Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

nyccarguy

@breld - it's going to be really tough to switch out of that S4.

Mr_Shiftright

Have any (many) of you all had the experience of driving the car you thought you really wanted, only to find out that the experience of road testing made you appreciate your present car even more?

breld

nyccarguy said:

@breld - it's going to be really tough to switch out of that S4.

Yup - starting to realize that. I suppose that's a good thing.

nyccarguy

Mr_Shiftright said:

Have any (many) of you all had the experience of driving the car you thought you really wanted, only to find out that the experience of road testing made you appreciate your present car even more?

Yes.  Back in 2009 I read about cash 4 clunkers before dealers knew anything about it.  I was all set to get a $4500 rebate credit on a Mini Cooper S Clubman with Sports Package & 6 Speed Stick.  I had read all the specs and reviews.  What could be bad?  A lightweight, turbocharged, FWD car designed and built by the wizards at BMW.  I hated the car.  Horrible blind spots, rubbery shifter, having to turn my head up to see every stop light, weird clutch...

I jumped back into my Prelude afterwards.  I remember saying to myself:  "this car is what I love!"

stickguy

A few times, after much research, I just "knew" for sure what I wanted. then when I went and test drove it, was disappointed for one reason or another. And other times, something I figured would be a non starter, turned out to be something I wanted.

research is wonderful, but you have to try them out too.

stever

Naturally every car I've ever test driven drove like a dream compared to whatever I was driving at the moment (and that includes every rental car).

kyfdx

Don't know about that, but I've been unexpectedly disappointed plenty of times, with test drives. Positive that I'm going to like a car, only to have a negative experience.

stickguy

one in particular was a slightly used 328 BMW x drive. the 6cyl version, probably about a 2012? I forget the designation, but the one after the E46. E90? Anyway, what Bradd had!

was quick, had some nice features, but the ride, steering, overall feel just did not impress me. Could have been that particular car, or the tires, or maybe just that is what they are.

roadburner

kyfdx said:

Don't know about that, but I've been unexpectedly disappointed plenty of times, with test drives. Positive that I'm going to like a car, only to have a negative experience.

I remember test driving a 2013 Mustang GT with the six speed manual; my wife was sure I'd buy it but it just left me completely cold.

suydam

I don't shop in the BMW leagues. But on a more plebeian note, the 2001-2 Honda Accord. It seemed very cheap inside and just rather dull all the way around.
And every Toyota I've ever test driven. I always want to like them -- reliability, good mpg -- and the bland driving experience and vanilla interiors get me every time.

stickguy

well, the used 3 series was about the same price as a new accord.

and speaking of Toyota, that went the other way. Before I got the Sonata, I tried a Camry, just for "due dilligence". Not expecting to like it, but still curious. I ended up liking it much more than I expected, and more than the Accord. It ran a close 2nd, and if the salesguy I was dealing with had returned a call and dropped his shorts another $25, I probably would have leased the Camry XLE before I even went to the Hyundai dealer.

suydam

stickguy said:

well, the used 3 series was about the same price as a new accord.

and speaking of Toyota, that went the other way. Before I got the Sonata, I tried a Camry, just for "due dilligence". Not expecting to like it, but still curious. I ended up liking it much more than I expected, and more than the Accord. It ran a close 2nd, and if the salesguy I was dealing with had returned a call and dropped his shorts another $25, I probably would have leased the Camry XLE before I even went to the Hyundai dealer.

You're clearly in the majority. I have friends who only drive Toyotas. I bought one for my college daughter that ran like clockwork for over 150k. I want to like them, I really do!

tjc78

When we had a team of sales people on the road for years they all drove Maximas (before they went upmarket) then they all got Altimas. Fast forward a few years and the company switched to Camrys, right at the 2007 re-design. There was a genera dislike although all of them used to say "it's not bad". These were guys putting on 40 to 50K a year. Each of those Camrys made it to 200K with little more than normal maintenance. To be fair so did the Altimas and we did get a Maxima to 300K+ but it was pretty much a total with all the repairs toward the end.

The Camry is certainly an appliance, it does everything you need it to but certainly not for an enthusiast. My Mom had an 09 SE 4cyl it was marginally better in the "fun" department as it had the tighter suspension.

breld

There's certainly something to be said for driving something that never needs any attention. That's nice peace of mind that can bring a lot of contentment. It's that thought that steers me toward Lexus or Acura once in awhile.

Thing is, I think most new cars are a lot like that these days. 10-15 years ago, cars like the Camry really stood out in that vein. Other manufacturers have paid more attention to quality, and to be fair, I think Toyota has slipped a bit. Audi, of all makes, has climbed the reliability charts quite nicely.

breld

By the way, in our shopping excursions yesterday, the one car that turned my wife's head? The Beetle "Dune." In that bright metallic yellow/orange no less.

