Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

ab348 · September 2016

ab348 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:
I think it's an auction. Not a good idea with a rehab car. I suspect the 993 wave has crested anyway.
Yeah, it's here:

eBay link

This is out of Chip Lamb's operation in Savannah, Ga., who seems to have many nice cars of all types, from classics to newer stuff like this, go through there.

Sold on eBay for $42,500 tonight.

Mr_Shiftright · September 2016

About $10K-$13K off the mark. No home run there. Super clean original should have brought $55K or so. Prices are definitely flattening out. Still, a decent price.

graphicguy · September 2016

Watched Fast and Lound last night. Rawlings was "forced" to sell the '05 Ford GT he souped up last season. Said he had $300K into it. Was hoping for $350K-$500K. Hammer dropped at (I think) $230K or $240K. He took a bath on it.

Mr_Shiftright · September 2016

Now you know why the remark classic car appraisals hear most often is "Don't tell my wife what I spent on this".

laurasdada · September 2016

Hi, Folks: Been unable to access the forums from work for a while now, bummer. Thanks for the thoughts, ladyfriend and I are planning a road trip in a couple of weeks. I'll drive, of course. Probably true for any car, but the XF looks even better with a pretty blond riding shotgun...

XF continues to roll along merrily as it hits 30k miles. A couple of squeaks and rattles (and I can eliminate one rattle simply by closing the roof hole cover), no other issues to report. Will give it its Winter coat of polymer next month, I"m sure she's glad to once again have a roof over her head.

Need a new dryer, probably a washer too. Still no dining table, but as a bachelor, most of my meals are out or on the couch watching the Red Sox (and Patriots!). Joys of owning a home again.

Sorry about the brooming, Bradd!

roadburner · September 2016

FYI: G30 5 Series production begins in January. Even the base(530i) will be very well equipped- sport seats, navigation, and Hi-fi audio. HK and B&W Diamond audio upgrades will be available.

fintail · September 2016

I've noticed that base model German mid level sedans are gaining more equipment, finally. The basic option package on the new W213 E also comes with a lot - nav, parking assist, hands-free trunk, keyless-go, blind spot warning, Burmester audio, etc.

tjc78 · September 2016

It is about time, isn't it? Features that are standard on mid-level mid size sedans should be a given in the class those vehicles play in.

fintail · September 2016

The Germans have historically had a hard time with that. I think the classic way to look at German cars of the past 30-40 years or so is "everything is optional". Huge profit margins on some things, no doubt - I think the Asian competitors helped move them on.

andres3 · September 2016

laurasdada said:
Hi, Folks: Been unable to access the forums from work for a while now, bummer. Thanks for the thoughts, ladyfriend and I are planning a road trip in a couple of weeks. I'll drive, of course. Probably true for any car, but the XF looks even better with a pretty blond riding shotgun...

XF continues to roll along merrily as it hits 30k miles. A couple of squeaks and rattles (and I can eliminate one rattle simply by closing the roof hole cover), no other issues to report. Will give it its Winter coat of polymer next month, I"m sure she's glad to once again have a roof over her head.

Need a new dryer, probably a washer too. Still no dining table, but as a bachelor, most of my meals are out or on the couch watching the Red Sox (and Patriots!). Joys of owning a home again.

Sorry about the brooming, Bradd!

Thought you might like to know, I was catching up with an old friend from college and he said this when I asked about his current cars:

We were driving a Nissan Maxima and a Jaguar XJ6......
The Jaguar is like 20 years old and has become pretty unreliable as well, so recently we got a Lincoln MKT; our first SUV......
Still have my Chevy 4x4 that replaced the Ranger years ago; I wanted to sell it but my wife wouldn't let me. Turns out we have been using it more than I expected and I'm glad I have not had to use the MKT as a work truck! Having the Jag has forced me to learn how to work on cars a bit:/ Even though it is a bit unreliable, I just can't bring myself to sell it; I just love the way it rides and it has been a learning experience! Maybe I'll fix it up in the future if I can talk my wife into it.

