Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

stickguy · October 2019

I don't know if the price is good, bad or indifferent, but dang, this sucker is gorgeous. I need to like double my salary (I am open to job offers!) or inherit a million bucks from some relative I never heard of.

https://www.eimports4less.com/details-2016-porsche-panamera-certified_panamera_4_edition_navigation_camera_bose_blis-used-wp0aa2a70gl007595.html

this is an odd thing to see at a luxury brand (primarily) used car lot, with only 18 miiles on it. that is hard to do. Must have been towed in! Kinda cool, but I can only imaging the look my wife would give me if I brought this home.

https://www.eimports4less.com/details-2019-mercedes~benz-sprinter_cab_chassis-diesel_sprinter_cab_chassis_3500xd_standard_roof_170wb_dually-used-wdapf4cd6kn016392.html

venture · October 2019

stickguy said:
! the wife in particular likes that, since she gets stressed having to learn all new controls and tech. And the new stuff in particular might be too much for her. She hasn't figured out much of what the TLX does, and that is pretty straight forward for a loaded car these days. So she just drives it without touching anything!

Boy does that sound familiar.

I made an appointment with the Subaru genius (not sure what they are really called) for this evening to go over all the stuff on the wifes new Ascent. Most, if not all, the things are already on my Legacy. She decided she didn't want to go so I guess I will just listen and watch.

She never used the cruise contral or navigation in her former Forester. I don't know what else, but I suspect she never used the remote start either.

stickguy · October 2019

She hasn’t figured out CarPlay yet (I think I just need to sync her phone) and I know will never use cruise. She hasn’t driven it in a while, and when she does, it’s not very far. Just to work if I need her car for some reason.

If we get a modern car for her, will need to do some real training. And will have dealer set it all up to her phone at delivery. I can add mine later.

ab348 · October 2019

Or she could simply not need to use any of those features for the type of driving she does. I have CarPlay and never use it, don't miss it.

mjfloyd1 · October 2019

@kyfdx - I’m old enough that I remember Time magazine having pictures of woolly mammoths on their front cover with the admonition that the earth was headed for the next ice age. How times have changed...

stickguy · October 2019

ab348 said:
Or she could simply not need to use any of those features for the type of driving she does. I have CarPlay and never use it, don't miss it.

Much of it. But she really wants the navigation because when traffic on her normal highway route home goes haywire, there are various alternates, some of which she gets lost on. Usually I end up being on Star.

tjc78 · October 2019

My wife picked up the Volvo pretty quickly. It can be a little confusing.

What is funny is watching her try and get in it.

The doors unlock with the smart key as soon as you put your hand behind the handle.... there is a little dimple on the door handle that locks it. She can't stop herself from putting her thumb on that dimple when she is getting into the car. So, it unlocks and then re-locks as she is pulling the handle. Rinse and repeat a few times until she realizes what she is doing wrong. Naturally, without question it's the car's fault.

stickguy · October 2019

The Volvo at least resembles an iPhone, which is what we have. And no weird touchpad like the new RDX. I need to get her to play with that, and the X3 I drive. And see if she can get either car into gear.

She still gets all confused about the electronic parking brake in the TLX, and I showed her that a bunch of times.

jmonroe1 · October 2019

corvette said:

breld said:

And dealerships are closed on Sundays here, so no can do. And then we leave on our TCM (Turner Classic Movies) cruise on Monday, so I'll at least be put off for another week!
Where there's a breld, there's a way! I can't imagine a small inconvenience like a vacation or a dealership being closed would stand in the way of you making a deal.

Yeah, I know what you mean. If anyone can pull off buying a car while on a cruise, it's our poster buddy @breld. I understand virtual test drives have improved significantly the last couple of years.

jmonroe

venture · October 2019

stickguy said:
She hasn’t figured out CarPlay yet (I think I just need to sync her phone) and I know will never use cruise. She hasn’t driven it in a while, and when she does, it’s not very far. Just to work if I need her car for some reason.

If we get a modern car for her, will need to do some real training. And will have dealer set it all up to her phone at delivery. I can add mine later.

We used Car Play when we went on a trip last weekend for Waze. The Ascent doesn't have navigation (close your eyes) or a sun roof. She has an iPhone so maybe she knows how to use it. I will show her again since I did all the driving. She is smart. She just doesn't care.

tjc78 · October 2019

Anyone want an Elantra?

