Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

roadburner · February 2013

2009 328i

A Sport Package car with Xenons; but it's a slushbox and we already have one E90 328i in the family- life is too short to do the same thing twice...

rayainsw · February 2013

.. on the acquisition!
Best of luck !!
- Ray
TQ addict ...

ronsteve · February 2013

But of course! 6 cyl and a moonroof. Can't beat it. I've wanted one for as long as they've existed!

Yeah, it's a shame that the new 6 wagon isn't coming to our shores. The pool of cars that I want keeps shrinking! (Not that I need it to expand!)

Having the same problem with a shrinking pool. Need the cargo space of a wagon or hatch (and a bigger one, as hatchbacks go), and want 3 pedals. My V70 only lacks a 3rd pedal, but is doing well otherwise as it approaches 110K.

Congrats on the addition of the 6! I looked at a 6 hatchback once, but wasn't quite feeling it at the time. If I had it to do again... between that 6 and the WRX I was looking at just before I went for the Volvo.

ronsteve · February 2013

I can't fault you at all fin tail. You made the right move. You owned the car for a while and it was time to part ways. I'm sure you'll LOVE the diesel's torque. I had a BMW 335d a few months ago when my 328xi was in for service and I LOVED the way the diesel drove. If they'd have somehow offered it with X-Drive, I'd be planning my purchase right now.

If they put the diesel in the wagon, I'd be all over it. For now I'll just hope that VW is still selling TDI SportWagens with 3 pedals when I'm ready for a new ride.

corvette · February 2013

That one has rear parking sensors, which is an unusual option on the E90. I'm on my second Jetta and my second Altima (both are different model runs, though), so it's not always bad to do the same thing twice.

corvette · February 2013

"If they put the diesel in the wagon, I'd be all over it. For now I'll just hope that VW is still selling TDI SportWagens with 3 pedals when I'm ready for a new ride."

The current Jetta SportWagen is based on the fifth-generation Golf, but has had its styling updated to make it look like the sixth-gen.

xwesx · February 2013

What she really likes is the tangerine orange XV Crosstrek

I like that one, too! The color looks great, but overall the visual balance of the car is just so much better than the Impreza Sport.

There was quite a bit of work that went into the aerodynamics to eek out that 36 mpg on the Impreza, and the extra clearance and cladding on the Crosstrek takes its toll.

xwesx · February 2013

I figured there must have been something going on for so many posts over a two-day span....

Congratulations! Looks like it will be a very nice ride for you.

--

After reading through later conversation, I want to say your E55 is an '04? I cannot bring myself to think of an '04 as old.

jpp75 · February 2013

Congrats fintail!! Beautiful car and that's a great deal, plus you got all the tech you wanted and then some. I think you'll be very happy with your decision.

stickguy · February 2013

Ron, if you really need the size/configuration of the Volvo, the only other option off the top of my head (besides the jetta) is the Sube outback, which can be had with a 6 speed stick still.

what other options are there? A mythical BMW 3 series wagon? Could be interesting if they would put a stick in the X1, but not likely to happen.

Can't think of any other choices new.

fintail · February 2013

Thanks.

The old car was an 02 - still hard to believe a car of that age and those looks is "old". Technology has advanced several degrees since then, especially compared to the decade before 02. The gadgets in the new car are like something from the future. I am happy just to have the radio presets and homelink set up.

Took it out for about an hour, just to cruise around town. It rides much plusher than the old car, and I really like the low speed engine noise - I might be sold on diesel already. I rolled down the window in the parking garage just to listen to it. Fuel gauge didn't move either.

fintail · February 2013

I was in heaven taking it for a drive this morning - pano shade open, heated seat on (around 40F out, cooler than it has been lately), radio set up and working - it is a relaxing drive. I think I might even be irritated less at other cars, being in a less hyper car myself.

