Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

graphicguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

Taking a look at this in the next few days. It's not the Honda S2000 I really like, which is more attractive than this goofy looking roadster, but this BMW has a 6 cylinder (aka "torque") and heated seats. And...ahem...$10,000 less. Low miles, too, under 70K.

I really wanted an M roadster but I can live with this for a better price. It has just a touch more HP than my Mini and is just a touch faster 0-60. The M is a whoppin' 315 HP and a full 2 seconds faster 0-60 than the regular Z3. It's under 5 seconds.

I dunno...I never felt the Mini lacked power at about 6.9 seconds. It might be enough. Maybe I can just make it SOUND faster...

Diggin' that! I say "buy it"!

Mr_Shiftright

The "cheap" one for $6500 is a 2.5, not an M, and is a 2001. The M is a 1998 model and he's asking $10,900. It's the older M, so yeah, 240HP.

All these modern roadsters are "tight" for taller men. I'm not sure why this is. I have more than enough room in an old MGB or in a modern MINI.

I'm not a giant and not overweight, and yet I can't even drive a Boxster without killing myself with contortions.

roadburner

The nice thing about the 240 hp S52 motor in the 1998-2000 M Roadsters/Coupes is that the engine is essentially a bored and stroked M52 with a hotter cam and a few other tweaks. Hydraulic lifters, single VANOS, etc. The S54B32 in the 2000-2002 cars is a true ///M motor with individual throttle bodies and Double VANOS, but it also requires periodic valve adjustments and some motors had rod bearing issues.
The only caveat regarding the S52 is that its piston to valve clearance means that it doesn't tolerate over-revving by more than @500 rpm.

Mr_Shiftright

Yes I have heard that the later M motors can be fussy. Having dealt with Porsche 928s and Alfa V-6s, I'd rather avoid fussy motors at this stage.

Nothing wrong with a 180HP light roadster. As you know yourself, many a Corvette or Viper buyer would have benefitted from track time in a lower power "momentum machine" to learn highly consistent lap times.

stickguy

If that 2.5 is as clean as it looks, I would buy it for that money.

Mr_Shiftright

That photo isn't the actual car, but it shows the right colors. The photos of the actual car look pretty good, but we all know how that goes....

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

Nothing wrong with a 180HP light roadster. As you know yourself, many a Corvette or Viper buyer would have benefitted from track time in a lower power "momentum machine" to learn highly consistent lap times.

Track time in my 150 hp ti helped me a lot- horsepower can cover up a multitude of driving sins.

Michaell

Well, I've emailed the Hyundai dealer asking about the red Elantra.

I've thrown out a pre-tax lease payment of around $185-190/mo in my email. Be curious to see what they counter with.

tifighter

Lease on the Leaf is up in 8 weeks, so I've officially started the replacement hunt. The Leaf has been a good city car and commuter; wife likes it a lot. Range has worked for us 90% of the time and we've put 10k miles/year on it. We have a 6KW solar array which covers nearly 70% of our electricity usage including the car, so that replacement will have a plug for sure. Here's what I've considered so far-

BMW i3 - Essentially same range as our Leaf. Feels much quicker at highway speed since it has horsepower (170 vs 110 of most of the others). Not that any of these are really highway cars. Weird clamshell doors not ideal but it would mostly carry two people. Super easy to park. I love the interior. Available active cruise with stop and go assistant is awesome in traffic (have this on the Volvo). Reliability has been spotty. Deals are pretty blah at the moment. 17 model coming beginning of fall with 40% more range, so I could see ordering one of those, but we'd have to figure something out between leases for a bit, which may not work.

Nissan Leaf - 16 has more range than ours which is great. Otherwise, it is the same car. My CCBA-ness isn't hot on having the same car twice. Deals not so great, but I'd expect them to improve as summer rolls on.

Kia Soul EV - Drove one over the weekend. Similar to Leaf, but feels a little softer and quieter. Feels roomier despite being a foot shorter. Heated wheel and all seats like the Leaf, but adds ventilated front seats, pano roof, bigger nav display, and don't forget the speakers change colors. Range a bit better than our current Leaf, less than new one and 17 i3. But the deals look really good, with five figure rebates available now on leases. That makes this one comfortably the cheapest lease option at the moment.

Chevrolet Volt - The 2017 has been hitting lots here over the past month, so the deals aren't really there yet. I haven't driven one. My preference is for 100% electric, but I'll continue to mull this over as the inventory starts to build here.

