Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

andre1969 · January 2013

I have a friend whose parents had a 1973 LTD hardtop coupe when he was a little kid. It was pretty troublesome, and he remembers that he and his brothers used to call it "Mommy's Hunk O' Junk". And this would have been when it was only 3-4 years old! I think chronic stalling and refusing to start were the big issues.

stever · January 2013

A reporter would like to speak to a woman who is a new Lexus IS owner. If you fit the description, please send your daytime contact to pr@edmunds.com no later than 3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET, Friday, January 11, 2013.

breld · January 2013

To roadburner's point on the older BMWs, I drove my E39 this morning and realized how nicely it goes, even with driving the newer 335xi all this week.

Speaking of, when I came out to my 530i this morning, I noticed the front bumper is misaligned on one side, the result of one too many incidents pulling over a parking block with that lowered clearance. Talked to my mechanic, who said they routinely take care of that. So it'll be back to perfect (for a 12 year old car anyway) next week.

qbrozen · January 2013

So they visited a Honda dealer first. I explained that, at 9am, salespeople are usually in a meeting, but they were impatient, didn't see many cars on the lot, and left.

Next was a mazda dealer. They drove the 3 and the 6 and like and want one of each. Per the advertised lease deal, they would be looking at $5k out of pocket and the 2 cars for a total of $350/mo including tax, tags, title. Salesperson steered them to a leftover 2012 mazda3 because they have a whole bunch of them. Problem is, after going back and forth with my sis via text, the deal they were offering was WORSE on the leftover than the advertised deal on a 2013. Actually, it was the same money, but for 39 mos instead of 36 mos. No thanks. On top of that, they were coming back with 42 mos on the mazda6 for $14 more per month.

I told her to just get out of there. She even showed the salesperson the advertised deals and said that's exactly what she wants. They just refused to do it. So they did walk out.

rayainsw · January 2013

My experience has been that they are -
and that they LOVE being pulled out of those meetings
[ preferably prearranged ]
for a customer....
- Ray
YMMV

tjc78 · January 2013

She even showed the salesperson the advertised deals and said that's exactly what she wants.

You can usually beat the advertised deal because the selling price isn't rock bottom. What was their problem? Two car deal and they won't play ball.

As for the 2012, no surprise on a lease it isn't any cheaper. The residual must be super low (with the car being a model year old) and even a money factor close to 0% it isn't going to help.

Sandman6472 · January 2013

That's plain ridiculous! They had advertised specials and they wouldn't honor what corporate was offering? How stupid and the fact that two vehicles were going to be moved in one easy deal...that's just plain dumb! Another reason why I hate buying cars...stupid sales people who take an easy deal and muck it up. And $350/mo for two vehicles? Crazy crazy!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

Sandman6472 · January 2013

Was talking with the wife this morning and now a new thought has come into her mind. She's thinking of just taking the Accent once her Mazda3 gets to the point where it doesn't pay to fix it anymore and just sell it private party. She hit 115k this morning and tells me the a/c doesn't work on speed 1 or 2 anymore and we did replace the blower motor last year. She knows I don't want to throw anymore $ into it also. The daughter walks across the street to pharmacy school and the car is only used when the wife goes shopping with her. Daughter also decided she wants a "cooler" car once she becomes a pharmacist so it probably makes sense for us to eventually take back the Accent and just give the kid the money her car is worth towards her new "cooler" ride, which means we'd be footing the bill anyways.

Probably not a bad idea but somehow I think the wife might wind up wanting new in a few years anyways. Who knows...all talk now and we'll just have to see how things play out with her Mazda as I don't really think we'd get much for it anyways with the increasing mileage...maybe 3k at best. Glad I'm keeping the miles down on my Civic just in case I end up with the Accent somehow. Not my cup of tea for a dd, but I'd survive!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

stever · January 2013

A blower resistor may fix it and it's usually not too expensive a part.

Opps, off-topic.

Sell, sell!

stickguy · January 2013

Son is home from school for another week, so I had him take the TL in for an oil change. Checked out fine at the dealer, but they are all freaked out that it needs a new oil pan gasket, or the world as we know if might come to an end.

of course, they tell him at the end, after the oil was changed, instead of asking prior if we wanted to drop the pan! So by then, it would involve another visit anyway.