I went to the dealer to drop off a part for the old car, and they laminated the window sticker for me, as they knew I'd like the keepsake.

roadburner · February 2013

Congrats! Me, I'm looking for something a bit more manic; I have my wife's E90 and the '02 if I want a more relaxing drive.

fintail · February 2013

The fintail was the more relaxing choice vs the E55, but over time I realized I enjoyed myself in the old car. The E55, while a great car, was maybe too easy, and at the same time seemed wasted on weekday driving conditions here. The diesel seems to have more of a link to the old car. Maybe I am not meant for something too hyper - or so hard riding. I got rid of my old C43 because the go-kart quality ride irked me, the E55 felt like a Caddy in comparison. The new car is on a cloud compared to that...but probably still taut compared to a stock Camcord.

If I want something crazy, a bike is always lurking in the back of my head :shades:

xwesx · February 2013

I like my old cars, too. They all serve their purpose. I'm not sure I would have been displeased with a go-kart style ride, though! I really enjoy my Fiesta.

Actually, I just found out last week that Ford finally committed to the Fiesta ST as a 2014 model (should be available this summer), so now I'm struggling with whether to be practical and keep my Fiesta or just live a little and get the ST.

fintail · February 2013

I get tired of dodging every manhole cover and rut - maybe I am tired of low profile tires. Either way, I am driving a medium barge now, so that's in the past. It's kind of a little of both worlds - the diesel gives some mechanical involvement, but the ride is nicer.

I saw a Focus ST being test driven yesterday, that might be fun.

roadburner · February 2013

I saw a Focus ST being test driven yesterday, that might be fun.

I've looked at one; ford has joined the option bundling herd. You can't simply order HIDs and/or heated seats- they all come in one big package with a number of things that I don't want. At least they don't make you take a hole in the roof...

xwesx · February 2013

Yeah, that turned me off to the car as well. At ~30K for the thing with the upgraded seats (which was really the only upgrade I would have wanted) bundled with every other option you can get on it, no thanks. I could get a WRX for that, and have a much better car for the world in which I drive.

I'm still waiting on Fiesta ST pricing before I get too excited. Plus, I'm terribly practical, and I might not convince myself it is even worthwhile. I sure would have fun with it, though!

Sandman6472 · February 2013

Had this today for our jaunt to Orlando...nicely equipped but a base car I think. Sync'd my iPod and it was outstanding...they must use good speakers as it did sound pretty neat but with the aux cord, one has to work 2 different controls...a bit pointless and redundant. The seats were comfy with nice fabric inserts and though they were manually adjustable, I was able to find a good driving position and adjusted as necessary. It was a titanium color, works on this car but the radio needs a major update folks...felt like a 90's car and 90's tech...no usb port that I could find! Liked the slightly raised driving height and this is a vehicle I could definitely live with as a d d...another eventual contender for Sandman's final vehicle! A pristine brand new 328i drove past our van and I was plastered to that window...everyone was curious and I explained...the car guys got it while the others looked confused!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

gouldn · February 2013

I do the ccba thing a little different than many on this list. I buy one car to keep a long time, and keep a second (sub 10K) slot open that I swap in and out. Well the 'keeper' slot is due now because I just rolled past 200K on the primary car .. a 2001 Forester.

So in looking to replace it, I want something that can carry a bike (inside), has an AT, handles well, and gets at least OK MPG, as it gets 18K miles per year in traffic. Price wise I'm flexible, but I'd like to keep the OTD to $35K or less. I could go new or used, but since this is the 'keeper' I'd want it to be no older than two years old. Off the dealers I went.

The Subaru dealer doesn't have the 2014 Forester yet, but I liked the looks of the XV Crosstrek. I didn't drive one because of a time conflict, but that one's still on the list to try. The Toyota dealer was surprisingly low-pressure and friendly ... I was prepared for the worst. I test drove the new 2013 RAV4 XLE, and a Prius V (II). The RAV was a very competent car .. the steering was a little soft, but not bad. The car was exceedingly easy to drive and park with the backup cam (my current DD is an 01 ... LONG before backup cams). Overall I liked it .. it was a little noisy on the freeway, but quieter than my Forester.

