Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

Michaell · August 2016

kyfdx said:
Eight hour day for this. I'm bushed.

Top up or down for the drive?

kyfdx · August 2016

Michaell said:

kyfdx said:
Eight hour day for this. I'm bushed.
Top up or down for the drive?

Up.. with the A/C on. 90 F today, and 70 mph for 3 hours plus... would be too much.
I did like driving his VW CC with satellite radio for the first half of the trip home, though.

I'll say this, the shifter/clutch combination on that 18 yr old BMW is better than the CC with 23K miles (and, probably when the CC was new, as well).

stickguy · August 2016

plastic window would not bother me on one of these, because I would rarely be driving with the top up!

corvette · August 2016

kyfdx said:
Yeah, it's bought.. At $5650, he can afford to fix problems. The owner is 75, and seemed like a straight shooter. Has sensation issues in his left leg, and can't drive a stick any more.

He'll have it into the local mechanic by the end of the week, assuming we get it home in one piece, tomorrow.

$5,650? The bid said $6,000. Looks very nice, though.

graphicguy · August 2016

One of the used cars I had looked at during my last shopping spree....an '05 (at least I think I remember it as an '05) 350Z convertible. In all honesty, just like Mustangs, it's hard to find a Z that hasn't been ratted out with some pretty bad "upgrades" to the exhaust, and some even worse cosmetic changes.

The one I looked at was a nice silver that was unmolested. Top needed to be replaced. Had 80K miles, but shifted and ran well. Unfortunately, the (one) owner thought it was worth $3K over any reasonable estimate I had run across, and would not budge.

Sadly, some owners of Zs seem to have this weird and detrimental desire to make sincerely poor modifications to them. Hard to understand.

kyfdx · August 2016

corvette said:

kyfdx said:
Yeah, it's bought.. At $5650, he can afford to fix problems. The owner is 75, and seemed like a straight shooter. Has sensation issues in his left leg, and can't drive a stick any more.

He'll have it into the local mechanic by the end of the week, assuming we get it home in one piece, tomorrow.
$5,650? The bid said $6,000. Looks very nice, though.

Yeah.. the guy's wife is a big eBay-er. Not sure if they will try to say the deal didn't go through to avoid paying the fee, or not. I watched him count out the money.

Mr_Shiftright · August 2016

kyfdx said:

roadburner said:

kyfdx said:
So.. my friend bought this today. We are driving to Terre Haute tomorrow to pick it up.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-Z3-2-8i-Convertible-2-Door-/122073658074?forcerrptr=true&hash=item1c6c2832da:g:-zsAAOSw3xJXpT1S&item=122073658074
If the SRS light stays on for around two minutes and then goes out I'd bet that the fault is one of the seat belt buckles.
The guy said the problem started after the driver's side seat belt receptor had been replaced, so you may be on to something.

Just got back about an hour ago. I'd say the tires need balanced, and both seats "shift" under hard braking. I think there is some sort of bracket fix for that. Really nice shifter/clutch action. Good acceleration and strong brakes.

The bumper? If you saw it, you wouldn't bother fixing it.. it's nothing. Car has a boot to cover the top when it's down, and an aftermarket wind screen that fits over the roll hoops.

I drove it about half the way home (including rush hour traffic, ugh), and it seems really solid. Seemed like a great buy, to me. Plastic windows suck, agreed, but this one is still in good shape.

Rocking seats are a common problem on the Z3. The seats will have to come out and the rails and brackets replaced. Unfortunately the plastic Windows can't be replaced with glass on those models.

The price of the car is typical but the mileage might make it a better buy than most. But it'll need sorting.

fintail · August 2016

I saw a nice Z3 M roadster yesterday. As it is a BMW, it cut in front of a pedestrian in a green signaled crosswalk

kyfdx · August 2016

Turns out they have an aftermarket fix for the seats. Parts are about $30.
YouTube says you can do it yourself, but I'm guessing he will have an auto trim shop do it. Should be able to get it done for $200-$300.

As noted, it's mostly a top-down car. He bought it for fun, plus it has summer rubber, so no winter excursions.

Two owner car, and the guy he bought it from got it in 2007. From service records, I'd say it's needs a brake fluid flush, but everything else is up to date.

