Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

ab348

fintail said:

The cheapest detached house for sale in my zipcode - and it's pending.

Right next to a gas station/C-store too!

I see houses like that priced like that and think that it has to be a total knock-down/new build to make any sense at those prices. Basically you are buying a $100/sq ft lot.

fintail

That's just a couple blocks from where I live. It really is a good location, just on the edge of downtown - not as insanely crowded as the heart of the place, but still very walkable, and pretty clean and safe.

breld said:

One of our company's apartment buildings is in the heart of Bellevue (called Metro 112). Great place!

fintail

Yep, that's a pretty busy street (road to the large high school and a cut-through to downtown, along with the locals), and the lot isn't too big. Buy it to live in and hold, then knock down for townhouses maybe - if the money keeps pouring in from so many directions, it might work.

ab348 said:

Right next to a gas station/C-store too!

I see houses like that priced like that and think that it has to be a total knock-down/new build to make any sense at those prices. Basically you are buying a $100/sq ft lot.

Mr_Shiftright

Never live next to a house with a basketball hoop.

Or a Harley chopper

Or a Camaro on jack stands

Or two small lap dogs

Or a couch on the porch..

houdini1

carnaught said:

New punch for us too. Son got his new A4. It's a 2017 Premium-Plus S-Line, metallic brown with darker brown leather, shiny wood interior inserts, B &O audio, iPhone intergration, etc. Very nice ride, handling, noticeably more energetic with reduced weight and engine tweaks as compared to the former 2013.

Perfect, 2 cars that I like in the same family. Looking forward to you comparing the new A4 and your RC 350 F Sport.

thebean

Mr_Shiftright said:

Never live next to a house with a basketball hoop. Or a Harley chopper Or a Camaro on jack stands Or two small lap dogs Or a couch on the porch..

Or a big confederate flag flying out front.  

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

Never live next to a house with a basketball hoop.

Tell me about it.

When I bought here in '97, I was one of the younger homeowners. It was a well-established neighborhood and most of the neighbors were either retired or about to be. Many of them were the original owners of the houses that were built in the late 1950s. Inevitably in the years since, many have been moved to seniors homes or died, and the places have started to turn over.

I live on a short stub of a street that dead-ends at a golf course. The place across the way had both the husband and wife die within a couple of years, and it sold to a young couple. They seemed nice enough at first, arriving with a couple of small kids in tow about 5 years ago. But as time has passed, it seems they are either clueless about parenting or simply do not care.

The 2 boys just run wild, tearing across neighbors lawns and usin the street as their playground. They have cluttered the street with a basketball net, hockey goal (that doubles as a soccer net), bicycles, scooters, skateboards and the ramps to jump them... I know they are being just kids but the noise is unreal. The "thump thump crash" of basketball is amazingly annoying. The only worse thing is when they jump their bikes or skateboards using the ramp. Or when they are yelling and whooping it up for hours on end. And of course all this junk is piled on the front lawn when it isn't left in the street.

Sometimes I wish I knew someone with a monster truck to make a few passes over it all when they are out...

Mr_Shiftright

When I am appointed as Surgeon General I will require every U.S. citizen to present a well-trained pet to the Federal Reproduction Board before they are allowed to have children.

eriknorcal

Hey CCB, Erik checking in here. I'm 25 with a full-blown car buying addiciton.. 29 cars as of now. Needing somewhere to vent!

stickguy

you are in the right place. If you are ambitious, list them out.

xwesx

So, I'm going to let my practical side win again. I'm letting the Pinto go. It lost its home recently, and I just don't see dividing my attention to it (e.g., bringing it to Alaska and getting it running) as a good option right now.

stever

Good choice @xwesx.

And it'll give a you a new hobby in 20 years when all the kids are gone and the missus is telling you to find something to occupy yourself with. It's always fun trying to track down an old car you once owned. That'll take years in itself.