Which is funny because in a previous conversation he said he was more into sporty sedans these days.

stickguy · September 2016

so, found something new that I really liked. Was at Audi dealer (more to come on that) which is next to VW, so of course, I went over to browse. they had a new 2017 Golf Wolfsburg edition (new this year). Man, was that nice. and all the stuff I wanted really (only missing power seat tilt). I think it is the 1.8t motor too, so the "hot rod" of the non-GTI set.

Oh, and of course, it was a stick (5 speed, enough for me). That hooked me first. Plus, nicely loaded. pano roof (looks fantastic with the white paint, which this had). BLIS, rear cross path, even some version of front brake assist. New radio, a vast improvement over the one in my Sport. Comes with carplay, so no problem not having Navi (a lousy system on the 2015 anyway). Even 16" alloys, so some actual sidewalls. Heated seats. Basically, everything (or darned close) that I want, and really nothing extraneous. I liked it, a lot.

also a good deal at $22,900. A baby GTI for people that want a more compliant ride, and better MPG, and less constraining seats!

Michaell · September 2016

stickguy said:
so, found something new that I really liked. Was at Audi dealer (more to come on that) which is next to VW, so of course, I went over to browse. they had a new 2017 Golf Wolfsburg edition (new this year). Man, was that nice. and all the stuff I wanted really (only missing power seat tilt). I think it is the 1.8t motor too, so the "hot rod" of the non-GTI set.

Oh, and of course, it was a stick (5 speed, enough for me). That hooked me first. Plus, nicely loaded. pano roof (looks fantastic with the white paint, which this had). BLIS, rear cross path, even some version of front brake assist. New radio, a vast improvement over the one in my Sport. Comes with carplay, so no problem not having Navi (a lousy system on the 2015 anyway). Even 16" alloys, so some actual sidewalls. Heated seats. Basically, everything (or darned close) that I want, and really nothing extraneous. I liked it, a lot.

also a good deal at $22,900. A baby GTI for people that want a more compliant ride, and better MPG, and less constraining seats!

Seems odd that you have to get a GTI or GLI to get a 6-speed manual.

And, I don't think there is any version of the Golf that comes with the 1.4T.

I used the CarPlay Nav last weekend. Nicely integrated.

I've got just over 600 miles in just over a month.

stickguy · September 2016

oh, the Audi story. Son driving me nuts with his obsession about getting an A3 now (seems to be a genetic issue). decided that he really liked a certain package (season of Audi, basically a end of model year special priced package with some nice features, and sports trim and suspension, but still 17" wheels). Only liked it though in one specific color. So of course, hard to find.

turns out, our local guy (where he got the Jetta) has one. So I stopped to get our salesguy up to speed, and he is talking to kid tonight. If this house of cards deals comes together, it involves driving home (4 hours) to here, and somehow turn the Jetta in early, buy the Audi, and turn around to head right back out to his alma mater for homecoming weekend. A lot of moving parts.

so, seems to have settled on if he gets a screaming deal (we determined numbers that qualify), he will pull the trigger. otherwise, will wait until November (winter season of audi sales time) and see if it works, otherwise wait until February when lease is over, and get a 2017 instead.

sda · September 2016

I've got just over 600 miles in just over a month.

How do you like it so far? What impresses you most/least?

andres3 · September 2016

stickguy said:
oh, the Audi story. Son driving me nuts with his obsession about getting an A3 now (seems to be a genetic issue). decided that he really liked a certain package (season of Audi, basically a end of model year special priced package with some nice features, and sports trim and suspension, but still 17" wheels). Only liked it though in one specific color. So of course, hard to find.

turns out, our local guy (where he got the Jetta) has one. So I stopped to get our salesguy up to speed, and he is talking to kid tonight. If this house of cards deals comes together, it involves driving home (4 hours) to here, and somehow turn the Jetta in early, buy the Audi, and turn around to head right back out to his alma mater for homecoming weekend. A lot of moving parts.

so, seems to have settled on if he gets a screaming deal (we determined numbers that qualify), he will pull the trigger. otherwise, will wait until November (winter season of audi sales time) and see if it works, otherwise wait until February when lease is over, and get a 2017 instead.

