Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy · August 2012

Hmm, a couple at Torchlight that tickle my (cheapskate) fancy.

If it only had a stick shift. And 2 extra cylinders, since it must be real pokey with the 4.

http://torchlightmotors.com/newandusedcars/5241/2180017/aa92abda-ecdc-4811-9ba6-- 05e906302073/none/1994-Jeep-Wrangler-Parlin-NJ-08859.aspx

Now, this one has a stickshift. Decent miles. Would like to see pics on this one. Too bad that place is way too far for me to get to during the week.

http://torchlightmotors.com/newandusedcars/5241/2168882/aa92abda-ecdc-4811-9ba6-- 05e906302073/none/1996-Volvo-850-Parlin-NJ-08859.aspx

stickguy · August 2012

an oddball. Looks nice, and price seems reasonable, but a strippo with manual seats? I can't believe they even bothered to offer it like this.

http://www.eliteacura.com/used/BMW/2007-BMW-3+Series-5895a8fc0a0d048e00019a64fca- 8243c.htm

corvette · August 2012

BMW's options are very customizable, but make a "loaded" car very costly. My E90 had manual sport seats and the cold weather package--no other options (the moonroof was standard the year I ordered mine, they made it an extra cost option later in the model run).

I liked the leatherette and didn't mind the manual seats. I'm the only one driving the car, so I can set the seat position and forget it. Still, even my spartan model had things like four auto up/down windows, an auxiliary audio input, MP3 CD player, "smart" cruise control that could activate the brakes, rain sensing windshield wipers, and a brake drying system that operated when the wipers were on.

nyccarguy · August 2012

+1 corvette. While my E90 has pretty much everything except sports pkg, rear pkg sensors, & active cruise control, my wife's former X3 (leased from '07 - '10) had only 3 options, Montego Blue Paint, heated seats, & tinted rear glass. It had loads of std features like you mentioned... Power everything, brake drying system, auto wipers, auto climate control, even a Pano roof which was a $1300 option on my Dad's '07 X5 that stickered for close to $60K. The best part about it was that it was a BMW!

My E90 has NAV & I rarely use it. I do LOVE the Xenon Lights. I love the way it drives too:)

stickguy · August 2012

the manual seats don't bother me, as long as you can raise/lower the front and rear independently. I like to have the front cushion tilted up, and (especially these days) you need a power seat to really get that right.

If I am the only one driving the car, I really don't care if they are power.

qbrozen · August 2012

hey, might as well give one on mine, too. haha.
Saturday afternoon was spent changing the timing belt, tensioner, idler pulley, water pump, thermostat, serpentine belt, and radiator hoses. Threw on a new fuel cap while I was at it and disconnected the battery for a while. Check engine light hasn't come back on, so it seems the fuel cap was indeed the trick.

And now with all the new rubber parts, I felt I could finally drive it. We took it to the gym and back on Sunday and now I drove it to work this morning. Its actually peppier than I would have thought, as long as you don't catch it in the wrong gear, that is.

I also shored up the sagging left sideskirt and I THOUGHT I fixed the seat switch, but that has stopped working again this morning. It has something to do with pressure on the circuit board. When it is all put back together, it doesn't want to work (just the slide forward portion)... take it apart and it works fine. Ah well, I'll figure it out.

So all that's left is swapping the abs module when that arrives, installing the stereo, and eventually doing something about the dry rotted and mismatched tires. I'll be making an appt with the indy for the oil change and transmission and brake fluid service. Hopefully I'll be good to go for a LONG time after that.

laurasdada · August 2012

FWIW: Took a bit of a road trip this past weekend. MA to CT (overnight at Mohegan Sun, got a free t-shirt!). Then, CT to the Berkshires in MA (in driving rain for a good portion of the trip). Returning via the Turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston (Ok, Westfield to I-495...).

75/25% I'll estimate highway/local driving. Including several stops, one PITA traffic tie-up on the way home Sunday returned (per the OBC):

338 miles
48mph average speed
26.2mpg

All in the smooth, quiet and effortlessly powerful Jag. A pleasure, as always.

Downside? The Jag was parked under a tree from Friday night to Sunday afternoon, tree and birds did their jobs nicely. Hosed off the nasties upon returning home, will properly wash the car tonight.

Will do the trip to the Berkshires again on Saturday, but in the wife's 535xi. I expect another smoot, quiet (well, besides the run-flat tire noise), effortlessly powerful drive.