The Prius was interesting, but in the 'eco' mode that car is quite gutless. I don't really care TOOO much about speed, but this was painful. You could push the 'power' and it would merge acceptably, but I wonder how much MPG you'd loose. The handling isn't horrible, but better described as 'strange.' On the plus side, parking was easy and visibility was pretty good. The cabin is airy, and the materials were of an OK quality. The front seat folds flat and makes almost a lounge/bed for the passenger ... although I'm not sure what I would do with this feature. I really wanted to like this car because of 40+ MPG, but I don't know if I could deal with all the quirks.

Next ... on a whim ... I stopped by the Lexus dealer to see what they had slightly used. Instead I found myself test driving a new CT200h. That was a nice car ... it was not fast with the Prius drivetrain, but interior was very nice, the stereo sounded great, and the handling was wayyy better than the Prius. However of course, this car is small and I cannot see getting a bike in there unless both wheels were off. Also this one stickered at $37K, and even if I could score it for 33.5 or so the used alternatives at that price range are compelling.

That was enough for one day, so I still need to try some others. I'm really scared of VW's, but if I could get over my perceived reliability qualms, I'd like to drive a Jetta TDI. I still need to make time to try Subarus and I'd like to try a Mazda CX5 with the larger engine they just began to offer. Unfortunately the Mazda dealer closest to me is awful. Last time I went there the salesman was like stuck record: "I'll make you a HELL OF A DEAL" over and over ... meanwhile we didn't even get to drive the car on the highway. I may skip that brand just because I don't want to deal with that dealer again.

Sandman6472 · February 2013

For a car lover, these two words are the "kiss if death"...once these variables become part of the equation, one's screwed and won't follow their heart as their gut takes over. I know this first hand here...I lust for a sporty fun car but those words only mean $ signs so the practical and logical parts take over and the rest as they say, is history. I will need to fight this on my next purchase but it's lucky I've got the job I do as I can scratch my itch almost every day. Have been having a problem with the Civic for about 2 months now...every time I get in, the little hair I have left on top always touches the roof, had me wondering here about what's wrong. Since it was on the cooler side today, decided to put the windows down on the highway and as I looked over, I saw it out of the corner of my eye...the headliner is coming down...the glue is no longer sticking in most parts! Damn, another thing to get fixed! And I hit a rather large rock the other day and knocked out my alignment and the 3 year policy ended 12/12/12. So now I need to fix things and give up a whole days work! Oh well, such is life!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

nyccarguy · February 2013

I think I might even be irritated less at other cars, being in a less hyper car myself.

It's almost scary how alike we think Fintail. When I'm in my 328xi, I'm in complete autobahn race car mode. Someone in a GMC ACADIA or 1989 TOYOTA CAMRY is riding people's rear end for no reason it drives me crazy. In my wife's Pilot, I am perfectly content with the cruise set at 65 in the right lane.

roadburner · February 2013

I'm trying to keep my next purchase under $25,000- but if I was going to pay close to $30,000 it wouldn't be for a Focus...

nyccarguy · February 2013

I'm with you Roadburner. My next purchase (September 2014) is going to be in the $20K - $30K neighborhood. I'd like to keep it closer to $20K, but we all know how that goes;)

xwesx · February 2013

The most I've ever paid for a car is $23,000, which was for my current Forester. I don't plan to break the $30K barrier any time soon.

xwesx · February 2013

Yeah, I know Sandman.... it's a frustrating juxtaposition! The practical side always wins in my decisions, though. Although, what I deduce as practical is not the same as most peoples' books. :P

fintail · February 2013

It's that potential ability to go out and just pass the idiots, if you could get the space. In a slower car where such things aren't possible, the issue goes away. I think softer suspension does something, too.

Speaking of cars - visited with my friend who is leasing a Prius C. I rubbed it in that he is paying half of my rate, but is less than 50% as pleased. He is talking about getting out early - how many moths of payments would that cost?

