Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

stickguy · July 2019

Would you consider a TLX? Seems like something you might like, and the numbers would work. Plus, all the cool kids have one!

tjc78 · July 2019

IYou can get a better deal on a loaner S60 without costco.

Someone is currently advertising $57k T6 models for $339+tax with $2500 DAS.

I'll certainly check out the loaners when the time comes. Quite a few over on LH I've been seeing.

@stickguy
TLX would be in the running too, a lot of car for the money.

28firefighter · July 2019

I'm putting the TLX on my list for the fall/early winter as well. I'm worried it won't be quick enough for me, but I love the look of the A-Spec and I don't see many of them around here.

Michaell · July 2019

28firefighter said:
I'm putting the TLX on my list for the fall/early winter as well. I'm worried it won't be quick enough for me, but I love the look of the A-Spec and I don't see many of them around here.

I, too, like the TLX. I've test driven both the 2.4 and 3.5 - either would be fine, if equipped correctly.

stickguy · July 2019

I find the 2.4 pretty zippy. But you can get same models with the V6. That is definitely fast.

Michaell · July 2019

stickguy said:
I find the 2.4 pretty zippy. But you can get same models with the V6. That is definitely fast.

There were 5 of us in the car when I tested the V6, and it still had more than enough power for me.

pensfan83 · July 2019

qbrozen said:
Someone is currently advertising $57k T6 models for $339+tax with $2500 DAS.

That's a lot of car for the money. At $57K it has to have almost every option.

pensfan83 · July 2019

I know a guy that's going to have a clean, pampered AWD A-Spec coming off lease in September 2020. Will have only 19,000 miles.

qbrozen · July 2019

pensfan83 said:

qbrozen said:
Someone is currently advertising $57k T6 models for $339+tax with $2500 DAS.
That's a lot of car for the money. At $57K it has to have almost every option.

yeah, its pretty good. I calculated it to about 0.75% of MSRP per month. My bimmer is at 0.725. If the volvo was something crazy like 0.66, I might make the change and risk sleeping on the couch. But, then again, its a 3-yr lease, and Volvo does not allow transfers.

stickguy · July 2019

once again, the perfect car and deal, when I am not in position to get one!

my 2.4, on the highway, you have to really pay attention if not using cruise to keep it below 80. It likes to "stretch it's legs"

nyccarguy · July 2019

qbrozen said:

pensfan83 said:

qbrozen said:
Someone is currently advertising $57k T6 models for $339+tax with $2500 DAS.
That's a lot of car for the money. At $57K it has to have almost every option.
yeah, its pretty good. I calculated it to about 0.75% of MSRP per month. My bimmer is at 0.725. If the volvo was something crazy like 0.66, I might make the change and risk sleeping on the couch. But, then again, its a 3-yr lease, and Volvo does not allow transfers.

3 YEARS? OH THE HORROR!

28firefighter · July 2019

I have had two cars for 3 years +: My 2001 Ford Taurus SEL and my GTI. Everything else was 24 months or less.

stickguy · July 2019

a 3 year lease does not bother me at all.

pensfan83 · July 2019

One benefit to a 2 year lease is the need to replace tires is diminished significantly if not altogether.

stickguy · July 2019

offset by paying fees more often. Plus I tend to put lower miles on, so have a good shot not having to do that anyway.

nyccarguy · July 2019

pensfan83 said:
One benefit to a 2 year lease is the need to replace tires is diminished significantly if not altogether.

YES. Especially if you drive 20K per year. The prospect of a 2 year lease is very attractive.

stickguy · July 2019

maybe, but I assume at those miles terms will stink. I do (so far) less than 10K a year, so don't have the same issues!

marcogallo1986 · July 2019

When my mom turned in her Hyundai SUV Specking 2003, they came to do the inspection at the house also, and a truck came to get it later the same day. It was through Hans financial I believe two as well.

marcogallo1986 · July 2019

That was the best color car she had to this day and my favorite, was a nice bright red.

marcogallo1986 · July 2019

@ stick guy, yes would be too big for my dad needs to, but seems nice from what I read. I also did like the Telluride it’s sister car just looks so different. From what the policy looks like, nice interior quality set in that one at the New York auto show the Telluride.

