Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

stickguy

Oh, I won't bother to look at the Benz. I just liked the way it looks. Plus I found another ad for an Audi, same guy, so definitely some kind of flipper.

I might look at the Highlander since it is close to home. and at the BP station down the road, a S60 2.5t, same colors as my S40. Can get it a big brother!

I know that the end result will be some sort of cheap lease for Christmas/New year. Makes sense at this point, as long as princess taking the Volvo to N. Carolina works out. I just have to make sure that whatever i get, if needed, can be traded to her for that duty.

I am quite annoyed that work through year end and into January is going to be hectic. I have no time for that nonsense when I need to be out looking at cars!

Mr_Shiftright

E320 was a pretty good car as far as Benzes go. Mostly watch out for HVAC problems and maybe a crankshaft pulley flying off occasionally.

graphicguy

tommister2 said:

stickguy said:

Not that I want to get involved (or, do I?) with an older, high mileage Benz, but I find this particular one to be gorgeous. Love this style, and the color combo.

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/4742159208.html

That is a great looking car, but the potential maintenance costs would scare me off. But hey, you only live once

Will defer to Shifty about longevity and mechanicals, but that car is a beauty.

Sandman6472

Wife drove the Kia Rio and Forte yesterday but preferred the Rio as do I, think it's a nicer vehicle than it's cousin, the Accent. She still wants to drive the Elantra, Accent, Buick Verano and the Mazda3 I Touring again. Since she's been driving the kid's Accent for so long now, she's liking the smaller size more than she thought. And now with this accounting gig in Marathon starting shortly, she knows she needs to find something by the end of the month but could wait till the end of the year since our daughter told her to keep the Accent as long as she needs it.
I think in the end, the additional safety features of the Mazda will win out but I'm not ruling out the Rio either. But we will have another punch by the end of the year here at Casa Sandman. And as for color, it'll be either silver or charcoal with charcoal being the preferred color since my Tuscon is silver and her current Mazda3s is silver also. Again, it'll also come down to what they have on the lot when we do pull the trigger...I was set to get the charcoal Tuscon but when I saw it, it was just to dark with the black lower body cladding and the special coated alloys, it just looked better in silver or white and I finally chose silver which they trucked over from their sister store within a matter of hours.
Will be so glad when this ordeal is all over but as I recall, I looked for about 2 months before I purchased so not surprised that she's taking this long to just do it. I'm just ready to get 'er done and give my kid back her wheels already!

The Sandman

kyfdx

Opinions needed....

http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/30519/general/x/help-a-euro-guy-choose-the-right-car-in-the-us#latest

stickguy

I chimed in, though you beat me to my first choice!

Sandman6472

Today's test drives were the Toyota Corolla, meh is all she said. She loved the Prius C though! A friend just got a used Prius last week and she's been talking about how nice it was and how much the mileage figures are. So guess she went this morning because she just called all excited though all this one dealer had wee 2014 models, no 2015's yet. We never discussed a hybrid until her friend got one but something tells me that she might just end up with one as it meets her small vehicle criteria and since she does drive a lot, like 15k/year, the mileage it does get is a nice surprise. And I thought I was all over the map with my short list last year!!!

The Sandman

Michaell

sandman_6472 said:

Today's test drives were the Toyota Corolla, meh is all she said. She loved the Prius C though! A friend just got a used Prius last week and she's been talking about how nice it was and how much the mileage figures are. So guess she went this morning because she just called all excited though all this one dealer had wee 2014 models, no 2015's yet. We never discussed a hybrid until her friend got one but something tells me that she might just end up with one as it meets her small vehicle criteria and since she does drive a lot, like 15k/year, the mileage it does get is a nice surprise. And I thought I was all over the map with my short list last year!!!

The Sandman

Sandy - great to hear that the search is getting serious.

I test drove a Prius C last year. I remember it being a bit noisy - not sure your wife will like it for her possible longer commute.