As you say, it needs sorting. I've looked at a lot of old BMWs, and the nice, well-cared for ones are hard to find, at any price. I think he did okay. (but, to be clear, I suck at evaluating used cars).

au1994 · August 2016

Deferred maintenance is a killer and even keeping the routine stuff up to date can be expensive. But like every other make there is tons of support out there. Some good YouTube videos that walk you step by step through something if you are so inclined.

Most of the weaknesses in older BMWs is pretty well known by now. I.E. If you buy an E46 budget for a cooling system rebuild if it hasn't been documented or the subframe issues dealt with on a couple of models.

Remind me again why I like them??

roadburner · August 2016

graphicguy said:
In all honesty, just like Mustangs, it's hard to find a Z that hasn't been ratted out with some pretty bad "upgrades" to the exhaust, and some even worse cosmetic changes.

Tell me about it; I was fully prepared to buy a clean looking Boss 302 only to find that the idiot previous owner had swapped out the exhaust and driveshaft.
Moron.

roadburner · August 2016

au1994 said:
Remind me again why I like them??

Well, older BMWs(and newer ones, if properly equipped) offer a combination of performance, comfort, and practicality that is very hard to beat. As newer enthusiast cars go, the only cars I might like better than my 2er would be the GT350, Boss 302, and Cayman S.

breld · August 2016

Been crazy busy with moving - the move itself was just the beginning (and is still ongoing). Wife and I are eager to have everything up and running as quickly as possible, so we've been putting in long days clearing and cleaning the old house, and getting everything ready in the new house to settle in. I've been installing in-ceiling speakers, mounting TVs and running cables (for 6 TVs!), putting together a couple IKEA projects (!!?!!!). I also have to put together a new bunk bed one of these nights.

The one project that I'm enjoying is our dog kennel/dog run. We have a version of this in our old house, where there's a built-in kennel in the garage with access to the dog run outside. Makes things very easy with the dogs when we're gone at work all day. Since I needed to build this at the current house, I took the opportunity to make a lot of improvements, both in the functionality and structure. Some pics:

breld · August 2016

Here's another pic that includes our garage floor. We coated it with one of the heavy duty Rustoleum products - it didn't turn out quite as nice as I expected, only because we apparently didn't mix in the metallic highlights well enough. So in some places it's actually more clear. But overall, I really like it. It has a smooth "wet" look to it. We also had the garage painted before we moved in this time, knowing we'd never get to it once we moved everything in.

stever · August 2016

You need to post that dog run on Instructables. I've made several things using projects there.

28firefighter · August 2016

Super cool, Breld!

xwesx · August 2016

Sounds like fun, breld, despite the exhausting, challenging nature of it all!

I am not sure I quite follow the dog kennel and run..., but it sounds pretty slick....

Mr_Shiftright · August 2016

roadburner said:

au1994 said:
Remind me again why I like them??
Well, older BMWs(and newer ones, if properly equipped) offer a combination of performance, comfort, and practicality that is very hard to beat. As newer enthusiast cars go, the only cars I might like better than my 2er would be the GT350, Boss 302, and Cayman S.

Cayman S is an awesome car---IMO, almost the perfect automobile if you could only own just one car. And yes, I know it can't haul a sheet of plywood.

xwesx · August 2016

Mr_Shiftright said:

Cayman S is an awesome car---IMO, almost the perfect automobile if you could only own just one car. And yes, I know it can't haul a sheet of plywood.

You get creative when you can only own one car....

Michaell · August 2016

xwesx said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Cayman S is an awesome car---IMO, almost the perfect automobile if you could only own just one car. And yes, I know it can't haul a sheet of plywood.
You get creative when you can only own one car....

Trailer?

Roof Rack?

Heck, Home Depot will rent you a truck - $20 for 75 minutes, IIRC

ab348 · August 2016

Heh - now that I have the ATS, which has a small trunk and, inexplicably, no fold-down rear seat, I have had to get a bit creative in some hauling chores. Recently I have been rehabbing my deck, replacing some rotted deck boards. I have found that 8' or 10' deck boards can be carried quite well through the sunroof - just insert them through the sunroof and rest the end on the parcel shelf. Would not want to go much beyond 10" though. Fortunately the home center is nearby so I do not have far to travel.

henryn · August 2016

I was exiting the parking garage at the gym just a few minutes ago. It's underground, and very tight. Cars come from 2 directions and funnel into the single exit. Tonight I was faced head on with a car that has illegal aftermarket headlights, the kind that make you want to jump out with a baseball bat and take care of his problem for him.