It was kinda cool.

sda

stickguy said:

well, the used 3 series was about the same price as a new accord.

and speaking of Toyota, that went the other way. Before I got the Sonata, I tried a Camry, just for "due dilligence". Not expecting to like it, but still curious. I ended up liking it much more than I expected, and more than the Accord. It ran a close 2nd, and if the salesguy I was dealing with had returned a call and dropped his shorts another $25, I probably would have leased the Camry XLE before I even went to the Hyundai dealer.

Funny you should mention considering a Camry XLE before getting the Sonata. For the first time I was actually thinking of buying a Toyota. It was a new 13 Camry XLE. I was wary of the CVT in any car, so I didn't even look at the Accord. My commute was changing to a much longer drive as we were moving the office to a different location. With my drive before being mostly interstate, the Camry would do nicely. I thought I had a deal when an additional $1600 showed in the total. It was for all the typical dealer add ons. They wouldn't reduce the amount, I walked. Two weeks later I bought the Accord and am very glad I did.

brian125

The Ray Catena MB dealer in NJ will be open tomorrow Memorial day . Should be some really good deals across the board over there if any of you guys are looking Mercedes. Big selection of used

roadburner

A Toyota Memorial Day ad was on TV yesterday and I told my wife I thought I would drive over to a dealer and trade my 2er for a new "grounded to the ground" Camry SE. Her response? "If you do, I'm taking out a Mental Inquest Warrant."

corvette

That's such a dumb ad campaign. Baruth on TTAC is pretty fond of the SE's sport suspension and has put at least one rental on a track. The last Camry I sat in had some of the ugliest interior design cues I've ever seen, and the instrument cluster was worse than a mid-1990s GM product. I had a ~2005 model as a rental once, and outside noise entered the car so bad it was like it had a window open, so it didn't even live up to its promise as an isolationmobile.

suydam

The recent ones are pretty quiet.

jeffb0101

I had an 09 SE. It was a great car, and very quiet. Much better than my 2012 Accord in both departments. 

kyfdx

Ugh.. looks like I might be a chronic HVAC system buyer, this week.

(okay, not chronic.. 18 years old)

tommister2

kyfdx said:

Ugh.. looks like I might be a chronic HVAC system buyer, this week.

(okay, not chronic.. 18 years old)

Bummer. My time is coming soon too. Not looking forward to it.

tommister2

Lots of dislike for the Camry here. I really like mine...guess I'm an oddball. It's almost 5 years old now and has been 100% reliable. I have never tried to race it, except maybe some stoplight to stoplight bursts. It is quicker off the line than our Honda Pilot.

au1994

tommister2 said:

kyfdx said:

Ugh.. looks like I might be a chronic HVAC system buyer, this week.

(okay, not chronic.. 18 years old)

Bummer. My time is coming soon too. Not looking forward to it.

Punched that ticket this spring , thank you very much!!

tjc78

What is a full system these days (forced air gas / AC compressor)? $7500 ish installed?

au1994

tjc78 said:

What is a full system these days (forced air gas / AC compressor)? $7500 ish installed?

Somewhere in that neighborhood, yes. I got multiple quotes and we added a couple of registers and returns. Final bill for 2 systems was just north of 12k

corvette

My AC unit is so old the home inspector couldn't tell when it was made. Most of the paint has faded off of it. I'm sure it's on borrowed time, but there's no reason to replace it when it's still running and my summer electricity bills are reasonable. The furnace and coils are newer.

nyccarguy

roadburner said:

A Toyota Memorial Day ad was on TV yesterday and I told my wife I thought I would drive over to a dealer and trade my 2er for a new "grounded to the ground" Camry SE. Her response? "If you do, I'm taking out a Mental Inquest Warrant."

They are offering 0% for 72 months

roadburner

tjc78 said:

What is a full system these days (forced air gas / AC compressor)? $7500 ish installed?

Our heat pump system ran a bit over $8k a few years ago.

roadburner

nyccarguy said:

roadburner said:

A Toyota Memorial Day ad was on TV yesterday and I told my wife I thought I would drive over to a dealer and trade my 2er for a new "grounded to the ground" Camry SE. Her response? "If you do, I'm taking out a Mental Inquest Warrant."

They are offering 0% for 72 months

Oh the temptation- hold me back!!!

berri

I'm with Tom, I don't think Camry's are all that awful either and neither does a rather large chunk of the population. They are a nice riding highway car and good economy around town too with reliability and decent resale at a very competitive price. Not so keen on the current styling though. Now if you want to crank it out on the twisties or something, then there are better options. I think there is perhaps a small segment of the population that doesn't like Toyota for the same reason they don't like McDonald's or Walmart - some don't want to go with the flow and do what everyone else does and that's cool too.

iluvmysephia1

Lots of dislike for the Camry here. I really like mine...guess I'm an oddball. It's almost 5 years old now and has been 100% reliable. I have never tried to race it, except maybe some stoplight to stoplight bursts. It is quicker off the line than our Honda Pilot.

