Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

stickguy · January 27

And Bradd is making me look like an impulse buyer at this point, instead of a serial looker.

au1994 · January 27

nyccarguy said:
I know the price is too high, but with only 81K miles and a nice service history this 2005 Toyota Camry LE would make a nice car for my kiddos.

Agree with the others, this is a perfect kid starter car. Reliable, economical and not to tough to fix if something goes wrong. $7k is the new $5k, go get it!

Michaell · January 27

au1994 said:

nyccarguy said:
I know the price is too high, but with only 81K miles and a nice service history this 2005 Toyota Camry LE would make a nice car for my kiddos.

Agree with the others, this is a perfect kid starter car. Reliable, economical and not to tough to fix if something goes wrong. $7k is the new $5k, go get it!

IIRC, we spent $7K on my stepson's first new car - the '96 Geo Tracker that was owned by a retired GM exec. 60K miles on it, and in fantastic shape.

We had it all of 5 weeks before he totaled it - didn't even get a chance to put plates on it.

corvette · January 27

IIRC, that generation of Camry did not have standard ABS nor side airbags, and they were rare options. I know the listing says it has ABS, but I've known dealers to be wrong about that. I don't see the "airbag" tags on the front seats.

stickguy · January 27

That’s one of the trade offs for getting an older generation car. There are pluses and minuses.

corvette · January 27

Putting together a "short list" of potential replacements I'd consider purchasing used for when the Ariya goes back at the end of its lease:
Ioniq 5
Mach E
Polestar 2
XC40 Recharge
ID.4
Solterra/bZ4X
Kona/Niro

I suspect used Blazer and Equinox EVs will be below $30k by the end of the year, so I'd consider those, as well. I also had the i3s REX on the list, but I think I would grow tired of needing to use the REX (and its extremely limited fuel capacity) on longer trips. Of course, this all assumes I decide to keep an EV in the fleet, and that there aren't lease deals to be had.

nyccarguy · January 27

corvette said:
IIRC, that generation of Camry did not have standard ABS nor side airbags, and they were rare options. I know the listing says it has ABS, but I've known dealers to be wrong about that. I don't see the "airbag" tags on the front seats.

According to edmunds 4 Wheel ABS is standard

ab348 · January 27

Wouldn’t you be afraid of buying a used EV because of the risk of battery issues? I know on the Mazda CX-90 forums the PHEV models are having an epidemic of battery failures.

au1994 · January 27

corvette said:
Putting together a "short list" of potential replacements I'd consider purchasing used for when the Ariya goes back at the end of its lease:
Ioniq 5
Mach E
Polestar 2
XC40 Recharge
ID.4
Solterra/bZ4X
Kona/Niro

I suspect used Blazer and Equinox EVs will be below $30k by the end of the year, so I'd consider those, as well. I also had the i3s REX on the list, but I think I would grow tired of needing to use the REX (and its extremely limited fuel capacity) on longer trips. Of course, this all assumes I decide to keep an EV in the fleet, and that there aren't lease deals to be had.

Is “whichever has the best deal at the time” the wrong answer?

corvette · January 27

ab348 said:
Wouldn’t you be afraid of buying a used EV because of the risk of battery issues? I know on the Mazda CX-90 forums the PHEV models are having an epidemic of battery failures.

Not really. Anything I would buy, other than an i3, would still be under powertrain warranty for a while.

oldfarmer50 · January 27

nyccarguy said:
I know the price is too high, but with only 81K miles and a nice service history this 2005 Toyota Camry LE would make a nice car for my kiddos.

I like everything about it but the price but I guess that’s pretty much the minimum price at a dealer these days.

stickguy · January 27

My take on it now is there is so much junk floating around in the used car pool that it is worth it to spend a little extra if you actually stumble upon a gem.

oldfarmer50 · January 27

corvette said:

ab348 said:
Wouldn’t you be afraid of buying a used EV because of the risk of battery issues? I know on the Mazda CX-90 forums the PHEV models are having an epidemic of battery failures.
Not really. Anything I would buy, other than an i3, would still be under powertrain warranty for a while.