When he turned in front of me, it turned out to be a BMW Z4. Idiot.

Idiot for having those headlights in the first place. And doubly so for doing that to a Z4.

corvette · August 2016

My 540i looked like that, when the headlight adjustment hardware broke (common E39 problem). Royal PITA to repair the OE headlight assembly (yes, everything was OE). After that, I aligned the lights per the repair instructions I could find, but could never adjust the low beams to provide good illumination again.

stickguy · August 2016

had to laugh at my wife yesterday. we were out driving, and (of course) I was discussing cars, and how it can be advantageous to re-lease the same brand, and told her "they did not have anything right now I was really interested in". Her response was that the Sonata we have is real nice, so why not another one?

replacing a car, with basically the same identical car? Where is the fun in that? Even though I suppose it could happen. But not likely.

suydam · August 2016

I've never bought the same car Twice in a row. I think one of the reasons i replace cars is that i have different needs/wants. I'm not opposed to it, just haven't done it myself.

Michaell · August 2016

stickguy said:
had to laugh at my wife yesterday. we were out driving, and (of course) I was discussing cars, and how it can be advantageous to re-lease the same brand, and told her "they did not have anything right now I was really interested in". Her response was that the Sonata we have is real nice, so why not another one?

replacing a car, with basically the same identical car? Where is the fun in that? Even though I suppose it could happen. But not likely.

Oh dear.

Had a similar situation in a previous wife-time. Bought a '91 Protégé LX in dark blue for the (then) wife. A month or two later we're in the market for me. Found another LX (light blue, but stick shift rather than the automatic), but I just couldn't see us as a two Mazda family. Ended up getting a Sentra SE instead.

Shoulda gone with the Mazda.

And, I'm afraid I may end up in another Hyundai when this lease is over. Though, I'm tempted to upgrade to the Sonata this go around.

stickguy · August 2016

you should. You don't seem to be obsessed by small, and the Sonata really does give you a ton more room (and some goodies) for barely more money on a lease. especially if you aren't delivering with it any longer.

stickguy · August 2016

I also assume that the Hyundai dealer, when the time comes, is going to really make it hard to say no though.

Michaell · August 2016

stickguy said:
you should. You don't seem to be obsessed by small, and the Sonata really does give you a ton more room (and some goodies) for barely more money on a lease. especially if you aren't delivering with it any longer.

Now that I've "retired" from the delivery gig - for the time being, wife is making noises about me working a day or two each week - I'm not as obsessed with MPG, though the Sonata gets decent mileage for a mid-sizer. And, the content level of the Sport is pretty good, as well.

I'm also hoping to have a slightly larger budget if I get back in the market ... there are a lot of choices I can get and still keep my payment < $300/mo with tax.

Michaell · August 2016

I also assume that the Hyundai dealer, when the time comes, is going to really make it hard to say no though.

"when the time comes"?

I'm getting about 1-2 emails per week, plus the occasional flyer in the mail, letting me know the countdown is on.

I suppose the closer I get to the termination date, the better the deals are going to get. Especially if I let them know I'm entertaining the idea of switching brands.

stickguy · August 2016

well, I had 15 months as of yesterday, so probably a little early for me. And in my case, if they get dibs on keeping the car, they are really going to want it with the super low miles!

one good thing about next time is, if I want, I could expand the budget a little. By then, the big payment on the RDX will gone. and we will be a month away from the last, final, never do it again tuition payment. So if we want to splurge a little, might be the time!

Michaell · August 2016

stickguy said:
well, I had 15 months as of yesterday, so probably a little early for me. And in my case, if they get dibs on keeping the car, they are really going to want it with the super low miles!

one good thing about next time is, if I want, I could expand the budget a little. By then, the big payment on the RDX will gone. and we will be a month away from the last, final, never do it again tuition payment. So if we want to splurge a little, might be the time!

Nice confluence of events, stick. Gives you lots and lots of options.

