Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

fintail

Congrats. I had a good feeling about that car from the ad. Really hard to find them so loaded up and well kept. You'd have looked far and wide for another like it, and probably not succeeded.

carnaught

corvette said:

Not quite, he's only bought two cars so far in 2015. He had five punches in 2014, so I don't think he should stop looking if he wants to keep up that pace.

Agree, that as a member of CCBA, one never stops looking .

roadburner

breld said:

corvette said:

Buy it! It's tons nicer than the one in Greenwich and would end up costing you less in total. You will regret not buying it.

Well....okay.  

Wife drove it home earlier this afternoon.  

Smart move- congrats!!!

ab348

corvette said:

Not quite, he's only bought two cars so far in 2015. He had five punches in 2014, so I don't think he should stop looking if he wants to keep up that pace.

Well, it's only mid-May...

stickguy

Anyone have experience with the current generation Sentra? Saw a new one on display outside movie theatre tonight. Loaded SV. even had moonroof. Sticker just under 21k, so TMV well under I bet. Provably lease cheap. Looked nice. Not too small.

nyccarguy

@breld - Mazel Tov & Congrats on the ZHP Punch! You made the right choice & got a sweet ride. The one you got is MUCH nicer than the one I looked at for you!

stickguy

I told you you could get one local.

No one ever listens to me!

stever

Who said that?

Meanwhile, TIA for Which Car to buy within $20k? advice.

breld

stickguy said:

I told you you could get one local.

No one ever listens to me!

I'm glad you turned out to be correct!

corvette

stickguy said:

Anyone have experience with the current generation Sentra? Saw a new one on display outside movie theatre tonight. Loaded SV. even had moonroof. Sticker just under 21k, so TMV well under I bet. Provably lease cheap. Looked nice. Not too small.

I had the previous-generation Sentra (the first gen with a CVT) as a rental and it wasn't bad. I can't imagine the new one would be worse.

breld

As always, thanks everyone for all the encouragement on the purchase!

Here are a few pics in our own driveway.

stickguy

Sharp car. Looks new.

ab348

breld said:

As always, thanks everyone for all the encouragement on the purchase!

Very nice looking car, congrats.

I owned one convertible and that was enough for me to get that out of my system. The problem with them here is that there aren't enough convertible-weather days up here to drive topless very often, and mine wasn't very nice to drive with the top up.

28firefighter

Congrats, Breld! It really does look brand new. 

ab348

stickguy said:

Anyone have experience with the current generation Sentra? Saw a new one on display outside movie theatre tonight. Loaded SV. even had moonroof. Sticker just under 21k, so TMV well under I bet. Provably lease cheap. Looked nice. Not too small.

Funny thing about that car. Every time I see one I almost always mistake it for an Altima. Like you say, it isn't overly small, and the styling is similar. Thing is, I almost never see one.

kyfdx

@breld Nice! I hear those are fun cars..

kyfdx

Here is an esoteric question about new coupes... if anyone has input for this member.

http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/34395/general/x/which-coupes-have-a-rear-window-that-rolls-down#latest

graphicguy

Cool....congrats Breld!

corvette

Spent a significant portion of my day pulling stray nails and hooks out of the studs/rafters in the garage and basement at the new house. Those are one of my pet peeves, even if they're not in the way, it's like they're just waiting to scrape someone's knuckles. Amazing how many a house will accumulate after 60+ years.

Another project is removing unused coax/speaker/telephone wire. Already found a "hot" electrical wire that some incompetent person just left dangling in the basement/crawlspace, completely uncovered and uncapped. Thankfully it didn't hurt anyone.

stickguy

so, got the kid (and the car) home from college today. Long drive. Issues on 95 by DC (shocker, I know) so took the back way (301 from Richmond up through MD and Delaware). Ran into problems at the top, so overall a long, tiring day.

Sent the wife with the kid in the S40. It seems to have run fine, and did well. though apparently it made "a funny noise" when they started out, which they decided to just ignore. Probably for the best that they did not tell me about it!

man, was that car filthy after sitting outside, often under trees, for the last 4 months. Princess needs a lesson on using the self serve car wash (there is one right off campus, only $1.50!). I gave it a quick wash, and cleaned the windows for her. But, still needs a full detail when I get a chance.

After this nasty drive, I still think I like my plan of upgrading Roberto (the S40, don't ask) one way or another. But will work on that over the next few months, since don't really need it until August. Unless I decide to go used, in which case, I need to start looking now!

corvette

New garage is about 13 x 21 feet. A far cry from the 24 x 24 at the old house. Needs a new roof very badly, which is in the works. All the junk along the back wall goes to the dump. Haven't decided on keeping the workbench sitting on the left. There is already one in the basement and space in the garage is at a premium, especially once I get my Gladiator cabinet moved in. One of the previous owners had four speakers wired up in the garage, which I took down.