Audi must be doing something right, I always tell people; just test-drive them! I would strongly recommend he get only the color he actually wants. This is a big purchase, not good to settle on a big purchase; pay for what you actually want.

stickguy · September 2016

I guess the 6 speed is considered to be just for the hi po cars? Honestly, with all the torque from the 1.8, 5 is probably plenty. Plus, I am a dinosaur. after 35 years of driving 5 speeds, the 6th gear was a bit disorienting. Might just take some getting used to it I guess. But I would not feel deprived with just a 5 speed.

Michaell · September 2016

sda said:
I've got just over 600 miles in just over a month.

How do you like it so far? What impresses you most/least?

I like it a lot.

Best feature is the torque - for a small motor, it pushes me back in the seat when I bury the throttle.

Not sure what i don't like. It's a bit plasticky inside, but really no worse that the E-GT.

Waiting for it to break in to see what kind of mileage I get. Both tanks so far have been around 27-28MPG.

The wife feels like the front passenger seat doesn't go back far enough - she feels close to the dash and windshield.

stickguy · September 2016

. Audi must be doing something right, I always tell people; just test-drive them! I would strongly recommend he get only the color he actually wants. This is a big purchase, not good to settle on a big purchase; pay for what you actually want.

he is fixated on the color he wants. also wanted the chestnut interior, but decided he could settle for black, and to give up navi package.

Michaell · September 2016

stickguy said:
.

Audi must be doing something right, I always tell people; just test-drive them! I would strongly recommend he get only the color he actually wants. This is a big purchase, not good to settle on a big purchase; pay for what you actually want.

he is fixated on the color he wants. also wanted the chestnut interior, but decided he could settle for black, and to give up navi package.

I would love to upgrade to an Audi when my Jetta lease is up. But, I suspect I'll have to "settle" for a GLI.

stickguy · September 2016

depending on the specific deals, may not be that much of a difference. I do, however, like the A3. He might even let me drive it.

andres3 · September 2016

stickguy said:
depending on the specific deals, may not be that much of a difference. I do, however, like the A3. He might even let me drive it.

Don't tell him this unless you want to delay him, I've heard the '17 A3 gets a lot of under the skin improvements, of course that was from a story on the '17 S3, but I imagine the A3 will also be improved.

stickguy · September 2016

oh I told him all about the upgrades. he didn't think they were enough to wait on. I did. His money! The package he wants is a pretty good deal, and he will only get if they give him a serious discount.

my guess, this one falls through, and he just waits. probably the best case anyway, but ya never know.

Sandman6472 · September 2016

Drove a '16 Civic all day at the Honda store and it's quite stellar compared to the others in it's class. Blows the Corolla out of the water and as good as the Jetta. Haven't driven the new Elantra yet so can not comment but expecting good things. Hertz got in a mess load of new Elantra's and Cruze's but we can't get at them because they go to the airport first. Eventually, they will trickle down to the HLE offices and after 5K on the clock, we should have plenty.
Missed the big fight in the chase vehicle today but heard they had to pull over before the punches started flying. Got a text within 5 minutes describing the whole affair and wasn't surprised as I was just waiting for it to happen. The newest crew member just isn't fitting in well and it's causing big problems now. I just avoid him by working the days he doesn't and if I do see him, say hello and goodbye since I don't like drama of any sort. Best just to not be there on his days on and will continue this pattern.

The Sandman

stickguy · September 2016

so, to my surprise, got a call that my son was in fact coming up Thrusday, because he quickly worked out a good deal. Basically got $3,400 off on the A3. So happy with that. he calls all excited, giving me details, and working out logistics.

but, calls back 10 minutes later. Deal is off. Turns out that the car sold this morning, but they neglected to take if off the board. Salesguy didn't find out until he worked out the #s with my son, and went to start processing it. He was bummed to hear the news.