But, I do like the 50 MPG. However, only a 10 gallon gas tank.

stickguy

saw a new record today I think at the Exxon station. The spread between RUG and PUG was $.86

regular was 2.63 (of course what was on the big sign). But PUG was $3.49. And making no sense, since I thought it was just the 50/50 blend of the other 2, mid-grade was $3.39.

Michaell

stickguy said:

saw a new record today I think at the Exxon station. The spread between RUG and PUG was $.86

regular was 2.63 (of course what was on the big sign). But PUG was $3.49. And making no sense, since I thought it was just the 50/50 blend of the other 2, mid-grade was $3.39.

When I filled up the wife's Mazda on Friday, it was .40 between RUG and PUG.

fintail

A friend of mine has a Prius C - be sure she really investigates the seats, as his car doesn't have the lumbar support he needs, and he is counting the seconds until the lease is up. Also, ICE hasn't been flawless, and it is no fun on interstates. Good city car though.

sandman_6472 said:

And I thought I was all over the map with my short list last year!!!

The Sandman

fintail

Funny that you found it to be a curbstoner, it gave me that vibe.

Pretty color, not a first year car so that's good, has COMAND, cheap price. Maybe not a huge potential nightmare, but there will be maintenance issues sometime.

stickguy said:

Not that I want to get involved (or, do I?) with an older, high mileage Benz,

stickguy

stopped to look at the S60 I saw yesterday. Disappointment. Turned out to be a base car, so no turbo. No idea of the miles, but it was an earlier car (pre facelift) I think, and the interior, including the drivers seat, seemed to be well worn, so I am guessing a ton of miles.

Sandman6472

No, I doubt she'll get the Prius though because with luggage in the small hatch, it's just a bit too small plus the noise factor could be an issue. Think since her friend just got a used Prius, she wanted to see what it was all about. Honestly think it's going to come down to the Mazda 3 I Touring, the Kia Rio and the Hyundai Elantra. We, she, likes the Accent but the dash is just not as user friendly as the Rio's is and I told her she needs to get exactly what she wants since it's no fun to feel that you made a mistake every time you turn the vehicle on. Told her to get exactly what she wants and with her budget, probably $20k plus her old '05 Mazda3, that should be sufficient to find the perfect vehicle. And if she does find one that's a bit more, she'll just do it because now that she'll be doing even more driving, just makes sense. At least she finally got the itch to go test her short list which was a big move for her...and it's definitely time to give the daughter back her Accent even though it's finally getting the use it needs.

The Sandman

nyccarguy

Sandy

I can totally see your wife going for a Prius C. Just solely for the fact that it is cheap & good on gas;)

breld

Did a little car looking this weekend - actually hadn't done that in a while, but it's my "birthday weekend" (b-day on the 4th), so when my wife asked what I would like to do, well....

Went to the Mercedes dealer to look at that used 5-series wagon, but it had already sold. No matter - I wanted to check out the new GLA anyway.

I really liked that GLA - very sharp and unique look. A bit "Porsche-esque" to my eye. I didn't drive it for terribly long, but thought it was certainly quick enough and felt planted in the turns. Interior felt a bit cramped, but not unexpected for its overall size. Not a big fan of the round vents and "floating" screen in this and the CLA.

But at $40k well-equipped, seems like a pretty good buy to me. Particularly since the loaded GTI my wife has was low $30k's.

breld

Also looked at the BMW dealer next door - no drives though. Got to sit in a 428i gran coupe. As much as I love that car, my wife said her head was touching the ceiling in the backseat, and she's not particularly tall. Not sure that would work out too well since I'd often have backseat passengers.

As much as I think the look of the 3-series GT is a bit awkward, I'd probably go that way if I wanted to get back into a smaller feeling car. Just can't beat the rear legroom in that car.

breld

Final stop was at the Mini dealer. I wanted to check out the new hardtop in the base form (3 cylinder turbo). They only had one in a manual, and it needed to be prepped, so while they were doing that, they sent us out in a new "S" model.