I got to drive a BMW i4 today. It was as fast as a scalded cat but the controls were not at all intuitive. In my drive I couldn’t figure how to operate the climate controls. Maybe that’s why I started out with 143 miles of range and ended up with 155. I didn’t need to use the brakes because the regenerative system was set up like a boat anchor. I assume it could be adjusted to be less aggressive but again, not intuitive. We even had a hard time unplugging the thing from the charger until I remember these things had a security feature that prevents some power pirate from unplugging your car by locking the plug until you unlock the car.

explorerx4 · January 27

If that Camry isn't gone by now, I'd be shocked.
It has a very nice maintenance history, although not many miles added in a few years.
Didn't get to look at trucks on Sunday, as I was hoping to, because the grandkids came over.
In the meantime, I think I figured out why some trucks had an extra $500 rebate.
For all those, the stickers were over 90 days old.
None of the units I am interested in at my local dealer were there yet, but will be in another 10 to 14 days.

corvette · January 27

@oldfarmer50 - the Ariya has a feature to lock the power plug when the car is locked, as well (you can turn it off or on). It keeps people from unplugging you, and also secures any adapter you might be using, such as a Tesla destination plug to J-1772 adapter.

qbrozen · January 27

I didn’t realize the xc90 t8 PHEV has become a reasonable used buy. I’d consider one but found out the towing capacity is lower than I’d want.

corvette · January 27

@qbrozen - the luxury PHEVs are intriguing, but many seem to have relatively short EV "legs."

roadburner · January 27

oldfarmer50 said:

corvette said:

ab348 said:
Wouldn’t you be afraid of buying a used EV because of the risk of battery issues? I know on the Mazda CX-90 forums the PHEV models are having an epidemic of battery failures.
Not really. Anything I would buy, other than an i3, would still be under powertrain warranty for a while.
I got to drive a BMW i4 today. It was as fast as a scalded cat but the controls were not at all intuitive. In my drive I couldn’t figure how to operate the climate controls. Maybe that’s why I started out with 143 miles of range and ended up with 155. I didn’t need to use the brakes because the regenerative system was set up like a boat anchor. I assume it could be adjusted to be less aggressive but again, not intuitive. We even had a hard time unplugging the thing from the charger until I remember these things had a security feature that prevents some power pirate from unplugging your car by locking the plug until you unlock the car.

I believe the regen braking level is fixed. I like it. The 4xe has a regen setting but I wish it was aggressive as the BMW- although a lot of people don't like it. The i4 to me is another boring product for the wearers.

tifighter · January 27

@corvette said:
Putting together a "short list" of potential replacements I'd consider purchasing used for when the Ariya goes back at the end of its lease:
Ioniq 5
Mach E
Polestar 2
XC40 Recharge
ID.4
Solterra/bZ4X
Kona/Niro

I suspect used Blazer and Equinox EVs will be below $30k by the end of the year, so I'd consider those, as well. I also had the i3s REX on the list, but I think I would grow tired of needing to use the REX (and its extremely limited fuel capacity) on longer trips. Of course, this all assumes I decide to keep an EV in the fleet, and that there aren't lease deals to be had.

There’s one glaring omission here. I mean, your name IS corvette…

suydam · January 27

corvette said:
IIRC, that generation of Camry did not have standard ABS nor side airbags, and they were rare options. I know the listing says it has ABS, but I've known dealers to be wrong about that. I don't see the "airbag" tags on the front seats.

I’m pretty sure my daughter’s ‘99;Camry (her college car) had ABS.

graphicguy · January 28

au1994 said:

corvette said:
Putting together a "short list" of potential replacements I'd consider purchasing used for when the Ariya goes back at the end of its lease:
Ioniq 5
Mach E
Polestar 2
XC40 Recharge
ID.4
Solterra/bZ4X
Kona/Niro

I suspect used Blazer and Equinox EVs will be below $30k by the end of the year, so I'd consider those, as well. I also had the i3s REX on the list, but I think I would grow tired of needing to use the REX (and its extremely limited fuel capacity) on longer trips. Of course, this all assumes I decide to keep an EV in the fleet, and that there aren't lease deals to be had.

Is “whichever has the best deal at the time” the wrong answer?

Test drove all except for the Solterra (did test the bZ4x), XC40 and Kona/Niro. Still wouldn't change after having my EV6 for a little while, now. I liked the Ioniq5, too. The dealers just didn't have a color or trim level I wanted (Limited and any other color other than their "flat" paint). It would have been a tough decision if I had found an Ioniq I liked. Ioniq rode a little better than the EV6. But, the EV6 handles a little better. Plus, I liked the layout a bit better in the EV6.

IoniqN........at least test drive one. I wished those would have been on the market at the time. That might have changed my mind, regardless of color.

All that said, my EV6 has been trouble free in its young life....not even a squeak or rattle. Really impressed with it during the snow and frigid temps we had recently.

oldfarmer50 · January 28

explorerx4 said:
If that Camry isn't gone by now, I'd be shocked.
It has a very nice maintenance history, although not many miles added in a few years.
Didn't get to look at trucks on Sunday, as I was hoping to, because the grandkids came over.
In the meantime, I think I figured out why some trucks had an extra $500 rebate.
For all those, the stickers were over 90 days old.
None of the units I am interested in at my local dealer were there yet, but will be in another 10 to 14 days.