Surprised my local dealer didn't take it. They put their plate frames on it right after I turned it in.

https://www.cioccahyundai.com/VehicleDetails/certified-2017-Hyundai-Elantra-SE-Quakertown-PA/3526317433

28firefighter · October 2019

Seems like a lot of car for the money.

pensfan83 · October 2019

Out of curiosity how close is the price to the RV?

tjc78 · October 2019

Residual was around $12,500.

corvette · October 2019

I wonder what it went for at auction.

tjc78 · October 2019

There is no way it even went to auction. The dealer must have gotten it directly from Hyundai Finance. I turned it in less than two weeks ago.

28firefighter · October 2019

My guess is they bought it for $11k. Figure $1500 for CPO and the rest is profit...

tjc78 · October 2019

Getting ready to start hitting the pavement for yet another RAV4 for my mother. I looked at an XLE Premium with a 34K sticker.

Using the numbers here in the leasing thread and hoping for a generous 10% discount I'm still at $400 with just first month. I can't let her pay that for a mildly equipped RAV.

28firefighter · October 2019

tjc78 said:
Getting ready to start hitting the pavement for yet another RAV4 for my mother. I looked at an XLE Premium with a 34K sticker.

Using the numbers here in the leasing thread and hoping for a generous 10% discount I'm still at $400 with just first month. I can't let her pay that for a mildly equipped RAV.

My in-laws are looking for a car to lease to keep here in Seattle. All of the mid-high trim crossover SUVs are leasing crazy high right now. CR-V EX-L, Forester Limited, Rav4 XLE Premium, CX-5 GT etc are all $350+ per month including tax, at least, with first month and TTL at signing. Very frustrating.

kyfdx · October 2019

28firefighter said:

tjc78 said:
Getting ready to start hitting the pavement for yet another RAV4 for my mother. I looked at an XLE Premium with a 34K sticker.

Using the numbers here in the leasing thread and hoping for a generous 10% discount I'm still at $400 with just first month. I can't let her pay that for a mildly equipped RAV.
My in-laws are looking for a car to lease to keep here in Seattle. All of the mid-high trim crossover SUVs are leasing crazy high right now. CR-V EX-L, Forester Limited, Rav4 XLE Premium, CX-5 GT etc are all $350+ per month including tax, at least, with first month and TTL at signing. Very frustrating.

My friend did a deal on a 2019 X1.

$41K MSRP
36/12
$355/mo (including 6% tax)
$355 + $2800 MSDs due at signing.

But, he shopped CR-V and CX-5. They were all around $350/mo. (or more).

Not that I'm recommending it, but maybe a Nissan Rogue would do better?

stickguy · October 2019

At $12,500 would have been a great buy for a teen to do HS through college. At $15k, getting close to the price of a new one (which is also the nicer redesigned model)

28firefighter · October 2019

They want to be under $300/month including tax, which is just not compatible with the features they want right now. A rogue isn't a bad idea - I'll dig into that, even though I think it is a less than compelling car.

stickguy · October 2019

CUVs always seem to lease like that. Which is a big reason I didn’t get one. Tlx was near the same price as a CRV EX or CX5.

tjc78 · October 2019

28firefighter said:

tjc78 said:
Getting ready to start hitting the pavement for yet another RAV4 for my mother. I looked at an XLE Premium with a 34K sticker.

Using the numbers here in the leasing thread and hoping for a generous 10% discount I'm still at $400 with just first month. I can't let her pay that for a mildly equipped RAV.
My in-laws are looking for a car to lease to keep here in Seattle. All of the mid-high trim crossover SUVs are leasing crazy high right now. CR-V EX-L, Forester Limited, Rav4 XLE Premium, CX-5 GT etc are all $350+ per month including tax, at least, with first month and TTL at signing. Very frustrating.

Her current one was 32K and is $316 / month with $500 OOP.

She doesn't want to go up much in payment. I just crunched the #s using an 11% discount which is what the brokers are giving on LH. I'll get that with the relationship I have with the salesperson, but the program is the program. MF translates to 3.36% and only a $500 rebate.