The interior does seem much improved to me over the outgoing model, with some of the quirkiness subdued, while maintaining some character. The shifting also seemed much better, with quicker and smoother throws. The s model is certainly quick, but for daily driving, both my wife and I actually preferred the base model. One of those things where it's more fun to wring out the less powerful engine.

At just over $20k, the base model seemed like a fun run-about car. Even the base model had dual zone auto climate, rev-matching on the downshifts, nice leather-wrapped steering wheel. I'd like one in the volcanic orange (which my wife adoringly calls "nacho cheese").

Mr_Shiftright

MINI has a pretty attractive lease program right now don't they?

breld

I think their website indicates a monthly payment around $200, but that's with a pretty good chunk down.

Wife and I did talk about a lease for the fun car could be a possibility.

Mr_Shiftright

I don't like throwing too much money up front on leases.

stickguy

OK Breld, is the Mini supposed to just be an extra car in the fleet (a toy), or to replace something else?

I thought about leasing a mini last year. May think about it again in December.

Man, I am going to have to really budget my time to see everything I am interested in if I am going new!

Sandman6472

Have been looking at the Prius brochure, the regular one, and think this would be a better fit personally though I really doubt she will go in that direction. I'd rather see her go for a Corolla LE Eco for that matter but she said meh when I asked how she felt about one. We did the Toyota thing from 1988 through 2003 basically but they no longer make any vehicles that really interest us though I do like the Rav4 and had it on my short list last year. Have driven a few at work and it was nice but I doubt I would've bought one...same thing as the Mazda CX-5, another nice vehicle and again, it was on my short list. I just like the cuv concept of vehicle, the ability to be able to slide in and out of it without dropping down, so much easier for my spinal issues. I read somewhere that they have called my Tuscon a "Elantra on tippy toes" and that's really a great definition...it's just a higher seating vehicle than the Elantra but think it has the same dimensions.
Personally, I wish she'd look at a cuv like mine because she'd probably learn to love it but that ain't going to happen.

The Sandman

kyfdx

My wife's 2011 X3 took a rock to the fog light.. A new one is $157 list. Replacing it looks like a real pain (just from looking at it.. not sure of the details). If the dealer quotes 1 hour of labor (or less), I'll probably just let them do it..

jayrider

sandman_6472 said:

Have been looking at the Prius brochure, the regular one, and think this would be a better fit personally though I really doubt she will go in that direction. I'd rather see her go for a Corolla LE Eco for that matter but she said meh when I asked how she felt about one. We did the Toyota thing from 1988 through 2003 basically but they no longer make any vehicles that really interest us though I do like the Rav4 and had it on my short list last year. Have driven a few at work and it was nice but I doubt I would've bought one...same thing as the Mazda CX-5, another nice vehicle and again, it was on my short list. I just like the cuv concept of vehicle, the ability to be able to slide in and out of it without dropping down, so much easier for my spinal issues. I read somewhere that they have called my Tuscon a "Elantra on tippy toes" and that's really a great definition...it's just a higher seating vehicle than the Elantra but think it has the same dimensions.
Personally, I wish she'd look at a cuv like mine because she'd probably learn to love it but that ain't going to happen.

The Sandman

My wife loves our Prius. They depreciate a lot though. Buy a 2 year old car and save big. Mine like most has been bulletproof. Has a nice seat hip point that makes getting out and in easier than the compacts you are looking at.

Michaell

breld said:

I think their website indicates a monthly payment around $200, but that's with a pretty good chunk down.

Wife and I did talk about a lease for the fun car could be a possibility.

No lease numbers from MINI for November ... yet.

Most of the national MINI and BMW lease offers require a good sized down payment.

stickguy

that hip point sounds good right about now. Somehow this afternoon I hurt my hip/leg, and I am hobbling around like I just had (or now need!) a hip replacement. Hard to figure out what I did sitting in the chair watching football, but I hope like heck a nights sleep takes care of it.