I post occasionally over on the Jag XK board, but it is a lonely place...

corvette · August 2012

BMW recommends against tire rotation, and I think that exacerbates the noise problems with RFTs. I am noticing some sawtooth edge wear on the front tires of my E39 after only 3,000 miles, and will probably have them rotated soon.

stickguy · August 2012

a somewhat oddball. At a local small lot (out front of a trailer place, they have a row of cars, but I never see anyone actually there). I look occasionally, and a few things of interest, but IMO the prices seem a bit "ambitious".

today, a nice dark blue of beige 2000 323i. Don't see that many 323s, but this one actually had the sport package (I noticed the seats and steering wheel, and was surprised on that model). No steptronic though. and only 16" wheels (225/50-16 tires).

76K on the clock, so pretty low miles, but asking $8,995, and it was far from mint (some paint issues due to age, drivers seat a bit dried and cracked).

Now, for 1/2 the price and with a stick, we could be talking!

kyfdx · August 2012

Early E39 and E46 models had different sport packages from the later models... Some items were ala carte..

Those 225/50-16 are probably on 7.5" or 8" wheels vs. the 205/55-16 on 7" wheels that would have been on the non-sport... (or, even 15" wheels on the '99-'00 323i).

Extremely over-priced, even with the low miles, as you noted...

kyfdx · August 2012

Miles are high... but, I like this one..

Hauler

stickguy · August 2012

I like it too, but at those miles, it has the potential to eat you alive, depending on what it needs (or is about to need). Clutch, angle gear, etc. So service records on this would be huge.

I drove an S60R 6 speed at one time. It was fun. Reminded me of an American muscle car.

28firefighter · August 2012

My Dad had a 2007 S60 R 6spd that was an absolute hoot to drive. It's two biggest downfalls were the stereo and those supposed "bi-xenon" headlights - they were weaker than the halogen lights on my Subaru.

stickguy · August 2012

Mustang - too bad not a Vert. http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3206095537.html

stickguy · August 2012

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3183118284.html

stickguy · August 2012

OK, this could be a winner. Just need a mechanic near manahawkin that wants to run over and take a look. Hey, if the work done is legit, and condition as described, probably a decent deal for that little money. and it is different!

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3147758153.html

or I could pretend I am 20 years younger than I am:

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3181499631.html

not a lot of details, but it doesn't seem to stop:

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3205102096.html

My wife would divorce me, and my daughter would leave home to join the circus.

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3178295618.html

would work for my duaghter. If it had a roof and stick, I would be all over it:

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3188395463.html

nice, but I get a strange vibe from the ad:

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3204792600.html

Too slow to muss up your hair with the top down. Nice pics though!

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3204635057.html

qbrozen · August 2012

gee, I don't know what is strange about the bimmer ad.

well.... that is other than the fact that it claims to be for sale by owner while pics were shot at a gas station while the car has no plates. OH, and there is that used car dealer-type sale tag on the rear left passenger window.

rayainsw · August 2012

Not bad MPG for that driving.
Curious how the 535xi does...
- Ray
XF Supercharged on my shopping list...

stickguy · August 2012

that pretty much summed it up. I am not big on obvious dealer/curbstoners pretending to be private owners.

laurasdada · August 2012

Insideline has a long term XF SC. They seem to love it. Well, except for its slight thirst...

Looking forward to the reviews of the '13 XF with the new engine choices and possible AWD.

At one point, after driving backroads for ~20 miles, steadier speeds around 40mph, Jag was reading 30+mpg. Not too bad at all. Maybe my butt's just used to the Jag seats, but I don't find the seats in the 5 as comfy. Wonder if she'll let me drive?

kyfdx · August 2012

My son's friend just got a new car, today.... He is 18 years old..

It's a Nissan GT-R... :surprise:

stickguy · August 2012

So, a given he wrecks it, so the question is does he walk away or not?

I can't imagine giving a HS kid that much car. But I guess if you can afford it, you don't care about tickets and insurance.

stickguy · August 2012

stopped at the Hyundai dealer tonight to ask when they expected to get the new Santa Fe in. turns out the answer is Yesterday. They had 1 on the lot I got to sit in (seemed just like the one I already sat in of course).

a white 2.0T, FWD, leather/premium but without the pano roof/navi package. MSRP was ~$31,700. Somewhat pricey for no roof and no AWD.

will have to get my wife up to drive one.

they did have an identical color one in the old style parked next to it. Certainly not as stylish, but not at all shabby. Could be quite a good deal on one of those, but it would always bug my wife if she got something that was "old"

nyccarguy · August 2012

That's just pure insanity!

steine13 · August 2012

>> So the question is does he walk away or not?

I could care less about him; the real question is, does the *other guy* walk away or not.

I live and bike in a college town. I avoid certain roads in the 15 minutes before classes start. I've also trained myself to watch for the "texting nod" as people drive around. It's scary what you see. A few years ago, when I was driving more than biking, I got rear-ended twice and side-swiped once in one semester.