(Oh, and if you just happen to find the old car, when you see it again in person, you'll wonder why you bothered....)

stickguy

probably a smart idea. unless there is something incredibly emotionally special about this one (like you were born in the back of it), it's just an old dead car. if you really, desperately need a non running pinto, can probably find one in Alaska!

xwesx

stickguy said:

probably a smart idea. unless there is something incredibly emotionally special about this one (like you were born in the back of it), it's just an old dead car. if you really, desperately need a non running pinto, can probably find one in Alaska!

The only thing special about it, other than [probably best forgotten] childhood memories, is the fact that it has a near-perfect body, rust free, all good glass, and a good interior. That's not easy to find these days. The good news is that there is someone out there willing to pay money to have those same features.

eriknorcal

(deep breath)
84 BMW 533i(wrecked before I had my license
90 Lexus LS400
90 Mustang LX 5.0
93 Lincoln towncar
94 BMW 735i(trans kicked it after 2 weeks, turned out the guy who sold it to me didn't even own it but still gave me my $2k back)
00 Crown Vic police interceptor(with the spotlight!)
03 Crown Vic PI(former dect. car, on mustang bullitt wheels, one of my favs)
03 Ram 2500 diesel(big mistake)
97 Mustang GT
96 Explorer V8 5.0L
00 Mustang GT
99 Jeep cherokee(all black and lifted)
00 Pontiac trans am
99 Jeep cherokee(on 35" tires and massive lift)
96 Chevy c1500
98 Civic 4dr(funny, I think I had this for a whole year-longest I've had a car)
97 Volvo 850R
98 Camaro Z28
95 BMW 325i
03 Mistsubishi Evo VIII(330awhp, amazing, 1st regret)
00 Lexus LS400
99 4runner 4x4
01 Mercedes E55 amg
10 VW GTI
(wife left me at this point -july 2015- and it really put me into a car swapping frenzy, note that it wasn't due to my car addiction
16 Tacoma TRD off road(leased it for two months and hated it, being a petrol head this was totally not me and I immediately missed my VW. Managed to sell it outright and didn't lose all but my $2k that I put upfront.
04 Corvette Z06 comm. edition(loved it but daily driving it, what a nightmare!)
12 VW Golf R(stage 2+, 320whp)
At this point I'm trying to buy a home again(after selling the one my wife and I shared) so I had to get out the payment on the Golf. It was perfect. But I'm going to be paying for a $1600-1800 mortgage on my own and it's gonna hurt!
Current: 00 BMW 540i 6 speed. Yes not that exciting but for $6k I really couldn't find much.. But now I'm regretting not buying a Lexus GS instead. The BMW is going to need timing chain work soon and it's going to eat at my down payment money. It's for sale, but I'm not going to take a loss so I'll be driving it til she sells for what I paid.

I've lost some, and gained some on my cars. I've only financed 3 out of all those surprisingly(but those were the biggest losers)

fintail

I was hoping to see that thing with a 302 or an Ecoboost or something

carnaught

eriknorcal said:

Hey CCB, Erik checking in here. I'm 25 with a full-blown car buying addiciton.. 29 cars as of now. Needing somewhere to vent!

25 y.o., and 29 cars! It's a used car salesman .

Welcome.

stickguy

interesting mix. Not a lot of boring in there! And I would consider a 540i 6 speed plenty exciting!

xwesx

fintail said:

I was hoping to see that thing with a 302 or an Ecoboost or something

LOL I know! I sure want to do something with it, but it is just not in the cards. And.... I don't want my wife to do what Erik's did.

On a separate note, an interesting offer presented itself.

stickguy

could get decent money for it. sounds like a solid base for a hotrod for someone.

eriknorcal

Yeah I've been through about every type of car you can imagine. My next purchase will be another VW GTI. Out of all of my cars, dollar to performance factor along with comfort, and build quality(don't let people tell you newer VWs are crap, they're not!) it was my favorite. I'm confident I could definitely drive one for years at this point.. just maybe

I like to think of my CCB addiciton as a way to find the car I really want.. or maybe it's just an excuse to have fun with many many different ones. who knows! But at this moment getting my home situation figured out is paramount.

xwesx

My mother called and said she and her husband were ready to "give up" the F350 I drove to Oregon for them nine years ago.