A nice reminder to stay away from anything low slung that you have to climb out of!

breld

stickguy said:

OK Breld, is the Mini supposed to just be an extra car in the fleet (a toy), or to replace something else?

Just the extra fun car. Would love to have a manual back in the fleet.

Probably wait until next year though.

Mr_Shiftright

I think they just pop out with a screwdriver. You get in there from behind I guess and release some sort of clip? The diagram isn't very clear.

http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/x5/lights/9510-diy-replacing-fog-lamp-bulbs-bmw-x5.html

What you REALLY need is this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciKUPG67fOU

Apparently, X3 foglights have the life expectancy of a raccoon crossing a freeway.

kyfdx said:

My wife's 2011 X3 took a rock to the fog light.. A new one is $157 list. Replacing it looks like a real pain (just from looking at it.. not sure of the details). If the dealer quotes 1 hour of labor (or less), I'll probably just let them do it..

stickguy

Probably wait until next year though.

I assume this translates to "expect another punch by the end of the week"

breld

stickguy said:

Probably wait until next year though.

I assume this translates to "expect another punch by the end of the week"

Ha!!! Of course, there may be some truth to what you say, but my juices just aren't flowing as they were over the past few years on these test drives.

breld

Just got a call from the BMW dealership that my 535 is ready to go. Apparently, the third party programming I got done to install Sirius on the car messed a bit with the system, whereby the mileage counts for service required were off.

I was afraid that there would be some non-covered charge for them to figure all that out (I was upfront with them about the third-party programming), but fortunately there wasn't any cost to me. But I don't think I'd go that way again for the savings (thought it was a few hundred dollars in savings).

isellhondas

My buddy had the crank pulley fly off his 320 Mercedes and it did 4800.00 worth of damage!

isellhondas

Funny someone would mention Rainbow Car wash.

I don't know if it's still there but for many years right on Broadway in Oakland CA there was a car wash with the same name. It was the old fashioned type where your car travelled on a conveyor. Two guys would be inside your car cleaning the insides of the windows.

When your car came out the end of the conveyor a swarm of guys with rags would spend a good five minutes making sure the car sparkled.

They charged quite a bit but the results were worth it.

ab348

That reminds me of when I was a kid in the 1960s when Dad would visit what was for years the only automatic car wash in our town. It was called "Minuteman (or "Minit-Man", not sure) Car Wash". There was always a long line of vehicles waiting to get through. The one thing I don't recall is how you paid for the wash, whether there was a guy out in the lot who took your money or if you paid inside. But I do recall the rest quite well.

Out in the lot your car was approached by two guys with steam-cleaning wands who would attack the wheels/tires and rocker panels. As a kid, I always found this part a bit scary. Eventually you reached a point in the line up where a guy would open the door to take the wheel while the driver and occupants walked into the building to watch the process through windows that lined the entire operation. The guy in the car would drive it to the starting point where a chain hook was attached to haul it through the wash. He stayed inside to clean the windows and some of the interior. It went through the wash equipment and blowers as usual, and then when it emerged there was an army of guys with towels who would do the final wipe-down. The amount of labor compared to today's car wash places was huge!

stickguy

I seem to be befuddled again. Honda guy called to check in. Sent me price list on the 2014 accords. Mostly EX left (no sports, but you get moonroof and lane watch). And one listed in color I like.

Their offer was $4k off sticker, plus they throw in their "enhancement package". Trunk tray, spats and pin stripe.

So, I figure if they are stalking me, if I give them a graphic guy offer 1k below that ($21,500 off a MSRP of $26,500) they may just take it since 15s are piling up. Plus they have .9% for 60 months.

So with 1k down, a buy would only be ~$125/mo more than a lease. And about $50 less than we pay now on the other car.