Recently, ttere is also a large population of students from a certain foreign nation; a large subgroup obviously has money, or their parents do. I always tell my friend: These guys behave like they own the place, but when you think about it for a bit, you realize they kinda do....

They drive cars in the $50k range; mostly German [Herzlichen Dank!] and a lot of them have no clue how to drive. I saw a kid get out of an R8 at the grocery store the other day. Oy gevalt!

I don't know you friend's son, obviously, but your friend needs a dope slap...
Cheers -Mathias

kyfdx · August 2012

Well... on the plus side... he is a fairly accomplished driver...

On the down side... being a teenager... he has little fear.. :surprise:

On the plus, plus, plus side... I do believe I'm going to be able to wrangle a test drive...

stever · August 2012

A reporter is looking to talk with anyone in the market right now for a new midsize car. If you fit this description and youd like to talk with the reporter, please reach out to PR@edmunds.com with your preferred daytime contact info by the end of the day Friday, August 17, 2012.

breld · August 2012

This was a few weeks ago, but thought I'd share it:

I was at a Lexus dealer test-driving an A4 they had on the lot. The salesperson I had previously worked with was busy, so he put me with this other guy, who he said was the resident "car-geek" and would probably be a good fit for me anyway.

I really hit it off with this salesperson, as it was immediately apparent that he is quite the car enthusiast (seemingly rare at a Lexus dealer) and understands the car compulsion. Along a nice long test drive, it comes out this guy has a couple of older Lexus SCs, a Nissan GT-R, a 911 turbo and an RX (wife's). Turns out he founded some start-up prepaid calling card company back in the '90s that, in his words, "did really well for him." So he decided to be a car salesman several years ago to stay busy, in a setting he enjoys.

Now all of that came out in a very unpretentious way which made the guy very likeable.

Can't say I wasn't a bit envious.

qbrozen · August 2012

Turns out he founded some start-up prepaid calling card company back in the '90s that, in his words, "did really well for him." So he decided to be a car salesman several years ago to stay busy, in a setting he enjoys.

That's my dream. Become well off and "retire" to a position in the car biz. Well, OK, the DREAM is the win the lottery and START a car biz ... but I'm not greedy.

rayainsw · August 2012

Apparently no longer a rumor:

'Also new for 2013 is an available all-wheel drive system, offered only with the V-6 model for an additional $3000.'

http://wot.motortrend.com/2013-jaguar-xf-xj-and-xk-priced-huge-msrp-drop-for-201- 3-xf-sedan-247591.html

- Ray
A 4 cyl XF - really????

oldfarmer50 · August 2012

"...mustang..."

Seems like a lot of money for a Fox body with that many miles. But I'm cheap. :sick:

oldfarmer50 · August 2012

"...Mazda Protege 5..."

Never heard of that model but I assume it's like a Speed3. Gotta love those miles but if it was tracked it could be pretty beat. I assume all that hardware is the sound system and not a Flux Capacitor.

Is he asking $9k?

oldfarmer50 · August 2012

"...Infinity G20..."

Flipper! There is no cousin. Just an excuse why seller's name isn't on the title.

I like the BMW but Q is right. Dealer posing as owner. Be wary of any dealer who lies to you from the start.

stickguy · August 2012

the G20 could be legit. That is a really wealthy town, not where you normally find curbstoners.

laurasdada · August 2012

$3k for AWD? Must come packaged with some other goodies...

"A 4 cyl XF - really???? " Substitute "5 series" for "XF..."

So, the '13 XF/SC6 AWD is rated at the same mpg as my '09 XK. In everyday driving, I get 19+ in winter and ~21 in summer, so I could live with that in an XF. Of course, for $3k I could get dedicated rims/winter tires and reap the slight mpg/performance benefit of the RWD. I'll guess the next XF will be made of aluminum, helping the performance/mpg cause. (Side note: Love watching Top Gear to hear the Brit boys pronounce, "Aluminium!")

And, an 18 y.o. with a GT-R??? Shirley, you jest. My first car that I owned at 22 had 77hp! And, loving it! ('78 VW Scirocco, only weighed 17lbs or so!).

fintail · August 2012

Funny thing is the Jag 4 is apparently slower than the BMW 4, and gives no advantage other than price - similar mileage to the much more powerful 6. New low base price should hurt already bad residuals on existing cars. I have to wonder what they are thinking.

fintail · August 2012

Your friend should be punched. I'm not joking. Unless the kid has significant high level training or a very mature personality - this won't end well, and maybe not in a way daddy's wallet can fix.

fintail · August 2012

Visit Seattle and Vancouver - tons of that around. I love seeing poorly driven high end cars.

oldfarmer50 · August 2012

"...the G20 could be legit..."