And something funny about the rollerskate - he finally got his local plates, and has to mount a front one. The C has no bracket or mount - you simply drill a hole in the bumper (!) to attach the plate. Cheap.

xwesx · February 2013

That's for sure. There are so many options out there that can fit the bill, it's tough to sort through them all.

fintail · February 2013

Are there many car enthusiasts working with you?

tifighter · February 2013

Interesting post. I think you and I are looking for the same thing in terms of purpose; I'm a 'bike inside' guy too. My preference is AWD. The 14 Forester sounds promising but it would come down to how the CVT drives, and if the road noise is improved as they claim; my 06 was noisy. I'd want the XT if I were going to do it.

I've looked at the TSX wagon (cargo area no good due to rear well intrusion, tight headroom) and even the XC70 (really soft springing, no rear seat room which is weird given its size, slow but dealer didn't have T6). I'm still looking around.

I secretly like the Golf R actually, but after reading about the exploding water pump issue on vortex (not just one or two, but happening to many), I think it and VWs in general are out for me.

Anyhow, curious to hear your take on whatever else you look at.

roadburner · February 2013

The most I've ever paid was @$28,000 and that was for our 2004 X3 CPO back in December 2005. Of course we still have it and hope to get at least 3-4 more years of use out of it, so I suppose we're a bit ahead of the buyers who spend less but then go and buy a new car every 2-3 years.

jpp75 · February 2013

I'll be in a similar position at the end of the year when my lease is up. I can buy out the G37x for about $32k, and while I'm content with the car I'll definitely want to check out other things in that price range which opens a lot of possibilities.

jpp75 · February 2013

Definitely interested to see how you like the diesel over time. I've always been intrigued by them but there just aren't many options outside VW in my price range.

nyccarguy · February 2013

Our Pilot cost somewhere in the mid - upper $30s including tax. I figure it is a 10 year vehicle minimum. I figured the Pilot is an investment in my family.

As you know, my BMW is leased. The lease buy out is somewhere in the upper $20s. I'm going to use that as my basis for lack of a better word when I start car shopping in the summer of 2014.

I've only owned/leased new cars since I got my license at 16. That's most likely to change with my next ride. I'm going to look at my lease buyout, possibly buying another used/CPO E90 328xi, 335xi, '07 - '10 X3...

In 3 years, our Pilot will be paid off & it will be nice to have just 1 car payment.

corvette · February 2013

The lack of an automatic is a deal killer for me on a daily driver. Otherwise, I would have test driven the Focus ST.

corvette · February 2013

I think the Rogue is the oldest vehicle in Nissan's fleet other than the pickups, and it's starting to show its age.

corvette · February 2013

"I secretly like the Golf R actually, but after reading about the exploding water pump issue on vortex (not just one or two, but happening to many), I think it and VWs in general are out for me."

Wow, I just googled that. I'm glad my GLI has a timing chain. Some of you might remember that the timing belt tensioner on my dad's Beetle TDI locked up shortly after the dealer replaced the timing belt... I guess my bad memories of that ordeal have faded, since I gave VW another chance.

breld · February 2013

It's that potential ability to go out and just pass the idiots, if you could get the space. In a slower car where such things aren't possible, the issue goes away. I think softer suspension does something, too.

Yeah, speed was never a high priority for me. I just wanted enough power to be comfortable passing when needed, to safely make left turns, etc.

Then I got the 335.

Now I'm a bit more aggressive, cause I can be. Drove my wife's 328 wagon the other day and found myself missing the pull of my car. How quickly I have been spoiled.

tifighter · February 2013

I guess my bad memories of that ordeal have faded, since I gave VW another chance.

Which is totally reasonable, since there seem to be a lot of people that haven't had any issues with their VWs. As for the Golf R, as it sounds like you've read, the failure rate on that assembly seems consistent and high. A few have needed engine replacements. Too bad, as I like the car's mission of being refined/adult WRX.

stickguy · February 2013

It is nice having the "hot rod" power in our new RDX, but it really is overkill. Maybe it is a regional thing, but I would say that in the last 20 years, I have had occasion to pass on a 2-lane road maybe 5 times, at most. And my wife most likely would never do it.

frankly, you could put a rev limiter at 3K on that car, and I might never know about it. The only time I ever go over that is to give my daughter a thrill, since she likes to hear the growl!

