Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

sda · July 2015

nyccarguy said:
Hello everybody from Saint Simons Island, GA! No punches to report

over vacation. The Pilot's odometer crossed over the 65,000 mile mark. It has proven itself over and over again on these long summer road trips. Plenty of room for our family of 5 and all of our gear. I averaged close to 23 mpg on one leg of the trip from the NJ/PA border to Harrisonburg, VA.

We just drove round trip to Jacksonville, FL and back a week ago. Our experience was similar. Trip Computer indicated 23.5 mpg for entire trip. Pilot is a great travel companion, and yes the cold a/c in 100 degree weather was greatly appreciated. Just turned 75000 miles. Enjoy your trip---Williamsburg is great.

rayainsw · July 2015

breld -
Congrats !!
Very nice. I drove 2 - at 2 different dealers,
but in the end, decided not to pull the trigger.
Many happy [s]miles!
- Ray
Like that Red....

au1994 · July 2015

breld said:
Few pics

Wow, I love that. Love the A3 and can only imagine how much fun the S3 is!

roadburner · July 2015

breld said:
Few pics

Beautiful!!!

Michaell · July 2015

Sooo, what prompted the switch? I know there's a story behind it, probably driven by the lovely missus.

carnaught · July 2015

Breld, (out of breath).....not only are you a platinum member of CCBA, and the Grand Poobah of this board, but....but....(gulp) maybe this board should be....?? named after you??

BTW, honorable mention to Mrs. Breld, who is co-dependent.

Anyways, congrats on the punch, and enjoy it! Love it!

breld · July 2015

Many thanks all for the responses and congratulatory words!

This was probably the highest priced impulsive buy we've made, but sometimes it's just fun to go with the gut.

@Michaell - here's the story.

We had a free day yesterday, and it's actually been awhile since we just browsed the dealerships, so we decided to head up to Ft. Collins for some new scenery (it's only about 45 minutes from where we live). Our first (and only as it turns out) stop was a VW/Audi/Porsche dealer.

I test drove a manual TDI Golf wagon - liked the drive quite a bit; a little slow to start off, but once it gets going it's a nice turbo rush. This was a base model, so we went off to the back of the lot to check out an SEL (auto) model to get a feel for the nicer seats and trim.

And we never made it back to the VW side of the dealership.

So, back when my wife got her GTI, red was her first choice, but it was hard to locate one, so she went with her second choice (the gray). But clearly she never got the red out of her head.

So, like that dog from "Up!" ("Squirrel!"), she sees a red Q3 in the backlot, and I encourage her to take one for a drive. They're pretty reasonably priced, and our thought was that it was sort of a GTI on stilts and with AWD. We met up with an awesome salesperson who drives a tuned GTI himself - he implied that the Q3 may not live up to our expectations that way, and he was right. Nice car - competent, but not terribly exciting. It's the "old" 2.0T with less hp and much less torque.

Based on our description of the kind of cars we liked, salesperson encourages a drive of the S3. Not surprisingly, that hits all the right buttons and my wife loves the car, but was very hesitant about the cost. Figuring the A3 has the same engine and overall platform as the GTI, she test drives that and comes away a bit "blah" - not that it wasn't very nice, just doesn't make a compelling case compared to the also nice GTI.

So she and I discuss cost, and I, being the enabler I am, talk about how the S3 is worth the extra cost, etc., etc. We come up with an aggressive trade difference target, knowing we're fine walking away (and figuring that's what would happen). After minimal back and forth, the dealer agrees to our offer and we're like "Wow!, I guess we're getting this car!"

Hard to judge trade value on the GTI, since it's too new of a model year to be out there on the online guides, but we figured what a dealer would sell a used one for and subtracted a few thousand, and thought that'd be good.

They got to $24k for the GTI - with 20k miles and some minor scraping on the rear quarter panel, we thought that was real strong. Then they knocked about $5,500 off the sticker on the Audi. That included some loyalty rebate for the daughter's A3. So, not cheap, but all in all, we thought it was a great deal. They also included the tint and clear mask.

It's a very well equipped Prestige model, with the performance package (19" wheels and the magnetic ride suspension), and driver assistance package. It's one of those that will take a good reading of the manual to understand all the tech stuff. Funny thing though - with all that, it actually doesn't have memory seats or Homelink! Crazy where the manufacturer will cut costs I suppose.