Plan either way is to payoff RDX 3 years early since that is at 4%, instead of putting money down on a new car. Let Honda finance next semesters tuition!

This seems to make sense. Not much more to buy over the lease, so might as well do that and keep it forever. Never go through thus process again!

kyfdx

isellhondas said:

Funny someone would mention Rainbow Car wash.

I don't know if it's still there but for many years right on Broadway in Oakland CA there was a car wash with the same name. It was the old fashioned type where your car travelled on a conveyor. Two guys would be inside your car cleaning the insides of the windows.

When your car came out the end of the conveyor a swarm of guys with rags would spend a good five minutes making sure the car sparkled.

They charged quite a bit but the results were worth it.

That's what makes my Rainbow Car Wash a great place.. It's an automated conveyor, as well... but, it's what happens at the other end that really counts. Car wiped down, interior and windows cleaned... And, alloy wheels wiped down. If you've ever spent an hour cleaning brake dust off of BMW alloy wheels, that alone is worth the $15.

Michaell

kyfdx said:

isellhondas said:

Funny someone would mention Rainbow Car wash.

I don't know if it's still there but for many years right on Broadway in Oakland CA there was a car wash with the same name. It was the old fashioned type where your car travelled on a conveyor. Two guys would be inside your car cleaning the insides of the windows.

When your car came out the end of the conveyor a swarm of guys with rags would spend a good five minutes making sure the car sparkled.

They charged quite a bit but the results were worth it.

That's what makes my Rainbow Car Wash a great place.. It's an automated conveyor, as well... but, it's what happens at the other end that really counts. Car wiped down, interior and windows cleaned... And, alloy wheels wiped down. If you've ever spent an hour cleaning brake dust off of BMW alloy wheels, that alone is worth the $15.

We have the same type of car washes here in Colorado ... automated for the exterior, then manual labor at the end for wipedown and interior cleaning.

fintail

My local MB dealer group has a foam brush wash that you can use for free if you buy the car there. It has fans at the end to blow dry the car. I like this - then I park, and wipe the car down, takes just a couple minutes. It's a good car wash, as the detergent is mild and doesn't ruin your wax unlike the touchless places.

breld

We pay an annual fee at our local car wash (several locations in the Denver area) to be part of the "Clean Car Club." It includes unlimited car washes for the year - basic car wash, vacuum and towel dry - plus an upgraded car wash on Tuesdays. My office building has a fleet deal with them, so it comes to $275 per year, per car. Not bad if you use it at least once a week or so.

graphicguy

kyfdx said:

isellhondas said:

Funny someone would mention Rainbow Car wash.

I don't know if it's still there but for many years right on Broadway in Oakland CA there was a car wash with the same name. It was the old fashioned type where your car travelled on a conveyor. Two guys would be inside your car cleaning the insides of the windows.

When your car came out the end of the conveyor a swarm of guys with rags would spend a good five minutes making sure the car sparkled.

They charged quite a bit but the results were worth it.

That's what makes my Rainbow Car Wash a great place.. It's an automated conveyor, as well... but, it's what happens at the other end that really counts. Car wiped down, interior and windows cleaned... And, alloy wheels wiped down. If you've ever spent an hour cleaning brake dust off of BMW alloy wheels, that alone is worth the $15.

I don't use it often, but there's a similar one at the Sharonville (for the locals) area. It was voted "Best in Cincinnati" at one point.

These days, I seem to be buying cars from dealerships that offer a car wash gratis....usually a totally hand wash, at that.

breld

stickguy said:

I seem to be befuddled again. Honda guy called to check in. Sent me price list on the 2014 accords. Mostly EX left (no sports, but you get moonroof and lane watch). And one listed in color I like.

Their offer was $4k off sticker, plus they throw in their "enhancement package". Trunk tray, spats and pin stripe.