I looked in the road where he has been parking, and it looks dry. So my guess, it is seeping but not enough to really matter.

so, given the car has 167K on it, and he is unemployed college kid (meaning it is my wallet supporting the car!), I told him to stick some plywood underneath to see if it is leaking, and check the oil before he goes anywhere far. Given how few miles he puts on it, I think we can safely go another 4 months and maybe 2K miles, at most, keeping an eye on the oil and throwing in a quart if needed.

He really wants a new car. bad. I hope he manages to find himself a job quick so he can get it! then I either fix/keep the TL for me, or just sell it on down the road.

stickguy · January 2013

Won't lose this in a parking lot. Sadly, I kind of like it!

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3533114735.html

good price, but if I didn't fit in one 8 years ago, and an Integra is too small now, I guess not...

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3538848677.html

not bad looking for the money.

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3507981051.html

"historic"

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3538561767.html

Bad looking for the money!

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3538345717.html

Cop tires, Cop suspension...

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3538335240.html

cheap drop top.

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/3532413651.html

steine13 · January 2013

Regarding the question of "honoring" the advertised lease deal: I just got an education in that...

Tax can be an issue: If there is $2k lease support, there'll be use tax on that amount up front. If it's rolled in, there'll be interest on the tax...

The advertised deal on my car worked out to $125/month, and if the dealer doesn't make a nickel extra, I would have had to plunk down $800+ just to cover registration + tax on rebate + 1st payment. If that gets rolled into the "$0 down" lease, the payments will go up significantly, and nobody's padding the bill.

Which will happen in addition

But nationally advertised leases need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Cheers -Mathias

stickguy · January 2013

someone should be jailed at minimum over this.

qbrozen · January 2013

Where do you live again?

In NJ, tax is on the lease payment, so I don't think they can tax the rebate.

Anyhoo... I just put a deposit on a Leaf tonight! Man, I wasn't due for another car for a long time! Anyhoo... this was a tad interesting exchange. They were adamant that the advertised deal I was looking at was a mistake. The 36-mo deal was $219, not $199. However, there was an unadvertised deal for $199 for 24-mos. .... alrighty. So they gave me that deal, no muss, no fuss. And I even got a pleasant surprise when I was told that there is no sales tax on the Leaf! So I wound up reducing the down payment and rolling in the fees to take advantage of the near zero money factor (.00003 or something like that). Wife wasn't comfy at more than $250/mo for a spare car, so it worked out to $1400 out of pocket. I was perfectly willing to still go 36 mos to better amortize the out of pocket, but she's the boss, and she's probably right that we'd want to change in 2 years anyway.

That's just so ridiculously cheap for that car. The fuel savings alone will just about make the payments on it.

We had our choice of colors... as long as it was silver. They should be able to get it in next week. Only 2 SVs left within 100 miles. A few more SLs, but that was about $36 more per month, which isn't worth it for heated seats, IMHO.

stickguy · January 2013

Interesting. Can't wait to see how this works out.

and if your buns get cold, just sit on the battery. That should be nice and warm.

nyccarguy · January 2013

Punch #3 for 2013 coming up! I love this board! I'm also really interested about hearing qbrozen's real life experiences with the Leaf.

"Drag raced some sucker in a 1st gen Prius today. Only problem is that I ran out of juice afterwards." Ha Ha

I'm excited for you. So that's 2 years/24,000 mile lease? Is the no sales tax on a Leaf just a NJ thing or is it national?

corvette · January 2013

"So by then, it would involve another visit anyway."

Ha! And another oil change, too! :mad:

qbrozen · January 2013

Is the no sales tax on a Leaf just a NJ thing or is it national?

no clue. and, yes, 24mo/24k.

corvette · January 2013

Oh, for crying out loud! I bet it rides like crap wi those rubber band tires.

stickguy · January 2013

I went back and read the estimate they gave him. Yes, it included an oil change service (though it was only listed at $16.25, so about 1/2 price).

If I had been there, and wanted to get it done, they would have been knocking that part of the deal off!

Will just wait and see for now, and hope it does not go through oil too fast, and worry about it after graduation, when I figure out if the car will be remaining in the fleet, and how much use it will be getting.

stickguy · January 2013

It is all about style my friend, style.

steine13 · January 2013

>> Where do you live again?

