Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

ohenryx · September 2013

Spent the day at car dealers. I started at the Honda dealer, Ive been hearing a lot of talk about the CRVs and Ive never sat in one, never mind driven one. So I took one for a spin. I was impressed, I admit it. A lot of room in there, the drivers seating position is excellent, lots of head room, lots of leg room. Easy entry and exit, decent handling, good visibility. I could see myself owning one of these. If they made the V6 available as an option, it would be very high on my list.

From there, I went down the highway to a Chevrolet dealer. I had spotted a 2013 Impala LTZ, CPO, with less than 2k miles, for $21.9. Seemed really cheap, so I stopped in to check it out. I didnt like the rubber band tires, and I didnt care for the sunroof (steals too much headroom, which is always at a premium for me). The power (straight line acceleration) was impressive. The electronics (stereo, etc) was unimpressive. I really expected more luxury, more pizazz from an LTZ.

.From there, back up the highway, taking the long way to avoid a pileup on the freeway, and a stop at the VW dealer. I did a trial sit in a new CC, did not fit, moved on to a Passat TDI, which I have really been wanting to test drive. The TDI seems very refined, very quiet, and reasonably torquey. Not as torquey as the magazine writers would have you believe, but reasonable. The one I test drove had a sunroof, so I was driving with my head bent over at an angle, which didnt help. The salesman assured me it was possible to get a Passat TDI without the sunroof, but he didnt have any in stock, and wasnt expecting to get any.

I also drove a Tiguan while I was there. Which, of course, had the 2.0T and felt much stronger than the TDI. The surprising thing, to me, was that I much preferred the CRV to the Tiguan. Yes, the Tiguan was a lot faster, and Ive always been the type to appreciate that. And it did have enough headroom (no sunroof). But the CRV just fit me much better, I was much more comfortable driving it.

At the end of the day, I went back to the Ford dealer and purchased the new F150 Crewcab.

riley3 · September 2013

I got on the auctioneers website about noon today where they posted the selling prices shortltly after the car sold. They started out with signs, posters, etc. The '58 Chev cameo pickup, which was hyped prior to the sale because it had only 1 mile on the odometer, sold for $140,000! The next 1958 Chev pickup sold for $80,000. These cars buyers are nuts. Even the used car trade-ins are $30,000 and up. Most of the cars do not run, have not been washed or prepared and are sold as is where is.

28firefighter · September 2013

I agree entirely. They are both great cars and I will be the first to admit that, but I refuse to believe that any cars in the most competitive segment are selling for anything more than MSRP. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know.

rayainsw · September 2013

Bury the Headline?
What color, engine, etc?
Congrats!
- Ray
1 more 'punch'...

stever · September 2013

Congrats on the new F-150. My brother got one last year (his second in ~8 years) and really likes it.

I don't think CR-Vs have ever offered a six cylinder.

Riley3, "barn finds" are currently worth more with everything original, right down to the dust and ~~rust~~ patina.

Michaell · September 2013

Cool but sunny yesterday here I'm Colorado. Wife is teaching class in Denver and I'm helping with set up etc. So I've got free time to kill.

Started at the Lexus palace, er, dealership. They moved into a new facility about 4 months ago. What a place! Three stories with a full complimentary coffee bar, theater room with reclining seats, billiard table and outdoor patio seating. Exposed rock and dark wood dominates the interior decor.

Anyway, went to look at the CT200h. Yes, the Prius in a tuxedo. Lease special of $299/mo with $1899 to start. 27 months, 10k per year. Decent deal I suppose. Nice car inside and drove pretty well. More torque than I would have thought.

After lunch I took the Mazda to get it washed. While there, I saw what had to be half of the registered Acura ZDXs in the state. Both of them. Both black on black.

After the CX-7 was made nice and shiny, I went to the MB dealer to take a look at the CLA. Geez Louise, there were more people surrounding that car than there are paparazzi following the kardashians. looked inside but didn't sit in it. The two they had on the lot stickered for $36-37K.

corvette · September 2013

"Now the right side shines further out then the left. The lights seem to swivel much further to the right than the left."

