Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

qbrozen · September 2017

coworker just picked up a 2016 A3 quattro premium plus for his daughter. Somehow, it was never actually sold. Carfax is rather odd. Was at an Audi dealer but then wound up in the inventory of the Porsche dealer from that same auto group. Sat dormant for a long time. Coworker happened upon it and bought it for a bit over $27k, which is steal, even if used. They claim it is used. I've urged him to dig more, however, because it can't be used if it was never titled. Carfax does not show it ever being titled or registered.

stickguy · September 2017

How many miles?

pensfan83 · September 2017

Without saying it directly he insinuated that is exactly the case. When an offer that is a little less than 15% beyond MSRP is rejected that's pure greed and I'm glad it's now haunting them.

stickguy · September 2017

My son offered to help me shop the week of thanksgiving since he will be home on vacation. Just not to Audi dealer, since he might not be able to control himself!

Michaell · September 2017

A little help, please:

https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/46930/mercedes-benz/300-class/car-buying-advice-purchase-a-new-2016-with-2018-models-out#latest

qbrozen · September 2017

stickguy said:
How many miles?

140

Mr_Shiftright · September 2017

Michaell said:

suydam said:
But isn't skiing a requirement for living there?
Nope.

Snow, gravity and trees do not make a good combination, in my opinion.

Just ask Sonny Bono...

Most dangerous sport is cycling, followed by basketball, football, baseball and then water sports.

tbirdmarco · September 2017

@breld nice nice glad the new car is home safe and sound! what car is next to go now?

tbirdmarco · September 2017

@sandman_6472 everyone looks at cars differentelly. mor probably do not look at them the way we do! if the clubman is what you do like and when you go and look at one and you do like it go for it like you and others have said before life is to short!

tbirdmarco · September 2017

@corvette glad you found an good ford dealer to take your mustang to! glad all whent whell on the servasing of your car! now did you get to find an good dealer for your other SUV?

tbirdmarco · September 2017

@fintail shore they will be able to fix the little quirks that your frends car has!

ab348 · September 2017

benjaminh said:

Hmmm. This is based on my own bitter experience with a 2000 Ford Focus. But would you really be happy trading in a Cadillac on a used Ford built in Mexico? And yet you look down on Hondas?

I don't look down on Hondas, but I do dislike the styling on the Civic. The new Accord Sport with the 2.0 turbo is of considerable interest. Trouble is it will not be out until after my lease is up.

There are a lot of 2017 Fusions available here locally right now. It seems obvious that they sold a lot of them into short-term fleet leases. The ones that are fairly loaded up are quite nice. Certified ones like the one I looked at have 3 years of bumper to bumper warranty.

The problem I have is that I am not sure I want to repeat the ATS experience again regardless of the deal. I love how the car drives but there is no space, particularly cargo space. I am also not sure I want to do another lease, and they are expensive new cars to purchase. The Fusion or similar late-model used car is an interesting stopgap that would cost roughly half of what a new ATS would cost to purchase. I could drive it for a year or two and then look at my options. If I don't like it after even a short while or if something new comes along that I have to have, I could unload it fairly easily without much of a financial bath.

ETA: Whoops! Just got a $2500 bonus offer from Cadillac in my email. That adds to incentives already in market according to the verbiage. The choice just got a little tougher.

tbirdmarco · September 2017

@28firefighter glad you had an good weekand!

tbirdmarco · September 2017

@corvette glad the new tires are braking in whell on the mustang!

corvette · September 2017

Marcothecarguy1986 said:

@corvette glad you found an good ford dealer to take your mustang to! glad all whent whell on the servasing of your car! now did you get to find an good dealer for your other SUV?

Haven't needed anything done on the Tahoe yet. It can probably just go to a quickie lube for normal
maintenance.

tbirdmarco · September 2017

@ab348 good luck tomero! cante wate to hear the outcume! yes maby an ford down the line for you we shal see!

tbirdmarco · September 2017

@pensfan83 good luck this cumming up weekand cante wate to hear all about it!

tifighter · September 2017

Mr_Shiftright said:

Most dangerous sport is cycling, followed by basketball, football, baseball and then water sports.

You forgot Pickleball.

tbirdmarco · September 2017

@corvette sounds good to me!

suydam · September 2017

Actually I read once that the most dangerous sport is cheerleading.

