Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

nyccarguy · June 2015

breld said:
Speaking of the WRX and STI, I've been looking a little longingly at WRXs as they pass me on the road these days.

Yup. Me too:)

thebean · June 2015

Michael, when you go to Santa Fe there are a couple of nice inexpensive places to eat near the Plaza. Palacio Cafe is a small family owned place with good sandwiches and great posole soup. There is a food truck near downtown called Bang Bite that has killer burgers and a great Cuban sandwich. We were there about a month ago and ate at both places twice.

Highly recommended.

gouldn · June 2015

Hi ... it's me again.

Last year in August I bought the used TSX wagon and I'm loving it. I see another punch, and more probably two coming shortly. First one is for the other half

She has ZERO interest in cars, and currently commutes in a 2004 Corolla CE (roll down windows, etc). Well the paint's staring to fade, and she's ready for a few new features, so we're going to replace it. She had the following requirements:

Blue
MPG must at least match current car
Nav
Cloth (not leather) seats
Small-ish
Blue

So ... we headed out. First up was a Toyota dealer, as this car has had literally zero problems in 105k miles since new. We test drove a new Corolla Le ECO Plus. This one didn't have nav, but it could be added if we go that direction. It was blue

I was impressed at how far that car has come refinement wise. It's nice looking, drove smooth, and had a nicely finished interior considering the price point. It was CVT, but that didn't bother her at all, and it had adequate power

Next up, Honda. We drove a Fit EX cloth. This car uses NAV via an Iphone app which then uses the screen to display. Kind of neat IMO. This car, although quite small, really is like a swiss army knife with respect to how the seats fold, etc. The lane watch system which projects your blind spot onto the screen during right lane changes was neat ... but kind of silly IMO. It's so easy to drive. We did notice that the engine sounded a tad strained during on-ramp merges.

Last (for this first round) was Mazda. Mazda 3 5 door, AT, 2.0 litre engine. This really was both our favorites. The interior felt like a much more expensive car, and it drove great! It also was her favorite color of blue, which will probably be the deal sealer right there!

She still wants to drive a prius liftback, but we haven't got to that one yet.

2nd Punch:

I want (for myself) a very old land cruiser. Pre-1998 with the i6 and solid front axles. A LX450 would work too. This will be used for off-road camping. My brother has this setup (with prolly 10k in mods) and it's such a capable fun car off road. Started that search. Hope cars that old still count for this group!

corvette · June 2015

Old cars definitely count, just get ready to pay through the nose for a used TLC!

Those things hold their value like crazy.

Mr_Shiftright · June 2015

The price is silly but if you want something unique.....http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5066569520.html

nyccarguy · June 2015

Mr_Shiftright said:
The price is silly but if you want something unique.....http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5066569520.html

Did the poster add an extra "0" on the end of that by accident?

stickguy · June 2015

yeah, just the thing I want to drive in traffic from the "wrong" side of the car!

stickguy · June 2015

So, based on an incredible lack of interest in Roberto (the Volvo), looks like we are on to plan B. Keeping it. makes no sense to cheap sell it really. so, we will probably keep it, and just work out who gets what. Probably go with sending the Hyundai down south, and I can use the Volvo as the spare around-town car. When the princess is home, can switch back. really not that big a deal, since we have the acura, and at this point I don't go anywhere.

Can always change at some point in the future if i want to. since it will be back every few months (maybe fall break and spring break, Thanksgiving for sure, winter break, etc.). At least I won't have to worry about the car on the trips back and forth!

maybe someone comes along and finally offers up on the Volvo. never know. I will have an extra though 1.5 years from now, when she does a term abroad in the spring of Junior year. could always sell it then.

so we shall see.

corvette · June 2015

I share your frustration with trying to sell used motorized equipment. I have been unsuccessfully trying to sell my riding lawnmower for months (1 year old, 25 hours on the clock, washed and polished for the next owner). Have to use a push mower at the new house. A new rider like mine is $1800-$2k depending on discounts. No bites at the $1100 range. It's going on eBay in a week or so.

gouldn · June 2015

Mr_Shiftright said:
The price is silly but if you want something unique.....http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5066569520.html

Yeah ... $22k is a tad dear

From what I've seen I can go two basic routes ... either buy a 1996-1997 with about 150k for about 6-8k for a good one (the 3k examples are horrid) bone stock. I'd then need to put about 5k or more into it for sliders, lift, new tires, winch, etc. Or I can buy a 'built' example for 12-15k what most/all of that done. The downside is obviously they've been off road more.