Seems like quite a deal to me - didn't realize Honda was offering such a deep discount on the Accords. Kinda hard to go wrong with that car - and the EX model is nicely equipped. If you can't get the $5k off an EX model, maybe they'd do it for an EX-L, then you'd get the leather-wrapped steering wheel, and leather seats of course. While I like the cloth seats in the Sport model, I'm not the biggest fan of the EX ones.

stickguy

Maybe that us why I liked the sport more.

isellhondas

Wow! 4000.00 off MSRP and you still want more?

Things may have changed since I was selling them because there sure wasn't 4000.00between invoice and MSRP especially if they are including those accessories.

Yeah, I know about holdback (2% of MSRP) and I suppose there is probably some "trunk money" there but 4000.00 off MSRP??

You can always make a lower offer and see what happens!

Michaell

isellhondas said:

Wow! 4000.00 off MSRP and you still want more?

Things may have changed since I was selling them because there sure wasn't 4000.00between invoice and MSRP especially if they are including those accessories.

Yeah, I know about holdback (2% of MSRP) and I suppose there is probably some "trunk money" there but 4000.00 off MSRP??

You can always make a lower offer and see what happens!

isell, not sure if you're still reading the Accord Prices Paid forum but that's what lots of folks have been getting lately.

I don't understand it, either. Gotta be a lot of factory-to-dealer incentives we don't know about.

kyfdx

graphicguy said:

kyfdx said:

isellhondas said:

Funny someone would mention Rainbow Car wash.

I don't know if it's still there but for many years right on Broadway in Oakland CA there was a car wash with the same name. It was the old fashioned type where your car travelled on a conveyor. Two guys would be inside your car cleaning the insides of the windows.

When your car came out the end of the conveyor a swarm of guys with rags would spend a good five minutes making sure the car sparkled.

They charged quite a bit but the results were worth it.

That's what makes my Rainbow Car Wash a great place.. It's an automated conveyor, as well... but, it's what happens at the other end that really counts. Car wiped down, interior and windows cleaned... And, alloy wheels wiped down. If you've ever spent an hour cleaning brake dust off of BMW alloy wheels, that alone is worth the $15.

I don't use it often, but there's a similar one at the Sharonville (for the locals) area. It was voted "Best in Cincinnati" at one point.

These days, I seem to be buying cars from dealerships that offer a car wash gratis....usually a totally hand wash, at that.

Yeah.. my BMW dealer offers free hand washes on Wednesday and Saturday morning.. But, I usually don't have the time, and it's not really close enough to home to drop it off.. Every once in awhile on a Saturday, I'll take the paper and my tablet and get there when they open at 0800, and have the free coffee and donuts, along with the free wash.... about an hour.

I think I've done that three times in 11 years of BMW ownership...

stickguy

2015s are piling up on top of the 14s. Must be heavy trunk money. I know there is $1,500 dealer leash cash.

I don't care how they do it. As long as they do! Remember, I would be getting a car that is a year old as soon as I leave the lot.

isellhondas

I know the stores (not just Honda) are getting sick and tired of cheap buyers trying to wring the last drop out of every deal. It's quite possible that MSRP's and invoices are getting padded by the manufactures allowing the factories to add in greater incentives.

I don't know this and this is only a thought I had. I do know that when I retired fours ago if a buyer paid MSRP for an EX Accord there was only a little over 2000.00 in profit not including holdback. Contrary to popular belief there isn't always incentive money.

Stores HAVE to make a decent profit to stay in business. I know, profit is a dirty word to some.

Overhead, taxes etc are staggering too. A lot more than most people realize. I know they don't care but someone has to pay the light bill. Not always an easy business.

kyfdx

$1500 dealer cash on 2014 Accords.. $500 dealer cash on 2015 Accords.

stickguy

I didn't grind. I asked what they were going for and he sent the price list in email. No clue if they take an offer lower, but I already said to them I was probably waiting for Christmas, and they keep calling begging to take a 2014 off there hands!