28firefighter · September 2017

Sounds like my chosen sport of TV watching is the safest.

suydam · September 2017

Here's a pic of the new Nissan Leaf. A much better looking car than its predecessor IMHO. Range of 150 miles. In a year it's supposed to get a new battery pack that would extend the range to over 200 miles, so these 2018s might be a good bargain then. 150 miles is plenty for an around town vehicle.

Michaell · September 2017

suydam said:

Here's a pic of the new Nissan Leaf. A much better looking car than its predecessor IMHO. Range of 150 miles. In a year it's supposed to get a new battery pack that would extend the range to over 200 miles, so these 2018s might be a good bargain then. 150 miles is plenty for an around town vehicle.

You can see the family resemblance to the Murano and Maxima...

Michaell · September 2017

Anyone want to help a poster spend $30K?

https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/46966/bugatti/x/car-buying-advice-which-new-car#latest

houdini1 · September 2017

Mr_Shiftright said:

Michaell said:

suydam said:
But isn't skiing a requirement for living there?
Nope.

Snow, gravity and trees do not make a good combination, in my opinion.

Just ask Sonny Bono...

Michaell said:

suydam said:
But isn't skiing a requirement for living there?
Nope.

Snow, gravity and trees do not make a good combination, in my opinion.

Just ask Sonny Bono...
Most dangerous sport is cycling, followed by basketball, football, baseball and then water sports.

Mortality rate on just being alive is somewhere near 100%.

corvette · September 2017

suydam said:

Actually I read once that the most dangerous sport is cheerleading.

It is, but I think it's not classified as a sport, at least at the high school level, for some nefarious reason like they might have to implement better safety practices.

fintail · September 2017

Looks like Nissan is really embracing the faux floating C-pillar fad/trend. Better value than a Tesla anyway.

Michaell said:

You can see the family resemblance to the Murano and Maxima...

Michaell · September 2017

fintail said:
Looks like Nissan is really embracing the faux floating C-pillar fad/trend. Better value than a Tesla anyway.

Michaell said:

You can see the family resemblance to the Murano and Maxima...

Which design element do you hate more - the floating C-pillar from Nissan or the "predator" grille from Lexus?

Discuss amongst yourselves.

fintail · September 2017

With the RX and LC, you can have them both! So much styling for your car-buying dollar. We're not boring, I swear! I can prove it! Just look at me!

Both are different for the sake of being different. Hard to say which I like least, but I can say I don't like either.

Michaell said:

Which design element do you hate more - the floating C-pillar from Nissan or the "predator" grille from Lexus?

Discuss amongst yourselves.

fintail · September 2017

News: window was just an "update" (I suspect they just reset it), and next week, according to my friend, they are replacing the dashboard. I am a little surprised by this, and have told him to get paperwork and details, I am very curious.

Marcothecarguy1986 said:
@fintail shore they will be able to fix the little quirks that your frends car has!

stickguy · September 2017

I would not want a brand new car that had to have the entire interior dismantled and the dashboard replaced.
That is a huge job, and the odds of problems resulting from it are a risk I would not want to take.

28firefighter · September 2017

Michaell said:
Anyone want to help a poster spend $30K?

https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/46966/bugatti/x/car-buying-advice-which-new-car#latest

We all basically recommended the same thing. We've become too predictable.

breld · September 2017

Just got a call from the salesperson at one of the Mercedes dealerships we were working with. Feel kinda bad - we talked to him a few months ago about a used MINI they had on their lot, and ended up buying the wife's MINI at a different dealership. Then reached out to him when we were looking for a GLC - had to break it to him that we found the nice used one out of state.

At least he knows we're real buyers - just haven't been able to pull the trigger with him yet.

Mr_Shiftright · September 2017

fintail said:
With the RX and LC, you can have them both! So much styling for your car-buying dollar. We're not boring, I swear! I can prove it! Just look at me!

Both are different for the sake of being different. Hard to say which I like least, but I can say I don't like either.

Michaell said:

Which design element do you hate more - the floating C-pillar from Nissan or the "predator" grille from Lexus?

Discuss amongst yourselves.

It's a page from the legendary "Atomic Insect" School of Design:

breld · September 2017

ab348 said:

benjaminh said:

Hmmm. This is based on my own bitter experience with a 2000 Ford Focus. But would you really be happy trading in a Cadillac on a used Ford built in Mexico? And yet you look down on Hondas?
I don't look down on Hondas, but I do dislike the styling on the Civic. The new Accord Sport with the 2.0 turbo is of considerable interest. Trouble is it will not be out until after my lease is up.