The trucks themselves are supposedly 300k mile engine/transmission, but really it's hard to say how long it will last without knowing each specific example's maintenance.

Other routes are to get a newer Xterra or 4runner, which also can take the same type mods. 4Runner used prices are crazy high. Xterra less so. Also there's always Wrangler .. another car which seems to depreciate in reverse!

stickguy · June 2015

Forgot to mention the odd thing I saw this week, when I stopped to test drive a 2012 S60 at a local Toyota dealer. For some reason, I decided to pop the trunk and check it out. This was also just traded, so had not been touched (I am always amazed at how dirty and full of stuff people leave trades).

anyway, there was a pair of cheap sunglasses, and a large fabric bag (looked like the cymbal bag from when I was the equipment truck guy for the HS marching band). after thinking about it, wondering what the PO left (and realizing it was all strapped in) realized that it was the optional spare tire (I believe Volvo by then had switched to an inflate pump and can of fix a flat).

I assume they did not leave enough room in the well (otherwise the bag makes no sense). But dang, it really killed trunk room. Pretty much took that off the list as an option for a college car! Actually reminded my of my Gremlin, with the big spare pretty much taking up the entire cargo area.

roadburner · June 2015

gouldn said:

Mr_Shiftright said:
The price is silly but if you want something unique.....http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5066569520.html
Yeah ... $22k is a tad dear From what I've seen I can go two basic routes ... either buy a 1996-1997 with about 150k for about 6-8k for a good one (the 3k examples are horrid) bone stock. I'd then need to put about 5k or more into it for sliders, lift, new tires, winch, etc. Or I can buy a 'built' example for 12-15k what most/all of that done. The downside is obviously they've been off road more.

The trucks themselves are supposedly 300k mile engine/transmission, but really it's hard to say how long it will last without knowing each specific example's maintenance.

Other routes are to get a newer Xterra or 4runner, which also can take the same type mods. 4Runner used prices are crazy high. Xterra less so. Also there's always Wrangler .. another car which seems to depreciate in reverse!

I have three guys in line wanting to buy my Wrangler if I ever decide to sell it. Fat chance; since I had the front end sorted, installed the BFG All-Terrain tires, and fitted a new sailcloth top I think I like it better than when I bought it in 2002. If I did replace it it would be with either a 2012-up JK Sahara or an Xterra PRO-4X.

carnaught · June 2015

Stick, I were you I'd trade the Volvo when it comes time for a car for your daughter.

stickguy · June 2015

I had offers better than the dismal trade in offers. Just not good enough. I'm not really in a " must sell" situation, so I'll wait it out.

carnaught · June 2015

stickguy said:
I had offers better than the dismal trade in offers. Just not good enough. I'm not really in a " must sell" situation, so I'll wait it out.

Don't want to sound like a dealer, but be sure to factor in the tax savings on a trade, and you save certain hassles you have with a private sale. Also, their offers are highly negotiable. On the other hand, nothing wrong with waiting.

Mr_Shiftright · June 2015

Did you post your actual ad for us? Maybe we could tweak it for you? Or...maybe it's perfect and there's nothing to do

stickguy said:
So, based on an incredible lack of interest in Roberto (the Volvo), looks like we are on to plan B. Keeping it. makes no sense to cheap sell it really. so, we will probably keep it, and just work out who gets what. Probably go with sending the Hyundai down south, and I can use the Volvo as the spare around-town car. When the princess is home, can switch back. really not that big a deal, since we have the acura, and at this point I don't go anywhere.