Anyhow - thanks again. Needless to say, wife is very excited about the new ride.

28firefighter · July 2015

Very nice, Breld. Congrats!

fintail · July 2015

Those are some good deals with nothing down. Strange delta between the low and moderate option cars, but that might reflect lower demand for the base cars.

And congrats on that S3 posted here. I hope it has turn signals

roadburner said:
Got an email from an Akron BMW dealer(I had asked about a 135is they had). Anyway, they sent me an email today announcing what sounds like a decent lease deal. Read all about it!
Now, you would have to pay me $299/month to drive a 320i xDrive for three years, but I suppose it's great if you could tolerate the thing.
I couldn't.

corvette · July 2015

Just got an email from my dad. He took their Volvo to the dealer last week to have a recall performed on the fuel pump. Apparently it can crack and leak when used in hot weather. They told him they would need it all day but did not offer a loaner. They ended up getting "done" with it about mid-day.

CCBA Gold Status to anyone who can guess what new symptom the car has now that it has had this repair performed to (hint, hint) reduce the possibility of a fuel leak. Service has never been consistently good at the Volvo dealership, and that has been true under two different owners of the franchise.

stickguy · July 2015

Sweet S3 breld. My son is in love. That is his dream car. He admitted that if hen stopped to drive one and they made a plausible offer to buy out the Jetta lease, he might do something stupid!

Sandman6472 · July 2015

Nice S3, know you'll love the Audi experience as much as the wife does on her A3. So far, no issues as the miles pile up. Was at the BMW/Audi dealer yesterday to pick up one of our rentals and parked next to it was a 2016 A3 just like ours...base price went up by $1,000.00! Just have to wonder what they added to get to that price point...wife did speak with he sales guy last week and he did mention something but she forgot what he said. All in all, we love the A3 and it's size.

The Sandman

Sandman6472 · July 2015

Put on seat belt before pulling out of garage to go to work Friday morning and heard a strange noise behind me. Look back and naturally, the new lumbar support lever is sitting on the floor! Spoke with my salesguy a bit later and he's ordering another part to be installed again on Tuesday. Am past annoyed with this already and just wish they would fix it right! These little issues are getting a bit old right now.
Supposed to be going up to Westchester New York in early October for a high school reunion and after the flight and rental costs, becomes a bit pricey. The idea to just take the Golf popped into my head and seriously thinking about it. Figuring my spine could take it since I actually driver 90% of the time at work anyways and with taking a short walking break every few hours, feel it's definitely doable. About 1200 miles each way so figured that's 3 days up and 3 back plus the additional days in the tri-county area...planning on doing this in 13 days basically so just might be doable. Haven't dropped the idea on the better half yet and know she'll try and nix the idea but I do feel I can do this. Still mulling the idea around in my head though and it's feasibility.

The Sandman

Sandman6472 · July 2015

Saw my date in here as early 2009 which is definitely wrong...am sure it's back as early as late 2000 or maybe even a bit earlier. Besides Yahoo, Edmunds was the second website I joined after getting my email address. Definitely remember postings from a few folks who have passed and those two car dealers who used to post frequently. Just know it's been a long time.

The Sandman

qbrozen · July 2015

A sooner-than-expected house find on our part forces me to go get rid of the Fit this week. Just need to find the time. Ugh.

breld · July 2015

Well, at least it shouldn't be difficult at all to sell that car.

Michaell · July 2015

qbrozen said:
A sooner-than-expected house find on our part forces me to go get rid of the Fit this week. Just need to find the time. Ugh.

Um ... congrats?

xwesx · July 2015

kyfdx said:
Well.. I don't know if I agree with you about the point of tips. If you go to a restaurant, tips are expected and customary. If you had a coupon for a free meal, and you didn't tip the waitress, you would be a cad (lol).

See, that's the problem right there: Expected and customary. The point of the tip has not changed in that it is the customer's way of expressing their appreciation. If the employee expects it regardless of performance, well, that's their failing. If the customer does not provide a tip in spite of good performance, then, yeah, they may be a cad, but ultimately it is up to the customer to decide the tip.

