Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

28firefighter · July 2012

In case any of you don't real the RWTIV thread, my sister was in a pretty bad accident with her 2007 S40. She is OK as were all the occupants with her because the car did its job, taking the brunt of the impact. That said, I'm fairly certain they are going to total the car - an unfortunate outcome because it has been completely trouble free for the 5 years my family has owned it.

I'm trying to come up with some viable, tank-like alternatives that we could replace her car with. Looking to be under $15k, preferably 2009-2010 MY. So far, the best option I've come up with is a CPO Jetta 2.5 SE. Similar size to the Volvo, equally as strong in build and safety. Our preference is something in warranty if for no other reason than we won't know the history of the car the same way we did. I looked at 2009-2010 S40's and they are not particularly cheap.

Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.

qbrozen · July 2012

Its so shiny!

qbrozen · July 2012

Yeah, an '09 S40 is pushing it. However, if you get a base base model, it could fit in the budget. For example, one with just under 30k miles went for $12k at auction in Denver last week. And just yesterday, one with 21k miles went through Orlando for $13,700.

stickguy · July 2012

assuming you want to keep in that smaller size, the Jetta would be my guess. Other than the S40, I think you are going to be looking at the Civic/Rolla/Excel class.

Actually, what about a Subaru? An Imprezza could work. They are solid I think.

stickguy · July 2012

Looks nice. I showed my wife the main picture, and she said it was a pretty color.

Not sure if it is just me, but I got an error when I clicked on the link to flickr. might want to check that.

Did I miss the Toyota hitting the road? or is that still around too?

28firefighter · July 2012

Thanks Q and Stick. I'll know more tomorrow when my parents hear from the adjuster, but I'm not optimistic. A base S40 could work, just a matter of finding one at that price. Used car prices all over are nuts, but it seems California is particularly bad. It would almost make sense to buy it out here (Pittsburgh or Philly) and ship it.

I haven't driven an Impreza - but out of the Civic/Corolla/Elantra class of car, I like that the best. My friend has a 2009 though, so I can take it for a spin and find out if its worth suggesting.

Thanks guys - I love to punch the CCBA card, but not under these circumstances.

28firefighter · July 2012

Want. Too bad if I bought it, I'd be sleeping in it...

roadburner · July 2012

Tuesday Update:

A new Countryman is now off the list; our sales guy was supposed to call us on Tuesday with information on a couple of loaners we might be interested in. No call. My wife was still stewing over the sales manager's arrogant attitude and that was the final straw.

We went over to the BMW dealer only to find that the A3 and 328i wagon had both sold. However, they had just traded for a 2009 328i sedan:

One owner, CPO, Premium, Cold Weather, fold-down rear seats, USB/iPod- and only 24,264 miles. We have one other car to look at but this one is now on the short list.

bolivar · July 2012

Ok, the post has pictures.

But no price.

roadburner · July 2012

Ok, the post has pictures.

But no price.

$28,950- about average for the year and miles.

tjc78 · July 2012

Good luck on the sale, Q. Stick is right Flicker link for pictures is a dead end.

breld · July 2012

Very nice! Can't imagine you'll have a hard time finding a new home for the 540.

Good luck!

stickguy · July 2012

He should put it on Ebay so we can all bid on it!

tjc78 · July 2012

We could always reply through CL with offers like "Would you take 3000 cash today?"

Or "I've got a 92 Geo Metro 5 speed, wanna trade?"

qbrozen · July 2012

thanks, guys. Seems CL was truncating the link for some reason. I think I fixed it.
Here are all the pics.

Yes, stick, the MR2 is gone. I don't start auctions till after a couple of weeks of the car sitting. :P

fezo · July 2012

This is a road burner fallback rule I like - when in doubt head to BMW.

stickguy · July 2012

looks nice. certainly not like it has that kind of miles on it.

Really curious as to how easy a sell this one will be.

qbrozen · July 2012

yeah, we'll see. Has to find the right audience, of course. i posted on bimmerfest and bmwcca, as well. The only competition I see on bmwcca is a black/tan one with 159k, but has some needs right now (he mentions brakes and O2 sensor... which we know means CEL is on), with asking price of $5900. Next one up from that is a '99 with 111k, mods, and bad rear bumper for $8500.

nyccarguy · July 2012

You know I like this one roadburner. Crimson red is gorgeous! I know Xenons are high on your list & I don't see them on this car.

isellhondas · July 2012

After replacing both of the Xenons on his Mercedes to the tune of over 600.00, the main unit on my buddy's Mercedes failed.

He paid something like 1400.00 to have his headlights converted to regular headlights after that.