There are a lot of 2017 Fusions available here locally right now. It seems obvious that they sold a lot of them into short-term fleet leases. The ones that are fairly loaded up are quite nice. Certified ones like the one I looked at have 3 years of bumper to bumper warranty.

The problem I have is that I am not sure I want to repeat the ATS experience again regardless of the deal. I love how the car drives but there is no space, particularly cargo space. I am also not sure I want to do another lease, and they are expensive new cars to purchase. The Fusion or similar late-model used car is an interesting stopgap that would cost roughly half of what a new ATS would cost to purchase. I could drive it for a year or two and then look at my options. If I don't like it after even a short while or if something new comes along that I have to have, I could unload it fairly easily without much of a financial bath.

ETA: Whoops! Just got a $2500 bonus offer from Cadillac in my email. That adds to incentives already in market according to the verbiage. The choice just got a little tougher.

I wouldn't be so sure a Fusion is a good stopgap where you could unload it "without much of a financial bath." They just don't seem to hold their value well at all. Just my observation. Someone else suggested elsewhere a lightly used Accord V6 or perhaps even a good deal on a new one since it's outgoing. I would think that would be a better stopgap.

andres3 · September 2017

ab348 said:

benjaminh said:
Car and Driver also likes the Type R, saying...

"Celestial chassis tuning, nearly perfect powertrain, the comfiest sport seats ever."

Although they also say....

"Over-the-top styling, innocuous exhaust note, infotainment may cause crying."

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2017-honda-civic-type-r-in-depth-model-review
Well, you need to remember that they never met a Honda they didn't love.

Did they really love the newer recent CRX copycat that was small but heavy, slow, and pretty much all-around dismal. If they liked that model then I'll agree with your statement.

andres3 · September 2017

ab348 said:
I want to like the new Accord and objectively it sounds like a big step up from the existing one. But the thought of seeing myself pretty much every block I travel is really unappealing. I dunno how new Civic owners (wildly popular here) put up with it.

As a former Honda owner I think they put up with it by enjoying stellar reliability experience. Low cost to maintain and keep running.

However, I did own the rarest of Accords, a coupe, a LX V6, a new model generation the first year it came out in a color that didn't previously exist in Honda's lineup.

js06gv · September 2017

Michaell said:

fintail said:
Looks like Nissan is really embracing the faux floating C-pillar fad/trend. Better value than a Tesla anyway.

Michaell said:

You can see the family resemblance to the Murano and Maxima...

Which design element do you hate more - the floating C-pillar from Nissan or the "predator" grille from Lexus?

Discuss amongst yourselves.

That's a tough one, although I will at least say that the predator grille has remained exclusive to Lexus. The floating C pillar is all over the place these days - Nissan, Lexus, GMC Terrain, Honda Odyssey, etc etc.

stickguy · September 2017

Getting a rare color is a good way to stand out. But if I love the car, being common never mattered to me.

andres3 · September 2017

breld said:
I'm getting the windows tinted tomorrow. I was gonna pass on the clear bra, but this morning I noticed a small rock chip on the hood already, so I called the tint guy and asked to add the clear bra too!

That was also a nice excuse to stop by the Honda dealer to get some touch-up paint. It's fun stopping by the dealership these days with a Type R!

My first stop was this morning to have them check out why the infotainment system won't boot up. Based on their diagnostics, they have to replace the GPS antenna. Now, I think the Kentucky dealer tripped something up while they were installing the interior illumination kits, but still, let's keep this in mind next time we start criticizing VWs for their electrical gremlins!

You can count on car dealerships to compliment a nice car. The salesmen do it either because they are genuine car people, or just because Sales 101 says to talk about things that interest the prospect.

andres3 · September 2017

fintail said:
The AWD thing is just as strong in Seattle, but even funnier, as snow is rare here. But people want it for the off chance that they will want to go on a random ski trip, no mention that the last time they went skiing, Daddy Bush was in office. It works for the outdoorsy image that everyone desperately yearns to have here.

AWD is good for wet roads during rains, and you get plenty of that up there. Of course, if people are merging at 35 MPH when traffic is moving at 65 MPH, you don't need a lot of traction for that kind of acceleration.

andres3 · September 2017

breld said:

pensfan83 said:

stickguy said:
we do have an AWD CUV already. My current car in 3 winters has never seen the snow. And the weather around here really does not require AWD, though you couldn't convince a BMW or MB dealer of that, based on what they stock!
We've decided against getting an SUV/CUV for now. My wife convinced me I should stick with a sedan and when we replace her Nissan we'll target the used market for a 1-2 year old SUV/CUV like an X3 or Q5. Since we intend to keep her car around for at least another 12-18 months and I'm set to start a new 3 year lease next month the timing would result in our car purchases being spaced out a bit, which would be my preference.