I found the NA 4 cyl in the Santa Fe to be more than peppy enough for normal use, and I am sure if it was needed, I could pass a slowpoke in it.

ateixeira · February 2013

The XV does get a bigger fuel tank. I doubt real world MPG will be 3 mpg lower, to be honest. A lot of cars are optimized to get good numbers on the EPA cycle, which helps sell cars.

Autoweek tested the whole fleet of 40mpg queens and only 2 actually got 40mpg at 70mph (VW TDI and Mazda3 SkyActiv).

ateixeira · February 2013

but I had the windows up the whole time

Good sound insulation.

Also, turbos mellow out the exhaust note, so that balances things out.

michaellno · February 2013

I think I've mentioned that my wife will be starting a new job in a couple of weeks. This new job will require her to drive 50% farther on her daily commute (~22 miles vs. ~15 miles currently), plus she will be traveling between the office and various child care sites around the county.

We've had on again, off again talks about getting her something more fuel efficient to drive. The CX-7 she currently drives got less than 19 MPG on the last tank of gas.

So ... what to do?

Her wants:
Hatchback or wagon
Heated seats
Sunroof
Automatic
Not black interior

AWD is not mandatory, since she'll be commuting into Denver and the roads are usually in much better shape.

We had a lively discussion yesterday about what's out there that is both good on gas and meets her criterion (her comments in parenthesis).

Ford C-Max ("looks dorky"); Prius ("no way"); Juke ("I like it"); Mini Countryman ("I could get used to a MINI"); Jetta TDI SportWagen ("not too bad").

The Juke, in AWD trim, doesn't get great mileage (25/30); neither does the Countryman (25/31 w/ AWD; 26/32 without).

I kinda like the Jetta SW .. but, she doesn't want a dark interior this go around. So, trying to find a Jetta TDI Wagon with the Cornsilk (beige) interior and sunroof is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

We shall see.

ateixeira · February 2013

maybe I am tired of low profile tires

So was I, but I got tires. You went out and got a new car. :shades:

Mounted the tires today and I still hear a lot of road noise, but feel less of it. Speedo is reading a bit slow, at 60 the GPS says I'm doing 62-63.

Back to the BlueTec - is that a dark gray interior? I remember you had wanted something a bit lighter. I'm sure the pano roof really brightens things up.

ateixeira · February 2013

Visibility on those is poor. Did you have to park it? Did it have a backup cam?

The back seat is also tight. That class is so competitive, there are better choices IMHO.

jayrider · February 2013

Going from 18 to 30 mpg for the amount you drive will take forever to pay off in swapping rides. Getting a 50 mpg hybrid makes a bit more sense. Don't get rid of the Mazda because of the mpg if it's running good. Get rid of it because you want a new car and better mpg is important. Unless you really want a diesel because you like them, be careful. The fuel is higher and after warranty, maintenance[VW] will eat into your savings vs gas. When all is said and done, do what feels right and keep everyone informed.

ateixeira · February 2013

Impreza Premium with the all-weather package/moonroof/alloys would be a good value for her. Or a Sport model, those have the AWP standard.

The Elantra GT I test drove might fit the bill, I think a couple of colors have a beige leather/two-tone. Pano roof is nice.

Toss in all the fun hatches - VW GTI/TDI, Mazda3, Focus, too.

qbrozen · February 2013

Leaf.

ateixeira · February 2013

Yeah, check what incentives your state offers. Here in MD the starting price after Fed+MD rebate is just $20,250!

breld · February 2013

I've been obsessing a bit over the Impreza myself, and that sport model seems like a good deal. For $500 over the premium, you get the leather steering wheel (which I strongly prefer), 17" wheels, roof rack and side skirts.

For its roominess, it's my current favorite, but not sure if I can live with the cvt - need some more seat time, particularly at the high highway speeds I am often at.

On a side note, a local Honda dealer has a used CT200h with 10k miles for $24,500. Kinda tempting, but that backseat sure is skimpy (and it's red, which is my least favorite color).

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