Michaell · July 2015

xwesx said:

kyfdx said:
Well.. I don't know if I agree with you about the point of tips. If you go to a restaurant, tips are expected and customary. If you had a coupon for a free meal, and you didn't tip the waitress, you would be a cad (lol).
See, that's the problem right there: Expected and customary. The point of the tip has not changed in that it is the customer's way of expressing their appreciation. If the employee expects it regardless of performance, well, that's their failing. If the customer does not provide a tip in spite of good performance, then, yeah, they may be a cad, but ultimately it is up to the customer to decide the tip.

As someone who moonlights as a pizza delivery driver, I can tell you lots and lots of stories about customers and tipping. Though it's different, I think, for my job than for a server in a restaurant.

Mr_Shiftright · July 2015

I tip for good service, otherwise.....sorry......of course, it 's good to differentiate between the employee's fault and the house's fault.

qbrozen · July 2015

Michaell said:

qbrozen said:
A sooner-than-expected house find on our part forces me to go get rid of the Fit this week. Just need to find the time. Ugh.
Um ... congrats?

Thanks, but not just yet. It is a bank-owned property, so we just don't know what will happen, if anything. We want/need to move quickly only because of who owns it and before anybody else can grab it.

xwesx · July 2015

qbrozen said:
Thanks, but not just yet. It is a bank-owned property, so we just don't know what will happen, if anything. We want/need to move quickly only because of who owns it and before anybody else can grab it.

Good luck with it! What fun would life be, though, without a copious amount of complication?

xwesx · July 2015

breld said:

Anyhow - thanks again. Needless to say, wife is very excited about the new ride.

Congrats! I have to say, though, that the pics of your (wife's) new car made me so very hungry. All I could think about was tomato soup and crackers. LOL

Sandman6472 · July 2015

VW called this a m, apparently there's a back order on this part and they have to wait to get the part from Germany. Seems to be an ongoing issue here and could take a month or two for it to come in. Luckily I adjusted it right after they "fixed" it last time so I'm good for the time being. Just annoying!!

The Sandman

corvette · July 2015

Andre, is your Ram one of the ones eligible for repurchase under the recall? Could be a punch...

Michaell · July 2015

sandman_6472 said:
VW called this a m, apparently there's a back order on this part and they have to wait to get the part from Germany. Seems to be an ongoing issue here and could take a month or two for it to come in. Luckily I adjusted it right after they "fixed" it last time so I'm good for the time being. Just annoying!!

The Sandman

Starting to think that a VW will not be on my short list of cars for my next lease.

au1994 · July 2015

Michaell said:

sandman_6472 said:
VW called this a m, apparently there's a back order on this part and they have to wait to get the part from Germany. Seems to be an ongoing issue here and could take a month or two for it to come in. Luckily I adjusted it right after they "fixed" it last time so I'm good for the time being. Just annoying!!

The Sandman
Starting to think that a VW will not be on my short list of cars for my next lease.

Hate to say it, but I am thinking the same thing. I was seriously considering a GTI, GLI or even a Passat.

graphicguy · July 2015

bread...congrats on the S3. Nice buy!

Michaell · July 2015

au1994 said:

Michaell said:

sandman_6472 said:
VW called this a m, apparently there's a back order on this part and they have to wait to get the part from Germany. Seems to be an ongoing issue here and could take a month or two for it to come in. Luckily I adjusted it right after they "fixed" it last time so I'm good for the time being. Just annoying!!

The Sandman
Starting to think that a VW will not be on my short list of cars for my next lease.
Hate to say it, but I am thinking the same thing. I was seriously considering a GTI, GLI or even a Passat.

At the rate this is going, I may end up with another Hyundai. Someone over in the Sonata Lease thread just got a Sport model for $190/mo.

Hoping similar deals are available next fall when I'm back in the market.

kyfdx · July 2015

au1994 said:

Michaell said:

sandman_6472 said:
VW called this a m, apparently there's a back order on this part and they have to wait to get the part from Germany. Seems to be an ongoing issue here and could take a month or two for it to come in. Luckily I adjusted it right after they "fixed" it last time so I'm good for the time being. Just annoying!!

The Sandman
Starting to think that a VW will not be on my short list of cars for my next lease.
Hate to say it, but I am thinking the same thing. I was seriously considering a GTI, GLI or even a Passat.

Wouldn't deter me...

Mr_Shiftright · July 2015

Me neither, especially a VW lease. I mean, you have a warranty, and even in the worst possible scenario, you get to turn the keys back in after 24 or 36 months and walk away.

