Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

Must have been for the fire district elections we had Saturday. The only way my taxes will be low is if I move down south.

breld

We completed the first pass at our taxes last week and we have a huge check to write. That's after increasing our deductions last year, so looks like we'll have to do it again. Uugh!

breld

breld said:

After several weeks of no interest in the A3, I had two showings today and the second person is going to buy it. Being a Sunday, he didn't have funds with him, so we're meeting back up tomorrow. He's a life-long Audi enthusiast, so he knew the product well and asked a lot of relevant questions. Fortunately, since we put a decent amount of money into it recently, I had good answers for him.

Just to get a baseline, I got a Carmax offer last night for $7,500; a separate dealership solicitation yielded $8,000, and we agreed on a price of $9,750 for the private sale. So, definitely worth the little time and effort to sell it ourselves.

Happy to have the two sales (the ZHP and now the A3) complete.

By the way, not surprisingly, these figures were exactly as @qbrozen had estimated. He figured $7-8k on trade and around $10k on private sale. Thanks Q!

stickguy

Deal done yet? Always nice to finally have the cash in bank and space in driveway. I got tired of selling old cars, but now won't have to do it again for a long time, if ever!

roadburner

stickguy said:

Deal done yet? Always nice to finally have the cash in bank and space in driveway. I got tired of selling old cars, but now won't have to do it again for a long time, if ever!

Agreed; I hated to sell the 2002, but it freed up the cash for a down payment on the 2er- and now every car is garaged.

andres3

breld said:

breld said:

After several weeks of no interest in the A3, I had two showings today and the second person is going to buy it. Being a Sunday, he didn't have funds with him, so we're meeting back up tomorrow. He's a life-long Audi enthusiast, so he knew the product well and asked a lot of relevant questions. Fortunately, since we put a decent amount of money into it recently, I had good answers for him.

Just to get a baseline, I got a Carmax offer last night for $7,500; a separate dealership solicitation yielded $8,000, and we agreed on a price of $9,750 for the private sale. So, definitely worth the little time and effort to sell it ourselves.

Happy to have the two sales (the ZHP and now the A3) complete.

By the way, not surprisingly, these figures were exactly as @qbrozen had estimated. He figured $7-8k on trade and around $10k on private sale. Thanks Q!

I'm convinced Carmax has an axe to grind against buying and selling Audi's. They are always low. They obviously hope to only buy and sell Toyota's and Honda's as they always offer top dollar on those brands.

andres3

breld said:

Yup - I like it. Wife and I were thinking that while the IS was certainly a sportier offering in the Lexus lineup, we assume it still offers a very quiet comfortable ride as would be expected. And...I'm at a point where that could be a welcome thing.

Not that I've actually driven one - has anyone here taken a closer look and drive?

You'll find the IS350 is smaller than your S4, including the interior. The S3 might even have felt more similar to the IS350 for space. On a test drive I wasn't particularly impressed, although it seemed to handle well and was indeed, comfortable even in sport or sport+ mode.

The IS350 has the S3 beat on HP by a tad, but the S3 would likely leave the IS350 in the dust. Mainly due to the S3 being lighter and the superior DSG vs. the 8-speed slush-box in the Lexus.

If they made a 350+ HP version of the IS350, that would be nice, I think that might be the new F version? I have a feeling it is overpriced though. I'd be surprised if the S4 wasn't comfy enough for you long term; of course, I've always ran 18" wheels with some sidewall.

breld

stickguy said:

Deal done yet? Always nice to finally have the cash in bank and space in driveway. I got tired of selling old cars, but now won't have to do it again for a long time, if ever!

Just delivered the A3 to its new owner, so all done. Yay!

breld

andres3 said:

breld said:

Yup - I like it. Wife and I were thinking that while the IS was certainly a sportier offering in the Lexus lineup, we assume it still offers a very quiet comfortable ride as would be expected. And...I'm at a point where that could be a welcome thing.

Not that I've actually driven one - has anyone here taken a closer look and drive?

You'll find the IS350 is smaller than your S4, including the interior. The S3 might even have felt more similar to the IS350 for space. On a test drive I wasn't particularly impressed, although it seemed to handle well and was indeed, comfortable even in sport or sport+ mode.