East Lansing, MI, home of Michigan State University. Go Green!

Locally built cars include the Cadillac ATS; the Traverse/Enclave.... family of unibody dinosaurs... the Chevy SSR that nobody but people on this board remember... and the Pontiac Grand Am of decrepit memory.

You might say it's a bit of a GM area.

>> In NJ, tax is on the lease payment, so I don't think they can tax the rebate.

It's quite possible that I was had... but like I've done a few times before, I signed for receiving the customer rebates, which added up to enarly $5k, and I paid "use tax" -- same six percent as our sales tax -- on those. That made up the biggest chunk of my first payment.

$2000 GM Card "top-off", $1000 "private offer," which became "loyalty" in the paperwork, and $1600 "cap cost reduction" from GM, which shouldn' be my business, but apparently is.
I've always had to pay sales tax on those when I bought outright.

$47 to transfer the plate fom my old car, $190 DOC fee. And first payment of $125 before tax. Now I'd be getting the advertised deal and am out of pocket well over $600.

If we do sign & drive, the payment will jump quite a bit. That's what I was trying to say in my earlier post, but it can get finicky from state to state.

We did a bit of driving yesterday, and everybody really likes it. Very nice clutch & stick, nice interior for the class, quiet, quick, much more pleasant at speed than the Vibe. Good switchgear, too.

But it's tight in back. The Vibe's interior, esp. back seat, is huge by comparison. So was the 95 Camry. The Cruze is 6" shorter, but 3" wider and 3" taller and still has no space in the back seat area. Front seat space is great. And both my wife and kid are shorties

Cheers -Mathias

tjc78 · January 2013

That 68 Mustang has to be the same one I saw parked on RT 73 the other day with a for sale sign on it.

kyfdx · January 2013

Taxing rebates is normal for leases, in most states. It's treated just like a down payment.

ateixeira · January 2013

$199 a month is about 3 fill ups so yeah, free car almost.

Crazy. They are really gambling on demand for used EVs but that's there risk, not yours.

oldfarmer50 · January 2013

"...she wants a cooler car..."

Around here pharmacists are making $75k right out of school. Let her buy her own cool car and maybe one for you too.

oldfarmer50 · January 2013

Torino--other than being the wrong color it looks just like the one on TV. And you said you didn't like orange cars.

Miata---Sounds like it needs a lot of work but those cars go for crazy prices.

Mustang---that is one of the best years for Mustangs. Not a bad price but what's the milage? Could be someone's burned out hot rod.

Dart---take it from me, if the brake lines are rusted it has more than "some" rust.

Mustang---looks like a complete restoration. Call Gas Monkey Garage.

Cop car---my buddy used to buy them at the state auction. He spent more time under them than in them. Those cars lead very rough lives.

Cheap drop top---such a good buy that it sold already. What was it?

oldfarmer50 · January 2013

"...somebody should be jailed..."

How about this:

http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/cto/3441305401.html

Death penalty?

dieselone · January 2013

Checked out fine at the dealer, but they are all freaked out that it needs a new oil pan gasket, or the world as we know if might come to an end.

of course, they tell him at the end, after the oil was changed, instead of asking prior if we wanted to drop the pan! So by then, it would involve another visit anyway.

I looked in the road where he has been parking, and it looks dry. So my guess, it is seeping but not enough to really matter.

My Ford dealer told me my Expedition needs a front differential seal. That was 3 years and 60k miles ago and it hasn't left a drop of oil on the garage floor yet. Sure, you can see where there has been some seepage, but not enough to make a drop. I'm not losing any sleep over it;)

corvette · January 2013

Used Leafs appear to be going for around $21-23k on eBay. Many of them have very, very low mileage. Not sure I would buy one without a battery health report from the Nissan dealer, though. Also, there is no charging infrastructure in my state, so I'd only be able to use it as a local car.

stickguy · January 2013

it actually looked familiar to me too, but it could have been that I saw it on CL in the past.

I like looking at the local cars, and figuring out where the pics were taken. Sometimes I have seem them already.