Sandman6472 · July 2015

Love my vehicle, just annoyed by little [non-permissible content removed] here. Wouldn't deter me from buying or leasing to be honest!!!

The Sandman

Mr_Shiftright · July 2015

Let's face it---all the data seems to indicate that buying a German car is a little bit riskier. I guess it depends upon the level of perfection you demand. I could tolerate 2-3 trips to the dealer for warranty work within a 36 month period...but not 10 trips in 12 months.

breld · July 2015

Yeah - it seems that there are some minor annoyances with the first year run of the Mexico built Golfs/GTIs. Sandy has had these little things like the lumbar handle, and we had an issue with the "GTI" badging on the front grill, as well as a squeaky seat.

Not all that bad for a new plant - I would expect the 2016's to be better.

breld · July 2015

graphicguy said:
bread...congrats on the S3. Nice buy!

Thanks!

Mr_Shiftright · July 2015

I think what happens to some buyers is that they get the deadly combination of production glitches + dealer incompetence----a double whammy right out of the gate, that sours the ownership experience.

Consider: Brand new car---part falls off. Go to dealer. "Oh, we don't stock that yet".....but a good dealer would try harder, or even cannibalize a car in inventory for you, rather than shrug.

Michaell · July 2015

Mr_Shiftright said:
Me neither, especially a VW lease. I mean, you have a warranty, and even in the worst possible scenario, you get to turn the keys back in after 24 or 36 months and walk away.

Yeah, but the closest VW dealer isn't that close. Even to deal with warranty issues is a pain logistically.

Speaking of which, I got the "official" letter from Subaru regarding the Eyesight recall. When I'm not dealing with house / spousal health / pet issues, I'll try to set up a time to have them work on it.

stevedebi · July 2015

Michaell said:

sandman_6472 said:
VW called this a m, apparently there's a back order on this part and they have to wait to get the part from Germany. Seems to be an ongoing issue here and could take a month or two for it to come in. Luckily I adjusted it right after they "fixed" it last time so I'm good for the time being. Just annoying!!

The Sandman
Starting to think that a VW will not be on my short list of cars for my next lease.

Our Passat has been flawless over the first 20K. I would point out that the Passat is not German built, but in fact the entire DSG transmission and TDI are shipped from Germany. The car is assembled in the US.

But if I were shopping, the TDI would be the only way to go for me. Amazing mileage for the power you get.

Sandman6472 · July 2015

Luckily my VW store is less than 4 miles from where we live, so stopping by isn't an issue. If it were where the Honda dealer is, then I'd not be real happy as it is out of the way for the majority of trips we take. Luckily, all our dealerships are within a few miles except the Nissan store.
Must admit that the Hyundai's we've owned have been pretty stellar with the Accent having one warranty issue and my Tucson being almost perfect save for a piece of door trim coming off. Japanese/Korean brands tend to be pretty cheap to keep but the driving experience is pretty boring...I knew after driving the wife's A3 that I wanted that same driving thrill. The first drive of the Golf was so similar that I just knew the Tucson would be gone within the month...and it was. Would I do it again knowing what I know now? Absolutely but I'd have waited for the 2016 model to come out as I really want the usb ports and the android radio that the new models have...consider this a major faux pas on VW's part. Why not put these two things on a new model but wait till the second year of production to add them!! Really pissed off about this as I would've liked both things in my Golf.

The Sandman :@

kyfdx · July 2015

sandman_6472 said:
Luckily my VW store is less than 4 miles from where we live, so stopping by isn't an issue. If it were where the Honda dealer is, then I'd not be real happy as it is out of the way for the majority of trips we take. Luckily, all our dealerships are within a few miles except the Nissan store.
Must admit that the Hyundai's we've owned have been pretty stellar with the Accent having one warranty issue and my Tucson being almost perfect save for a piece of door trim coming off. Japanese/Korean brands tend to be pretty cheap to keep but the driving experience is pretty boring...I knew after driving the wife's A3 that I wanted that same driving thrill. The first drive of the Golf was so similar that I just knew the Tucson would be gone within the month...and it was. Would I do it again knowing what I know now? Absolutely but I'd have waited for the 2016 model to come out as I really want the usb ports and the android radio that the new models have...consider this a major faux pas on VW's part. Why not put these two things on a new model but wait till the second year of production to add them!! Really pissed off about this as I would've liked both things in my Golf.