28firefighter · July 2019

So here is my initial list of cars to consider:
Acura TLX V6 A-Spec (New Lease)
BMW 4 series GC (preferably 440 lease or CPO 435)
Audi A4 (new lease or CPO 2017)
VW Jetta GLI (New)
Subaru Legacy XT
Honda Accord Sport 2.0T

None of them really gets me excited though - the 440 definitely would be fun to drive and I love the look/style of the GLI, but the interior may really bother me. The S60 isn't on the list because the styling just doesn't do it for me.

qbrozen · July 2019

stickguy said:
offset by paying fees more often. Plus I tend to put lower miles on, so have a good shot not having to do that anyway.

But if you do a sign & drive every time, the fees really mean nothing. I wouldn't do 24-mo if it wasn't favorable. Seems to be the way to go with big discounts, though.

andres3 · July 2019

marcogallo1986 said:
@ondrays3 nice! What will the new posabal ride be?

Not a done deal by any means, but I have first right of refusal to a 2015 Audi S4 in Misano Red with DSG with under 30K miles on the clock. I was eyeing luxury beige interior '15 A4's, but the red 333+ HP S4 just speaks to me in ways where I can forgive an all black interior.

corvette · July 2019

Does a new A/C unit count as a punch? Asking for a friend...

Fan motor on the 29 year old, extremely rusted outside unit gave up the ghost yesterday afternoon. $775 for a new fan motor or $4,175 for a new unit and new A-coil inside. Since I'm using the same company that installed my ductless mini split unit upstairs, they gave me a "frequent flier" discount.

Also, I'm very grateful that I did not sell the window A/C unit that I used to use upstairs before I got the mini-split. I pulled it out of attic storage and put it in my bedroom window. Between running that in my downstairs bedroom and leaving the upstairs door open to allow the upstairs mini split to cool the entire house as much as it can, the house is relatively comfortable in spite of the main A/C being out of commission. I have the central HVAC blower running to circulate air, and the entire first floor has managed to stay in the low 70s today. It's a small house, but I'm still impressed.

I had a surplus I was planning on using to pay down the G37 loan, but looks like this will put me at least a couple of months out on making any extra payment on the G.

28firefighter · July 2019

Ugh. Annoying for sure, @corvette

mjfloyd1 · July 2019

Watching fireworks tonight and I spotted godzilla

roadburner · July 2019

I had "GOJIRA" on my MS3.

fintail · July 2019

I'm leery of cars with lots of stickers.

28firefighter · July 2019

So apparently I can’t upload pictures anymore? It’s asking for a URL.

Anyway I was going to post a picture of the new “SubaDoo” (Sam’s name for it) since we washed it together this afternoon.

ab348 · July 2019

28firefighter said:
So apparently I can’t upload pictures anymore? It’s asking for a URL.

Anyway I was going to post a picture of the new “SubaDoo” (Sam’s name for it) since we washed it together this afternoon.

Shhh, not allowed to discuss that anywhere except in the board devoted to it. Fixing it is apparently harder than getting parts for a Pope-Toledo though.

ronsteve · July 2019

stickguy said:
my wife might like the passport. Will feel a little more like our RDX maybe. But who knows. If we were looking now, I would also show her the V60 and XC60 Volvos, BMW X3, and Subaru OB (new one). along with the Passport and RDX. Might throw in a Santa Fe just for kicks.

benjaminh said:

28firefighter said:
2019 Subaru Outback 3.6 Limited in Wilderness Green.

$1k OOP (of which $600 was registration) and $298/month including 10.5% tax for 36 months and 10k a year....
Amazing that you can lease a $39k car for that.

