Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

mjfloyd1

28firefighter said:

So far so good - shocking amount of room with the seat back giving my wife room to stretch (she's 5' 6"). He definitely enjoyed it.

I'm leaning yes.

You can beat white w/red - that is estoril blue over red or estoril blue over cognac. Good luck finding them though.

Escorial blue over red AKA Superman

jmonroe1

mjfloyd1 said:

28firefighter said:

So far so good - shocking amount of room with the seat back giving my wife room to stretch (she's 5' 6"). He definitely enjoyed it.

I'm leaning yes.

You can beat white w/red - that is estoril blue over red or estoril blue over cognac. Good luck finding them though.

Escorial blue over red AKA Superman

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It’s good to have you back in here again. I was beginning to wonder where you were.

It would be nice to hear from @henryn again.

jmonroe

28firefighter

Not today. I received an offer from Vroom for $33,500 for the same net price as what CarMax offered for the trade (30,400 plus tax credit). So I’m gonna sell to Vroom, that way if I decide to return in the 30 day window to CarMax, I can without losing the tax benefit.

28firefighter

@mjfloyd1 said:
Escorial blue over red AKA Superman

Welcome back!

stickguy

smart thinking. gotta plan ahead.

I assume that part of the contract you sign for being able to return it is that they won't give you your trade back. Though I assume if you got a replacement unit instead the tax credit would still apply. but that sounds like a lot of hassle.

I always wondered with Carmax and Carvana what % of people returned a car they already bought. I assume it is quite low.

28firefighter

Punch! Pictures later.

And yes, the trade in agreement says exactly that. If they offered me enough I’d have taken it. But it was an exact wash.

28firefighter

The bow was a lot. But I appreciate the sentiment.

explorerx4

@28ff,
Summers almost here, great timing! Don't forget the sunscreen.

pensfan83

Nice!

stickguy

sweet. though just looking at those sidewalls from 3,000 miles away made my blood pressure go up.

I could probably sell my wife on one of those. she is not fond of the real sports car idea. She gets embarrassed having to fall out of the car onto the pavement when exiting the vehicle!

mjfloyd1

jmonroe1 said:

mjfloyd1 said:

28firefighter said:

So far so good - shocking amount of room with the seat back giving my wife room to stretch (she's 5' 6"). He definitely enjoyed it.

I'm leaning yes.

You can beat white w/red - that is estoril blue over red or estoril blue over cognac. Good luck finding them though.

Escorial blue over red AKA Superman

————————————————
It’s good to have you back in here again. I was beginning to wonder where you were.

It would be nice to hear from @henryn again.

jmonroe

Really busy lately. 81 yr old FIL had a three vessel coronary artery bypass just before Memorial Day, 21 yr old daughter had tonsils and adenoids just afterwards. Now youngest visiting Clemson Univ and then off to New Orleans for NGA gymnastics nationals meet.

mjfloyd1

28firefighter said:

Punch! Pictures later.

And yes, the trade in agreement says exactly that. If they offered me enough I’d have taken it. But it was an exact wash.

Nice looking BMW.

Selling Hyundai, I assume??

28firefighter

@mjfloyd1 said:
Nice looking BMW.

Selling Hyundai, I assume??

Yep. It lasted just under a year. It was either flip now or wait a while because registration renewal was $700.

stickguy

maybe I should go get a buy offer. This is almost exactly what I have (though I only have 650 miles!). MSRP would be more on mine though, since I have the moonroof (but this one has CP360+ package which is basically adaptive cruise and parking sensors).

https://www.carmax.com/car/24317021

jmonroe1

stickguy said:

maybe I should go get a buy offer. This is almost exactly what I have (though I only have 650 miles!). MSRP would be more on mine though, since I have the moonroof (but this one has CP360+ package which is basically adaptive cruise and parking sensors).

https://www.carmax.com/car/24317021

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Why not? If they can get $47K for one with 3K miles on it and it’s been repainted with the mandatory Lemon Law Return Yellow, you could make a killing on yours.

jmonroe

stickguy

my wife would give me too much grief. Plus I wouldn't have a car again. not that I really need one!

or I trade it for one of those fancy convertibles they have!

ab348

stickguy said:

my wife would give me too much grief. Plus I wouldn't have a car again. not that I really need one!

or I trade it for one of those fancy convertibles they have!