For that reason I'm pretty much locked into an AWD TLX A-Spec or another A4.
Both the facelifted TLX and the new A4 are really sharp. I got to ride in my boss's new Q7 last week and man, that new Audi interior is beautiful. While the A4 may not be too much of a departure from what you currently have on the exterior, that interior will definitely feel all new.

The interior of the new A4 really doesn't improve anything in my opinion (for A4's), but it certainly has an improved chassis and suspension (lighter, better). I liked the very tall high 7th gear in the DSG version.

The instrument cluster going to that HD screen is nice (in higher trim models).

Mr_Shiftright · September 2017

People tend to overestimate what AWD can do, and not as keenly aware of what it cannot do.

andres3 · September 2017

cdnpinhead said:
Do you guys ever drive these cars anywhere? For the longest time, going back to 1971, I've enjoyed cars, but more importantly I've enjoyed where they could take me. The drives I've done, even in rental drones, are memorable, and the cars only become important after I've taken some number of drives in them. Commuting in a daily driver is a non-event, though it's important to have a decent vehicle in which to do it.

Those of you who change cars like I change socks live in a very different world to the one I inhabit, but the question remains: do you enjoy driving these things anywhere? If so, why aren't we hearing much about it.

Funny you should mention this about driving. I was a Highway 33 virgin until my recent vacation up in Ventura. I took a morning to go off in my TTS alone up highway 33. What an amazing road! Not just all the mountains and twists, but also the pavement was about 5 pay-grades above the usual Cal-Trans standard.

I was thrilled. Had an aggressively driven sport-bike make "friends" with me trying to keep up with me. When I pushed it aggressively, and started burning extra gas, I could lose him, mainly in the curves (Sport Cup 2 tires stick like glue). However, this was my first time driving it, so I was hesitant to really push it. There was no traffic, and I mean no traffic (early morning start time helps!).

I was afraid I was going to encourage him to injure himself via a crash (two wheels on a street is so much more risky). He was probably thinking he was going to do the same to me by pushing me to go faster, and catching up to me when I let up or didn't go super fast down the straights (saves gas not accelerating to 130).

Absolutely one of the best sporty drives you can have in the State of CA. I went all the way up to Maricopa. There is a 25-30 mile stretch that was straight and boring.

Preferable to the Malibu canyon runs, which are always clogged with dawdlers.

andres3 · September 2017

Mr_Shiftright said:
People tend to overestimate what AWD can do, and not as keenly aware of what it cannot do.

Would be interesting to find out if insurance charges differ between AWD and 2WD. If insurance costs are the same, it would mean AWD is indeed "safer" since AWD costs more to purchase and repair/replace.

Yes, the laws of Physics still apply.

andres3 · September 2017

xwesx said:
That's a great point!

I love me some road trips, and I love hearing about others' (with photos when possible!) because I can't be on one all the time...

I really want to get a dashcam into my dailies so I can record some of the down-the-road time. Particularly on road trips, it could be a lot of fun to review and store some of that stuff. Immediately, the Q7's blizzard in Utah last spring, as well as the run through Stevens Pass in Washington, come to mind.

Photos or it didn't happen right?:

Mr_Shiftright · September 2017

andres3 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:
People tend to overestimate what AWD can do, and not as keenly aware of what it cannot do.
Would be interesting to find out if insurance charges differ between AWD and 2WD. If insurance costs are the same, it would mean AWD is indeed "safer" since AWD costs more to purchase and repair/replace.

Yes, the laws of Physics still apply.

Don't think so--it's more tied to the type of car. There are some AWD that are cheaper to insure--say Outbacks or Wranglers, and some much more expensive than average, like Audis or Porsche Carrera 4s or Benz 4Matic. So insurance $$$ are more related to "bending" than traction I think.

it's the old story--the driver and the tires factor in more than the drive system.

nyccarguy · September 2017

Nice shots!

fintail · September 2017

Pics or it didn't happen about outrunning a sportbike - if true, it was a bad bike or a bad rider

fintail · September 2017

Quite edgy in the eyes of the affluent oblivious suburban demographic, too.

Mr_Shiftright said:

It's a page from the legendary "Atomic Insect" School of Design:

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

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