Also amazing that while everyone else has abandoned station wagons, Subaru sales have been booming for more than ten years while selling maybe 90% station wagon-SUVs.

The Subaru Foresters that my parents used to own seemed a bit rough compared to the Hondas I owned at the time, but I imagine that today a top-of-the-line Outback with a big 6-cylinder engine is pretty close to being a luxury car.

The big uptick in Subie sales came when the 2010 Outback debuted as the most SUV-looking wagon that ever was.

stickguy · July 2019

I think the wife is not happy I got the TLX last winter. She likes it, but yesterday made a random comment when we got into the RDX that "it smells old". Could be a long 2 years until it is time for a new one, that is definitely going to be for her.

fintail · July 2019

Now at about 3 months and a week with the wagon. Payment still makes me cringe a little, but it sure is nice to drive, really an ideal car. The most recent C&D has a blurb about their long term test example, nothing but positives.

Had a fun chat about it today when browsing a special interest used car lot - an employee and his father (apparently) were chatting, and noticed I drove the wagon. The father was really taken by it - car people "get it" (he had a same color W212 parked near me).

Michaell · July 2019

stickguy said:
I think the wife is not happy I got the TLX last winter. She likes it, but yesterday made a random comment when we got into the RDX that "it smells old". Could be a long 2 years until it is time for a new one, that is definitely going to be for her.

Can you infuse some new car scent into the RDX? Perhaps some leather treatment?

jmonroe1 · July 2019

corvette said:
Does a new A/C unit count as a punch? Asking for a friend...

Fan motor on the 29 year old, extremely rusted outside unit gave up the ghost yesterday afternoon. $775 for a new fan motor or $4,175 for a new unit and new A-coil inside. Since I'm using the same company that installed my ductless mini split unit upstairs, they gave me a "frequent flier" discount. Also, I'm very grateful that I did not sell the window A/C unit that I used to use upstairs before I got the mini-split. I pulled it out of attic storage and put it in my bedroom window. Between running that in my downstairs bedroom and leaving the upstairs door open to allow the upstairs mini split to cool the entire house as much as it can, the house is relatively comfortable in spite of the main A/C being out of commission. I have the central HVAC blower running to circulate air, and the entire first floor has managed to stay in the low 70s today. It's a small house, but I'm still impressed.

I had a surplus I was planning on using to pay down the G37 loan, but looks like this will put me at least a couple of months out on making any extra payment on the G.

I know what that feels like. My condenser fan motor stopped working 2 years ago but my Lenox unit was only 9 years old when it happened. Nowhere near your 29 year old unit. However, it only cost me around $160 for a new fan motor via the internet. I was surprised it was delivered in 2 days even though I did not pay extra for shipping. I guess you can say I lucked out on that but I think the AC gods owed me that for the original early motor failure. Changing that motor was very easy. I think it took me about an hour to do it after I thought about how to go about doing it. I sure as hell wouldn't want that to happen with the heat and humidity we have had the last couple of days here in the Burgh. I don't think Ohio has been any better the last few days either. I admit that I'm a wimp when it comes to the heat of summers. To be honest, I don't know how I lived without AC when I was growing up.

jmonroe

stickguy · July 2019

I think she just wants a new car now. This one turns 7 in September.

sda · July 2019

stickguy said:
I think the wife is not happy I got the TLX last winter. She likes it, but yesterday made a random comment when we got into the RDX that "it smells old". Could be a long 2 years until it is time for a new one, that is definitely going to be for her.

You sleep on the couch sir, dog house next. If I replace the Accord anytime soon, I will be in the same predicament, lol.

kyfdx · July 2019

stickguy said:
I think she just wants a new car now. This one turns 7 in September.

Maybe, it's you, and not the car?

ab348 · July 2019

stickguy said:
I think she just wants a new car now. This one turns 7 in September.

Swap cars with her. Might be for your own good.

nyccarguy · July 2019

stickguy said:
I think she just wants a new car now. This one turns 7 in September.