Just make sure you get one with vinyl upholstery so you can put the top down and fill it with mulch when Mrs Stick demands you do the spring landscape refresh. Just open the door and hose out the remnants after.

tjc78

Love that BMW. Congrats!!! Well bought.

roadburner

I drove the Club Sport to my dealer yesterday for a PDR of the hood. The PDR guy cut his price -on his own- by almost 50% because he claimed you could still see the dent if you looked closely. It looked great to me; price was a moot point as I was using a BMW Rewards card. On the way back to work I learned that I-65 was now apparently the Bluegrass Autobahn; I was cruising at a relaxed 85-90 and was still being passed by a number of cars.

Things are coming together for the Concours; I picked up some BMW wheel cleaner, new wheel center caps, valve stem caps, and new lug bolts- along with a Hazet non-marring lug bolt impact socket. Again, everything was bought with a Rewards Card, save tjhe lug bolts and socket- which came from FCP Euro. I'm going to use the Karcher pressure washer I picked up to clean the wheels; the back of the wheels look particularly grubby.
I don't expect to be in the running for Best in Class; I'm just happy to be in the show...

breld

@28firefighter - congrats on the M240! Great color combo and just a great car.

@tifighter - may as well go put a deposit on a new Lexus TX. Or an Odyssey.

tifighter

Ha. Local dealers won’t even accept an order for a Sienna Platinum.

corvette

You might try the broker that @nyccarguy and I used, I think he (now) has some contacts outside of the East Coast.

roadburner

@28firefighter- you will love that car; I rank it up there with my Club Sport, 535is, and M6 on a fun to drive basis.

28firefighter

@corvette said:
You might try the broker that @nyccarguy and I used, I think he (now) has some contacts outside of the East Coast.

He gets Sienna’s at MSRP occasionally for sure.

28firefighter

So, in true 28FF fashion, as soon as I got home with the new car it started pouring. Figured, hey, my plan is to daily drive it year round - let’s see how it feels. Loaded up everyone to go to dinner and, maybe I’ve just never had a comfortable, but it was perfectly fine. Very quiet inside the car, car handled perfectly - and after an hour in the garage at home the roof was dry.

And because I’m me, I got home, rinsed it off and then threw a coat of wax on in the garage because clearly that’s not part of the CarMax prep process.

jmonroe1

28firefighter said:

So, in true 28FF fashion, as soon as I got home with the new car it started pouring. Figured, hey, my plan is to daily drive it year round - let’s see how it feels. Loaded up everyone to go to dinner and, maybe I’ve just never had a comfortable, but it was perfectly fine. Very quiet inside the car, car handled perfectly - and after an hour in the garage at home the roof was dry.

And because I’m me, I got home, rinsed it off and then threw a coat of wax on in the garage because clearly that’s not part of the CarMax prep process.

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I’ve always said…”you never really know your car until you give it a wax job”. You’re now officially the owner.

Just curious, did it need a clay job?

jmonroe

tjc78

My truck needs a wax…. That will be an all afternoon affair when I get to it.

28firefighter

@jmonroe1 said:
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I’ve always said…”you never really know your car until you give it a wax job”. You’re now officially the owner.

Just curious, did it need a clay job?

jmonroe

By my standards yes, but really, for a 5 year old car the paint is basically perfect other than the minor cosmetics I mentioned. The PO also had clear bra on the door edges, trunk lip, door handles, and mirrors - tells me they cared at least a bit.

I’ll save that for a nicer day this summer.

rayainsw

28firefighter -
Congrats!
Looks lovely!
[ even the bow ]
- Ray
Trust you will enjoy for many [s]miles

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

maybe I should go get a buy offer. This is almost exactly what I have (though I only have 650 miles!). MSRP would be more on mine though, since I have the moonroof (but this one has CP360+ package which is basically adaptive cruise and parking sensors).

https://www.carmax.com/car/24317021

I want some of what CarMax is smoking. Carvana recently upped their offer on my Mustang from $25k to $27k. For a soon to be 9 year old car?