Went ahead and switched the electrical outlet to a GFCI model, but will probably do almost a full rewire of the garage since everything is easy to access. There is only one light and it has a pull chain. I will probably do several operated by a switch, instead. I'm thinking of using several ceramic bases with inexpensive non-dimmable LED bulbs in both the garage and basement. I figure if you use enough of them, they will produce as much light as a fancy, expensive fluorescent fixture.

jpp75

Congrats @breld! Great looking car!

Sandman6472

We've never ever owned a vehicle for less than 3 years until the Tucson, and truthfully, if the wife had not bought her A3, we'd still have it right now. I just wasn't in love with it or the mileage...it was a bit big for what I am comfortable with but guess I had to get it out of my system since I've only owned economy cars. And I don't really consider the Golf an economy vehicle, think it's a step above really. The Tucson did move when I punched the accelerator though, the 2.4 was a sweet engine and I was never at a loss for power but again, the size was just a bit too large for what I felt comfortable with.
So far, am loving the Golf though I'm thinking the black interior would've been a better choice since there are a few marks right now, nothing too bad but I know they're there. But 90% of the time, I'm the only occupant. Mine has more miles than the A3 now but I drive a bit farther on the days I do work and lately when we go out, I drive. But in time, hoping things even out though it doesn't really matter because I don't see myself in the market for a pretty long time...expect to do about 13k per year if things keep the way they are now. Have been cutting my commute down to 3 days a week which should help a bit. Great vehicle though and I really do love it more than anything up till now, even the '06 Civic, a tough act to follow. Only regret is that the 2016's will have an upgraded sound system...it should've gone into the new 2015 model!

The Sandman

Sandman6472

Great looking drop top, similar to the one I looked at when I first decided to replace the Civic back in 2013 but it was silver with a blueish top...had too many miles and too many issues which led me to the black over saddle one with the low miles but again, it just didn't drive right. At that point was looking for a 3rd fun vehicle but the wife was unhappy so I passed...looking back, it might've been the best idea to have gone that route!
On the new Sentra, check out the brakes carefully as the early ones I drove at work didn't have the best brakes. Felt they didn't grab fast enough and the pedal went to far down for my liking. Besides that issue, they drive nicely and the "SV" model comes nicely equipped, those are the model that Hertz rents mostly. But truthfully. I'd check out the Altima also, a lot of bang for the buck there. If she don't mind driving a mid-sizer, this might be a good alternative. But if the vehicle is just going to sit out doors another few years, I'd personally keep the current rig and just sock the $ away in case a problem does arise. As long as it's behaving, I'd stay the course, decide on a replacement if need be, and sock the extra $ away. Not the most exciting thing to do but to get a new vehicle which will just sit 75% of the time, just not sure how prudent that is at this juncture. But again, that's just one persons opinion!

The Sandman

stickguy

It's not really the money. Though I can make that analysis come out any way I want! More to do with my comfort level in case there is a failure. That drive is just horrid, no matter which way you go (and about 450 miles each way).

We shall see. May try to find something newer that canto for the next 3 years and she can keep after graduation. 2011 or newer, 40k or less, low teens. Something like that, which of course is hard to find

She is careful, and starting next year the parking is good, so not real worried about a lease. Financially a 3 year sign and drive on a civic or Elantra for less than $200/month, could still make the most sense.

Justifying (don't we all?) I sell Volvo, pay off RDX, and lease new car. I get peace of mind, and monthly cash flow goes down by about $230 month!

Then when she graduates can just go get herself a car.

xwesx

corvette said:

I'm thinking of using several ceramic bases with inexpensive non-dimmable LED bulbs in both the garage and basement. I figure if you use enough of them, they will produce as much light as a fancy, expensive fluorescent fixture.

I have yet to wire the shed I built last summer, but I plan to do the same thing. I have no doubt that the result will be excellent light penetration for the hybrid storage/workshop use this building should see.

LED lighting has come a long way in just a few years!

I replaced all of my incandescent and CFL bulbs with LED over the last couple of years (where possible). The light is better and the bulbs last longer than either of those options. The slight-to-massive reduction in electricity use is just icing on the cake.

Michaell

stickguy said:

It's not really the money. Though I can make that analysis come out any way I want! More to do with my comfort level in case there is a failure. That drive is just horrid, no matter which way you go (and about 450 miles each way).