Still high on anyone's list?

nyccarguy · July 2012

Hey Q! Your car is gorgeous & in fantastic shape. Are those the wheels from an '03? I'd LOVE to own a car like that, but with 150K miles it'd last me how long? I guess if I get another 2 years out of it (20K per year), that'd be a helluva car for under $300 per month. Then I'd have to add in the cost of maintenance & repairs of course.

How many miles were on the car when you bought it?

qbrozen · July 2012

Frankly, I think its a very odd detail to even care about. And let me note that I live in a very rural area with many unlit streets and many deer. I don't notice a big enough difference in the lights to let it dictate a buying decision or to even add several hundred dollars to a car purchase. I didn't even know the last 3 purchases came with HIDs until driving them at night for the first time.

fintail · July 2012

I have to wonder if that car was flood damaged or something. Complete lighting system failures are almost unknown. Maybe it was built on a Friday evening and someone was headed to Oktoberfest. And the dealer must have seen a sucker, too.

Regarding xenon/HID (soon to be LED and laser), I like them a lot. Have never had an issue, they light better, and look cool.

Speaking of car buyers...last weekend I had visited the local MB dealer, not shopping, just seeing if anything weird was laying about. Saleswoman talked to me a bit, swooned over my car, asked if there was anything I was looking for - so I listed off the weird color P2 diesel car that will end up on a results-free search as it would no doubt be special order. Anyway, she called me the other day and asked how much I would want for my car if I was to sell it. Kind of funny.

qbrozen · July 2012

Thanks.

I thought those wheels were standard with the Sport pack?

I bought it with 142,800 or so, per the carfax.

These are quite reliable (plenty with over 200k out there), but there are key problem areas that could give out at any moment. One being the cooling system, which I've taken care of at least for another 50k or so, I'd hope. The other is the plastic timing chain guides. If/When those go .... oh boy! And just preventatively replacing them is a huge job.

I'll let you know what it cost me per month after its gone. I do have over $7k in it (not counting my labor), so it won't have been a free ride.

nyccarguy · July 2012

We've got tons of deer and very dark roads where I live in Connecticut. I LOVE how the Xenon Lights on my BMW turn dark roads into daylight. The ones on my BMW swivel too.

stickguy · July 2012

well, I was just about to shoot you an offer until you mentioned plastic timing gear parts.

I would actually be a good candidate for this, since I will likely put very low miles on it. Mostly around town, with an occasional modest size trip. 5K/year would probably be pushing it. Could be more like 3!

as to HIDs, not a deal breaker to me. Our Acura has them, and I don't think they light up the road any better than my Volvo (normal lights). Plus, it is only high beams, right? The HBs on my S40 look like landing lights from an airport they are so bright and how far they project.

certainly better than the old dim sealed bulbs on the bombers I drove as a kid.

tjc78 · July 2012

Plus, it is only high beams, right?

I think it is the opposite. That is how it seems on my Buick. I don't think they are anything to brag about. They are bright and mine turn with the steering wheel, but it certainly wouldn't be a deal breaker without them.

I don't know if anyone here remembers but the early 2000s Maximas and Infiniti I30s were notorious for having the Xenon headlights stolen.

roadburner · July 2012

More news as it becomes available... :surprise:

nyccarguy · July 2012

You are going to MAKE US WAIT?

I know you got the 328i!

28firefighter · July 2012

COME ON! We want details!

Was it the 328, or did the wildcard Countryman come back into play?

corvette · July 2012

On the E39, the xenons are only on the low beams, but they remain on when you switch to the high beams. Illumination from the xenon low beams (alone) is OK but not great, but then again, I have them aimed pretty conservatively after repairing the headlight adjusters and readjusting them.

The E39's high beams are the best I've seen on any vehicle.

kyfdx · July 2012

All my BMW xenons have been listed as Bi-Xenons... I took that to mean both low and high beam?

I disliked them in our X3, because it was obnoxious to cars that we were following.... I like them on the cars....

And... 10 years of driving BMWs with xenons... and, not so much as a hiccup...

stever · July 2012

I don't know if anyone here remembers but the early 2000s Maximas and Infiniti I30s were notorious for having the Xenon headlights stolen.

Oh yeah, and paying crazy prices to replace them. Some guys were talking about booby trapping the housings with razor blades. The insurance companies probably had a few words with Nissan.

Now we're back to guys crawling around with saws-alls swiping catalytic converters.

isellhondas · July 2012

No floods. A local car owned by a doctor from Medina. He traded it to us for a 4WD E-320 that we had. This E-320 was SO PERFECT that I called my buddy in So. Calif and he flew up and paid cash for it.

