Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

28firefighter

Finally catching up after being away for Thanksgiving - looks like I missed quite a bit!

Mike - Congrats on the CLS. A very attractive car, indeed - enjoy it!

Sandy - I thought for sure you were going to end up with that 2014 Escape, but glad you ended up with the Tucson. Enjoy!

I hope everyone had a happy and health Thanksgiving, and if appropriate, are continuing to have a very Happy Hanukkah!

Sandman6472

O k then, she gets and it counts which sounds very fair. Wanted the charcoal gray but they couldn't find one in the South Florida region so after looking at the other colors, went with the lighter silver color as I liked the combo with the black lower body cladding. Wanted door edge guards, the metal ones along with wheel well mouldings and a black pinstripe as we like this stuff. Since they had no silver on site, they traded the black one I test drove for my silver and it had the pinstripe already but only the rubber 1/2 door edge guards and she said that's all Hyundai offers which is what happened when we bought the Accent there in 2008 but then, we only got the pinstripe. Oh well, such is life. All they owe me are the black mats since all they had were the light colored ones which I refused straight out. My sales lady said come back Thursday afternoon and they will be in and she will have the vehicle vacuumed before they put them in which I agreed to since she was going to eat the price of the pinstripe in our original deal and I really didn't like that idea one bit...why should she be out anything. Must say, she was totally awesome and told her, and the wife, if we get the new Accent or Elantra, we will come back to her no matter what...made sure the wife understood this also, this woman was that good and has been there over 7 years. I will reward good service every time no matter what! Asked her half joking to get me my 1st oil change for free and I bet she does to, she's that good!
Still in shock here and can't wait till the wife comes home Saturday morning to see and drive it...should be interesting to say the least. I have been talking about this moment in here for like...years now, and I finally did it, all the moons and stars aligned perfectly so I had no choice but to pull the trigger. I am a big believer in timing in life and I think this is what happened yesterday, the timing was finally just right for me to just throw caution to the wind and my wife's constant negativity and just "do it"! When I got home last night I was so worn out that I just collapsed after dinner and passed out. Even right now I am still a bit shocked with it all but pleased with how the events took place.
Did see the Elantra GT in the charcoal color outside and went to sit in it...wow, it's quite an impressive vehicle and if it wouldn't have been a illogical lateral move, I would've driven that vehicle home. Gorgeous outside and awesome on the inside, this is the Elantra to get, hands down...a totally impressive vehicle and blows the Civic and Corolla out of the water, there really is no comparison here. And if I had intense buyers remorse right now, that's the vehicle I would trade mine back for. Totally awesome vehicle but just too low for me and would make no sense in the world. Hyundai/Kia has really done some very impressive work here and they should be commended!!

The Sandman

Sandman6472

Thanks to all for the nice Hanukkah wishes and to all those who celebrate with me, enjoy and be happy. And really did think the Escape was a done deal because I did love the looks but that pesky 1.6 turbo just scared the hell out of me and I do prefer foreign as we all know. Just wish the mileage figures would be a little bit better but one can't always have it all. The problems that I read about with the Ford turbo just made me want to run in the opposite direction, so I did. Will my petrol bills be going up now...yep but I wanted to leave the "econobox" segment and this is exactly what I have done and I am truly o k with this. I am just not going to think about mileage anymore and if I need to go out, I will go out but will not just drive just to drive anymore but when work calls or the wife wants to take "dad's car" so be it as life is just too short to worry about a few extra dollars every week on the petrol bill. It's so time to just enjoy!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

corvette

I’ve been trying to post for a while but the forums are all screwy. On Saturday morning, I went to retrieve my mail from the post office, and on the way back, some dimwit blew a stop sign onto the main highway at a fairly good clip. I think I had time to take my foot off the gas before the airbags went off (the one in the steering wheel and both curtains). I walked away from the crash but I couldn’t hear out of my left ear for an hour or so. I’m still sore and medical appointments are ongoing. To top it all off, city police were unavailable so I got to stand around for 30 minutes waiting for the state police to respond. The trooper said that the other driver had nothing to say in defense of his running a stop sign, so liability looks straightforward. I don’t have an accident report yet, so I don’t even know if the guy had valid insurance.