The IS350 has the S3 beat on HP by a tad, but the S3 would likely leave the IS350 in the dust. Mainly due to the S3 being lighter and the superior DSG vs. the 8-speed slush-box in the Lexus.

If they made a 350+ HP version of the IS350, that would be nice, I think that might be the new F version? I have a feeling it is overpriced though. I'd be surprised if the S4 wasn't comfy enough for you long term; of course, I've always ran 18" wheels with some sidewall.

Oh yeah - the S4 is more than comfortable enough. I find it a nice blend between my previous 335 and 535 as far as size, comfort and sport. Sort of a sweet spot.

Any interest I have in the Lexus IS is mostly driven by the normal, "hmmm...I haven't had one of those yet."

breld

andres3 said:

breld said:

breld said:

After several weeks of no interest in the A3, I had two showings today and the second person is going to buy it. Being a Sunday, he didn't have funds with him, so we're meeting back up tomorrow. He's a life-long Audi enthusiast, so he knew the product well and asked a lot of relevant questions. Fortunately, since we put a decent amount of money into it recently, I had good answers for him.

Just to get a baseline, I got a Carmax offer last night for $7,500; a separate dealership solicitation yielded $8,000, and we agreed on a price of $9,750 for the private sale. So, definitely worth the little time and effort to sell it ourselves.

Happy to have the two sales (the ZHP and now the A3) complete.

By the way, not surprisingly, these figures were exactly as @qbrozen had estimated. He figured $7-8k on trade and around $10k on private sale. Thanks Q!

I'm convinced Carmax has an axe to grind against buying and selling Audi's. They are always low. They obviously hope to only buy and sell Toyota's and Honda's as they always offer top dollar on those brands.

CarMax as a whole gives me the creeps, but I do appreciate the service they have to offer. And it's a great place to browse around given all the different makes and models, unlocked. When I went Saturday afternoon (with an appointment), I heard the person at the front counter telling "walk-ins" that it would be an hour to an hour and a half before they'd get a salesperson. So, they're doing something right.

corvette

I've never bought from CarMax but it seems like they don't do as much reconditioning as they used to. They had a low mileage LR3 on the showroom floor a few years ago with console trim that was beat all to heck. I'm sure the trim piece isn't cheap, but on a low mileage car with a premium price, I would expect it to be replaced. 

sda

At long last I have added a picture to my signature, and here is an additional picture, both taken over the wee
kend. Purchased in 9/13, currently 53300 miles.

nyccarguy

@sda - lookin good

suydam

I'm thinking, gee, that looks a lot like my Honda . . . Duh!

andres3

corvette said:

I've never bought from CarMax but it seems like they don't do as much reconditioning as they used to. They had a low mileage LR3 on the showroom floor a few years ago with console trim that was beat all to heck. I'm sure the trim piece isn't cheap, but on a low mileage car with a premium price, I would expect it to be replaced. 

I've always found that to be the case and I think I've been checking out CarMax since 2009 at least. They do have a good showroom, inventory, and website, however.

For my taste and eye for fit and finish, their vehicles could use significantly more additional reconditioning given the high price tags. Also, I don't think they have much more than a 10 or 20 point inspection as I've found flaws or broken items/options on some of the cars they are selling. They should try and get the inspections up to 100 to 200 items so that less stuff falls through the cracks.

Sandman6472

Wife is so busy with her clients, her day jobs and her Turbo tax night gig that she hasn't even looked at ours. Since she pays quarterly, even when we do get a refund, it's applied to the next quarter. that;s why I like being an employee instead of an independent contractor, the employer does all the tax stuff for ya. Finally got the Scottrade statement so she can figure out how much I can put into my IRA account for 2015. Usually from the 2nd week in January till mid April, we don't do that much as she's always busy doing taxes it seems.