I'm not normally one to peruse CL; but, I chose to do so tonight and what do I see, front and center? This:

http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/5724997167.html

Total time machine.

And, pretty great condition for 35 years young.

qbrozen · August 2016

Too bad its an automatic

qbrozen · August 2016

These could make for a nice pair in my garage.

CLK55 AMG

R500

sda · August 2016

stickguy said:
had to laugh at my wife yesterday. we were out driving, and (of course) I was discussing cars, and how it can be advantageous to re-lease the same brand, and told her "they did not have anything right now I was really interested in". Her response was that the Sonata we have is real nice, so why not another one?

replacing a car, with basically the same identical car? Where is the fun in that? Even though I suppose it could happen. But not likely.

I've done that once and as a result quickly tired of the second car because it felt like I had been driving it for years, though the car was without fault. I had leased for 24 mo a '96 Millenia and then bought a '98 Millenia. A little over a year and a half later I traded the '98 for a CPO '98 Cadillac Catera, a nice car which was trouble prone. Lesson learned. Pictures posted in reverse order, '98 Catera, '98 Millenia L (dark blue), '96 Millenia L (black)

stickguy · August 2016

Low miles on the minivan, Q. Nice looking, but I'm guessing not a cheap pair to run. Still, not a bad pair combined for the MSRP of a loaded civic.

breld · August 2016

qbrozen said:
These could make for a nice pair in my garage.

CLK55 AMG

R500

Wow - don't know a ton about those models, but they sure seem like a good buy considering the low miles. Those "R" models are supposed to be immensely practical and comfortable, but just never caught on for a luxury brand - so good value here. And that CLK is really sharp!

breld · August 2016

Michaell said:

stickguy said:
well, I had 15 months as of yesterday, so probably a little early for me. And in my case, if they get dibs on keeping the car, they are really going to want it with the super low miles!

one good thing about next time is, if I want, I could expand the budget a little. By then, the big payment on the RDX will gone. and we will be a month away from the last, final, never do it again tuition payment. So if we want to splurge a little, might be the time!
Nice confluence of events, stick. Gives you lots and lots of options.

I'm not normally one to peruse CL; but, I chose to do so tonight and what do I see, front and center? This:

http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/5724997167.html

Total time machine.

And, pretty great condition for 35 years young.

That certainly is nostalgic! My older brother's first car was a Celica from that era. I remember distinctly him choosing between that and a Supra, but I believe the Celica was a better buy.

breld · August 2016

stever said:
You need to post that dog run on Instructables. I've made several things using projects there.

Hmm - I'll have to look that up. Could be very helpful for me as well.

breld · August 2016

28firefighter said:
Super cool, Breld!

Thanks!

xwesx said:
Sounds like fun, breld, despite the exhausting, challenging nature of it all!

I am not sure I quite follow the dog kennel and run..., but it sounds pretty slick....

Yeah - the pictures don't really give the, well, "big picture."

Basically, we can let the dogs out into the garage and into their kennel area, right near the stairs. Then they have a dog door to the side of the house where there's a small deck and a large concrete area where they can be outside and do their business. So they can come in and out freely.

We also have a park right in front of the house to walk them around. Here's a pic of the view of the park from our third level balcony. This is one of my favorite things - it's a nice park with a water feature and lots of grass area for the kids to play at....and it's the HOAs responsibility to maintain!

stever · August 2016

If you need quick and dirty shelves or a platform bed, check out user aeray there. Some of the diy car mods are, er, interesting.

fintail · August 2016

I like the Supra, knock it down to $3000-3500 or so for its issues, and it would make a good "special interest" car. These unicorn Japanese cars are becoming a fad, and will remain popular.

This was posted on another site I read, and if it could be 3K or so, why not, just be sure you live in a dry area. These all evaporated in the rust belt 30 years ago, and I probably haven't seen one here in 20 years.

fintail · August 2016

That CLK is a rare color, uncommon car. I think they'd both end up being maintenance chores as they aren't exactly from the golden age of MB, but combined for the price of a generic new car, someone might be tempted.

qbrozen said:
These could make for a nice pair in my garage.