I figured that if Mustangs hold their value well it might be worth half its original sticker after 10 years which would be $16-$17k. I thought I was being optimistic but I guess not.

I’m afraid the days are over when I could pick up a decent 15 year old car for 5-10% of it’s original price.

laurasdada

Congrats, again, 28FF! Water still beading on mine, but waxing is a comin' later this summer.

Stick, the M240 is pretty darn low to the road; part of the fun. So, re: wife, forgiveness vs permission.

Let my son drive it last night, when he wasn't looking I put it in eco pro mode. He said he didn't get it, it's supposed to perform? His Mazda 3 turbo was faster... then I put it in sport+... he immediately offered to trade his practical 3 HB for this non-practical beast; I'm too old for such a car. Tempting, but nope.

qbrozen

@28firefighter said:
So, in true 28FF fashion, as soon as I got home with the new car it started pouring. Figured, hey, my plan is to daily drive it year round - let’s see how it feels. Loaded up everyone to go to dinner and, maybe I’ve just never had a comfortable, but it was perfectly fine. Very quiet inside the car, car handled perfectly - and after an hour in the garage at home the roof was dry.

And because I’m me, I got home, rinsed it off and then threw a coat of wax on in the garage because clearly that’s not part of the CarMax prep process.

I am sure someone somewhere must’ve asked why you would want a RWD convertible in the rainy Northwest.

tifighter

28firefighter said:

@corvette said:

You might try the broker that @nyccarguy and I used, I think he (now) has some contacts outside of the East Coast.

He gets Sienna’s at MSRP occasionally for sure.

Dealers will talk about other trim levels. But the Platinum is verboten as they are supposedly impossible to get. When your spouse has reynaud's, heated steering wheels are not optional. Only other awd van is the Pacifica, which is surprisingly spendy for something that will depreciate like a rock. It's how I got to a CUV/SUV in the first place.

tifighter

qbrozen said:

@28firefighter said:

So, in true 28FF fashion, as soon as I got home with the new car it started pouring. Figured, hey, my plan is to daily drive it year round - let’s see how it feels. Loaded up everyone to go to dinner and, maybe I’ve just never had a comfortable, but it was perfectly fine. Very quiet inside the car, car handled perfectly - and after an hour in the garage at home the roof was dry.

And because I’m me, I got home, rinsed it off and then threw a coat of wax on in the garage because clearly that’s not part of the CarMax prep process.

I am sure someone somewhere must’ve asked why you would want a RWD convertible in the rainy Northwest.

Probably the same reason the UK is one of the biggest convertible markets in the world. Can't help it.

roadburner

laurasdada said:

Congrats, again, 28FF! Water still beading on mine, but waxing is a comin' later this summer.

Stick, the M240 is pretty darn low to the road; part of the fun. So, re: wife, forgiveness vs permission.

Let my son drive it last night, when he wasn't looking I put it in eco pro mode. He said he didn't get it, it's supposed to perform? His Mazda 3 turbo was faster... then I put it in sport+... he immediately offered to trade his practical 3 HB for this non-practical beast; I'm too old for such a car. Tempting, but nope.

I really liked the different modes on my 2er; you could actually feel a significant difference between them. The modes on the C43 are even more pronounced; ranging from Geezer Mode to Track Attack. I especially like the AMG exhaust; while it defaults to Quiet at startup I immediately switch it to: "Annoy Bystanders."

jmonroe1

28firefighter said:

@jmonroe1 said:

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I’ve always said…”you never really know your car until you give it a wax job”. You’re now officially the owner.

Just curious, did it need a clay job?

jmonroe

By my standards yes, but really, for a 5 year old car the paint is basically perfect other than the minor cosmetics I mentioned. The PO also had clear bra on the door edges, trunk lip, door handles, and mirrors - tells me they cared at least a bit.

I’ll save that for a nicer day this summer.

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I agree. Any owner who takes care of the exterior like you described, more than likely took care of the mechanicals too.

If it means anything, I’d say you got yourself a real find with that car. Don’t screw it up now.

Good luck with it.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

roadburner said:

laurasdada said:

Congrats, again, 28FF! Water still beading on mine, but waxing is a comin' later this summer.