Whatever happens, I'm leaning towards a 2 year lease as the next generation of EV's is coming soon. Anyway, just thinking out loud.

breld

Michaell said:

Well, I've emailed the Hyundai dealer asking about the red Elantra.

I've thrown out a pre-tax lease payment of around $185-190/mo in my email. Be curious to see what they counter with.

Good luck with that Michael! I was just about to write that I saw an Elantra commercial recently that was marketing some cool blue color, but red will also be fun.

breld

Speaking of thinking out loud, here's what's been going on in my head...

Ever since I inherited the X5 from my MINI-loving wife, I knew I wouldn't hold onto both the S4 and X5 for myself - just so much more car than I need for myself, particularly with the upcoming house purchase. I certainly enjoy having both options though - this past weekend, running around to baseball tournaments was real nice and comfy in the SUV.

Here are some thoughts I have:

• Just sell the X5 - as much as I like it, we're keeping the Sedona, and that fills the people/cargo hauling needs very well. And my S4 is a great all-around fun car.
  
• Sell both and get the 3-series wagon I've been eyeing. Combines some of what I like about both cars into one. Also would consider a 4 gran coupe. Just not sure how much I'd miss having a stick.
  
• Keep the X5 and "downgrade" the S4 into a cheaper fun car. Lots of options for a fun car that would be considerably less expensive than the Audi - GTI, WRX, Civic Si, maybe even a Miata.
  

I'll likely stand pat for a little while. We have two roadtrips planned for the summer, for which the X5 will be great. For one of them, we plan on taking both the Sedona and X5 out to California.

tifighter

I was going to say the Sedona fills the hauler role, so sell the X5. I've drove the 3 wagon when shopping for the Volvo and I'm guessing it is no S4. But then I read this -

"For one of them, we plan on taking both the Sedona and X5 out to California."

Maybe there should be a loaded Transit in your future?

breld

Yeah, it's gonna be quite a trip out to Disneyland in July - the last trip before my stepdaughter goes to college.

So it's the wife and I and four kids, my wife's parents, one of our friends, and one of my stepdaughter's friends. So 10 people. Initially, my wife was gonna drive out with her parents and at least one of her kids, and I would fly out with the rest of the gang. Then, inexplicably, I had the thought of just driving out as well, and that idea has stuck.

cdnpinhead

Better you than me.

Enjoy.

nyccarguy

breld said:

Yeah, it's gonna be quite a trip out to Disneyland in July - the last trip before my stepdaughter goes to college. So it's the wife and I and four kids, my wife's parents, one of our friends, and one of my stepdaughter's friends. So 10 people. Initially, my wife was gonna drive out with her parents and at least one of her kids, and I would fly out with the rest of the gang. Then, inexplicably, I had the thought of just driving out as well, and that idea has stuck.

Funny.  We are driving to Disney World in FL this July.  Me, Wife, 3 kids, & my mother in law.  Long live tre Pilot.

Michaell

breld said:

Michaell said:

Well, I've emailed the Hyundai dealer asking about the red Elantra.

I've thrown out a pre-tax lease payment of around $185-190/mo in my email. Be curious to see what they counter with.

Good luck with that Michael! I was just about to write that I saw an Elantra commercial recently that was marketing some cool blue color, but red will also be fun.

I'll have to take another look at the inventory to see if the blue is available with the Popular Equip Pkg and the Tech Pkg.

I really don't want a 'non color' color - white, black, silver or grey. Doesn't leave much:

Electric Blue (what I suspect you saw on the commercial)
Lakeside Blue
Beige
Red

Beige is out as it only comes with a beige interior. Probably wouldn't hold up to the abuse I give it.

stickguy

Got 2 emails today, from 2 different dealers. One telling me they really want to buy my sonata back (actually, they probably would love to have it back!). The other was an invite to a VIP launch party on 6/6 in the evening, for the new Elantra. Door prizes and snacks, RSVP only!

henryn

Michaell said:

breld said:

Michaell said:

Well, I've emailed the Hyundai dealer asking about the red Elantra.

I've thrown out a pre-tax lease payment of around $185-190/mo in my email. Be curious to see what they counter with.

Good luck with that Michael! I was just about to write that I saw an Elantra commercial recently that was marketing some cool blue color, but red will also be fun.