We shall see. May try to find something newer that canto for the next 3 years and she can keep after graduation. 2011 or newer, 40k or less, low teens. Something like that, which of course is hard to find

She is careful, and starting next year the parking is good, so not real worried about a lease. Financially a 3 year sign and drive on a civic or Elantra for less than $200/month, could still make the most sense.

Justifying (don't we all?) I sell Volvo, pay off RDX, and lease new car. I get peace of mind, and monthly cash flow goes down by about $230 month!

Then when she graduates can just go get herself a car.

I think that makes the most sense. Daughter gets a new ride, dad gets piece of mind and extra money in the bank, and the obligation ends right when she graduates and starts making her own money - and can get her own car.

I wouldn't get anything too fancy; that way, her expectations won't be too high when she has to fund the next vehicle on her own.

xwesx

Seems like a pretty sweet deal for her, either way!

stickguy

Bluetooth, iPhone integration stuff, back up cam and alloys. Anything else like a moonroof is just gravy. Though I would like BLIS, and she was hoping for XM for the long rides through middle of nowhere!

We will be doing some looking soon (haven't told her yet though!). But final call is up to me, though I would not get something she was not comfortable driving (lake of visibility for a short person say). She's only 5'2". The S40 fits her a lot better than it fits me!

Michaell

xwesx said:

Seems like a pretty sweet deal for her, either way!

Oh, I don't know ... dad could lease her a Mitsu Outlander Sport at $179/mo ... or an Accent ... or a Kia Rio.

All of which are nice and reliable and cheap but still not spoiling the daughter.

(of course, this is coming from a guy who was ready to get a Kia Forte for my daughter and ended up with a MINI).

stickguy

Oh I like the forte. Just not sure I can handle dealing with a Kia dealer. Would like to stay with Hyundai. I like those guys! Though the tank on the Elantra is kind of small. Wonder if she would like a basic sonata SE? No gas stops!

Right now, my short list is small: Sentra, Elantra, 3, Corolla, forte, Impreza. Mid: sonata (nah, can't have 2!), Camry, Altima, 6. My gut says one of the yotas, probably a Camry because a lease will probably only be $20 more/month!

An August lease blow-out special 2015 Camry LE could do the trick. Manageable size, good mpg and range, no worries to me, good visibility. Perfect appliance for a 450 run down I95. What a god awful road between philly and Richmond.

Michaell

stickguy said:

Oh I like the forte. Just not sure I can handle dealing with a Kia dealer. Would like to stay with Hyundai. I like those guys! Though the tank on the Elantra is kind of small. Wonder if she would like a basic sonata SE? No gas stops!

Right now, my short list is small: Sentra, Elantra, 3, Corolla, forte, Impreza. Mid: sonata (nah, can't have 2!), Camry, Altima, 6. My gut says one of the yotas, probably a Camry because a lease will probably only be $20 more/month!

An August lease blow-out special 2015 Camry LE could do the trick. Manageable size, good mpg and range, no worries to me, good visibility. Perfect appliance for a 450 run down I95. What a god awful road between philly and Richmond.

One thing to note ... leasing Toyotas can be frustrating, as they don't residualize their options. The residuals we have state "base MSRP residuals" - the dealer has to literally look up the residual by VIN#, so it's hard to do the calculations from the comfort of your living room.

Food for thought.

Oh, and there's a value edition of the Elantra that was just released - heated seats and sunroof. Kinda like the old "special edition" Accords and Civics that were available just before the new model was released.

stickguy

I cruised the Elantra selection last week. Dizzying array of models and packages for 15 and 16. But some cheap packages with the good telematics, back up cam and roof with alloys. Though I do have to add a spare tire.

A Camry would pretty much have no options, so easy enough there!

stickguy

My guess, is an and Hyundai will be most aggressive and easiest to deal with on a blow out lease. Something that likely lets Mazda out.

Michaell

stickguy said:

My guess, is an and Hyundai will be most aggressive and easiest to deal with on a blow out lease. Something that likely lets Mazda out.

Valid point, but come August, when you get serious, the numbers for everyone should be pretty aggressive on the leftover '15's.

ab348

corvette said:

New garage is about 13 x 21 feet. A far cry from the 24 x 24 at the old house. Needs a new roof very badly, which is in the works. All the junk along the back wall goes to the dump. Haven't decided on keeping the workbench sitting on the left. There is already one in the basement and space in the garage is at a premium, especially once I get my Gladiator cabinet moved in. One of the previous owners had four speakers wired up in the garage, which I took down.