The Sandman

Sandman6472

I drove a IS 250 at work and it really drove like a nice Toyota. I enjoyed it a lot and the interior is done very nicely but at the end of the day, it's still a Toyota. Have a feeling the IS 350 is a much more engaging drive but of course, more $. The model with the turbo sounds interesting and bet it's also a lot of fun.
Honestly, any of the IS models will be a good reliable choice for a d d but have a feeling after one has had a BMW, Audi or MB, the Lexus just seems to be a step down from their German counterparts and maybe not as much fun.
One thing I do know, driving our A3 or my Golf, they drive so much better than anything we've ever owned before...they just seem to bring any driving situation to the next level. I mean, they are just that good and whenever I walk into the garage, I can't help but smiling because we've got not one, but two great driving vehicles. I no longer dread my one hour commute three days a week and in fact, I kinda look forward to getting in and going anywhere now. Now, how cool is that!

The Sandman

nyccarguy

The IS 350 F Sport is the way to go if you are looking for a car in the IS line.  The other IS models I'm sure provide decent accleration and definitely have the look, they are criticized for their unusually harsh ride (tight suspension & low profile tires), and aren't the most spacious of cars out there. The IS 350 F Sport has an adaptive suspension that lets you dial in as much fun or comfort as you like.  The 3.5L V6 isn't going to be as fast as some of the upmarket forced induction engines in the class (335i, C400, S4), but it's sticker doesn't travel into the upper $50 to low $60K atmosphere either.  When you get an IS350 FSport with AWD you get the old tried & true 5 speed automatic.  Coupled together with the corporate V6 that is probably as bulletproof of a power train as you'll get these days.  I believe the platform is still basically the same as it was in 2006.

Back then I took part in a Lexus test drive event when the had the (then new) IS pitted against its closest competitors.  There was an E90 330i SP equipped car there (if most of you remember, the turbo 300 hp 335i literally came out of left field the second year of production) to drive.  I wrote the following in the comments section:  

While the IS350 will hand the 330i its rear end, I would take the better balanced & more dynamic BMW 330i any day of the week and twice on Sunday.  The BMW feels more natural, gives amazing steering feedback, and has progressive linear brakes.  The IS feels like I'm driving a robot.

That's how much things have changed in the automotive landscape in my eyes.  The BMW 3er has become more robotic, less engaging.  The electric power steering has turned most 3ers into what the Lexus used to be, so I might as well buy the Lexus. 

sda

While the IS350 will hand the 330i its rear end, I would take the better balanced & more dynamic BMW 330i any day of the week and twice on Sunday.  The BMW feels more natural, gives amazing steering feedback, and has progressive linear brakes.  The IS feels like I'm driving a robot.

That's how much things have changed in the automotive landscape in my eyes.  The BMW 3er has become more robotic, less engaging.  The electric power steering has turned most 3ers into what the Lexus used to be, so I might as well buy the Lexus. 

I have read all the comments about the BMW not feeling as BMW as in the past, that puts it in clear perspective. One thing I have always marveled about german cars is their ability to do a good balance between ride and handling. The ride may be firm, it is well controlled yet still comfortable. Handling is engaging, eggs you on to drive with more vigor. With the domestics, aisans, you might get a good (read soft) ride, detached lets not push it it handling, or good handling and a brittle/hard ride. That is slowly changing, with GM and Ford showing good promise on providing good balance between the two.

graphicguy

nyc...good summation. I think I've mentioned that I had a pretty good "tug" to buy an IS350 F Sport not so long ago. Yes, they are a bit smaller on the inside, but very comfortable. Better build paint and materials than you'll find on their German counterparts. Not as fast as a twin scroll BMW turbo straight 6, but probably in the hunt against all the other competitors.

You dial up Sport + and it's the equal of/better than anything else it competes with on the road.

Then, it promises to be more reliable than anything it competes with, too.

Just a "sporty" nice car, that for the price is probably a good value, too.

qbrozen

breld said:

By the way, not surprisingly, these figures were exactly as @qbrozen had estimated. He figured $7-8k on trade and around $10k on private sale. Thanks Q!

You are welcome.
And congrats.

qbrozen

I think I finally finished my tax return last night. I'm just letting it sit for a bit in case I remember something. For example, the company we closed our mortgage through didn't send me a 1098, so I had to dig around and do some calculations to come up with the numbers, then had to call them to get their Fed ID number. But in a revelation while driving home last night, I remembered that I didn't have to make a mortgage payment in November as I had calculated, so I had to readjust my numbers.