I know what a headache this is, and at this point, I hope that the GLI is a total loss. As they say, it could have been worse. On the other hand, it could have been a heck of a lot better had it not happened at all! :sick:

stickguy

man, that sucks, but thankfully you came out relatively unscathed.

You only had the GLI a real short time, right? Planning to replace it with another, or are you going to follow the "always get something different" rule?

roadburner

Glad you weren't seriously injured; I'm like you about the car, when it's a big hit I'd rather they total it than have to fight with a bodyd shop to have the repairs done correctly.

abacomike

Mike - Congrats on the CLS. A very attractive car, indeed - enjoy it!

Thanks firefighter for the kind wishes. As I commented previously, sometimes you get to be in the right place at the right time and good things happen. When that "opportunity knocks on your door", you just have to be ready to act. I never expected the dealer to make me an offer on the last day of the month at invoice less his $1800 hold back less $435 less $3500 for the USAA certificate. They had a $3000 MBUSA certificate which could not be combined with USAA so I opted for the extra $500 on the USAA offer. The dealer gets reimbursed the $3500 from Mercedes Benz. So I ended up getting a great car at an unbelievable price.

The color is Palladium Silver (light gray) with black premium leather with contrasting stitching and burl walnut wood. It has that dynamic driver's seat that gives you a massage and on all turns, the left or right seat bolster stiffens up to prevent your body from shifting/sliding on the turn.

The major difference between the E 350 and the CLS 550 is in the cornering and handling (19" staggered sized high performance tires) and of course that 402 horsepower bi-turbo surge of power. Also improved stability and higher attention to detail. The sound system seems more impressive as well.

Fuel economy is something I will need to ignore if I want to truly enjoy this new ride (they claim 18 city and 27 highway) but at this stage prior to being broken in, it's around 15 city and 28 highway.

oldfarmer50

"...trading my 2010 Prius..."

You'd be silly not to sell that car private party. There are all sorts of people willing to pay crazy money for it. Put an ad on CL for $2k more than you think it's worth and see all the calls you'll get.

rayainsw

I am certainly glad YOU were not a total loss.
That does suck - sorry to hear about the GLI...
Hope the medical issues go away quickly!
- Ray
GTI unscathed - so far...

corvette

Thanks for the concern, everyone....

Yeah, I had the GLI since February. I'm not sure I'd buy the same exact car again but I have no idea what I'd replace it with. Trying not to get my hopes up about that since it takes a lot to total a car.

stever

Sorry to read that - hope the medical stuff and insurance works out. :sick:

(Missed your CLS Mike - congrats!).

Michaell

Oh dear - glad to hear you're OK, corvette. Like you, I'd hope that the GLI is totaled, but it does take a lot (75% of value?) to have the insurance company write it off.

Mike, congrats on the CLS; they sure are nice looking cars. You never did get that oil change on the E350, did you? You had it all of 7 months, according to the punch list.

sandy, glad to hear that you got what you wanted; nobody should be asked to compromise. You think the wife will get an E-GT like mine? I know her Mazda 3 is a hatch; it makes sense for her to get the same body style.

abacomike

Mike, congrats on the CLS; they sure are nice looking cars. You never did get that oil change on the E350, did you? You had it all of 7 months, according to the punch list.

Nope - never got that oil change - jmonroe and others won their bets on that one. Came close, though - 3 more months.

I had absolutely no intention or urge to buy another new car. But when they gave me the "dead cost deal" including $2250 hold back under dealer invoice and I was able to use my fleet discount, it became a desirable deal.

Sandman6472

Sorry and feel better!!!