Went ahead and switched the electrical outlet to a GFCI model, but will probably do almost a full rewire of the garage since everything is easy to access. There is only one light and it has a pull chain. I will probably do several operated by a switch, instead. I'm thinking of using several ceramic bases with inexpensive non-dimmable LED bulbs in both the garage and basement. I figure if you use enough of them, they will produce as much light as a fancy, expensive fluorescent fixture.

That is the size of my garage. The problem I have is that I do not have a garden shed and so all of the outdoor stuff ends up in there too. I need to get a shed.

I had a single bulb in the center when I bought the place. I went and got 4 cheap white bulb socket bases (they used to be ceramic but most are now plastic) and daisy-chained them off the original one so that now there is also one in each quadrant of the space. Fortunately it was already switched. Surprisingly the light still doesn't seem all that bright. I need to paint the interior a light color as it is redwood stain inside which soaks up a lot of light. I have not added another electrical outlet but it is easy to do in a space like that. I don't use it for much other than car/gear storage anyway.

It is amazing how much junk you can accumulate when you have a space to put it. I should do a full cleanout. I also have intended to install some surplus kitchen cabinets I have on the back wall. But now I am dithering whether to keep it at all or do a reno that will give me a more modern heated space.

stickguy

Michael, you know what I need. So I am putting you on retainer to monitor the programs and let me know where and when to strike!

stever

Expert advice needed:

Which car to buy for given requirements - first time buyer

Michaell

stickguy said:

Michael, you know what I need. So I am putting you on retainer to monitor the programs and let me know where and when to strike!

When do you want to pull the trigger? Corolla MF is .00001 at the moment - can't get any better than that.

New programs in June, July and August - hard to get the timing right. MF may drop but so will residual.

We can take this conversation off line so as not to clutter up the thread - PM me directly @ michaell@edmunds.com. Or, you can post your requests in each make/model thread and we can deal with it that way.

stickguy

Sent a message. And yes, free money is, well, free! And that is good.

Once I narrow down choices I will post in appropriate marque specific threads.

Michaell

stickguy said:

Sent a message. And yes, free money is, well, free! And that is good.

Once I narrow down choices I will post in appropriate marque specific threads.

Responded to your PM. And, we'll figure out the best combination of deal, vehicle and options.

corvette

xwesx said:

I replaced all of my incandescent and CFL bulbs with LED over the last couple of years (where possible).

I did the same in the new house, even the infrequently used ones. (The dimmable floodlight-style bulbs sure are expensive!) My thinking is that it will greatly reduce the number of bulb change-outs. Plus, in the summer, the LEDs produce a lot less heat, which becomes more important in the kitchen, which has 7 or 8 can light fixtures, plus the fridge producing heat, and whatever cooking appliance you're using (stove, toaster oven, microwave).

stever

Two down, about 17 more LED floods to go. Got 5 in the LR with ~11' ceilings so it'll be nice to swap all those out. May do 'em all when the first one dies. Not a big fan of ladders.

Thanks everyone for the first time buyer help.

nyccarguy

Just wanted to post a few photos showing @breld that he made the right choice passing on the CT car:

jpp75

Wow, what a world of difference between those two BMW's. @breld definitely got the right car.

Thanks for posting the pics @nyccarguy!

breld

No doubt! Thank goodness @nyccarguy was kind enough to save me from it.

Now, assuming that one is in good shape mechanically, it will certainly make a nice car for someone who wants to put a couple grand into it. Unfortunately, it wasn't priced accordingly.

fintail

Wow, that steering wheel. I like the shot with the fender issue and curbed wheel in one pic too Spend a little more, get a lot more.

nyccarguy

If anybody is thinking of upgrading to an iPhone 6+, you will not be disappointed. The pictures it takes are truly remarkable. The car just had too many cosmetic issues for its asking price. Now who knows? Maybe they paid too much for it & the guy got a very small discount off of MSRP on his 435i Drop Top. It was a tough call to make. But I knew @breld was counting on me to be his eyes & ears.

corvette

stever said:

Two down, about 17 more LED floods to go. Got 5 in the LR with ~11' ceilings so it'll be nice to swap all those out. May do 'em all when the first one dies. Not a big fan of ladders.

I'm not stable on any ladder taller than about six feet. You may want to get one of those extender poles so you can change the bulbs from the floor with a little contorting.

corvette

breld said:

Now, assuming that one is in good shape mechanically, it will certainly make a nice car for someone who wants to put a couple grand into it. Unfortunately, it wasn't priced accordingly.

Will take more than a couple grand to make it look good. BMW interior trim is expensive!