TaxAct is kind of failing me this year. There is a glitch with the property taxes since I owned 2 homes. It lets me put both in as actual monetary values, but then it only asks for the block, lot, address, and taxes on one of the homes, which it then uses for line 37A. So, at the end, it is finding a discrepancy between what I put in for monetary value of property taxes and what is on line 37A. Well... yeah... So, right now, I had to manually change 37A, but I'm still only showing the lot, block, and address for one of the houses. Hmmmm... Makes me a bit nervous.

Anyway, as always, I owe the state money, but the feds will be sending me a substantial check. I can't seem to avoid that because it has been so incredibly inconsistent. I have tried changing my federal and state withholdings separately at work, but they don't seem to know how to actually do that for me. So it seems I have to overpay the feds by a wide margin just to keep my state debt to a reasonable level. Evening them out isn't really an option because the more you owe the state, the higher your underpayment penalty is.

Oh well. Half of the refund will go to a nice vacation this year.

stever

I'm still waiting on tax docs that'll be here by the end of the month. My wife wound up doing most of them last year - really helps having the second set of eyes.

Been a bit preoccupied to think about the Soul. Will soon be time to Bobst them for the "end of the month make your bonus" routine.

Like the taxes, there's always March.

stickguy

Was leafing through the latest issue of automobile last night. That had a wrap up on their long term test of a soul (2014 model). Women that did report seemed to love it. Made some comment about preferring it over a MB CLA (or maybe GLA). I have read other reviews that were very laudatory.

Not sure I could drive one. Pretty sure my wife wouldn't get in it! But conceptually would be perfect for me.

stever

Funny, I'm pretty sure I like the Soul better than my wife. Of course, I like Miatas, minivans...should go do a search for "chick cars" and find my ideal ride. Maybe a Golf?

stickguy

The Jetta not the golf.

stever

That'd be good - go back to my Chattanooga roots. There was a nice blue one on display in the airport when I visited last month.

breld

Not all that exciting, but here's a quick pic of the S4 with the "new to me" winter wheel set I picked up last week.  

I usually go for OEM wheels, but these VMRs have a good reputation, and I think they look better than the 18" options on the S4 anyway.  Plus, it was a really good deal!  

breld

Wife and I were at the BMW lot this past weekend looking at different wheel options for her X5 (just to see them in person as I browse ebay and craigslist).

Saw this wagon there. I like it. I want it.

2016 328 wagon - Track Package

Michaell

breld said:

Wife and I were at the BMW lot this past weekend looking at different wheel options for her X5 (just to see them in person as I browse ebay and craigslist).

Saw this wagon there. I like it. I want it.

2016 328 wagon - Track Package

Oh, I like that, too - other than the black wheels.

stever

So much hate on black wheels lol. Would have guessed those were even bigger than 18s. Maybe I'll get something fancy for that Soul I'm never going to buy.

stickguy

Wow. Must be a rare combo. I love it. Other than the wheels. And being silver. But I can work with that. Just not the price!

breld

I don't generally like darker wheels myself, but I did like the look on this car. They're definitely dark, but in person, it was definitely more of a dark gray rather than black, and the contrast with the silver exterior was nice.

Michaell

stever said:

So much hate on black wheels lol. Would have guessed those were even bigger than 18s. Maybe I'll get something fancy for that Soul I'm never going to buy.

I don't hate all black wheels - the MINI has black wheels and they contrast nicely with the body color. Just don't like the light color body of that 3-series wagon with the dark wheels.

nyccarguy

breld said:

Wife and I were at the BMW lot this past weekend looking at different wheel options for her X5 (just to see them in person as I browse ebay and craigslist). Saw this wagon there. I like it. I want it. 2016 328 wagon - Track Package

Plus the $599 dealer destination fee - no thanks, I'll pass.  That looks like something you see in the back of ROUNDEL.  Someone bought the car via ED & tries to flip it once they get stateside.  Nice car, but a lot of coin for a 4cyl turbo.  

stever

People really weighed in about the wheels on the long term Mustang that recently got sold. Be curious to poll people and see if the people generally not liking black wheels are in snow country where winter tires get put on half the year. That's kind of what they make me think of.

breld

Yeah - unfortunately, $50k's are no longer unusual for the 328's.  And the ones not starting with a "5" in the msrp I don't like.  