I think this may be normal (to avoid blinding oncoming drivers), even on halogen headlights, but it's more noticeable with xenons. Everyone who rides in my car at night comments on how good the headlights are.

corvette · September 2013

Congrats on the CC, I've never driven one but it's a very classy looking car with a great interior. It sounds like you got a screaming deal on yours, to boot.

corvette · September 2013

I turned off the climate control leaving Georgia this morning and tilted my moonroof up, then later in the day, when it started raining, slid the shade back to make it less dark and depressing inside the car.

corvette · September 2013

"Oh, BTW, I bought another car, a Lincoln Mark VIII."

Congratulations, those are beautiful cars! Do you care to provide the year and mileage for our punch list?

corvette · September 2013

"At the end of the day, I went back to the Ford dealer and purchased the new F150 Crewcab."

Seriously? You guys are wearing me out! After this one, I think we're at 23 for the year.

Congratulations on the new F-150. Is it a 2013 or 2014?

oldfarmer50 · September 2013

"... Provide the year and milage..."

1995 Lincoln Mark VIII 67,000 miles. Has everything I want: no rust (Florida car), low miles and best of all cheap.

nyccarguy · September 2013

It wasn't like that when I picked up the car. Both lights shined straight with the typical sharp xenon cut off. When turning left, the lights would swivel (about) 15 degrees to the left. When turning right, the lights would swivel (about) 15 degrees to the right. Now when turning left, the lights swivel only 5 degrees to the left & when turning right, the lights swivel 25 degrees to the right.

corvette · September 2013

I don't think mine on the GLI swivel that much. It's very subtle. The cornering lamps which illuminate below 25 MPH are much more noticeable (but aren't aimed high enough to blind oncoming traffic). Nonetheless, an oncoming car blew their horn at me the other day because the cornering lamp came on and I guess they thought I had turned on my brights.

fintail · September 2013

What colors? I kind of like those things, too.

nyccarguy · September 2013

WOW! I thought I had a wide range of vehicles I was looking at. A CRV, Tiguan, Passat TDI, & you ended up with an F150? Bravo! Mazel-Tov & congratulations on your CCBA punch!

I know it is "much more than just a CRV with a V6," but if you were impressed with the CRV then why not check out an Acura RDX? Same platform, V6 engine, much more luxurious interior...

I'm glad you gave the CRV a good write up. I've been getting slammed on here for even considering it:)

The thing that struck me about your Tiguan review is that you said even though it is considerably faster than the CRV, you'd take the CRV.

28firefighter · September 2013

I brought home the new CC tonight! Very very happy - the deal was painless and the car is absolutely wonderful. All things that everyone has already said but it is extremely good looking, great interior, and fun to drive.

As far as the deal itself, I noticed last week that VW had $5000 in lease cash for this month on 2013 CCs. I ran some numbers, looked to see what deals were occurring out in the field and put together an offer to present to several dealers after looking at their inventory to make sure they had something I wanted. The offer came out to approximately $2700 below invoice less the $5000 dealer cash - ~$9000 off MSRP. Although it seems crazy low, I had seen similar numbers floating around various sources including Edmunds. I left approximately $1000 to add back into the sale price that would accommodate the acquisition fee, licensing, and doc fee. The interest rate was .02% and the residual is 48% -- great interest rate but a horrible residual. Even with the horrible residual, the deal as I had structured it with only first month due at signing was $255/month for 36 months. This deal is reminiscent of when Volvo was offering insane amounts of lease cash for leases through third party banks like US Bank - this was back around 2007 or so.

I sent the offer to 3 local VW dealers and the first one that replied accepted the offer. Once I received paperwork confirming the stock and the deal, I gave them a deposit over the phone. In the mean time, I contacted the buyer for my C30 and lined up to sell the car to him. Fast forward to today, I drove down to Tacoma to meet the buyer who bought the C30 (he drove up from Portland) -- he paid with a Cashiers Check (which I verified with the branch that issued the check). From there, we jumped on I-5 and headed back up to the Seattle area to the VW dealer and finished the deal on my CC.

A very eventful day, but very very happy with how everything went!

ohenryx · September 2013

Well, Im sorry to report that my new car experience has already been destroyed, at least partially. I had read of problems with Fords sync system, but I had also read that most of those problems had been fixed with software upgrades. Little did I know

I went out to the drive way this morning, to try out some of the fancy new stuff on my new F150. As a part of that process, I programmed the entry code for the keypad on the door, and set my favorite stations on the XM radio. All good so far. Then I tried to insert a flash drive full of mp3s. Very bad things ensued. First I received an error message accusing me of stealing copyrighted material. After that, the stereo refused to recognize the flash drive. I tried 4 different flash drives, same result, no music. The only thing I ever got was the initial error message accusing me of copyright theft.