GASP!

suydam · July 2019

Um, wasn’t the original idea to get a new vehicle for her? Your saga had so many twists and turns I can’t remember!

marcogallo1986 · July 2019

@ stick guy maybe you should swap cars like you mentioned above for the time being, unless you could pull off another car payment sooner ha ha. Do you know will enable a new car punch in here without any hesitation.

marcogallo1986 · July 2019

Happy belated Fourth of July everyone, sorry didn’t get in here yesterday the post. Had a nice day.

marcogallo1986 · July 2019

@ Audreys three, sounds like a nice one and love that color red. My ultimate favorite

marcogallo1986 · July 2019

@ Corvette, yes pull out that to be a punch in here just this one time lol

stickguy · July 2019

yes, that was the original (well, at least one iteration of it) plan. But we shifted gears. I did hear a lot of "but I like my car" out of her. Which she does. She uses mine sometimes but prefers hers, since she knows how everything works, and it sits higher. So a new CUV when the time comes, with some good lessons on how the tech works.

I checked today. currently at 54,550 miles on it. I think it might last a while longer.

corvette · July 2019

jmonroe1 said:
However, it only cost me around $160 for a new fan motor via the internet. I was surprised it was delivered in 2 days even though I did not pay extra for shipping.

I briefly thought about going the DIY route and looking for the part online, but for a nearly 30 year old unit, something else is bound to go soon anyway. It's also an eyesore, and then I'd have to be outside in the heat working on it.

Since I'm trying to get my house to the point that it's as low-maintenance as the one I had before, it made sense to replace it. Once I replace the deck with Trex and install gutter guards, exterior maintenance should consist of pressure washing, occasionally painting the front porch, and having the driveway sealed every couple of years.

ab348 · July 2019

corvette said:

Since I'm trying to get my house to the point that it's as low-maintenance as the one I had before, it made sense to replace it. Once I replace the deck with Trex and install gutter guards, exterior maintenance should consist of pressure washing, occasionally painting the front porch, and having the driveway sealed every couple of years.

I've lived in this place for almost 22 years. One of the reasons I bought it was that it had a detached garage. It was only a small single-car, 12'x20', but seemed well built and did the job.

The problem was that it was probably as old as the house (built mid-'50s) and was sheathed only with "ranch board" plywood (I think it's also called T1-11). It had been painted a couple of times during my ownership but was really at the end of its life and was looking shabby. I also had accumulated a bunch of home and garden stuff that really was too much to handle inside the garage along with the Cutlass. So I am right now in the middle of having what amounts to an 8"x12" garden shed extension added to it, along with new roof shingles and new vinyl siding in a color that matches the house. It should be very useful once it's finished and will allow the car space to be used just for car stuff.

As is always the case, now that the garage is looking good, the actual driveway is now looking not so hot. I don't know how old the asphalt is but it has wheel depressions in it and is also probably due for replacement. I will have to add that to my list of improvements.

sda · July 2019

Home ownership can be a real drain on the check book, yet I prefer it to renting. At least there is the potential for appreciation and we can make modifications to it as we like.

Does your ATS have to stay outside, or is there a garage attached to your house?

ab348 · July 2019

sda said:
Home ownership can be a real drain on the check book, yet I prefer it to renting. At least there is the potential for appreciation and we can make modifications to it as we like.

Does your ATS have to stay outside, or is there a garage attached to your house?

No, it lives in the driveway. From time to time I think of having a carport of some sort built, but the snow and wind here might make that problematic. The other thought I have at times of weakness is to excavate a second driveway that would allow it to be parked underneath a new non-permeable deck, but it might be cheaper just to relocate.

Really, the list of projects is never ending - a new kitchen is likely next, then perhaps new siding on the house to replace the dated aluminum, the list goes on. Like you, having lived in rental apartments from 1982 until 1997, I would be reluctant to go back to that. I like the quiet and privacy here, and enjoy the yard and garden even if it is a lot of work at times.

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