Salesguy (real nice dude, excellent to deal with) did feel bad. Offered basically the same strong deal on a different unit. But, no more with the sport trim package he wanted. So, son did smart thing, and decides to wait for the 17s to arrive, and take a look at BMW too. But most likely will just find a nice updated A3 in a few months.

at least I know what we will be doing the week of thanksgiving!

corvette · September 2016

That's disappointing.

akangl · September 2016

Put me down for a punch (so much for turning in my CCBA card). Hubby is picking up a brand new 2016 Ford Fusion SE on Thursday. We sold his Focus (gonna miss it) for $7500, not too bad since the dealer was only offering $5500 (after I went off on them about their original offer of $2000). Focus has 87k on it and is still a great car but we felt it was time to upgrade to a little more family friendly car. My Explorer is nearing 60k and it would be nice to have another vehicle we can use as a family car. Speaking of my Explorer, its sitting at the Ford dealer waiting for repair, in the meantime I'm stuck with a 2014 Edge Limited. I really really want my Explorer back. Daughter is still thrilled with her 2015 Focus.

Love the deals right now on the Fusion, we used my x-plan through work, $2500 rebate, and 0% for 72 months, yes please!

corvette · September 2016

Congrats on the punch! I'm surprised they lowballed the trade-in like that on an X-plan customer, but when you're the only game in town, I guess there are no rules.

That's 32 punches for the year. henryn had predicted 33, and nobody predicted more than that. I think we will easily beat 33!

stickguy · September 2016

I want an asterisk, thanks to the TDI arbitrage binge.

akangl · September 2016

corvette said:
Congrats on the punch! I'm surprised they lowballed the trade-in like that on an X-plan customer, but when you're the only game in town, I guess there are no rules.

That's 32 punches for the year. henryn had predicted 33, and nobody predicted more than that. I think we will easily beat 33!

They only came up on trade value when I shopped it at Worthington in Anchorage, they offered $5k. At that point the dealer close to home changed their tune to keep the deal. I was seriously offended by their initial offer. I told them that in 8 years we have tried numerous times to buy a car there and they always screw it up then we go buy at Worthington. Guess they wanted to keep our business this time.

Its nice that the Fusion he's buying is AWD, will make his commute in the winter a lot safer, not saying the Focus ever had trouble but AWD is a bonus. Plus he will have the Sync/Ford my touch so he can quit whining about no bluetooth and no usb ports.

Funny thing about the dealer we are buying the car from, a sales manager called hubby last week and asked him to bring his Focus in for an appraisal, said they were interested in purchasing his car. The guy told him "you'd be surprised by how much we will offer for the car".......he wasn't wrong there! $2000......that's less than 1/2 of rough trade!

corvette · September 2016

What a bunch of jerks. I think I probably would've just gone back to the Anchorage dealer again.

stever · September 2016

Congrats @akangl. Funny about the "surprise".

Where's your hubby commuting to - Anchorage? Has traffic eased any with the sagging economy up there?

akangl · September 2016

corvette said:
What a bunch of jerks. I think I probably would've just gone back to the Anchorage dealer again.

The problem was the Wasilla dealer had the exact car he wanted, the car in Anchorage didn't have a couple options hubby really wanted. I didn't want him to settle since he has to drive the car 500 miles/week.

akangl · September 2016

stever said:
Congrats @akangl. Funny about the "surprise".

Where's your hubby commuting to - Anchorage? Has traffic eased any with the sagging economy up there?

He commutes from Wasilla to north of Healy, so he rolls about 500 miles/week through the mountains and such.

Oh and no, the traffic is just as horrible if not worse than it was when we moved to south central 8 years ago.

stever · September 2016

Thanks, couldn't remember. At least he avoids the heavy traffic (not that moose aren't heavy).

andres3 · September 2016

That reminds me of the time a Toyota dealer offered $800 for a 65K mile '95 4-door Blue Dodge Neon Sport that was well maintained. It was an offensively low offer, only you couldn't really get offended about any offers on that car.