Not one to be deterred easily, I went online and started searching. Go to google, enter

Ford sync does not recognize flash drive

Try it for yourself, there are a LOT of hits. Seems a lot of people have encountered exactly this problem, going all the way back to 2009. You would think Ford would have fixed the problem by now, but no. I found a discussion where someone fixed the problem (at least temporarily) by pulling the fuse for the stereo. Not being sure what fuse exactly, I just pulled the battery cable and left it off for a few minutes. Guess what? The stereo recognized the flash drive, and played music. Until I changed flash drives, at which point I had to repeat pulling the battery cable.

And this whole sync system really appears to blow, bad. If you ask for help, you get a long winded voice help system. Part of which says, Say next folder to move to the next folder. Sounds simple, right? But when you say next folder, it answers back, Not in folder mode. Try searching for that, youll get a lot of hits, going all the way back to 2008. You would think they would have fixed that problem by now, wouldnt you? Wait, I already said that, didnt I? Youll have to forgive me, Im a little frustrated right now.

corvette · September 2013

Congrats, again! What color did you get?

The 48% residual seems low, it may be worth buying at the end of the lease. If you keep it that long. :P

corvette · September 2013

Sync uses Microsoft software, doesn't it? It sounds like the Windows Vista of car operating systems. If you've ever watched any of Alex Dykes' video reviews on The Truth About Cars, he compares pretty much every infotainment system to Ford's (paraphrasing: "it's awful, but doesn't crash as much as MyFordTouch and is much more responsive," or "all it does is show a photo of Fidel Castro, but it's still better than Sync.").

I've noticed that Bluetooth smartphone integration with my (new) Android on the VW is not nearly as good as it was with my old iPhone 4. Apparently, a lot of manufacturers design for the iPhone and do a half-baked job with the other devices that are on the market.

That said, from what I've read, the driving experience of the F-150 is excellent.

stever · September 2013

Best check with the dealer and make sure you have the latest update. Sounds like the most recent was a few weeks ago. (link)

Worse comes to worse, you can trade (and help my prediction come true, lol).

28firefighter · September 2013

I ended up with Midnight Blue Metallic - I'll take a picture when I get some clear weather to do it and post it.

The residual is CRAZY low - it was cheaper to lease today and buy at the end in 3 years than to 1) Buy the same car new today or 2) buy a 2-3 year used CC.

Thanks again for the well wishes! I am thrilled - it is built and feels like an absolute tank but the 2.0T with DSG is a real hoot to drive. No rattles, either, which for me is the kiss of death.

roadburner · September 2013

I've noticed that Bluetooth smartphone integration with my (new) Android on the VW is not nearly as good as it was with my old iPhone 4. Apparently, a lot of manufacturers design for the iPhone and do a half-baked job with the other devices that are on the market.

I have a friend who is an editor at one of the PC magazines as well as an automotive journalist, and he uses an iPhone because that phone is always the primary smartphone integration priority, while the other phones get short shrift...

ohenryx · September 2013

The thing that struck me about your Tiguan review is that you said even though it is considerably faster than the CRV, you'd take the CRV.

My attitude towards such things has changed considerably as I get older. When I was young, I drove fast cars, and speed was the most important issue. I remember throwing away perfectly good AC compressors because they got in my way when I was working on the engine, trying to make it go faster. (Change cams, intake manifolds, etc).

I have learned the hard way that if I am not comfortable, I will not be happy with the car / truck long term. There are a lot of factors that go into my personal comfort index. If I have to fold up like a pretzel to get my head to fit through the door opening, that is a big negative. If I have to lean the car seat back at a precipitous angle to fit my head under the roof / sunroof, that is a big negative. If my line of vision is straight into the sun visor, rather than the windshield, another negative. If there is a console, and it makes me feel hemmed in, that is a negative. If the console forces me to keep my right leg in a fully upright position, that is a deal breaker. If the seats are made to fit someone with a butt about one-quarter the size of mine, and I feel pinched in the hind quarters when sitting in the seat, another deal breaker.