The Sandman

Sandman6472

No, she has the sedan as she hates a hatch but I think she could learn to love yours as it is a stellar vehicle and if I were plum crazy, I would've bought the gray one they had sitting outside the dealer Sunday...interior seems to be a bit more upscale than the regular sedan that I sat in yesterday...I really did like the GT! Found out I got the 2.4 engine and not the 2.0 like I thought as that's all they offer with the "SE" package but I'm cool with it...will use the "eco" button and see how it goes. It does drive so smoothly and the seats are very comfy. like that it also has 17" shoes instead of the 18" ones that the Outlander Sport had...a bit cheaper when it comes time to replace I'm betting. I did like the Mitsu except the CVT tranny though it did work very well up the power band. It was very similar to my kids Versa which also has the CVT so I am used to it. And the interior was top notch also with nice fabric and I especially likes the 710 watt Rockford Fosgate stereo I was going to get. And funny, we were also at that $16k mark on all 3 small utes I looked at so it could've gone either way. liked the looks of the Ford a lot and some of the Outlanders features but overall, the Hyundai was the best for me at the end of the day. And since I've already got that amp sitting at the installers shop just waiting to go in, I went the right way here. just hope the factory speakers aren't so crappy that they make the sound too wimpy. Will definitely price out 4 new speaker as I'd leave the tweeters alone, just swap out the 4 larger ones with coaxials I think. I need to have great sound in my vehicles to be truly happy and have always had it that way. I should do it today but told work I was available so i need to sit tight.
Wife now wants her headlight taken care of and Tires Plus told her they wanted $357 + tax for 2 whole assembly's...totally outrageous! Asked her why not just start looking for something new already and stop throwing $ at the Mazda already. Just do not get her love for it and if that's really the case, just go get the new 2014 model and be done with it for the next 10 years already!

The Sandman

jayrider

If I sold it myself I might get 3k more. I have a transferable Toyota Platinum Extended warranty with zero deductible. It runs until 8/2017 and 70k miles. Currently have 34k miles on the car. Problem is my wife really likes the car and our driving has changed so it only gets 3k miles per year. Makes no sense to swap a car since we spend so little time in it. Will wait a few years and then make a decision. Got caught up in the emotion of a new ride [sound familiar] without thinking things through.

oldfarmer50

"...what a headache..."

Ouch! Hopefully everything will turnout ok for you health wise. Was the GLI your toy or your main family transportation? If it was your toy I can see why you'd want to total it since it would never seem the same.

Many years ago I had a mentally ill driver knock a telephone pole on my truck as he drove around his lawn chasing demons. Thankfully he had insurance which paid for my damage but until I got confirmation he was covered I thought I'd be walking to work.

Sandman6472

Getting my guy to clean the Mazda's headlights for $50 this weekend so she'll be happy. Wanted to do it last year when he detailed the vehicles but she wasn't interested but now, she says she can't see that well at night so she wants it done. She had called a few places about replacing the whole lighting assembly but I was getting calls with prices from $300 to $380 which is nuts. Said let's let this guy clean 'em for the $50 and go from there...eventually you're gonna want something new so why spend a lot on this vehicle now. She has me all confused here but once she drives mine and smells that new car smell and all, think she's going to want to stay equal with me and purchase something new. And honestly, even though she says hse wants the 2014 Hyundai Accent, I think once she drives the new Mazda3, she's going to do a repeat buy and get one. Maybe not the "S" version like she has now, but a Mazda3 just the same. I'd love for her to get the Elantra really as I think it's a little bit nicer but it's her call and what she can drive and how much she wants to spend. Figure she'll go upwards of $20k and her vehicle as she won't get nearly what I did since the miles are so up there, at least 125k by now...she'll be lucky to see $2500 at this point I'd suspect. That would be cool if she did get the Elantra so we could have 3 Hyundai's in the stable. They do make a good product and maybe the resale isn't as good as the other major players, we plan to keep these vehicles for awhile anyways. So not to concerned about resale right now.
I'm just very curious to see what she ends up with since I was all over the place with my choices. And just saw that they lowered the price by $1k on that black BMW drop top in West Palm and the Escape is still sitting on the Ford lot...feel I really dodged a bullet by not getting that 1.6 liter turbo engine after some of the reviews and other comments I've read...many dissatisfied folks out there with their Ford products. Also am glad that the dealer is literally 2.4 miles from my front door...makes it a lot easier if I ever need warranty work done as I have the 5 year bumper to bumper which just ended on our '08 Accent last week. Only used it once for that bad brake light switch a couple years back...they had me done and home within 2 hours and were very courteous about the whole thing. Have done a couple of oil changes there since because they sent us a pretty good coupon in the mail. I do plan to do my 1st one at the dealer just so they can see that I am using their service department just in case something does happen. Hoping that I don't have any warranty or TSB issues like I did with the Civic and only have to do the routine maintenance stuff there. Being so close is just a perk as far as I am concerned here!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