<

xwesx · August 2016

breld said:
Yeah - the pictures don't really give the, well, "big picture." Basically, we can let the dogs out into the garage and into their kennel area, right near the stairs. Then they have a dog door to the side of the house where there's a small deck and a large concrete area where they can be outside and do their business. So they can come in and out freely.

We also have a park right in front of the house to walk them around. Here's a pic of the view of the park from our third level balcony. This is one of my favorite things - it's a nice park with a water feature and lots of grass area for the kids to play at....and it's the HOAs responsibility to maintain!

Ah, okay, I think I'm getting it now. You included a pic of a platform-under-construction on the inside of the house next to the dog door; for some reason I was reading that as supposed to be the kennel, but that is going in on the other side of the stairs (just didn't exist in those photos, even though the first in the series was one of it). I'm seeing it now. Slick! Personally, I *hate* cleaning leavings off concrete, but I'm sure it's not overly uncommon. When we had dogs, they were kind enough to do their business in the forest on the periphery of our lawn areas, so I never cleaned up after them except in their tether area. And then, I just raked it into a pile off to one side and let it compost.

The proximity of all those houses just looks hellish to me, but I can't argue with you about the park.

ab348 · August 2016

fintail said:

This was posted on another site I read, and if it could be 3K or so, why not, just be sure you live in a dry area. These all evaporated in the rust belt 30 years ago, and I probably haven't seen one here in 20 years.

How did that Corona survive in Maine since 1976? It it garaged in an oil bath?

Sandman6472 · August 2016

I personally like the 2003 to 2007 C Class and find that size just right. Have never driven one but would love to find a low mileage one. But, am very pleased with the lack of any issues so far with our time in Germany and that starter wire issue seems to have been a fluke really as it was super hard to find as it only happened a few times. Besides that, nothing to speak of and of course, the A3 has been flawless. The bubble on the side of the tire was related to my wife's driving as she probably went over a deep pot hole and forgot about it. Can't fault the vehicle for a tire issue like that.
Still, am getting the bug to switch into something else as I approach the two year anniversary in December. But to keep the other half happy, won't move on it unless something spectacular comes along, something I just can't live without!

The Sandman

stickguy · August 2016

here you go. about as low miles as you will get for a 2004 I think. They are nice looking cars.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2004-mercedes~benz-c~class-c240_4dr_sedan_2_6l_4matic-used-15310137.html

Michaell · August 2016

stickguy said:
here you go. about as low miles as you will get for a 2004 I think. They are nice looking cars.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2004-mercedes~benz-c~class-c240_4dr_sedan_2_6l_4matic-used-15310137.html

I like that MB. Decent miles and a nice low price.

AWD for me here in CO, as well!

Oh, look! An external satellite radio connection!

@fintail - any issues with the 2.6L engine?

Sandman6472 · August 2016

Yep, just what I had in mind but something in a 2006 or 2007 would be more to my liking. See a bunch on the roads down here and they do look good. Liked the CLA 250 I drove in the other day even though they have that goofy one piece sat/headrest, just prefer a seat and separate headrest unit.
Also saw on the local BMW/Mini store some new pre-owned units. Another 1 Series to replace the one I had driven, seems it was sold already plus some nice Mini 4 doors that would fit the bill. Might take a spin over there tomorrow as am off again. Think Mrs. Sandman might have a stroke if I showed up in a Mini as she thinks I should stay put with the Golf. Most likely will but it's fun looking for a replacement.

The Sandman

Michaell · August 2016

sandman_6472 said:
Yep, just what I had in mind but something in a 2006 or 2007 would be more to my liking. See a bunch on the roads down here and they do look good. Liked the CLA 250 I drove in the other day even though they have that goofy one piece sat/headrest, just prefer a seat and separate headrest unit.
Also saw on the local BMW/Mini store some new pre-owned units. Another 1 Series to replace the one I had driven, seems it was sold already plus some nice Mini 4 doors that would fit the bill. Might take a spin over there tomorrow as am off again. Think Mrs. Sandman might have a stroke if I showed up in a Mini as she thinks I should stay put with the Golf. Most likely will but it's fun looking for a replacement.

The Sandman

Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I'd be very careful about getting a MINI with your back issues. Even the "big" Countryman that my daughter drives rides pretty roughly, compared to my similar sized Hyundai Elantra. Remember, it's tuned to be a 'sporty' car.

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