With all of that said, the Tiguan wasnt half bad, I have been in much worse. If I won one in a lottery, I would probably keep it rather than sell it. But spending my hard earned money, I would be MUCH happier with the CRV. I have to agree with the magazine reviewers on this one, the CRV feels peppy at lower speeds, running around town. Its when you get out on the highway and need to accelerate from 60 to 80 for a passing maneuver, very lacking. This would not make a good highway car, but would be a great run around town car.

qbrozen · September 2013

well, of course when you get $9k off MSRP, the residual is going to suffer. I mean, you get, what? 25% off up front? So at 48% residual, that's only 27% depreciation. That's cheap.

Sandman6472 · September 2013

Still haven't dismissed the idea of doing this for my '06 Civic as I'd like to have the usb/aux connectivity as well as bluetooth for my android smartphone integration. Just hit the 45k mark this morning on the vehicle and after having gone through the car wash last night, it looks real good all cleaned up in the garage which got me thinking again about doing the audio swap. I am ready for a new ride, I gotta be honest here and after seeing the new Forte and Elantra GT on the highway yesterday only got me wanting a new ride but it really is a dumb idea. Better to wait till I get to 100k or so and then make a switch. This will put me out till 2017 I suspect and I definitely will have more funds put away to purchase something I really want. So I figure I'd treat myself next month for my birthday after I pay for my eye surgery. Time will tell though but I'd sure enjoy some new audio equipment right about now!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

28firefighter · September 2013

I know. If I didn't have the paperwork and car sitting in my garage, I would not believe it.

Sandman6472 · September 2013

Just looked at a CC online and it really is a sweet vehicle...man do I want one also or anything new right about now! Maybe if I get that new stereo installed, I can get the new car itch to go away for awhile as now is really not the right time to be doing anything with $20k or so...it needs to stay put where it is just as the Civic needs to stay on my side of the garage!

The Logical Sandman

28firefighter · September 2013

You'll get there Sandman - you are making the prudent choice for your needs right now. I had the itch and tried to do this as intelligently as possible, but the reality is the Volvo could have stayed another year before we HAD to get rid of it for something more practical.

jpp75 · October 2013

This is the one thing that keeps me from purchasing a CC.

jpp75 · October 2013

A friend of mine traded in his 2006 Civic EX (190,000 trouble free miles on it) for a new 2013 CR-V EX-L w/ nav. I drove it when I visited last year, I was pleasantly surprised by the power, but coming from your BMW it would be a huge shock for you.

His only complaint is a rattle that they can't diagnose. He drives all the time for work, so after 18 months he has over 50,000 miles on it but no issues besides the rattle. Although he'll readily admit he wishes he had spent the extra money for an RDX (the new model that stickguy has).

jpp75 · October 2013

Congrats! I'm looking forward to hearing about your experience with the CC.

nyccarguy · October 2013

Thanks for your $.02 jpp! It seems like a lengthy test drive will be in order. I know it won't be nearly as fast as my BMW, the handling won't be as responsive, & hopefully the brakes will be adequate. I just hope the car overall doesn't suck. All of the owner reviews & reviews from civilian "car guys" I've read seem to say the same thing: they were pleasantly surprised, drove better as a whole rather than judging it on what the specs say.

I really do take everyone's input into consideration & appreciate your feedback.

I'm sure I'd like an RDX, but don't have the deep pockets like stickguy (sarcasm). Maybe a dealer demo or CPO without NAV might fall into my price range.

Stick - your RDX has a backup camera, right?

jpp75 · October 2013

Oh the CR-V won't suck, not at all. It's exceptionally competent in all areas, but that's just it, it's competent. You can't go wrong with it, just like your TSX, it will be absolutely fine and will last forever, but it won't be engaging or fun.

Sandman6472 · October 2013

That's exactly what I want next time. Saw a bunch of new Tiguans and Minis at the Sixt rental lot in Miami today and I liked what I saw. Got to drive a new Beetle and a MB ML350 and our chase vehicle was a Prius. some others in our crew came down from Lauderdale in MB E convertibles and they had a Volvo S60 as their chase. Sixt has some great vehicles to rent...love when ever we work for them.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

stickguy · October 2013

well, at this point, my pockets only seem deep because they are empty. Not even car keys, since I am the only guy here that doesn't even have a car of his own (never mind multiples like most of you!).

Yes, the RDX has a backup cam, which is the exact same one as the CRV. Cool gizmo.