This was the truck at the start of that trip, but it *was* nine years ago....

roadburner

I know where my 1973 Bavaria is; it was on the cover of last year's program for The Vintage.

stickguy

so are you taking the F350 back? Replace some other trucks?

would then make it easy to retrieve the Pinto, since I bet that beast could tow an engineless pinto no problem!

qbrozen

What happened to the 850R?

fintail

Centurion or other conversion, or just fancy trim?

eriknorcal

qbrozen said:

What happened to the 850R?

I got tune happy- 18G turbo, pretty aggressive tune. I ended up bending a rod.. Put in a junkyard engine for $450 and sold it.

nyccarguy

@eriknorcal - welcome to the club.  That's an impressive list you've got going for you.  A few of the others here have had a GTI at one point or another (@breld, @qbrozen, @rayainsw) and they were all quite fond of them.  

Im sorry to hear that your wife left you.  

What at was so bad about the Tacoma that you dumped it 2 months into the lease?

It it is my honor to present you with an official CCBA punch card.  Every time you buy or lease a new one we call it a "punch."  Post the year, make, model, exterior & interior color, new or used, leased or purchased, mileage if used.

I'm on the road to recovery.  I haven't punched my CCBA card since September 2014.  My wife's pilot is 1 payment away from being paid off (I lasted the whole term of the loan) and I've owned my 2001 Prelude for 14 years.

stever

Well, you could stuff the Pinto in the back and wind up with both of them back in Fairbanks....

28firefighter

Add me to the list of GTI owners. I have a 2016 Mk7 DSG S with Lighting. Love it and even with my wandering eyes, I have yet to come up with anything at the price point that is remotely competitive. 

corvette

eriknorcal said:

(deep breath)...

Nice list, but dude, dump the 540i before something else goes wrong with it. I had a used 2003 and I shredded all of the repair receipts after I traded it in on a GLI after about 15 months of ownership. I do remember replacing the entire cooling system (as "preventative maintenance" and to repair a cooling leak), paying someone to replace cracked brake rotors (previous owner replaced the pads without doing the rotors), valley pan gaskets, and thrust arm bushings.

nyccarguy

28firefighter said:

Add me to the list of GTI owners. I have a 2016 Mk7 DSG S with Lighthing. Love it and even with my wandering eyes, I have yet to come up with anything at the price point that is remotely competitive. 

I knew I forgot someone! And you are a current GTI owner to boot.

breld

Yeah - GTI's are just so good all around. That's on my short list if I go for a cheaper fun car. It'd be our third one - probably should just hang on to one!

28firefighter

breld said:

Yeah - GTI's are just so good all around. That's on my short list if I go for a cheaper fun car. It'd be our third one - probably should just hang on to one!

To some extent I could understand not keeping the 2015. My rule of thumb is never to by the first year of a VW redesign.  Too many nagging issues tend to surface. 

My only complaint about mine, and it's not really a complaint about the car as much as my driving habits, is that when I keep it in Sport mode I can literally watch the gas gauge drop. 

stickguy

the seats in the VW need to be just a touch wider. That would be much easier than making the 2 of us just a touch narrower.

andres3

carnaught said:

New punch for us too. Son got his new A4. It's a 2017 Premium-Plus S-Line, metallic brown with darker brown leather, shiny wood interior inserts, B &O audio, iPhone intergration, etc. Very nice ride, handling, noticeably more energetic with reduced weight and engine tweaks as compared to the former 2013.

I'm hearing great things about that newly redesigned A4 from Audi; congratulations to your son is in order. Is he going to let you drive it?

eriknorcal

corvette said:

(deep breath)...