On some lots 90 days is like a newborn. I’ve seen some dealers hanging on to 2023s like they were solid gold.

oldfarmer50 · January 28

corvette said:
@oldfarmer50 - the Ariya has a feature to lock the power plug when the car is locked, as well (you can turn it off or on). It keeps people from unplugging you, and also secures any adapter you might be using, such as a Tesla destination plug to J-1772 adapter.

I’m sure they all have various features that I didn’t want to take time to figure out with cold wind blowing across an airport runway and up my pant leg. The company never embraced EVs with the same gusto as Hertz so we never got any instruction on their operation.

To be fair, a lot of gas powered vehicles aren’t very easy to operate first time out either. The BMW was fun to drive though.

oldfarmer50 · January 28

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

corvette said:

ab348 said:
Wouldn’t you be afraid of buying a used EV because of the risk of battery issues? I know on the Mazda CX-90 forums the PHEV models are having an epidemic of battery failures.
Not really. Anything I would buy, other than an i3, would still be under powertrain warranty for a while.
I got to drive a BMW i4 today. It was as fast as a scalded cat but the controls were not at all intuitive. In my drive I couldn’t figure how to operate the climate controls. Maybe that’s why I started out with 143 miles of range and ended up with 155. I didn’t need to use the brakes because the regenerative system was set up like a boat anchor. I assume it could be adjusted to be less aggressive but again, not intuitive. We even had a hard time unplugging the thing from the charger until I remember these things had a security feature that prevents some power pirate from unplugging your car by locking the plug until you unlock the car.
I believe the regen braking level is fixed. I like it. The 4xe has a regen setting but I wish it was aggressive as the BMW- although a lot of people don't like it. The i4 to me is another boring product for the wearers.

There’s no way I’d pay $52-70k to “wear” anything.

cdnpinhead · January 28

oldfarmer50 said:
There’s no way I’d pay $52-70k to “wear” anything.

Yeah, well you're not the target demographic, and neither am I. I forgot about ever owning (not leasing) a BMW back when they eliminated the dipstick, went to run-flat tires and began reducing the availability of manual transmissions.

Something tells me that BMW couldn't care less, so it's clearly mutual.

laurasdada · January 28

Speaking of EVs...
Spent a couple of (profitable!) days at my Disneyworld in CT. They've installed 20 Tesla "Destination" chargers in each of 2-3 of their parking garages. Unlike the four (now down to one) J1772 chargers they had, the Teslas charge .32/kwh. And, of course, you need to download the Tesla app to use them.

So, I waited for the last free charger to become available and got my free tank. Because free is for me.

corvette · January 28

Welp, no go on the cheap Level 2 charger. The company called and said they no longer had any of the hardwire versions left, but they could send me one with a 14-50 plug and I could cut the plug off and hardwire it. I politely declined, since, given the amount of current involved, I’d rather have something that was designed from the factory to be hardwired.

venture · January 28

cdnpinhead said:

oldfarmer50 said:
There’s no way I’d pay $52-70k to “wear” anything.
Yeah, well you're not the target demographic, and neither am I. I forgot about ever owning (not leasing) a BMW back when they eliminated the dipstick, went to run-flat tires and began reducing the availability of manual transmissions.

Something tells me that BMW couldn't care less, so it's clearly mutual.

It's only gotten worse.

stickguy · January 28

one for Bradd, a 2002 (from my local Nextdoor group).

Hi Neighbors! I have for sale a well maintained, rust free black on black Lexus Es 300 Gold package. Perfect for a daily or first time driver. Fully loaded with airbags in the doors. All fluids changed. No rust underneath or on top. New tires and brakes. Job changed to remote, so do not need 2 vehicles. No accidents. 135k miles. Heated seats and sunroof. Has normal dings and scratches. Asking $4700.

Michaell · January 28

stickguy said:
one for Bradd, a 2002 (from my local Nextdoor group).

Hi Neighbors! I have for sale a well maintained, rust free black on black Lexus Es 300 Gold package. Perfect for a daily or first time driver. Fully loaded with airbags in the doors. All fluids changed. No rust underneath or on top. New tires and brakes. Job changed to remote, so do not need 2 vehicles. No accidents. 135k miles. Heated seats and sunroof. Has normal dings and scratches. Asking $4700.

Oh my. That's about 50% of the life of that car.

Do you deliver?

stickguy · January 28

To Connecticut, yes if he would take me to Two Roads and get some of that famous pizza.

To Colorado, I will pick you up at the airport and feed you dinner.