I still can't see you moving from the BMW to a CRV. But, if that is your plan, don't make the same mistake I did and drive the RDX right after looking at the CRV. That was an expensive mistake on my part (not so much me, but taking my wife to the Acura dealer, when all I wanted to do was see one in person for the first time!).

once she experienced the RDX, I was never getting her to settle on the CRV!

and one thing working against the CRV? It had too much "Hondaness", meaning it was very similar to her to the Odyssey. I know some people think that is a good thing, but she wanted something that seemed like a change.

and for you, sounds like the RDX would give better MPG. I just did another trip to NY, so highway up, mixed roads coming back, and a bunch of running around town in between, and overall I got over 27mpg doing that. So I suspect you could easily average that in the driving you do if you don't spend an excessive amount of time in stop and go.

stickguy · October 2013

sounds like what I want. something that isn't too big, has nice features, and is interesting and not super common. And of course, fun to drive.

breld · October 2013

"and one thing working against the CRV? It had too much "Hondaness", meaning it was very similar to her to the Odyssey."

That's exactly what I thought when I drove the CR-V - it was a great ride with surprisingly good power, but it was sort of like driving my Odyssey. So, since we already have an Odyssey...

Again, not that there's anything wrong with it - it just seemed too redundant in our fleet.

On another note, checked out the new Mazda3 yesterday. They had a fully loaded model in the showroom (about $27k). My wife, who really disliked the previous 3, liked the new model - even liked the red, and she is not a "red" person.

Kind of a lot of money, but this model had everything, including the heads-up display. Very sharp, BMW-like interior.

Didn't have time to drive it, but trust that it drives as well as the mags claim so far. About the closest thing to a Mazda6 wagon we'll get over here.

stickguy · October 2013

pretty much what my wife said when she was sitting in it. It looked so similar, she might as well just keep the odyssey. So apparently getting something less big was only an excuse to get something "luxury".

I did not fight too hard (hey, I drive it too!). and after driving a minivan for 17 years (not the same one of course) I guess she deserved something nice!

nyccarguy · October 2013

"- it just seemed too redundant in our fleet."

Says the guy with 2 E90s in his fleet;)

tifighter · October 2013

Zing!

nyccarguy · October 2013

You know I was just jerkin your chain with the "deep pockets" comment;)

I'm talking big right now about wanting something less expensive, less performance oriented, & more practical. My big problem is going to be test driving a CRV or RDX or __________... I'm going to walk out into the parking lot thinking: "that was nice..., I could definitely get used to it..." Then I'm going to hop into my BMW, turn on to the highway on ramp without touching the brakes, slap the shifter into DS & nail the throttle, smile, & say to myself: "this feels good. How on g-d's green earth can I give this up?"

OK, you guys have talked me into adding 2, CPO vehicles to my list: a 2011 328xi & an Acura TL SH-AWD (2012).

stickguy · October 2013

just for the heck of it, go drive an RDX. I am curious to know what you think of it. I find the roadholding quite good, keeping in mind any SUV is going to feel less "planted" than your 328. But I can guarantee you will be just as happy with the thrust when you bury your right foot. This baby gets up and scoots.

Sandman6472 · October 2013

Drove one of these to the Mercedes dealer today and was amazed at the smoothness of it, was like driving a magic carpet, totally incredible! Was about to go in and look at the new CLA but my coworker came out and we had to go. Think I learned a valuable lesson today in that I am probably going to move up into a more lux vehicle to get what I really want next time and an econobox is just not gonna cut it anymore. Might just have to spend a bit more and get a nicer vehicle but it'll have to be in the 180" range as I won't go into the midsize category as they are just too big for me. Right now, the VW Tiguan and Mini are starting to look very doable and the couple I saw at the Sixt outer lot today were absolutely beautiful...I fell in love again!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

jayrider · October 2013

Sandman, don't you have back issues ? You might want to reconsider the Mini.

nyccarguy · October 2013

I can totally picture you "Rollin' in a Benz" Sandy;). Go for it when you are ready! You deserve it my friend!

nyccarguy · October 2013

Ok. RDX added to the potential test drive list. You guys are going to get sick of my ramblings at some point;)

stickguy · October 2013

it is OK. living vicariously is the only living I am going to be getting for the foreseeable future (car wise at least!)

nyccarguy · October 2013

Just did a quick search & found quite a few CPO 328xi Sedans for sale with less than 30K miles for $25K.

breld · October 2013

Ha! You got me there!

I guess to be specific, we have an E90 and an E91, so not totally redundant. : )

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