Can always change at some point in the future if i want to. since it will be back every few months (maybe fall break and spring break, Thanksgiving for sure, winter break, etc.). At least I won't have to worry about the car on the trips back and forth!

maybe someone comes along and finally offers up on the Volvo. never know. I will have an extra though 1.5 years from now, when she does a term abroad in the spring of Junior year. could always sell it then.

so we shall see.

Mr_Shiftright · June 2015

300K is a bodacious claim and you're right---such an "outlier" would require extremely fastidious maintenance. I just saw a 2003 Chevy truck with 540,000 on it and it looked just great inside and out. Original engine, now about finito. So it can be done. The guy was a fanatic on maintenance.

Sure, let the other person do all the mods and then you get them for .25 cents on the dollar!

gouldn said:

Mr_Shiftright said:
The price is silly but if you want something unique.....http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5066569520.html
Yeah ... $22k is a tad dear From what I've seen I can go two basic routes ... either buy a 1996-1997 with about 150k for about 6-8k for a good one (the 3k examples are horrid) bone stock. I'd then need to put about 5k or more into it for sliders, lift, new tires, winch, etc. Or I can buy a 'built' example for 12-15k what most/all of that done. The downside is obviously they've been off road more.

The trucks themselves are supposedly 300k mile engine/transmission, but really it's hard to say how long it will last without knowing each specific example's maintenance.

Other routes are to get a newer Xterra or 4runner, which also can take the same type mods. 4Runner used prices are crazy high. Xterra less so. Also there's always Wrangler .. another car which seems to depreciate in reverse!

stickguy · June 2015

Of course it is perfect. People just don't look for the right stuff.

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/5049354123.html

xwesx · June 2015

stickguy said:
Of course it is perfect. People just don't look for the right stuff.

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/5049354123.html

Looks pretty good to me! I'm a bit over the top in the details I put in my ads.

I think you just need to be more patient with it. I would probably set my floor at $6K and wait for the right person to actually *want* the car and offer me that price.

stickguy · June 2015

that is what I am doing. so we shall see.

usually takes a buyer that appreciates service records, and stuff like that. Since you can usually find others that look similar for cheaper, with no "provenance"

xwesx · June 2015

History counts for a lot (to me, anyway)! Others don't necessarily appreciate it so much.

qbrozen · June 2015

looks good to me, mostly. More pics could be helpful, though. You don't have one of the driver's side, for starters. I usually take about 30 in all and put a link to them in my ad.

Mr_Shiftright · June 2015

Yep, it's a pretty darn good ad. Possibly I'd put $6300/ neg. and put "dealer serviced" right up at the beginning. Sometimes ads get stale even if they are well written, so it pays on occasion to re-write it or re-order it so that it appears fresh.

ab348 · June 2015

To me it seems like a lot of money for that many miles on an 8 year old car. But what do I know?

Mr_Shiftright · June 2015

It's about "market correct" on a retail basis. I don't know about where you live, but where I live $3500 gets you a used car just about ready for the wrecking yard and $5000 is about where decent old cars start. So a 2007 with various nice options is, relatively speaking, worth a look. Some folks are funny. They'll shop and shop and find a 2007 Volvo for $5000 that needs tires and front brakes and rotors and think they scored.

Michaell · June 2015

Back in Santa Fe for the night. Originally planned to drive home tomorrow but now believe that plan is changing and we are staying another night. Home on Sunday.

Finally saw the low fuel light in the Subaru with 70 miles DTE. Wrote down the refill numbers but don't have them with me.

qbrozen · June 2015

Any of my fellow CCBA'ers have experience with AAA insurance? I guess its technically CSAA Insurance, but I got the quote through AAA.

Its BBB accredited since 1932, has an A+ rating, and an A+ with AM Best, too. The quote I just got absolutely trounced my current insurance and the quote I got from Geico. Wondering if anyone has any insight.

stickguy · June 2015

I switched to AAA a few years ago. From Allstate. it was a significant savings, and has not really gone up that much since. Plus they do yearly policies, not 6 months.