Sandman6472 · September 2016

Just left my indie VW/Audi store and he said if I plan on keeping the Golf long term, might not be a bad idea to go ahead and get the warranty. They will accept it so after my term with VW ends, can go right to them for anything that might crop up, minus the $100 deductible. Withe mileage I'm putting on, will reach the 36K limit well before the 3 year point of ownership. And as much as I'd like to get a Mini Cooper, not sure if that's a smart move. This guy told me it'll drive like a BMW but have only driven a couple of 328's, that 2 Series a couple months ago and a X1 a couple years back. Drove a Mini for about a 1/2 hour back in 2013 and the test drive back in July but it was such a short test drive, I don't remember much. Really need to get one and drive it for a day or two to see how it goes.
But keeping the Golf is the logical move here and getting the Platinum warranty just makes sense. Thinking of a 5 year/60K mile plan and if I get it at 24K, it'll take me up to 84K miles. Or there's the 5 year/75K plan which gets me to 99K miles. But the latter is about $1K more than the former.
Glad I went to talk with the guy and he's getting me new front blades for tomorrow since mine are oem and have never been changed. Overdue on this as the originals aren't doing their job like when they were new. He did remind me that any repair up to 36K would be done by the VW folks under warranty which I get. From what Troy at the warranty place said, the prices go up a lot once the vehicle hits 25,001 miles and he suggested that I get one before I hit that mark if I am going in that direction. Makes complete sense since I do love the car and best thing is it's transferable.

The Sandman

stickguy · September 2016

I thought the warranty term was total, so 5/75 only went to 75K. Not tagged onto the current miles on the car.

Sandman6472 · September 2016

The guy emailed me back with answers to my questions such as that. He said, "Time/mileage are effective from the current date and mileage…and 25,000 miles is cut off before the next pricing increase which is at 25,001 miles. So if you purchased a 5 yr / 60K plan today, it would cover you until Sept. 2021 or 81,350 total miles whichever you reach first". Makes sense to me and he sent me a listing of at least 12 different plans and prices. Have never bought one for any past vehicle but with the Golf, thinking it's probably best to just move forward once I hit 24K so I have enough time to get all the paperwork completed and accepted. Then I stay the course until the end of the term.
It is transferable so if I did decide to sell it on my own, having it couldn't hurt resale I'd think. And cleaned up, it's certainly a real good looker with the nice blue paint plus the upgraded alloys...won't see another quite like it! Personally. the color coded metal door edge guards and the classic white pinstripe give it a classy look to. And really, am in no hurry to let it go actually as it does drive nicely. And as much as I do like the Mini Cooper, Honda HR-V and MB CLA 250, no good reason to swap out right now. And unlike the Tucson, I ain't driving a vehicle I really dislike on a daily basis!

The Sandman

kyfdx · September 2016

My advice: Keep the car until the 5yr/60K powertrain warranty is up, then ditch it.

If it really worries you that much, spending extra money on a warranty won't help. (except the company and salesperson you buy it from).

Sandman6472 · September 2016

Not worried exactly, just not trusting...something totally different. It drives great, love everything about it and do want to keep it for an extended period of time. Basically I just want the peace of mind that keeping it to 80K or even 90K, that most things will be covered. Honestly, think I need to drive an HR-V and see if it's something I could live with. Sat in one again yesterday at the Honda store, and yes, the interior is a place I definitely could live with. I know the fit and finish are top notch and I won't need to spring for a warranty here as heck, it's a Honda. I have heard that the a/c is not up to snuff nor is the acceleration and these are things I need to see for myself. The ingress/egress is perfect, love the EX-L seating surfaces, back seat isn't a penalty box just hate the lack of knobs on the a/c and infotainment equipment.
Once I drive one, I'll know very quickly if it's a vehicle I could live with and one that I like as much as I do my Golf. Then, and only then, will I know if I should take your advice and dump it when the powertrain warranty is up. This goes for the Mini to, I'll need a much longer test drive to make an educated decision.

The Sandman

jpp75 · September 2016

kyfdx said:
My advice: Keep the car until the 5yr/60K powertrain warranty is up, then ditch it.

If it really worries you that much, spending extra money on a warranty won't help. (except the company and salesperson you buy it from).

I've been contemplating an extended warranty on the Touareg in case I bought it at the end of the lease. I enjoy it enough to buy it at the end of the lease, until last week. I'm at 10,500 miles and recently noticed it wasn't that smooth during upshifts, especially under moderate acceleration. It felt like you were in a manual transmission car and had slowed down but didn't downshift and then tried to accelerate again and it was bogging down.