He loves it but WOW has it been expensive! It threw a serpentine belt on the freeway and it did 4500.00 in damage! the Mercedes Dealer told him that whatever the main unit on those headlights are called "go bad once in awhile"

Of course they charge 170.00/hr. for labor so things add up!

Despite all of this, he still loves his car.

It's his first European car and I warned him!

isellhondas · July 2012

Yeah, I'll bet oncoming cars LOVE your Xenon lights too!

Even when they seemed to be aimed properly they still can be annoying.

28firefighter · July 2012

Initial report back from the adjuster is $17,000 in damage to my sisters car. I cannot say I saw that coming, but apparently the damage under the hood is extensive because of how it crumpled.

We'll have the full report tomorrow at which point we'll get an offer from the insurance company. She was not cited by CHP for anything, which is apparently very unusual in a rear-end collision in CA. I'm not familiar with California motor vehicle laws, this is just what the agent said.

There is some discussion of buying my 2011 C30 and giving that to her, and then I'll get something else. A family friend is selling his 2010 Jetta TDI with 23k miles so he can buy a BMW 328, so that may be an option.

fintail · July 2012

Maybe the good doctor's mistress dunked it in a wading pool and it was fixed without insurance claim to keep it secret? :shades: Just weird about the lighting problem especially, as I have never heard of one (which I assume is W210) failing like that - not to mention the belt issue. But, if one takes an out of warranty car like that to a hugely priced dealer, they are pretty much asking for it. I've had my E55 for 6 years, and the costs have been a fraction of what that guy was soaked with. But if he's happy...who is to judge.

fintail · July 2012

I think they are annoying mostly just to fuddy-duddys who find it hard to move past the sealed beam era

tjc78 · July 2012

She was not cited by CHP for anything, which is apparently very unusual in a rear-end collision in CA

I think that is pretty much a standard through the nation. I know 99% of the time in NJ if you rear-end someone you get a "careless driving" ticket. Now of course in typical NJ fashion, if you go to court they will dismiss the points, but, change the violation to something that just by chance has a higher fine.

28firefighter · July 2012

Here in PA, you may be legally "at-fault" for the accident, but it does not always equate to an immediate citation. All that matters for the insurance rates is that you were at-fault, the citation is just salt in the wounds.

qbrozen · July 2012

Luckily, the one time I rearended someone here in NJ, I didn't receive a ticket. The person in front of me was cut off and he broadsided the car. I then ran into the back of him. Sometimes, the police and courts do think about the situation and realize there is no way you could avoid rearending someone.

Now, the insurance company of the girl that did the cutting off fought repairing my vehicle, saying I must have been following too close. My argument, of course, is that I had plenty of room to stop if the person in front of me wasn't forced to decelerate in 0 feet, which I thought was pretty obvious physics. Anyway, my insurance company eventually won out on my behalf.

qbrozen · July 2012

OK... have at it!

tjc78 · July 2012

Didn't think of a case like that. I guess it has to be pretty clearcut that there was driver negligence. In your case, it sounded like there was no hope for you stopping.

My Fiance rear-ended a truck about four years ago and caused a decent amount of damage to her car and zero damage to the truck (large PSE+G equipment truck) and the officer still gave her the careless driving ticket.

kyfdx · July 2012

Nice...

What is that worth?

28firefighter · July 2012

I am not one to nitpick, but this kind of rubs me the wrong way:

Comes with a spotless CARFAX report.

The AutoCheck from eBay clearly shows that it took some kind of a hit in 2008. I assume this is the office parking lot mishap he was referring to. Seems a bit misleading, at least to me.

stickguy · July 2012

good miles, and certainly sounds well taken care of.

but silver over black? Yuck.

ronsteve · July 2012

Good thing it's in Jersey and I can't do anything about it right now. If I could do anything about Legacy GT wagons, there was that one in Chicago that I posted about a couple weeks ago. This silver/black combo isn't as appealing, but I bet I could live with it, given the "opportunity."

gouldn · July 2012

I doubt it gets 32 MPG with the turbo.

qbrozen · July 2012

Yeah, I think the 32mpg is pretty much impossible for a normal driver.

Hey, spotless carfax could very well be true. He didn't mention the autocheck. :P

What's it worth? Well, that depends on the hit in question. As long as there are no outstanding issues, it would probably do around $11k-$11500 at dealer auction. Figure maybe $10,500 trade-in. Soooo... private party transaction? $12k-$12500.

qbrozen · July 2012

So, after a little thought, I decided to go with a fixed price, worldwide, 21-day Ebay ad. They wanted to charge me $15 just for a 7-day local ad, so I figured for $32, I might as well get the upgrade.

And, stick, just so you know, it is programmed to reject lowball offers. :P

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

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