Mine is actually written through Keystone though. Maybe different AAA regions use different insurance companies?

whenever I had to call the AAA insurance # for anything, they were excellent to work with.

nyccarguy · June 2015

I had the opportunity to sit in a 2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring (I think it was a GT, it had 19s). Interior materials were very rich, thick, & well finished. The seats were nicely contoured and had some pretty serious bolsters for a mid sized sedan. There are even bolsters for the back of my knees in the front & back seats. Back seat seemed very roomy. I can how rear visibility could be difficult.

My Legacy still isn't fast

stickguy · June 2015

could have been a Touring or GT. they both have the 19s. definitely pretty sprightly for a mid size sedan. I agree about it having much bigger bolsters than most other midsize sedans, including my Sonata!

It really is the sports sedan of the class.

kyfdx · June 2015

qbrozen said:
Any of my fellow CCBA'ers have experience with AAA insurance? I guess its technically CSAA Insurance, but I got the quote through AAA.

Its BBB accredited since 1932, has an A+ rating, and an A+ with AM Best, too. The quote I just got absolutely trounced my current insurance and the quote I got from Geico. Wondering if anyone has any insight.

I think AAA insurance is different companies in a marketing alliance with AAA. Sort of like AARP. I don't think AAA actually has anything to do with the insurance.

Mr_Shiftright · June 2015

Very happy with AAA. Fair rates, good customer service. I especially like going to my local AAA office for personalized attention, DMV services, etc. had one road hazard claim (rock through sunroof), they paid off, no questions asked. (Well they did ask to see some photos of the damage). Don't break the sunroof glass on your Mini---that's $2800 bucks because they don't sell the glass separately--you have to buy the whole she-bang.

qbrozen said:
Any of my fellow CCBA'ers have experience with AAA insurance? I guess its technically CSAA Insurance, but I got the quote through AAA.

Its BBB accredited since 1932, has an A+ rating, and an A+ with AM Best, too. The quote I just got absolutely trounced my current insurance and the quote I got from Geico. Wondering if anyone has any insight.

stever · June 2015

Funny that you use them considering their long fight against bikes. (dailyfinance.com) I guess you can call them to fix a flat on your ten speed now.

I'm road-tripping near my old stomping grounds growing up in Mississippi - near where I had to drive a couple of '74 "family" Volvos for a year or two. They ran so bad I still hold a grudge against the brand.

Had breakfast in a Waffle House this morning - it's in the lot where my Daddy's '53 Buick would wind up after it would slip out of gear and roll across the highway. He actually reported it stolen one afternoon and it was found way on the back of the field that used to be there. If it had sat there three days undiscovered, it'd been buried in kudzu and never been spotted again.

imidazol97 · June 2015

stever said:
If it had sat there three days undiscovered, it'd been buried in kudzu and never been spotted again.

LOL. \

stickguy · June 2015

they would have found the shell when they cleared the lot for the waffle house.

speaking of which, I went to one in NC last month for the first time. I liked it. So southern!

stever · June 2015

Durn good breakfast; wound up sneaking a third of my wife's country ham.

au1994 · June 2015

As a native southerner I consider Waffle House an official food group.

kyfdx · June 2015

You have to pick your Waffle House carefully... that's all I'm saying.

stever · June 2015

No one's sick here, lol.

1,500 miles down, 1,500 miles to go. Nice to get out of the car for a few days.

qbrozen · June 2015

Thanks for the feedback on AAA insurance.

I asked the saleswoman directly if it is their own insurance or outsourced. Her answer was a bit cryptic, but I guess you guys have answered that. As long as they stand behind it, that's what matters.

Michaell · June 2015

Back home in Colorado. 1700 miles in 7 days. Averaged 26.5 MPG for the entire trip. Most of the interstate was at 80, though yesterday I decided to try 84 (9 over) to see what that did to the mileage - not much, it turns out.

Given that the highway MPG is 27, I figure we did pretty good, given that we did a few days of in-town driving and had to take some surface streets in ABQ on Friday to avoid an accident.

Saw a lot of Gumball Rally cars heading east on I-40 Monday ... including two Corvettes that had been pulled over by the Arizona State Police. On Friday I saw a Gumball entrant vehicle on the back of a transporter heading west on I-40.