The service tech rode with me and quickly noticed it as a "transmission shudder" and said it certainly wasn't normal and would need to be repaired, maybe even replace the transmission. He explained how complex the transmissions in the Touareg were and thought it might be the stepper motors being out of sync but said they'd have to do some work to make sure. Disappointing but not completely surprising. Shame because I absolutely love the vehicle but makes it hard to feel good about buying it at lease end....

Sandman6472 · September 2016

So one just never knows, as mine's running flawlessly now. Like you, I do really like the vehicle, a lot, but not sure what to do. Think I'll hold off until I hit 24K and then make my decision then. One just never knows what could happen!

The Sandman

(The issue I heard about the turbo 1.8t engine in the Passat has made me think a bit...will do some more research on this engine just to be sure. Hell, if the a/c goes out like it did in my '06 Civic, it could be a pretty costly fix. So even with super reliable vehicles, things happen. It's just how lucky do I feel. And if I do decide to sell early, having it might make a sale by owner that much easier. Anyone who knows me, and probably most in here, know I keep my vehicles super clean and up to date. If there's an issue, I usually take care of it right away. I'd be very happy to buy my used vehicles...all I know is that my Civic sold within a day of being on their lot back in 2013.

stickguy · September 2016

Here's one for QB

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2010-porsche-cayenne-awd_4dr_s-used-15514761.html

And this could be interesting at the price and miles. Love the color combo.

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2001-bmw-5_series-525ia-used-15514762.html

qbrozen · September 2016

$21k for a near 100k-mile Cayenne? Thanks for thinking of me, but no thanks on that one.

I still haven't taken the time to narrow my choices. I can argue in my head for all of them for different reasons. The competing reasons are:
1. desirability - if I don't have a passion for it, I likely won't stick with it long
2. fun factor - looking like I won't get a sport car to go with it
3. reliability - I will be putting on a ton of miles
4. cost of ownership - hard for me to justify an expensive car that I'll use up in a few years

Seems I can usually hit 2 out of the 4. All 4 is kinda tough.

Mr_Shiftright · September 2016

$21K sounds like Dealer Home-Run Retail on that one. I'm thinking $17.5K is more than fair.

andres3 · September 2016

sandman_6472 said:
Not worried exactly, just not trusting...something totally different. It drives great, love everything about it and do want to keep it for an extended period of time. Basically I just want the peace of mind that keeping it to 80K or even 90K, that most things will be covered. Honestly, think I need to drive an HR-V and see if it's something I could live with. Sat in one again yesterday at the Honda store, and yes, the interior is a place I definitely could live with. I know the fit and finish are top notch and I won't need to spring for a warranty here as heck, it's a Honda. I have heard that the a/c is not up to snuff nor is the acceleration and these are things I need to see for myself. The ingress/egress is perfect, love the EX-L seating surfaces, back seat isn't a penalty box just hate the lack of knobs on the a/c and infotainment equipment.
Once I drive one, I'll know very quickly if it's a vehicle I could live with and one that I like as much as I do my Golf. Then, and only then, will I know if I should take your advice and dump it when the powertrain warranty is up. This goes for the Mini to, I'll need a much longer test drive to make an educated decision.

The Sandman

I view extended warranties as counter-productive. Let VW earn your trust. If you end up spending more than the warranty cost then just don't ever buy another VW again. By blowing money on the warranty you are guaranteeing that you won't have a great low-cost reliable experience. It might be reliable, but then you threw money away. With the warranty; if it isn't reliable, you still own a clunker lemon, but your bank account isn't affected too much.

It is like taking even money when you have a blackjack instead of 3:2 and the dealer is showing an Ace; a bad bet every time unless you are counting cards and are almost certain the dealer has a 10-card.

I've had great success leaving companies that cost me money, and sticking with the ones that don't.

andres3 · September 2016

jpp5862 said:

kyfdx said:
My advice: Keep the car until the 5yr/60K powertrain warranty is up, then ditch it.