Nice list, but dude, dump the 540i before something else goes wrong with it. I had a used 2003 and I shredded all of the repair receipts after I traded it in on a GLI after about 15 months of ownership. I do remember replacing the entire cooling system (as "preventative maintenance" and to repair a cooling leak), paying someone to replace cracked brake rotors (previous owner replaced the pads without doing the rotors), valley pan gaskets, and thrust arm bushings.

Yeah it's already for sale.. It's already had the brakes done and all the front suspension. But the VANOS is starting to make noise, and these cars are known to have timing chain guide breakage. I work in the car industry so I have connects for any manufacturer, but even the parts for the timing chain and guides are $800. Labor is easily another $500 even from my connections. I'd like to just cut it while it's still running well. The only thing is I can't have a payment because I'm in limbo with a home purchase.. But I have my eye on some other options(of course).. Craigslist is my addiction. I spend at least 2 hours a day browsing!

i plan to buy a mk7 GTI at some point when it's feasible, I've heard nothing but good things about it. I need to have a DSG! 

eriknorcal

nyccarguy said:

@eriknorcal - welcome to the club.  That's an impressive list you've got going for you.  A few of the others here have had a GTI at one point or another (@breld, @qbrozen, @rayainsw) and they were all quite fond of them.  

Im sorry to hear that your wife left you.  

What at was so bad about the Tacoma that you dumped it 2 months into the lease?

It it is my honor to present you with an official CCBA punch card.  Every time you buy or lease a new one we call it a "punch."  Post the year, make, model, exterior & interior color, new or used, leased or purchased, mileage if used.

I'm on the road to recovery.  I haven't punched my CCBA card since September 2014.  My wife's pilot is 1 payment away from being paid off (I lasted the whole term of the loan) and I've owned my 2001 Prelude for 14 years.

Thanks for the welcome! I wish I would of found the club sooner. It was for the better(about the wife) she and my best friend decided they were soul mates.. It was tough but looking back, if glad it happened now with no kids. 

The tacoma was the most gutless truck. Test driving it was okay but after daily driving it for a while between the gas mileage(11mpg, no joke) and the gutlessness.. It wasn't worth the $400 a month! I'm more of a car guy anyway. But working for Toyota I fell in the trap of "oh look, the face lifted Tacoma looks cool!" Plus getting an employee deal I was just sucked it. 

Thanks for the punch card!! I feel honored! Good for you for being on that road, at some point I will be there. Once I get my next GTI I will be able to settle down. I do have my sights on a secondary 4x4 to take camping and biking etc. 

qbrozen

Shame about the volvo. I'd still love to have a clean R or T5R one of these days. 

Good move in the 540. I got so paranoid about mine that I just couldn't drive it anymore for fear it would break. 

GTI was a good car for what it is. I had fun autocrossing it. I just don't think I want FWD anymore. 

nyccarguy

"I just don't think I want FWD anymore."

Or anything less than the 420 hp your Caddy has now;)

jpp75

breld said:

stickguy said:

Dang. I way overshot. Better start sending links to Mrs. Breld or something.

Well, we may not be contributing too much to the purchase count for a little while.

Wife and I went browsing at show homes over the weekend. We do this much like we go "browsing" at car lots - we like to see what's out there but it's obviously much harder to buy a house than buy a car....you see where this is going.

This time we found a house that we have fallen in love with, so we're in the midst of making an offer to the builder and, frankly, even if they don't accept any of our proposed concessions, I believe we're still moving forward with it.

It's an inventory home and they'll be finishing the basement for us, so that puts the closing out a couple months. So we'll be very pre-occupied for awhile getting ready to sell our house and move. Funds will largely be re-directed toward the whole process.

Having said that, I may accelerate my plan to give up one of my main cars between the X5 I adopted from the wife and my S4. It never made much sense to keep both before, and it definitely doesn't make sense now with the added house cost. Or, I've though about keeping the X5 for its great functionality (and I love the diesel!), and trade out the S4 for something cheaper as a fun car - lots of choices there.