Lane discipline was pretty good, though there were a few LLC's on I-40 Friday ... took the Subaru to 95 to get around one of them.

Observations about the Outback:

It is a great long distance vehicle. Comfortable with great range - we did almost 450 miles on Friday and still had 60 or 70 miles left in the tank.

Love the CVT. Given the number of hills (well, mountains) that we had to traverse, it was nice to not feel the transmission drop down a gear or two to maintain the 80 MPH cruising speed, just a slight increase in the tach from 2000 to 2500-3000. Very smooth. Would I like it as much with the 4-cylinder engine? Not so sure. The H-6 makes plenty of power and torque and is butter smooth.

Adaptive cruise control is, in a word, awesome. Set it to 80 and if you come up on slower traffic, it slows down automatically to match the pace of the car ahead. When they move to the right, the car just resumes the set speed. And, you can control how close to the car in front you want to be.

Lots of cargo space - never felt like we were going to run out of room with all the purchases we made on our trip. And, I was able to pack the car so that vision to the rear was never impeded.

Didn't really notice the AWD except for a couple of moments yesterday - there were some pretty strong storms as we headed north on I-25 in NM and there was a brief hydroplaning incident that got our attention. I slowed the car from 84 to 75 and had no further troubles with the rain.

This is the third trip to Sedona we've made, all in different vehicles ('08 VUE, '10 CX-7 and now the '15 Outback) and I liked this most recent trip the best. Biggest car with the best mileage.

Mr_Shiftright · June 2015

Well not the car's fault. When hydroplaning conditions are present, even 18-wheel drive isn't going to help you if the tires have no grip. (hey, water, get out of the way).

stickguy · June 2015

sounds like a nice car. I was pushing for one but the wife held out for the RDX. Though we would have gotten the 4 cyl. better MPG, but a whole bunch slower.

stickguy · June 2015

I have decided I am done with used cars. from now on, either buying new and keeping forever, or leasing. I am not dealing with the hassle of trying to sell an old one again. Ever.

pretty sure that when my Sonata lease is up, it will be replaced by another lease. after that will buy something to keep indefinitely (heck, at that point, it may be getting my last car time!)

fintail · June 2015

Just passed 7 months with my current car, a few days ago. No problems at all yet, and I expect this to remain the case.

I am always thinking - if I don't lease again, I am going to look for a W124 500E, maybe a W124 cabrio or Porsche 993, or maybe a mint W140. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

I looked at a high end used car lot today, nothing got me going. I had spotted a W221 S-class I knew was unique, but I couldn't tell from the street. It was a hybrid, which is a rare car. Of course I was approached by a salesman, who asked me if he could look out for anything for me. I told him a mint loaded Bluetec S-class would be one of the very few modern used models that would interest me. Very rare too.

The salesman I spoke to there also said the current E seems to be a lot less troublesome than the German competition.

fezo · June 2015

I go away three days and not only has stick not given us a punch but has withdrawn from the market - not that stick is ever really out of the market. If we hadn't committed to fixing the Camry despite the insurance company that Volvo would be extremely tempting. You could do way worse than having that as your knock around car.

stickguy · June 2015

Fezo, I figured out how to get rid of it. I will lend it to your family. It will likely be totaled out within a week, and I can collect the insurance!

stickguy · June 2015

I keep working out the timing of the various options, and it actually makes sense to do something now. If not, wait a year, and get a 24 month lease. otherwise I could end up being short a car for 1 semester a few years down the line! So confusing.

I did figure that if I can't sell it now, if I keep it for another year, I can knock $1,500 off the price, and still be ahead of where I would be if I slashed the price now and leased something else.

fezo · June 2015

If I knew all I know about that car that I do now I'd have offered $5K and seen if you'd bite. Would have worked.

rayainsw · June 2015

I was thinking of making a post here [ first service on
the Charger ] and realized my mom [ 94 ] and my aunt
[ 90 ] issues had absorbed all my 'free time' - and kept me
away - for quite a while.
500+ new posts !
So - any punches I missed - congrats !
- Ray
Back, I hope.....

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