Mr_Shiftright

I think it's more that black wheels don't go so well with light or bright colors. It leaves a large visual hole in the wheel wells and makes the car look like a jacked up Jeep or something. It makes the car look awkward IMO.

au1994

A wagon with track package? How cool is that. I've seen those wheels in person and they look good. Much more of a charcoal gray than black.

But as noted it's not cheap and I think we've beat the dead horse enough regarding what the 3 Series has become. Still could be a cool family hauler if you don't have visions of carving canyons on the way to Costco!

PF_Flyer

Maybe this topic is rubbing off on me. Our two current cars are a '12 and '14. Driving along in the '14 the other day, the wife is saying how she'd like to get back into something with a manual (YES, the training worked!). This is absolutely the soonest we've ever talked about moving onto another vehicle.

Score one for the forums!!

stickguy

I would love to have that wagon. I just ave no desire to pay for it.

Just have to wait 2 years for it to show up used at half the price!

My favorite used place has a 2009 Jaguar XF coming in that sounds nice. Can't wait to see that. I will post pics when available.

british_rover

andres3 said:

breld said:

breld said:

After several weeks of no interest in the A3, I had two showings today and the second person is going to buy it. Being a Sunday, he didn't have funds with him, so we're meeting back up tomorrow. He's a life-long Audi enthusiast, so he knew the product well and asked a lot of relevant questions. Fortunately, since we put a decent amount of money into it recently, I had good answers for him.

Just to get a baseline, I got a Carmax offer last night for $7,500; a separate dealership solicitation yielded $8,000, and we agreed on a price of $9,750 for the private sale. So, definitely worth the little time and effort to sell it ourselves.

Happy to have the two sales (the ZHP and now the A3) complete.

By the way, not surprisingly, these figures were exactly as @qbrozen had estimated. He figured $7-8k on trade and around $10k on private sale. Thanks Q!

I'm convinced Carmax has an axe to grind against buying and selling Audi's. They are always low. They obviously hope to only buy and sell Toyota's and Honda's as they always offer top dollar on those brands.

Used Audis, especially out of warranty, are some of the scariest cars for a dealer to try and sell.

Huge depreciation if you can't retail it in your turn and outrageous repair bills if one brakes during your 60 day warranty after you sell it.

Last year we sold an 2011 Audi A5 with 45,000 miles for roughly $25,500. The middle of the road extended warranty from CNA on that Audi was roughly $7,500 for a three year 36,000 mile warranty with $200 deductible.

I get scared to present a warranty like that to someone but you have to do. You have to offer a warranty to everyone.

roadburner

stever said:

People really weighed in about the wheels on the long term Mustang that recently got sold. Be curious to poll people and see if the people generally not liking black wheels are in snow country where winter tires get put on half the year. That's kind of what they make me think of.

The 2016 Performance Package GTs offer a choice of black or silver wheels, so I guess Ford got some pushback...

Mr_Shiftright

british_rover said:

andres3 said:

breld said:

breld said:

After several weeks of no interest in the A3, I had two showings today and the second person is going to buy it. Being a Sunday, he didn't have funds with him, so we're meeting back up tomorrow. He's a life-long Audi enthusiast, so he knew the product well and asked a lot of relevant questions. Fortunately, since we put a decent amount of money into it recently, I had good answers for him.

Just to get a baseline, I got a Carmax offer last night for $7,500; a separate dealership solicitation yielded $8,000, and we agreed on a price of $9,750 for the private sale. So, definitely worth the little time and effort to sell it ourselves.

Happy to have the two sales (the ZHP and now the A3) complete.

By the way, not surprisingly, these figures were exactly as @qbrozen had estimated. He figured $7-8k on trade and around $10k on private sale. Thanks Q!

I'm convinced Carmax has an axe to grind against buying and selling Audi's. They are always low. They obviously hope to only buy and sell Toyota's and Honda's as they always offer top dollar on those brands.

Used Audis, especially out of warranty, are some of the scariest cars for a dealer to try and sell.

Huge depreciation if you can't retail it in your turn and outrageous repair bills if one brakes during your 60 day warranty after you sell it.