I don't want her to get a Rouge. She always liked my Elantra, when I get a minute I'm going to crunch some #s on a Tucson.

stickguy · October 2019

Tucson is nice. And for a lease, why not a rogue?

Go real crazy. Mitsubishi. Eclipse cross or whatever they call it? Gotta be able to get a deal on one of those. Maybe an outgoing escape? They drive nice.

28firefighter · October 2019

The Tuscon does not lease well at all, either.

tjc78 · October 2019

I'm just not a huge fan of the Rogue.. and they are CVT too, right? She may never even notice, so probably wouldn't matter.

I haven't run #s on a Tucson. I remember getting a pretty solid deal on one for a buddy of mine but that was over a year ago and certainly programs have changed.

stickguy · October 2019

Rav 4 is CVT now isn’t it? Not sure if Tucson switched over yet.

Michaell · October 2019

What is it about the RAV4 that appeals to her? Better visibility? AWD? Toyota reliability?

tjc78 · October 2019

av 4 is CVT now isn’t it?

No it's an 8 Speed.

tjc78 · October 2019

Michaell said:
What is it about the RAV4 that appeals to her? Better visibility? AWD? Toyota reliability?

She hasn't had anything but a Toyota since the late 90s when we she gave up her 96 Thunderbird. She does like her current RAV and told me she likes the new style.

I'm going to show her some things tonight. Personally I think she can come down a size class. She only ever has one passenger or my kids in the back.

Not many decently equipped SUVs hitting mid 300s with only first month OOP it seems.

corvette · October 2019

If the lease programs are that awful, would she be better off buying and possibly keeping it longer than 36 months?

corvette · October 2019

Weirdly, after I cancelled Onstar, the red light indicating a system malfunction went out, so I think it's at least getting a cell signal... Still no Bluetooth, though, so I'm still guessing there's something bad in the module.

stickguy · October 2019

But out the current one and keep it forever. Problem solved.

carnaught · October 2019

tjc78 said:

28firefighter said:

tjc78 said:
Getting ready to start hitting the pavement for yet another RAV4 for my mother. I looked at an XLE Premium with a 34K sticker.

Using the numbers here in the leasing thread and hoping for a generous 10% discount I'm still at $400 with just first month. I can't let her pay that for a mildly equipped RAV.
My in-laws are looking for a car to lease to keep here in Seattle. All of the mid-high trim crossover SUVs are leasing crazy high right now. CR-V EX-L, Forester Limited, Rav4 XLE Premium, CX-5 GT etc are all $350+ per month including tax, at least, with first month and TTL at signing. Very frustrating.
Her current one was 32K and is $316 / month with $500 OOP.

She doesn't want to go up much in payment. I just crunched the #s using an 11% discount which is what the brokers are giving on LH. I'll get that with the relationship I have with the salesperson, but the program is the program. MF translates to 3.36% and only a $500 rebate.

I don't want her to get a Rouge. She always liked my Elantra, when I get a minute I'm going to crunch some #s on a Tucson.</blockquote

The Buick Encore CUV usually leases well. Wife and I really liked ours - cute, comfortable, thrifty and reliable. Their lease program covered maintenance for the life of the lease and Onstar. Also, there was no disposal fee. I don’t know if it would be too small for the in-laws, however, it rides like a larger vehicle and is roomy for it’s size.

tjc78 · October 2019

All solid suggestions guys! She really likes having a new car and can afford it so probably going to stay on the hampster wheel!

I’ve thought about the Encore, nice little Ute. I like the Equinox and Terrian as well. There usually can be deals on those.

28firefighter · October 2019

I'm looking at a GLA250 loaner for my in-laws. MB doesn't hit the residual if it has less than 3000 miles.

I'm getting a $1200 OOP and $310/month including 10.5% tax and crazy WA registration fees for a $41k GLA. I hate the car but it hits all the things they wanted...

stickguy · October 2019

I would drive a GLA for that money.

Tom, is it that crucial to hit a certain price point? I know I always go through this, and eventually (within reason of course) end up going with something I actually want, even if it is a little more money. If you are willing to do the lease after lease plan, saving money can't be the #1 requirement, so if $50/month is not going to be noticeable in the long run, get whatever it is that she really wants.