The Sandman :@

I bet the VW store wishes you lived farther away..

xwesx · July 2015

graphicguy said:
bread...congrats on the S3. Nice buy!

See?! It got you thinking about food, too!

au1994 · July 2015

Mr_Shiftright said:
Me neither, especially a VW lease. I mean, you have a warranty, and even in the worst possible scenario, you get to turn the keys back in after 24 or 36 months and walk away.

I'd really have to think about it. I have little patience and (knock on wood) my BMW's have been great for the time I have had them. I may not lease next time. Lots of changes coming for me, all good, but the SO and I are both looking at new rides and (gasp!), I may be looking at a 3 for 2 type of swap with the 335, her MDX and my beloved ZHP. Currently paying 170 a month for an indoor storage facility that houses whichever BMW I am not driving. Couple that with the lease payment and insurance and the vehicle side of the ledger is getting a little out of control for my taste.

Batting a couple of scenarios around...something in the GTI price/performance/feature line for me, maybe still the ZHP and a 40-45k ish SUV for her. Or upper 30's/low 40's (think A3) for me, no ZHP, a little nicer SUV for her...etc etc, I could do this all day.

She actually told me "just get 2 cars you want and I will drive what ever is left in the garage when I go to work." I cannot get a ring on this woman's hand quick enough

stickguy · July 2015

Well, my sons Jetta is now 1.5 years old, and no issues or dealer visits outside of his 12 month service. The new Jetta is only about a month in, but quality seems top notch.

stickguy · July 2015

Michael, from the emails I am getting from Hyundai, a bit sorry I did not shop the sport sonata more instead of vw. Being a current leasee, I could have cleaned up!

au1994 · July 2015

stickguy said:
Well, my sons Jetta is now 1.5 years old, and no issues or dealer visits outside of his 12 month service. The new Jetta is only about a month in, but quality seems top notch.

That's good to hear regarding the Jetta and while I hate that Sandman has had problems, at least they are relatively minor. I am strange though, small problems (trim falling off, random rattles) would unnerve me more than a major mechanical issue! Again, I know I am strange about stuff like this...

benjaminh · July 2015

sandman_6472 said:
VW called this a m, apparently there's a back order on this part and they have to wait to get the part from Germany. Seems to be an ongoing issue here and could take a month or two for it to come in. Luckily I adjusted it right after they "fixed" it last time so I'm good for the time being. Just annoying!!

The Sandman

"The part is coming from Germany...." I remember those words so well when I was helping to make the payments on my local VW dealer's boat. That was 18 years ago, but the memory is still vivid. Never again.

Mr_Shiftright · July 2015

Ohhh...from Germany...that's good to know.

benjaminh · July 2015

Since I've become a Honda owner, once I heard that "the part is coming from Ohio," but it only took a day.

At the VW TDI club, their forum has a "report your turbo failure" thread. It's not for discussion (which is a separate thread), only for reporting the facts of your case. It's 27 pages long:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=375789

But VW has apparently extended the warranty to 10 years and 120k miles on some turbo diesel models, and they've also redesigned and strengthened the TDI for 2015.

Sandman6472 · July 2015

My intent has never to turn folks off to VW, on the contrary, just want to write about my ownership experience...good or bad. Am not to upset about this little issue, think the inclusion of two things I really want that are on the 2016's and were neglected on the 2015's is sticking in my claw. Once I get behind the wheel, all these little things go away and I love the driving experience. No way do I plan to dump this vehicle by years end, I like it too much. So please just remember, cars are machines and things happen...as long as they don't leave the vehicle inoperable, all is good!

The Sandman

xwesx · July 2015

au1994 said:
I am strange though, small problems (trim falling off, random rattles) would unnerve me more than a major mechanical issue! Again, I know I am strange about stuff like this...

I am 100% with you on that! And, I'm not strange at all. Really.

Rattles are one thing that really drive me nuts. ALL of my new Subarus had them from day one (or develop them within a couple thousand miles, as was the case with my '10 Forester), and so I insist on those getting sorted out early on. Fortunately, they don't come back any time soon, though, so I consider that a win. While I would love it if their QC would prevent that sort of thing from being a customer issue at all, I'm okay with a one-and-done scenario; everyone makes mistakes!

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