Last year we sold an 2011 Audi A5 with 45,000 miles for roughly $25,500. The middle of the road extended warranty from CNA on that Audi was roughly $7,500 for a three year 36,000 mile warranty with $200 deductible.

I get scared to present a warranty like that to someone but you have to do. You have to offer a warranty to everyone.

For me, a highly miled up Audi is a parts car, in terms of value.

ab348

stever said:

People really weighed in about the wheels on the long term Mustang that recently got sold. Be curious to poll people and see if the people generally not liking black wheels are in snow country where winter tires get put on half the year. That's kind of what they make me think of.

The snow country connection might have something to do with it. But I have never seen a black alloy wheel that looked good to my eye. To me they are in the same category as coffee-can exhaust tips and "No Fear" windshield decals. .

cdnpinhead

. . . I have never seen a black alloy wheel that looked good to my eye. To me they are in the same category as coffee-can exhaust tips and "No Fear" windshield decals. .

Yeah, but they're "all the rage" to use a phrase from the last century. Those who care more about how a car looks than how it drives or where it can take you lose much sleep over such things. Sadly, that's where the money is, so that's where the focus goes.

People who enjoy driving cars or going places are not the target demo. Those who wear them or don't care at all about them (appliance seekers) are very much in the majority.

tifighter

Local Seattle dealer had a 3 wagon that was similar but with the diesel motor. M-sport, track, etc. $60k sticker, white. Needless to say, it sat for awhile.

laurasdada

stickguy said:

I would love to have that wagon. I just ave no desire to pay for it.

Just have to wait 2 years for it to show up used at half the price!

My favorite used place has a 2009 Jaguar XF coming in that sounds nice. Can't wait to see that. I will post pics when available.

2009 was the first model year for the XF, do a lot of due diligence. Don't remember details, but I think it took Jag a couple of years to get the gremlins worked out. Model updated for '12, AWD available with '13. My '13 continues on without issue. But, with style, comfort and fun!

xwesx

PF_Flyer said:

Maybe this topic is rubbing off on me. Our two current cars are a '12 and '14. Driving along in the '14 the other day, the wife is saying how she'd like to get back into something with a manual (YES, the training worked!). This is absolutely the soonest we've ever talked about moving onto another vehicle.

Score one for the forums!!

This place is bad for the health and good for the soul. I'm certain that I would think far less about cars if I didn't visit here as often!

On a separate note, I picked up some lumber and other supplies last night for a woodworking project:

henryn

british_rover said:

andres3 said:

breld said:

breld said:

After several weeks of no interest in the A3, I had two showings today and the second person is going to buy it. Being a Sunday, he didn't have funds with him, so we're meeting back up tomorrow. He's a life-long Audi enthusiast, so he knew the product well and asked a lot of relevant questions. Fortunately, since we put a decent amount of money into it recently, I had good answers for him.

Just to get a baseline, I got a Carmax offer last night for $7,500; a separate dealership solicitation yielded $8,000, and we agreed on a price of $9,750 for the private sale. So, definitely worth the little time and effort to sell it ourselves.

Happy to have the two sales (the ZHP and now the A3) complete.

By the way, not surprisingly, these figures were exactly as @qbrozen had estimated. He figured $7-8k on trade and around $10k on private sale. Thanks Q!

I'm convinced Carmax has an axe to grind against buying and selling Audi's. They are always low. They obviously hope to only buy and sell Toyota's and Honda's as they always offer top dollar on those brands.

Used Audis, especially out of warranty, are some of the scariest cars for a dealer to try and sell.

Huge depreciation if you can't retail it in your turn and outrageous repair bills if one brakes during your 60 day warranty after you sell it.

Last year we sold an 2011 Audi A5 with 45,000 miles for roughly $25,500. The middle of the road extended warranty from CNA on that Audi was roughly $7,500 for a three year 36,000 mile warranty with $200 deductible.

I get scared to present a warranty like that to someone but you have to do. You have to offer a warranty to everyone.

As a buyer, that would scare me away from buying the car, guaranteed. My first thought would be that the dealer was trying to rip me off, big time. I mean, really, really big time. Then if investigation showed that not to be the case, I would start wondering "Why does this car cost so god-awful much for a warranty?"