Sandman6472

Didn't realize until yesterday that the "SE" package only came with the larger 2.4 engine but not going to quibble about the mileage difference as it's only about 3 miles per gallon actually. It drives very smoothly and has ample power for anything I would ever need...it also has a range function on the dash so I know how far I have to go until empty...a good and bad thing really. good because I now know the best time to stop and fill up but bad because it shows how certain situations will be giving me poorer mileage than others, a two edged sword here but one I am willing to live with. The tank is larger now, 15.9 versus 13.2 before, so a complete fill up is going to cost a 1/4 more than before but I don't mind because I feel like I got everything I wanted in this vehicle...everything! The partial leather or leatherette seating surfaces are something I never expected and having the back up camera really helps...I backed into the garage earlier and it was a piece of cake to know when to stop. Little things like that balance out the mileage figures issue, the only thing I don't like here and if that's the only problem, I'd say I did pretty good here!
Stopped over at Tires Plus earlier to swap over that 3 year alignment policy I had on my Civic...it's transferable to another vehicle unlike the lifetime alignment policy. So I'm good 4 wheel alignment now until the end of February of 2015...cheap insurance I like since these 17" tires are going to be a bit costlier than the old 16"...I now have 225/60/17's. Like a wider sidewall so I am pleased here. Looks wise, I still think the Escape is a bit beefier looking but overall, this tuscon has the whole package and luckily, no 18" tires like the other two small utes I almost got. All is good here! And as we all saw here, I don't do these things lightly...I spent a lot of time test driving and then agonizing over my decision and have been talking about doing this for well over a year. But everything felt right here and was comfortable writing that large check yesterday. luckily I was able to put $5k on my new Amex card so I can get some statement credit as of December 1st, all my business expenses will be going through this card exclusively which the wife already does and makes sense for tax reasons since we're independent contractors.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

Michaell

Sandy, sounds like you got yourself a pretty nice vehicle. You pick it up at the end of the week?

I did test drive the 2014 Mazda 3 - and liked it a lot. I just didn't think that there would be any good incentives for leasing on it, which is why I went with the Hyundai.

Got my first statement in the mail ... was less than the agreed upon amount I signed in the contract. Called Hyundai Finance and found that there was a small tax credit ($19 or so) that will reduce my first couple of payments.

fintail

I was going to say, replacing those tires won't be cheap, but will you even have it that long?

fintail

Wow, maybe you got lucky - you walked away. That's the key. If my car was hit like that, I'd hope for a write-off too, fearing or knowing it will never be "right" again. Same thing if it was ever stolen.

rae52

Hi Sandman,
I'm in Boynton Beach; which Hyundai dealer did you purchase from? I'm in looking for a small 'ute myself.

corvette

The VW is my only car, but as you may recall, I freaked out over a small scratch that appeared on the driver's door after the 10k service until the dealer fixed it. (That same door was damaged again in the crash, go figure…)

xwesx

Take a picture of the car as it sits now, make up a postcard, and send it to your dealer saying, "Thanks for fixing the scratch! I may have another one...." :P

breld

Wow - a lot has gone on this past week! I've been a bit out of touch, taking time off work around the holiday.