I'll have to take another look at the inventory to see if the blue is available with the Popular Equip Pkg and the Tech Pkg.

I really don't want a 'non color' color - white, black, silver or grey. Doesn't leave much:

Electric Blue (what I suspect you saw on the commercial)
Lakeside Blue
Beige
Red

I'm with you, I want a real color. One thing that impressed me about the Kia Soul, they have some very interesting colors.

Michaell

henryn said:

Michaell said:

breld said:

Michaell said:

Well, I've emailed the Hyundai dealer asking about the red Elantra.

I've thrown out a pre-tax lease payment of around $185-190/mo in my email. Be curious to see what they counter with.

Good luck with that Michael! I was just about to write that I saw an Elantra commercial recently that was marketing some cool blue color, but red will also be fun.

I'll have to take another look at the inventory to see if the blue is available with the Popular Equip Pkg and the Tech Pkg.

I really don't want a 'non color' color - white, black, silver or grey. Doesn't leave much:

Electric Blue (what I suspect you saw on the commercial)
Lakeside Blue
Beige
Red

I'm with you, I want a real color. One thing that impressed me about the Kia Soul, they have some very interesting colors.

Another scan of the inventory shows an Electric Blue with grey interior available for the same price as the red car I emailed the salesman about.

breld

Well, my fancy little Excel schedule of cars owed shows Blue is by far the dominant choice, so I am probably biased.

Mr_Shiftright

roadburner said:

The nice thing about the 240 hp S52 motor in the 1998-2000 M Roadsters/Coupes is that the engine is essentially a bored and stroked M52 with a hotter cam and a few other tweaks. Hydraulic lifters, single VANOS, etc. The S54B32 in the 2000-2002 cars is a true ///M motor with individual throttle bodies and Double VANOS, but it also requires periodic valve adjustments and some motors had rod bearing issues.
The only caveat regarding the S52 is that its piston to valve clearance means that it doesn't tolerate over-revving by more than @500 rpm.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

How's that little 1.9 motor in the Z3?

corvette

Re: the clamshell doors on the i3, when they introduced that, I sent my dad an email to tell him BMW had built the successor to his Honda Element (at double the price). Now, Mom is having back and joint issues that come with getting older, is beginning to dislike the Elenent's choppy ride, and really likes my Murano. I see a Pilot in their future, or possibly the new Ridgeline.

An XC60 would also probably work, but we've never had consistently good service from the Volvo dealer in Louisville. The most recent service experience involved a fuel pump recall. Once the recall repair was completed, the car leaked fuel onto and stained their driveway. "Courtesy" Family of dealerships, my rear end! 

andres3

breld said:

Well, my fancy little Excel schedule of cars owed shows Blue is by far the dominant choice, so I am probably biased.

I'd like to see this chart of all color selections in your history! Only need two columns for that.

stever

A reporter is looking to speak with shoppers who purchased a truck or SUV within the last six months. If you're willing to help, please contact pr@edmunds.com by no later than May 27, 2016.

28firefighter

I had the windows tinted on my GTI this weekend - 35% all around. Very pleased with how it turned out. Thoughts?

Sandman6472

Love the blue on my Golf, goes very well with the beige interior, my first beige interior ever! Always had black or gray with blue on my white '96 Corolla DX. Now that the kids are out on their own, usually only the two of us in the car so the lighter beige is working nicely. Her black interior is murder on our hot days now that summer has kicked in and so glad I don't have one. When I had the red Jetta loaner last year, it had a black interior and I hated it and would never purchase one. The wife seems happy enough with hers which I am glad since if not, it would be my fault.
The new blues are extremely nice and different which is good!!

The Sandman

nyccarguy

@28firefighter - looks great!  The White on the GTI looks spectacular!

corvette

Nice! Looks like the white Golf (with lowered suspension, tinted windows, and GTI wheels) my neighbor used to have... (At that point, just buy a GTI so you have the better brakes and engine!)

28firefighter

corvette said:

Nice! Looks like the white Golf (with lowered suspension, tinted windows, and GTI wheels) my neighbor used to have... (At that point, just buy a GTI so you have the better brakes and engine!)

If it didn't live outside on the street year round (except when it's at the airport when I travel) I might consider lowering it a bit. But yeah, at some point, if you mod the Golf that much you end spending what you would have to get the car stock in GTI form. 

berri

28 - Sharp, that goes really nice offsetting the white car. But be careful where you drive it, some states will ticket that glass.