The best was the Volvo I just missed out on that from the pix, I knew was parked outside the repair shop my daughter's boyfriends father owns.

stickguy · January 2013

the work on the miata I don't think was that bad. New windshield is pretty cheap, and the other stuff could be DIY IIRC.

the droptop was a Cavalier that did not look too bad. Maybe a '95? But for $995, how much can you expect?

oldfarmer50 · January 2013

That Miata is looking better. This is what you get for $2000 in my area:

http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/3541126951.html

roadburner · January 2013

That Miata is looking better. This is what you get for $2000 in my area:

In 1993 I paid $1500 for a 1984 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe(with three pedals of course

). It was pretty clean over all- and a friend opined that "If you pay $1500 for a car and it is all one color, then you got a great deal."

fintail · January 2013

A 5-speed 84 Turbo? That has to be stupendously rare today.

stickguy · January 2013

a "little" rust? Only by scankytown standards (I spent 4 years in Schenectady.)

roadburner · January 2013

A 5-speed 84 Turbo? That has to be stupendously rare today.

I'd say so; it was actually a very nice car for it's time. I sold it to the son of a friend in 1998 and he loved it- and still has it.

roadburner · January 2013

1997 328is

Owned by a local CCA member...

stickguy · January 2013

looks nice for the money, even if I don't know what have the stuff is.

nyccarguy · January 2013

I've always loved the E36 coupe. That's the car that made me fall in love with BMWs.

corvette · January 2013

Too many mods for my taste, but on the plus side, you can wear a different set of wheels and tires to work every day.

oldfarmer50 · January 2013

"...only by scankytown standards..."

Ha ha locally it's known as Scamectady because of all the title flippers. :lemon:

qbrozen · January 2013

Was thinking about it yesterday and I think taxing the rebate is probably right. HOWEVER, I wonder if it matters what the rebate is. For instance, a customer rebate? Yes. But a manufacturer-to-dealer rebate? No. At least, that's what I would think proper.

qbrozen · January 2013

100k warranty on the battery.

stickguy · January 2013

I would say at least 95K more than you will need!

and in Joisey, rebates to the customer have always been taxed. They are netted out of the deal after the taxes are figured (kind of like your DP). But getting into a dealer incentive is not, since that goes into the dealer selling price.

Thinking back, with all the new cars I have bought over the years, I don't think I have gotten one that had an actual rebate.

anonymousposts · January 2013

We are convinced this Odyssey is jinxed so we are hunting for a new family hauler. Our 1st choice was another used Odyssey, preferably a 2008-2010 EX with less than 50k. They are surprisingly hard to find and the ones we do find are near $20,000-$23,000 ... Seems high to us.

So we are now looking at a 2013 Sienna. They have a $269 lease deal right now which seems like a good deal. Just not sure which way to go.

stickguy · January 2013

I can't keep up. Didn't you just get rid of 1 odyssey for a different one? And now the new one is bothering you?

What exactly is wrong to make you think it is jinxed? mechanical failures (could just be a bad unit) or extraneous items like accidents (in which case you are making it up!)?

Better off with a cheap lease most likely, since a nice low-mile used one that old is going to sell for a ridiculous price, too close to new to make sense buying it.

Kind of glad we are done with the minivan phase, though it would certainly have some in handy at Christmas for our week long tour of the families!

kyfdx · January 2013

Was thinking about it yesterday and I think taxing the rebate is probably right. HOWEVER, I wonder if it matters what the rebate is. For instance, a customer rebate? Yes. But a manufacturer-to-dealer rebate? No. At least, that's what I would think proper.

That's correct.. dealer cash doesn't show up in the deal... It just lowers the price... and, in most cases, shouldn't be taxed..

ateixeira · January 2013

If that's minor damage I'd hate to see what major damage looks like!

Sandman6472 · January 2013

Have you looked at the Edge yet? Most folks seem to like it for some reason. I guess a Highlander is a bit too small for what y'all need but I sure like 'em. The new Sante Fe Sport is also a really nice one but you'd probably look at the full sized Sante Fe I guess. I know anything from Dodge/Chrysler is not even being considered but maybe their leases might be doable.
I just really like the Highlander and think it's a notch above what Honda makes but prefer Honda products overall. So far, my 1st Honda is holding up well and will be in our stable for many years to come.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

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