Sandy - congrats on the new 'ute! I think that's a great choice for your back. Hyundai certainly provides a lot of peace of mind with that warranty. Funny how your wife, who was against the purchase, is now a bit envious of your new ride. Another purchase would be fun!

Mike - I like the "opportunistic" buying strategy. A big fan of it myself . Congrats!

Michael - I think it's a totally different trannie between your E-GT and our "old" Veloster, but I had the same gripe about our Hyundai - the trannie just didn't seem to know what to do much of the time. Hopefully it will "learn" more as you drive it and settle down a bit. BTW, looks like you'll really get to test it out in the snow over the next few days!

Corvette - man, that sounds awful, but like others have said, thank goodness you are okay. Good luck with all the hassle that goes along with such an accident.

On other notes...

A co-worker of mine just traded in his '09 535i for a new 535d (diesel) and loves it. Says I'll buy one if I drive it - not likely, but I do find myself daydreaming on how to finagle getting that 3 series GT into the garage. Not a realistic option until they are available used.

Finally got to register the 330ci vert last week - the dealer had trouble with some of the title work so it took forever. Now I only have to register the A3. I like having all the plates on the cars - for 2013, seemed like we had temp tags much of the time. :P

Gotta love Colorado - this past weekend I was driving around with the top down running errands. For the rest of this week, the 'vert will remain in the garage as I drive around in the snow tire-equipped Odyssey - we're expecting a foot or so of snow tonight and tomorrow.

I'm glad the calendar year is about to turn - with five purchases this year, I'm too self conscious to do another. But once it's a new year...

abacomike

I was going to say, replacing those tires won't be cheap, but will you even have it that long?

Yes, the tires are Z rated and replacements, even with my deep discounts, will cost about $350 each. I'll be lucky to get 12,000 miles on them (can't rotate these 19" tires because front and rear are different sizes). They are very soft, ergo they wear quickly.

As far as not keeping this long enough to worry about tire replacements, there is a very poor resale value on the CLS because it seats only 4 people. It's a kind of specialty vehicle and the demand for them is weak. Same is true for the BMW 6 series 4 door coupes. Assuming a poor wholesale value, which my dealer warned me about, it's possible I will have to keep this one for financial reasons.

I get a pension from Teachers Retirement System of Illinois and that State is getting close to bankruptcy. They just passed a bill today in the legislature reducing pension benefits. So I will be in a pickle if I lose all or part of my pension. Will just have to wait and see what happens.

rae52

Sandman,

You can clean up the oxidation by simply using paste wax and a soft rag. I did it on my old '99 civic and it worked! Only took less than an hour to do.

fintail

Oh wow, good luck with that then. If anything, the cars are overall a lot easier to live with than say 10 years ago, so maybe you won't be murdered apart from tires and gas

My old E55 had 18" staggered low profile tires - I got a little over 20K out of a set, the rears were really bald by then.

Sandman6472

Got it across the street literally at Coconut Creek Hyundai...if you go, please use my sales lady as she was quite good actually and really knows her product line. Get in touch with me for her name and all...she really is super!

Mike, took the vehicle home yesterday as I was able to get the amp taken out a few hours before so figured why wait. This way I was "available' to work today even though they never called. On "stand by" for tomorrow though. I called the insurance man Monday morning and he said go ahead and take it home and call me with the vin tomorrow, so I did. Glad I did...and it's great! Since the mats will be in Thursday, going to try and make an appointment to have the amp installed in the morning and just stay home...they said they'd drive me back to the house as it's going to take a few hours. Not quite sure where they are going to position it as it's medium in size and doubt it'll fit under the passenger seat. They have some crannies in the rear hatch area that maybe the guy could use but if not, he said he might just make a small box to surround it as I need cacess to it if I want to adjust the sound but asked him to just do it so it doesn't blow the factory speakers. Got a feeling though that he's going to suggest swapping them out while he has the vehicle there and if he gives me a great price on them, I will definitely consider it. All the rear windows are tinted alrerady so i can wait on the front windows until summer hits...it's nicer weather now here so why bother doing it now...wait and save the $ till May.