28firefighter

berri said:

28 - Sharp, that goes really nice offsetting the white car. But be careful where you drive it, some states will ticket that glass.

Thanks! Not worried - I actually went with legal tint all around for WA and the surrounding states. Any darker and I wouldn't have been able to see at night. Plus on a white car, you don't need much to get the desired offsetting effect. 

berri

Heck, I've driven in the daytime around Seattle a few times and gotta say, after dealing with some of those interchanges and poor signage - well, I guess I'm better understanding how Microsoft designs their software

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

roadburner said:

The nice thing about the 240 hp S52 motor in the 1998-2000 M Roadsters/Coupes is that the engine is essentially a bored and stroked M52 with a hotter cam and a few other tweaks. Hydraulic lifters, single VANOS, etc. The S54B32 in the 2000-2002 cars is a true ///M motor with individual throttle bodies and Double VANOS, but it also requires periodic valve adjustments and some motors had rod bearing issues.
The only caveat regarding the S52 is that its piston to valve clearance means that it doesn't tolerate over-revving by more than @500 rpm.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

How's that little 1.9 motor in the Z3?

Quite fun actually, the 1.9 M44 has a bit more torque than the 1.8 M42, but they have a very similar character. Wonderful with a stick, dull with an automatic. Just keep it above 4,000 rpm when hustling and it's a blast.

eriknorcal

28firefighter said:

I had the windows tinted on my GTI this weekend - 35% all around. Very pleased with how it turned out. Thoughts?

Nice, love the white. Any mods?

28firefighter

eriknorcal said:

28firefighter said:

I had the windows tinted on my GTI this weekend - 35% all around. Very pleased with how it turned out. Thoughts?

Nice, love the white. Any mods?

No mods - I've never been into it and the car has more than enough pull for me. Though I admit, the idea of a meaner sounding exhaust is appealing. 

98% sure if I did that, my wife would ensure I'd be finding out just how flexible the hatch is in converting to a bed.

akangl

Sienna turned out to be a no go. We were about 1/2 way to the dealer when I got an email from the salesman listing the info about the CPO warranty and the car fax on the car, which of course they touted was clean. Then at the very bottom of the email, almost as an afterthought he mentioned that the prev owner had reported that the car had been in an accident. When I looked at the Sienna the first time it was dirty but I didn't notice anything glaring, I asked if it had any accident history and was assured it did not. He went on to say that any accidents wouldn't allow it to be CPO.

I decided to continue to the dealership and look the van over again. My salesguy was magically "too busy" to help us so we ended up with a greenpea who annoyed the crap out of me. I looked the van over and kicked myself for not noticing the obvious repairs, the paint was rough, trim was on crooked, and it was missing a part on the bottom of the sliding door. Hubby wanted to drive it so we took it back out, naturally the greenpea didn't know when to STFU! I held my tongue and hubby noticed when he made any left hand turn the sliding door popped and protested.

We got back to the dealership and I asked the sales manager if he knew who did the repairs and approx. how much the damage was (I was told the driver's side sliding door and quarter panel were replaced). He told me he could not tell me that information due to the privacy act....yeah, BS. They agreed to fix the issues with the repair and kept saying how it couldn't have been much damage because it had a clean car fax.....I laughed and mentioned how my '15 Focus has a clean car fax too yet had over $11k in repairs done to it.

Hubby and I talked, the popping made him nervous and so did the thought of trading in a perfectly good, never wrecked Explorer for that Sienna. In the end we decided that the Explorer would stay. I don't regret it for a second, it just turned 53k and is still a great car. So very glad I didn't buy the Sienna!