Michaell · January 28

stickguy said:
To Connecticut, yes if he would take me to Two Roads and get some of that famous pizza.

To Colorado, I will pick you up at the airport and feed you dinner.

For Bradd, not me. But, I think it's an excellent deal that won't be around for more than a day or two.

stickguy · January 28

I think it was posted 2-3 days ago. But still there!

Does seem like a decent deal in today’s market. Even at those miles.

Sandman6472 · January 29

Drove a Maserati Levante today and was a real blast. Took a few minutes to figure the a/c system out, but not to bad. Great sound system using my iPhone. Great acceleration and held the road very nicely. It was a few years old, part of our Exotic Collection, that my big boss needed at Palm Beach Airport. Since I've driven a Maserati before, I knew where the start button would be. This one was a blue button while the last one had a red button. Odd place to put it but guess it works.

nyccarguy · January 29

stickguy said:
To Connecticut, yes if he would take me to Two Roads and get some of that famous pizza.

To Colorado, I will pick you up at the airport and feed you dinner.

Two Roads is a brewery. I wasn't aware they were famous for pizza. I'll gladly take you to any one of CT's famous pizza joints.

In all seriousness, how far is the car from you and how do the pictures look?

corvette · January 29

That ES300 sounds promising if it's as good as they say.

stickguy · January 29

The pizza was a separate item from the beer. Stream of consciousness typing.

I’ll have to get back and see if I can find the posting again.

kyfdx · January 29

stickguy said:
The pizza was a separate item from the beer. Stream of consciousness typing.

I’ll have to get back and see if I can find the posting again.

I'll fly up and drive it down there for Pizza and Beer.

stickguy · January 29

Sent you a link. Hope it works! Based on stated location for the poster it is 5-10 minutes from me.

graphicguy · January 29

corvette said:
Welp, no go on the cheap Level 2 charger. The company called and said they no longer had any of the hardwire versions left, but they could send me one with a 14-50 plug and I could cut the plug off and hardwire it. I politely declined, since, given the amount of current involved, I’d rather have something that was designed from the factory to be hardwired.

I looked at those, too. Same story. $100 is a helluva good deal. Thought about installing in on the opposite wall of my 2- care garage for when I might have 2 EVs (50-50 right now). Nice find, though.

qbrozen · January 29

@stickguy said:
one for Bradd, a 2002 (from my local Nextdoor group).

Hi Neighbors! I have for sale a well maintained, rust free black on black Lexus Es 300 Gold package. Perfect for a daily or first time driver. Fully loaded with airbags in the doors. All fluids changed. No rust underneath or on top. New tires and brakes. Job changed to remote, so do not need 2 vehicles. No accidents. 135k miles. Heated seats and sunroof. Has normal dings and scratches. Asking $4700.

Given the age, I’d want to know more service history, especially timing belt service.

explorerx4 · January 29

Stopped by a Ford dealer today to look at some new trucks.
First one I saw that interested me was covered in bird crap like those vehicles you see in those barn find videos.
None were parked out front and there were a bunch of them hidden next to a back outbuilding.
Makes me wonder what's going on.

roadburner · January 29

When I worked at BMW I watched several training videos that hammered home the importance of the condition of the new and used inventory. The GM was particularly obsessed with how the cars were displayed inside and outside the showrooms.

Michaell · January 29

“How you do anything, is how you do everything“

oldfarmer50 · January 29

roadburner said:
When I worked at BMW I watched several training videos that hammered home the importance of the condition of the new and used inventory. The GM was particularly obsessed with how the cars were displayed inside and outside the showrooms.

That makes sense particularly with new vehicles. What’s the most important thing when you sell a car…you wash it so it looks nice.

sda · January 29

I found this to be very interesting. I like Savagegeese.

https://youtu.be/78yB_NKfBjA?si=rfrXZmL82zIhnqQk

roadburner · January 29

I like T/H and I think this review is clever and dead on point. I really wanted to like the new M5 but no way did I think the thing would weigh 5,390 pounds. As I said on FB, I have a very hard time calling a vehicle that massive a "sports sedan."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4Q_dlfQFyg

Michaell · January 29

Jeebus! I don’t think our ‘99 Expedition weighed that much.

jmonroe1 · January 29

Michaell said:
Jeebus! I don’t think our ‘99 Expedition weighed that much.

————————————————
Yeah, but your Expedition only had a small 12 volt battery…50 pounds max.

jmonroe

Michaell · January 29

jmonroe1 said:

Michaell said:
Jeebus! I don’t think our ‘99 Expedition weighed that much.
————————————————
Yeah, but your Expedition only had a small 12 volt battery…50 pounds max.

jmonroe

But it had twice as many seats.

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

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