The Sandman

Naturally, got a call on the Civic today! Ya just have to laugh...and then move on! Took the ad down so it is truly gone now!

jayrider

The only issue with our Teachers pensions will be the yearly raises. You won't lose what you have ---- the % col will be adjusted. Of course, all this will be challenged in court and some comprise will be reached. It may take years. My wife and I are both retired Illinois teachers as well.

28firefighter

Corvette - Sorry to hear about your accident but to echo everyone else, I'm glad you were not a total loss. Cars can be replaced, people cannot.

I worked a number of accident scenes in my previous life and I can tell you my personal experience is that folks driving cars of the German or Swedish breed (VW, Audi, BMW, MB, Volvo, Saab) walked away in better shape than most - moreso when the physics of the accident were not in their favor.

Keep us posted on the GLI. Sounds like you may get another punch this year yet, but I certainly wish it were under better circumstances

stever

I use toothpaste on my cloudy headlights.

corvette

If you have staggered tire sizes, you can still rotate them left to right on the same axle so long as the tires aren't directional. This won't greatly increase their lifespan but can help eliminate irregular wear patterns (I did this on my long-gone 540i).

corvette

I tried buying one of those headlight restore kits at Autozone on my 540i. It made them look a little better. Then I had a professional redo them, and it was like night and day. They didn't look new (the deep pits were still there), but they were nice and shiny. If you can get a pro to do them inexpensively, I would go that route.

stever

And no doubt the pro coated the lenses to protect the shine for a while too.

corvette

Thanks for the well wishes. Damage wise, the structure of the car held up very well, and I'm surprised all those airbags went off (my seatbelt was on and I don't remember striking any of the airbags). No burns from the airbags, either, but it was difficult to get out of the car with the curtains deployed. An off duty EMT was nearby and helped me with that.

The police wanted my insurance card (and I wanted to retrieve some personal items). It was kind of scary doing that knowing that the car/airbag system had been compromised, there was traffic driving around the scene of the accident, and there were three airbags that hadn't yet deployed (2 in the seats and the passenger frontal one).

I did walk away, but I don't recommend the experience to anyone. Surprisingly, it appears that the dimwit who caused the wreck actually has valid insurance, but I suspect it's a minimum policy that won't cover all of my damages, so I may have to file a claim with my own carrier anyway.

corvette

I'm not sure whether the pro did, but I know I slapped a coat of Zaino on them once I got them home. OCD, you know! :P

stever

LOL.

Next new car I'm going to change my ways and buy some of that insulator wax.

abacomike

My wife and I are both retired Illinois teachers as well.

One of the major problems Illinois teachers and administrators face is the fact that most do not receive Social Security. It is a serious hardship on them since any changes in pension benefits will not be offset by Social Security.

When I was in teaching and school principaling, over 8% of my salary was put into my pension system. Social Security was not taken out since we paid in to a pension fund. In many states, the state picks up 50-75% of pension contributions for its teachers - but in Illinois, teachers put in most of the pension dollars for their own pensions - and for years, the State of Illinois did not contribute what they were supposed to contribute - that is why the pension fund is having longevity problems.

Luckily, I always had part-time jobs which did deduct social security - then 23 years ago, I went into private school administration where I contributed heavily to social security - so I get a modest pension and less modest social security.