Oh and when I got home it occurred to me that the paperwork said the accident happened in March and the repair was in april. I started thinking about the huge pile ups that happened with a big snow storm in March. I jumped online and started searching through pictures of the accidents.....wouldn't ya know it, there was the Sienna in all its glory having just been clobbered by the back end of an F-350! Minor damage, yeah ok!

sda

You made the right decision! I unknowingly bought what appeared to be a clean CPO with a clean car fax that even showed all the car maintenance only to find out later it had had the bumper, radiator, condenser, right fender and a list of other parts replaced. This came to light when the a/c went out. Seems a high pressure line had been kinked and not repaired. The dealer made good on the repair and agreed to fix any future issues that may have resulted from the accident repair. They, too, said they wouldn't CPO if it didn't meet the 100+ check list required to qualify as a CPO. I took it to Car Max to see what they would buy it for, and they came back to me asking," has this been wrecked?" Not good.

suydam

Wow. Good call.

mlevine

My father-in-law got a CPO MB CL550 from a local MB dealer. Told it was a lease return. He went to have tires rotated at independent tire place and they mentioned to him if he knew the car had water damage as there were signs underneath the car that suggested this. I just think one needs to be careful even with the CPO market.

breld

28firefighter said:

I had the windows tinted on my GTI this weekend - 35% all around. Very pleased with how it turned out. Thoughts?

Love it! Reminds me of my mk6 white GTI, but better!

I want one.

mlevine

Hi, Michael
What kind of work were you involved with? I know MB club of America is in Colorado and this may be something for you. I have a friend in NY that has been out of work and I had him speak to another friend in Florida that is setting up his company again. They both were involved in the wine market. Networking I believe often helps in the job market. If I can help, let me know.

au1994

mlevine said:

My father-in-law got a CPO MB CL550 from a local MB dealer. Told it was a lease return. He went to have tires rotated at independent tire place and they mentioned to him if he knew the car had water damage as there were signs underneath the car that suggested this. I just think one needs to be careful even with the CPO market.

Yep, minor item but my E350 is a CPO and on the checklist provided to me it says the wipers were replaced which after the first rain while driving I can confirm they were not. They replaced the tires which was obvious but it's does make you wonder about the rest of the check list i.e. Oil change.

stickguy

I understand all the $ reasons for used, but all these stories are why I still like buying new when I can and holding on. I like to know in all my OCD ways exactly everything that was done to the car!

Of course, unless leasing, that does limit one to cheaper cars to start with!

roadburner

A CPO car is only as good as the dealer offering it. Several years ago a friend bought a CPO Cadillac; when he went to install a CD changer he found the wiring harness had been cut at the connectors. The dealer hemmed and hawed, tried to make him pay it, but eventually fixed it for free.
This is the same dealer that told another friend that there would be a $150 "Diagnostic Fee" to determine why his key fob wasn't unlocking the car. He took his Caddy to a friend at a nearby Chevrolet dealer and the diagnosis(bad battery) and repair(new battery) came to $15.

28firefighter

breld said:

Love it! Reminds me of my mk6 white GTI, but better!

I want one.

I want your S4. Trade? Even swap. I'll even drive to Colorado.

roadburner

stickguy said:

I understand all the $ reasons for used, but all these stories are why I still like buying new when I can and holding on. I like to know in all my OCD ways exactly everything that was done to the car!

Of course, unless leasing, that does limit one to cheaper cars to start with!

I've never bought a bad CPO BMW, in fact our last three cars were indistinguishable from new. Going CPO I was able to get a $50k Bimmer for the cost of a new Fusion Sport with a handful of options.
Tough call...

fintail

If it has the OEM Valeo blades, it could just be those. Mine chattered and jerked across the windshield from new, on both W212s I've had. The dealer tried to help, first replacing under warranty, then when those got irritating soon after, they balked. I put Bosch Icon blades in the stock Valeo holders (they look better), no more noise or juddering. I must have smooth silent wipers.

au1994 said:

Yep, minor item but my E350 is a CPO and on the checklist provided to me it says the wipers were replaced which after the first rain while driving I can confirm they were not. They replaced the tires which was obvious but it's does make you wonder about the rest of the check list i.e. Oil change.

breld

28firefighter said:

breld said:

Love it! Reminds me of my mk6 white GTI, but better!

I want one.

I want your S4. Trade? Even swap. I'll even drive to Colorado.

Hmmm...I'll have to think about it.

stever

I think CPOs are just like any used car; need to pull a Carfax and have your Indy mechanic check it out.

Michaell

mlevine said:

Hi, Michael
What kind of work were you involved with? I know MB club of America is in Colorado and this may be something for you. I have a friend in NY that has been out of work and I had him speak to another friend in Florida that is setting up his company again. They both were involved in the wine market. Networking I believe often helps in the job market. If I can help, let me know.

I've spent the last 8-9 years as a Business Analyst / Operations Manager.

I'll reach out via PM to discuss further. At the moment, nothing is off the table.