, sunroof, 5 sp. Wife’s
• 98 Cadillac Catera, Bose, sunroof, cd changer, rear window shade, really nice
o Shop queen. In shop every 4-6 weeks. Sold to Car Max at 41k
• 99 VW Passat GLS 1.8 turbo, 5 sp, luxury pkg. Wife’s new ride*
• 00 VW Jetta GLX VR6 5sp*
• 99 Olds Cutlass GLS—sold Jetta to SIL, reduce car payments, wife now at home mom
• 03 Honda Odyssey EXL—baby ride. 2 yr lease*
o Sold Passat to Car Max
• 00 Olds Intrigue GLS, sunroof, rear spoiler, baby northstar, dark blue. Nice car and cheap
o Sold to Car Max
• 01 Olds Aurora 4.0, sunroof, Bose, cd changer, white, beige interior
• 95 Olds Cutlass Cierra SL
o Dad gave to me as he could no longer drive because of vision issue
o Used as daily driver for 2 years, sold Aurora

sda

I left a few out-- total since 1977 when I bought my first car, 45, 33 purchased used.

85 Honda Prelude, automatic, ex-wife's, she special ordered and waited months for delivery.
89 VWJetta Wolfsburg, 5sp, sunroof, elec windows and locks, bought to replace Prelude--she didn't like a manual transmission
90 VW Passat, black, auto, sunroof. replaced 89 Jetta

Final, whew! Total of 42. 30 of the 42 were purchased used, others 'new' bought or leased*
• 03 Acura TL, silver low miles, somewhat of a boring car, great V6
• 06 Honda Pilot EXL, wife, lease
• 06 VW Passat 2.0t, black, leather, Dyanaudio—sounded great
o Oil burner, 1 qt every 900 mi
• 08 Chevy HHR 2 LT, leather, sunroof. Fun in its own way
• 09 Honda Civic EX sedan. Wife’s, purchase, turned in Pilot. She wanted a 5 speed, but none available. sigh
• 09 Honda CR-V EXL. HHR a bit small
• 13 Honda Accord EX, current, one of the best cars I’ve owned, but still looking..
• 10 Honda Pilot EXL-RES, Honda certified, wife’s.

Others:
59 Cadillac 62 coupe. Bought to restore when I was in college. Only car I’ve never driven. Cracked block.
70 Cadillac DeVille convertible. First big project, stripped and repainted. Dad picked up his boss at the airport in it!
65 Olds Cutlass 2dr hardtop. 330V8 4bbl, factory buckets, console and console mounted tach
Bought for $250 and sold for $600. College kid makes $$!
71 Olds 98 coupe. A beast, smooth, quiet, not overly fast, but liked to swill gas
Bought for $350 and sold for $800
73 Pontiac Grand Am, 4dr. My sisters drove thru college, and dad gave to me to sell.

brian125

qbrozen said:

brian125 said:

@qbrozen your 2000 BMW 540i 14 I always liked . My neighbor in Staten Island has a 2003 540i w/ 60k on clock, original owner, blue over tan , garaged in mint condition. I will go as high as 10k to buy. Is it worth 10k? My neighbor has never driven this vehicle in rain or snow since owned. If I have to put money in envelope and hand it to him I will

Stick or auto? Sport pack?

A sport, manual trans is a more desirable beast to the enthusiasts. Also very very important to know the maintenance history. At 13 years old, I would assume the whole coolant system has been replaced, but if not, plan on budgeting for that. Also has plastic timing chain guides, which will set you back a pretty penny due to the intensive labor. Oh, and a valley pan gasket between the heads can also need replacing. So it is not a cheap car to maintain by any means.

What is it worth? Eh, if its an auto trans, I think $7500-$8k is a safe bet, unless he can produce documentation showing all the above issues have been recently addressed. If it is a 6-speed, it is worth significantly more. It would be a steal at $10k. $12k is probably more like it, believe it or not.

Sorry yes its a Sport 6sp. Not quite sure on maint / and replacement parts ? Going to find out before making final offer. The only problem is he probably wont sell yet. Been asking him the last 5yrs.

The only positive I have is he just bought a Maserati and his 2 car garage is full now. So I might get lucky this year............................... ... tks

stever

Housekeeping note - not sure which discussion we were talking about the back button and Recent Discussions. That feature is back so you can now use the back arrow keys in your browser to go back to the discussion list and the list will automatically refresh.

nyccarguy

@sda - damn! I'm really impressed! That '00 Jetta GLX, did that have BBS wheels? That was a slick ride!