I am just concerned about the serious financial condition of Illinois. They are even in worse shape than California. The COLA decreases are not so worrisome as the general financial condition of the State of Illinois.

abacomike

If you have staggered tire sizes, you can still rotate them left to right on the same axle so long as the tires aren't directional

Unfortunately, they are unidirectional tires. That is why on my previous E 350's that had staggered tire sizes, I always checked them for wear patterns - so if an alignment was needed, I could take care of it sooner than later. But those tires were V rated, not Z rated.

If I had carefully considered tire wear, fuel economy and future resale values, I would never have bought this car. But since I am short-sighted and more impulsive than most when buying cars, I did not carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages. Sandy does it the way a car buyer should - painstakingly thorough, objective and rational - qualities that are not in my vocabulary when confronted with a great deal on any car I covet!

Kudos to Sandy and his meticulous approach to car buying.

oldfarmer50

"...I am just concerned about the serious financial condition of Illinois..."

Don't worry, you still have those millions you made as a car salesman with all that "double-secret handshake trunk money" which we suspect all you guys get.

Seriously though, I've read about some irresponsible financial management with different state retirement systems and it makes me angry. To screw you over at a time you are most vulnerable is criminal.

Here in NY the government pension I'll get is secure for decades or beyond because they dumped the funding requirements on localities. I'll get what I consider an obscenely generous pension on what until recently was a part time job.

Lucky, because the farmer's pension system consists of coffee cans buried in the yard.

Sandman6472

I was a civil service employee my 31 years at the p o and I have very few quarters for social security, the reason I am working now. I will be able to get my wife's ss should anything happen to her and I went the survivor's annuity route so if I pass first, she'll get 1/2 of my pension for her lifetime so think we are covered here. And we still have the kids, lol, to come take care of us if all else fails! No seriously, I think we'll be just fine if we both keep working for awhile longer and that's just what will happen. We just have to be careful with the spending like everyone else. And now, I am done with any large purchase for myself. Figure she'll be in a new set of wheels within 2 to 3 months at best as every time she sees my Tuscon, it's going to reming her that I went first twice in a row...trust me, the Mazda's tenure in the garage is going to be very short lived and bet that once the holiday vaca starts in about 12 days, she will be looking and possibly dragging me over there to help negotiate with her.
The Tuscon drove very smoothly on the turnpike last night up to West Palm Beach to see the kid. Tried the cruise and works flawlessly and discovered the rear 5 windows are already tinted, the kid pointed that out to me. Tracks straight and true though this is a tall vehicle, about 6 ft. at the tallest point but still a compact size vehicle and fits nicely on my side of the garage. Probably a couple of inches wider than the old Civic which ain't much. Having the steering wheel controls for everything is pretty slick and now, making a phone call is super easy and the other folks say they can hear me nicely and me them...it even turns the radio off when the folks answer the call...very slick! It's just having an issue with "Janet", my wife's name, but when I say "mom" or "ice 2", it dials her cell. And loving the SiriusXM tremendously and hope I can swing the same deal I was going to get for my kid back in '09...think it'll be totally doable to because they want numbers and they are authorized to bargain to get to that goal to...I want to keep the XM...and plan on doing just that.
Yes Mike, I do take a long time to do my research and then purchase and am not impulsive like you but I can't afford to be wrong here...I don't have the wiggle room at this point. Did I make the wrong move here...don't think so as I love the vehicle and though that Lexus CT was a sweet ride, it was just too hard to get in and out of and truthfully, I didn't really want used and prefer a new vehicle especially one with a hybrid and all...I want to be the only driver from day 1. Also would've liked the Outlander but the Tuscon drives so much smoother than the CVT of the Mitsu, I could've lived with it but I wanted something I could just hit the accelerator and go...this 2.4 engine is pretty sweet and powerful and think the smaller 2.0 one would've been a bit underpowered for the 3000 pound weight of the Tuscon. And the mileage penalty isn't that great here and I'd rather have a bit more than a bit less power when I need it, it's nice tp punch the gas when needed and have ample power to make that pass or just speed up. I am happy here...very happy and once the amp is put back in, sure I'll have a smile on 24/7 here!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