We'll see...

Good luck with the house purchase! And I call first dibs on the X5!

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

"I just don't think I want FWD anymore."

Or anything less than the 420 hp your Caddy has now;)

That's probably true, although I could be persuaded to dip to, say, 395 if the car was a few hundred pounds lighter.

nyccarguy

@breld - you aren't parting ways with your S4 so fast.  The X5 is next on the chopping block then.

rayainsw

I wonder if this drivetrain -

https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2016/05/03/2017-ford-f150-more-torque-better-boost.html

.. will ever find its way into the new AWD Fusion - 'Sport Plus' ?
- Ray
Dreamin' ...

eriknorcal

qbrozen said:

Shame about the volvo. I'd still love to have a clean R or T5R one of these days. 

Good move in the 540. I got so paranoid about mine that I just couldn't drive it anymore for fear it would break. 

GTI was a good car for what it is. I had fun autocrossing it. I just don't think I want FWD anymore. 

I had all the parts to do a 5 speed swap for it and had a guy who was willing to build my engine for me with forged rods Pistons etc but I didn't want to sink the money into it and figured it it was better to just cut my losses. There's a fellow in my town who helped me out with some things with the R, he has a 95 T5R wagon with 400whp.. It's so bloody quick! 

I wouldn't mind keeping the 540 around for a while but being as it's going to need the timing guides it's not even worth it. I feel the same about it breaking, it's only a matter of time and I'm a little paranoid about it. 

I just got rid of my Golf R, which is basically an AWD GTI, but I feel like my GTI handled better. More responsive and lighter.

qbrozen

rayainsw said:

I wonder if this drivetrain -

https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2016/05/03/2017-ford-f150-more-torque-better-boost.html

.. will ever find its way into the new AWD Fusion - 'Sport Plus' ?
- Ray
Dreamin' ...

Funny... when I was reading recently about the Ecoboost F150 outperforming the 5.0 version, I was wondering if they'd put it in the Mustang.

graphicguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

When I am appointed as Surgeon General I will require every U.S. citizen to present a well-trained pet to the Federal Reproduction Board before they are allowed to have children.

Speaking of pets....I was in the airport yesterday early in the a.m. for a quick day trip to Detroit (if there is such a thing). Saw a couple about my age....50s...with a small dog in the Delta Sky Club. Dog was in a "holder" but clearly unhappy about it.

So, it was too small to be a seeing eye dog, and I didn't see the owners with a red tipped cane. Finally, they took the dog out of the carrier. It was a teeny thing....not sure the breed.

It was inconsolable unless the lady would hold it, like an infant needing to be burped.

Really curious about why the dog was allowed in the airport and in the SkyClub because it clearly was not going to travel with the luggage.

Overheard the couple stating to an interested passenger that they could not have children, so their dog was a service dog to alleviate the anxiety of not being able to have children.

Now, understand I like pets. I've had two Golden Retrievers, i MinPin. 2 cats, a frog and who knows how many fish as pets. But, I was stunned at this couple's reasoning. I was even more stunned Delta, and the airport, allowed it in.

stickguy

You can carry on pets still, if the carrier is small enough, right? Used to be able to.

tifighter

Yeah, the 'my dog is a service dog because it helps with anxiety' thing that has risen over the past few years makes me a little bonkers.

Another weird one - on my DL flight to Amsterdam a few weeks ago, there was a woman with a full size dog (lab I think) at her feet the entire time in a standard coach seat. No service vest, no cane, everything appeared to have no connection being a service animal. Dog was well-behaved, but was big enough that it also took up foot room from the passenger next to her. I just wonder how that all worked...

suydam

Small dogs and cats can be transported in the cabin in a carrier that fits under the seat. The airlines charge for this. I'll be transporting my cat that way for our big move in about 6 weeks and I am not looking forward to it. The couple might not have had the dog there by choice, but because they were going somewhere and staying too long to board the dog at home. You don't have to make up a reason.