I rented an '09 Toyota Camry in 2009 at SeaTac and enjoyed the ride, I did. Easy ta drive and not so totally boring, either. Now, the thing's looks are so vanilla-ish, but the "marshmallow" ride was fine. At that time I drove our '08 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS which handled like an absolute champ, so no fair comparing the two cars. The Lancer GTS is a compact and the Camry a midsizer, so no fair comparisons should be made. But in no way was my experience something that would block my love for a Toyota product later on.

Scion iA, Scion iA, ScioniA, etc., etc., etc.

kyfdx

tjc78 said:

What is a full system these days (forced air gas / AC compressor)? $7500 ish installed?

I'll probably know some time tomorrow, but I think you are close. Would probably be easy to slide up towards $10K, if you fall for the upgrade sales pitch.

berri

The "hidden" expense realities of home ownership. Realtors don't always talk about maintenance and repair when pushing buyers up the price ladder.

roadburner

I liked Toyota when they were cranking out some nice sports cars and hot hatches- the MR2, Celica, and Supra were great cars. Now the only fun car they build is the Toyota 86- and I'd buy one if it had around 150 more hp.

corvette

Common sense dictates that one will incur maintenance and repair costs while owning a home. I see a lot of buyers fall in love with a home out of their price range and do 0 down loans in order to make the purchase. (Yes, there are banks doing 100% LTV (or greater) loans these days, which is a whole 'nother discussion.) They generally have no funds for a down payment or for any repairs which may arise. Often, they won't spend $350 to have a home inspection "to save money."

kyfdx

berri said:

The "hidden" expense realities of home ownership. Realtors don't always talk about maintenance and repair when pushing buyers up the price ladder.

Home ownership is a lifestyle choice, not an investment.

That doesn't mean that there haven't been plenty of people experience windfall profits, from time to time. But, renting sure isn't the "throwing your money away" that people make it seem to be.

berri

So what you've really pointed out is that more than a few buyers have no real common sense

kyfdx

berri said:

So what you've really pointed out is that more than a few buyers have no real common sense

I'm not saying home ownership is a bad deal. It's just not the imperative that a lot of people make it out to be. You can be financially secure and successful without owning a home.

Some people would be miserable renting, and that's a valid argument, as well.

roadburner

corvette said:

Common sense dictates that one will incur maintenance and repair costs while owning a home. I see a lot of buyers fall in love with a home out of their price range and do 0 down loans in order to make the purchase. (Yes, there are banks doing 100% LTV (or greater) loans these days, which is a whole 'nother discussion.) They generally have no funds for a down payment or for any repairs which may arise. Often, they won't spend $350 to have a home inspection "to save money."

These are the same idjits who buy a cheap 911 or M3 without a PPI- and likewise have no money set aside at all for maintenance and repairs...

corvette

kyfdx said:

Some people would be miserable renting, and that's a valid argument, as well.

*raises hand* I like not knowing every time my neighbors drop something on the floor, or nail a picture into the wall, or yell at their kids. I rented a single family residence for a while when I moved to Louisville, and it was fine, but now that I'm a homeowner again, it's nice to be able to put my own touches on things.

Michaell

A little help, please?

http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/41295/general/x/help-me-choose-a-used-convertible-toy-car#latest

eriknorcal

Couldn't resist.. 2012 GTI, DSG, every option but still has plaid seats  52k miles and came with VWs certified 24/24 warranty bumper to bumper. Paid a bit over $15k. Very pleased! She won't be stock for long

Michaell

eriknorcal said:

Couldn't resist.. 2012 GTI, DSG, every option but still has plaid seats  52k miles and came with VWs certified 24/24 warranty bumper to bumper. Paid a bit over $15k. Very pleased! She won't be stock for long

My nephew recently bought an '09 GTI - similar miles and price.

Michaell

BTW ... congrats on the punch!

Did you trade your BMW or do you still have it?

eriknorcal

Michaell said:

Couldn't resist.. 2012 GTI, DSG, every option but still has plaid seats  52k miles and came with VWs certified 24/24 warranty bumper to bumper. Paid a bit over $15k. Very pleased! She won't be stock for long

My nephew recently bought an '09 GTI - similar miles and price.

Michaell said:

BTW ... congrats on the punch! Did you trade your BMW or do you still have it?

Nice! They're great cars. That's the first year of the TSI engine so good call. 

Thanks!! Still have it- might have someone coming to see it today actually. I'll take a bit of a loss but such is life. The money from the bimmer will fund my turbo and intercooler upgrade

28firefighter

Congrats! The MK6 GTI is a great car - love the color. 

tommister2

@eriknorcal Congrats! Beautiful car and sounds like you got a great deal. Enjoy it!

roadburner

eriknorcal said:

Couldn't resist.. 2012 GTI, DSG, every option but still has plaid seats  52k miles and came with VWs certified 24/24 warranty bumper to bumper. Paid a bit over $15k. Very pleased! She won't be stock for long

Nice!!!