Stick, the M240 is pretty darn low to the road; part of the fun. So, re: wife, forgiveness vs permission.

Let my son drive it last night, when he wasn't looking I put it in eco pro mode. He said he didn't get it, it's supposed to perform? His Mazda 3 turbo was faster... then I put it in sport+... he immediately offered to trade his practical 3 HB for this non-practical beast; I'm too old for such a car. Tempting, but nope.

I really liked the different modes on my 2er; you could actually feel a significant difference between them. The modes on the C43 are even more pronounced; ranging from Geezer Mode to Track Attack. I especially like the AMG exhaust; while it defaults to Quiet at startup I immediately switch it to: "Annoy Bystanders."

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There is something to be said about a purring exhaust sound.

When Son #1 got his 2018 BMW X3 M40I earlier this year he and his youngest son liked the exhaust sound. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when he got his 2017 Chevy SS with a pretty good size V8. Now he’s not so sure which sounds better.

The funny part about this is before he got the Chevy his wife knew what car he was driving when he pulled into the driveway. Now she’s not so sure but thinks she’ll be able to figure it out soon.

jmonroe

kyfdx

@tifighter Same issue with my wife. She loves her heated wheel!

laurasdada

I've oft stated that mankind's pinnacle achievement (to date) is the heated steering wheel.

stickguy

one upgrade on the new Maverick is the heated steering wheel (and seats, a lot more important up her in the frozen north country). my wife's Acura does not even have the heated wheel.

pensfan83

This evening's view.

corvette

@tjc78 said:
My truck needs a wax…. That will be an all afternoon affair when I get to it.

I put a coat of Zaino on the Tundra once. It needed a second coat after about a year, but I never got around to dedicating an entire afternoon to doing it. Still need to do the Maverick.

stickguy

having my Maverick professionally done right after I got it really made it shine. included the clay work so the paint is smooth as a baby's bum.

speaking of the Maverick, it is "official" now. I got the registration in the mail, and I put the plates on and got it inspected this week. Still waiting for the title to show up in the mail but according to the DMV lady that can take a few weeks.

also got the title in the mail for the Acura. So all cars lien free now. Was surprised that the state DMV did not care if I ever sent in the NJ title (what Acura financial was holding) for a NY one so I am not going to bother. Someday whoever buys it will just get the NJ one.

shocking how much better the checking account balance looks every month without car payments coming out. soon the mortgage will be paid off. that will really help monthly cash flow!

jmonroe1

pensfan83 said:

This evening's view.

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I’ve seen that lots of times. Show us the boat you were on.

jmonroe

carnaught

jmonroe1 said:

pensfan83 said:

This evening's view.

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I’ve seen that lots of times. Show us the boat you were on.

jmonroe

Can you direct me to the Mt. Washington incline?

jmonroe1

carnaught said:

jmonroe1 said:

pensfan83 said:

This evening's view.

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I’ve seen that lots of times. Show us the boat you were on.

jmonroe

Can you direct me to the Mt. Washington incline?

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If you turn the boat around and head towards the point a little bit I’m pretty sure if you make a hard right and the boat is amphibious you’ll be able to board the incline without leaving the boat. However, you should be able to see it from where the boat is now.

jmonroe

tifighter

Good news @breld !

The ITS has landed-

Wait for it-

28firefighter

P> @tifighter said:

Good news @breld !

The ITS has landed-

Wait for it-

$70k. Lol.

jmonroe1

28firefighter said:

P> @tifighter said:

Good news @breld !

The ITS has landed-

Wait for it-

$70k. Lol.

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Yep, I noticed that too. Not only has that thing landed but with that price me thinks it’s going to be anchored to that spot for a while.

It would be interesting to know how many times it will be dusted off before it sells. But as we know, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

jmonroe

stickguy

I was thinking that $53k was too high. given the options at $70k, no chance!

The RDX needs a service this summer. if I take it to the Acura dealer I will try and take an Integra for a spin. they seem to have a supply of them, even manuals.

might take it to the Honda dealer instead if they are OK with an Acura. Quite a bit cheaper for the same oil and filter, a little bit closer, and they apparently will do a free inspection saving me a trip.