Sandman6472

Vehicle is paid for as of now...the dealer let me put $5k on my Amex card instead of their $3k max, asked my sales lady to get me the highest amount she could for my card so they raised their limit by $2k. The Mitsu store right next door had a $8k limit which I didn't understand...same auto group/owner so why the difference in the amounts between stores there? I would've preferred the $8k on the card but they said no...dumb really! Gave them the $11k in checks and just transferred the $5k funds to pay off Amex as I hate having any debt on the books. Am a bit broke right now actually but have enough to have the amp done luckily and then I will not be buying a thing for awhile. Hate to get this low but once that dumbass judge, sorry Road, gets his act together and appoints me executor, things will be good as the estate already owes me close to $1k on fees I have paid this past year and 1st thing I plan to do is pay the lawyer and then me before anything else is done here. Hopefully this will get done by December 31st since my mom has been dead 8 years in a couple of weeks and my dad since 1986! This has gone on too long already and only the lawyer is making $ right now. Crazy family I come from, trust me, greedy and stupid and in the end...I am left in charge of it all which is so ironic and makes me laugh! They tried to take it all from me, even my part, and now two of the four are dead and can't enjoy the gift at all...and I am driving part of my gift right now! Not gloating here but karma has a way of making things right in the end and it's true...good things come to those that wait!
I am truly blessed here and all I can say is, thanks dad for the gift and my new vehicle!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

steine13

>> ..I am just concerned about the serious financial condition of Illinois..

No kidding.
You can't trust anyone, really, including yourself.
Let's review the options:

- Social Security: Grandiosely labeled a 'trust fund,' but the baby boom surplus was squandered away in recent years, with little to show for it.
At least SS is backed by the printing press.

- Company pensions. Underfunded in many but not all cases, backed by the PBGC. Generally being phased out everywhere. At least there are some sound accounting practices required.

- State/Municipal pensions. Generally the worst. Accounting practices make your eyes water -- states generally assume 8% growth going forward. You don't have to be a math genius to know what that does over a decade or two in a low-growth environment.

I don't recall the exact details, but according to an NYT article during the Chicago teacher strike last year, their pension fund was paying out ~ $1b a year, and the fund had ten times that total. This will not end well.

It is worst whereever one party is in control for long periods of time.
And I don't care which party.

- The 401(k) or IRA (or both).
A great idea, but in practice a miserable failure because few people use them properly. The average 60-year-old has approx. one annual gross salary stashed away. Might as well buy a nice car with it, as it won't do much to provide income...

There. I feel all better now.
Thank goodness there's no such thing as off-topic in CCBA.

Cheers -Mathias

jayrider

Glad you feel better --- I'm taking a Xanax !

nyccarguy

Sorry to hear about your GLI. I too am glad you were not seriously injured. I'm not sure what percentage of the car needs to be fixed for an insurance company to declare it a total loss. They'll fight tooth and nail to get it fixed as cheaply as possible. They'll do so using chinese body panels instead of genuine VW parts. If they do use Chinese parts, when they are done, tell them you are not happy with the fit and finish and they have to re-do it.

Good luck and keep us posted!

I think either way, you are going to add a punch. If they total it, automatic punch. If they fix it, I'm not sure I'd want to drive that car again, so... punch!

kyfdx

" The 401(k)"

Hey, just because most don't use it properly doesn't mean it's a bad program.... I'm glad I have it.. ;-)

stever

The WSJ reports that manufacturers have added more capacity in the US, inventories are up and demand for new cars is tentative.

So, the odds for higher incentives and more aggressive deals are good.

And sell your car stock.

(I'm even shopping - got my eye on the Audi 401k, sep the Volvo 529 looks good).

oldfarmer50

"...might as well buy a nice car with it..."

That's what I did.