If it really worries you that much, spending extra money on a warranty won't help. (except the company and salesperson you buy it from).
I've been contemplating an extended warranty on the Touareg in case I bought it at the end of the lease. I enjoy it enough to buy it at the end of the lease, until last week. I'm at 10,500 miles and recently noticed it wasn't that smooth during upshifts, especially under moderate acceleration. It felt like you were in a manual transmission car and had slowed down but didn't downshift and then tried to accelerate again and it was bogging down.

The service tech rode with me and quickly noticed it as a "transmission shudder" and said it certainly wasn't normal and would need to be repaired, maybe even replace the transmission. He explained how complex the transmissions in the Touareg were and thought it might be the stepper motors being out of sync but said they'd have to do some work to make sure. Disappointing but not completely surprising. Shame because I absolutely love the vehicle but makes it hard to feel good about buying it at lease end....

If the transmission was the only thing to go wrong in 3 years I'd still rate that as a pretty reliable experience. But that is a big IF, and I'm assuming 3 years/36K miles? Unless of course you start to hear that the transmission is a "known" issue. If that's the case, not sure about VW, but I know Audi is known to extend warranties on problematic parts to 7 years/120K miles.

henryn · September 2016

sandman_6472 said:
Drove a Mini for about a 1/2 hour back in 2013 and the test drive back in July but it was such a short test drive, I don't remember much. Really need to get one and drive it for a day or two to see how it goes.

The Sandman

One of my least favorite things about the entire car buying experience is the short test drive. I really think you need to live with a car for a minimum of several days (preferably longer) before making such a decision. If the car you are interested in is available as a rental, I think it makes great sense to rent one for a long weekend or even a week.

One of the problems with being interested in a Honda (you and that HRV) is that Hondas never seem to show up in rental fleets. And probably not too many Mini's out there in rental fleets either.

andres3 · September 2016

henryn said:

sandman_6472 said:
Drove a Mini for about a 1/2 hour back in 2013 and the test drive back in July but it was such a short test drive, I don't remember much. Really need to get one and drive it for a day or two to see how it goes.

The Sandman
One of my least favorite things about the entire car buying experience is the short test drive. I really think you need to live with a car for a minimum of several days (preferably longer) before making such a decision. If the car you are interested in is available as a rental, I think it makes great sense to rent one for a long weekend or even a week.

One of the problems with being interested in a Honda (you and that HRV) is that Hondas never seem to show up in rental fleets. And probably not too many Mini's out there in rental fleets either.

I like the idea, but the cars I like are not usually in rental fleets (Honda's, Audi's). The Kia was a change of pace for me as it is definitely rental material. A nice rental, but I can see it being in fleets.

ab348 · September 2016

Had a couple of flashbacks within minutes of each other today to near-purchases I almost made in 2009 before I ended up getting the '09 Lacrosse (which was, in retrospect, a mistake). I don't know if either of these would have been better though. At the time, I looked at and test-drove both an '07 Saturn Aura XE that was on the used lot at a Toyota dealer with an asking price of $12,900, and a 2008 Lincoln MKZ at a Ford dealer lot with an asking of $24K. The Lacrosse CXL ended up costing me just under $25K new thanks to a screaming deal during the dark days of GM and some GM Card money I had.

I saw the Aura today drive by in traffic - they did not sell well here and are fairly scarce. The design still looks good. I remember seeing the car when it was introduced and liking it a lot. When I drove this one, it had about 25,000 miles and seemed well taken care of. The main turn-off was the colors, silver with gray cloth, which just seemed very bland. It drove OK as I remember, but the 3.5 pushrod V-6 failed to impress me (which it never did in Impalas of that era either). It was OK transportation for the money and probably a decent buy at the time I found this one, but nothing to get excited about.

Just a couple of minutes later I parked next to an '08 or '09 MKZ in a lot. This was the same color of silver with gray (leather) inside. I thought the 1st-gen MKZ was always sort of half-baked and looked too much like the Fusion it was based upon, but I always loved this dash treatment:

The one I remembered drove fine and seemed in good condition but I didn't like the sales guy and they were asking what I thought was way too much for it. IIRC it had a lot of miles for a year-old car, maybe 30K or so. The price and mileage drove me to pick the Buick. If I had to do it over again I would have chosen to take the Aura and save a bunch of money. Ah well, live and learn.

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

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