You know your area better than I but I'd ask to meet the cousin. His answer should tell you all you need to know. A guy at work made a score on a low mile G20 from some old guy and he loves it. I wouldn't mind getting one myself but most of the CL offerings around here are either rust buckets or sitting on 22" wheels with $4,000 sound systems. :lemon:

boomchek · August 2012

I think he wants waaay more than $9k. He mentioned his mods cost him about $15k. Taking offers.

Modified cars don't always do well in the used market.

You have to find that one individual person who always wanted a low mileage Protege5 AND was planning on spending another $15k to modify it AND was going to modify it exactly the way the car is done already. Might take a while....

kyfdx · August 2012

Plus a P5 isn't like a Mazdaspeed 3.. It's just the hatchback version of the regular Protege, with plenty of options..

They did make a Mazdaspeed Protege... but, at that time, I think it made maybe 170 Hp out of a turbo-four

isellhondas · August 2012

Your "dream" could turn into a nightmare.

That's about what I did and it was, for the most part, fun for the first few years. After awhile, the strokes and flakes and joyriders will get to you.

Lucky for me, I happened to pick a great store. A lot of stores treat their salespeople like third graders.

graphicguy · August 2012

I'm with Farmer here....would like to talk to the "cousin" to get their story on their ownership of the G20. It's super clean, which tells me it is indeed a flipper. One way to tell for certain is to look under the hood to see if there's any of that "back to black" slicky stuff dealers put on the hoses to make them look new.

Still, G20s are reliable as anything I've ever come across, given they're a tarted up ecobox Nissan. I had a couple of neighbors that had them. One still does....200K miles with no major issues.

The BMW seems like a dealer to me. Looks and sounds like it's really nice. But, as others have mentioned, do you want to buy from someone who is trying to mislead you from the get go?

jayrider · August 2012

Selling cars to nice people is fun. The problem is what you have to deal with the other 35 plus hours of the week.

jimbo222 · August 2012

I always wonder why more people don't drive jags, I see just a few at the army base. What is it like to service them at the dealership?

stickguy · August 2012

had a flyer for a freebie giveaway from the local honda dealer, so stopped in. Was about an inch away from holing a put to win a TV. but did get a $5 target card. Had the wife and daughter look over the CRV again. They were not swayed.

also stopped at the Hyundai dealer with my daughter (the style maven in the family). surprisingly, she first said she liked the old style Santa Fe more. But that was just for the grille. after inspecting both, and sitting inside, she went with the new one (shocker there).

wife getting antsy though, I mentioned needing to get an oil change and tire rotation soon in the van, and her answer was trade it in and get a new car.

she also was grumping about how long it was taking, having to wait for the Hyundai to come out and everything. I believe she really wants a new car!

stickguy · August 2012

must be up to at least that by now. At least if I keep throwing up new options, it will keep her off balance (the old bob and weave). Better then telling her we need to wait until the house work is done to figure out if there is any cash left! She does deserve to get something though at this point (a combined milestone birthday present for the 2 of us, and she gets to drive it every day!)

so, I get an email yesterday from the salesmanager at the Acura dealer that quoted me 3K off on an RDX, asking if interested, and saying they are really being aggressive right now to move iron. So sure, I tell him to shoot over a new price (it has been a while) and he comes back at another $300, on an in stock unit (though there only seemed to be 2 of those).

so my plan? I came up with this a few days ago, looking at a Volvo ad, where they are blowing out XC90s on lease. So I figure, let's lease! So I am waiting to get back a quote on the RDX. Not sure they are having any special deals, but the big price discount will certainly help. Plus, I can keep an eye on the ads, to see what else nice comes up at a price too good to pass up.

Plan makes sense to me. And certainly helps with cash flow, especially since we are in the middle of the last home improvement extravaganza. And most importantly, keeping money in reserve for a car for me later in the year!

so scope out a killer no money down lease, then sell the van privately to pay for everything else. A thing of beauty! And in 3 years, I can always take the cash and buy it out then (as opposed to a 5 year loan), or just get something new again. Sounds like a plus to me.

stickguy · August 2012

I really like these. Wonder what the pictures will look like? and price of course. I do like Blue also.

http://torchlightmotors.com/2002-BMW-3SeriesSportWagon/Used-Wagon/Parlin-NJ/5241- /2199269/Details.aspx

boomchek · August 2012

Read this and you'll see why. Funny story.

dead Jag XF story

rayainsw · August 2012

Wow.
- Ray
Wow.......

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles

Your Privacy