Just about everyone here at one point has shopped and taken a "deal", and ended up regretting it (or at least, hated the car for the duration).

at least the new RAV is a lot sharper looking than the old ones. Seems bigger too but that could be an illusion. Someone in my neighborhood just got a white limited, and it is actually pretty sharp.

Michaell · October 2019

I'll admit I like the looks of the current RAV4 as well.

But, AWD is not a "need to have"?

The next size down for Toyota would be the CH-R.

A neighbor across the street from me just got a Kona - in white. Not the most favorable color, with the black wheel arches. But, I like the concept of it.

With a 3 years lease, long term reliability isn't that big of a concern.

A GLA for $310/mo would be pretty good.

The Nissan Kicks packs a lot of features into a pretty reasonable price - if you can live with FWD only.

28firefighter · October 2019

The GLA is not for me - at $40k, it has halogen headlights and no Nav, which is mindblowing to me. But it hits the requirements in other areas - power passenger seat (hard to find), dual zone climate control (hard to find in entry trims), CarPlay etc.

stickguy · October 2019

if it comes with Carplay, I don't care about not having Navi built in.

and from Mom, I bet that she would never know it had FWD instead of AWD. I know my wife never would on her RDX (and quite possibly, neither would I!)

so going with the FWD cheaper model makes sense.

the Kona is really nice, but definitely smaller. But roomy enough for me.

ab348 · October 2019

I like the Kona too in certain colors - as Michaell says, they have a lot of black plastic on the exterior (son of Aztek?) and it doesn't look great in light colors. I prefer the Kia Niro in terms of looks.

A Sportage is a step up but I have no idea what those go for.

jpp75 · October 2019

I had a new RAV4 for a rental in Houston this week. I think it was an XLE. I like the looks and while it wasn't anything exciting to drive it was more than competent.

28firefighter · October 2019

Looks like my in laws will end up with a GLA. It’s a former loaner with P01 Premium, Smartphone Pack, and matte wood trim. MSRP is just over $40k so fairly stripped.

corvette · October 2019

Whatever floats their boat. Are these in laws the ones who planned to borrow your spare car, when you had one--don't they live out of town?

fintail · October 2019

Matte dark wood I bet, it's always that blackish wood.

28firefighter · October 2019

Yes, but they're here WAY more than they originally had planned - initial thought was 6-8 weeks a year. So far this year it's been like 17 or 18. Which is great for Sam and getting lots of family time, but untenable for us in terms of sharing.

Michaell · October 2019

28firefighter said:
Yes, but they're here WAY more than they originally had planned - initial thought was 6-8 weeks a year. So far this year it's been like 17 or 18. Which is great for Sam and getting lots of family time, but untenable for us in terms of sharing.

Wouldn't it be less expensive for them to rent a car when they are in Seattle?

The way I'm looking at it is this - $310/mo for 12 months is $3720. Divide that by the 18 weeks they are in town and that's just over $200/week. I'm sure they could rent something for that rate.

Not to mention insurance and storage costs.

What am I missing here?

28firefighter · October 2019

Michaell said:

28firefighter said:
Yes, but they're here WAY more than they originally had planned - initial thought was 6-8 weeks a year. So far this year it's been like 17 or 18. Which is great for Sam and getting lots of family time, but untenable for us in terms of sharing.
Wouldn't it be less expensive for them to rent a car when they are in Seattle?

The way I'm looking at it is this - $310/mo for 12 months is $3720. Divide that by the 18 weeks they are in town and that's just over $200/week. I'm sure they could rent something for that rate.

Not to mention insurance and storage costs.

What am I missing here?

They ran the numbers and came to the conclusion they could not.

In the off season $200/week is doable. But from May-September during cruise season, rentals can run as high as $500/week, esp for an SUV. They're here quite a bit during the summer.

Michaell · October 2019

28firefighter said:

Michaell said:

28firefighter said:
Yes, but they're here WAY more than they originally had planned - initial thought was 6-8 weeks a year. So far this year it's been like 17 or 18. Which is great for Sam and getting lots of family time, but untenable for us in terms of sharing.
Wouldn't it be less expensive for them to rent a car when they are in Seattle?

The way I'm looking at it is this - $310/mo for 12 months is $3720. Divide that by the 18 weeks they are in town and that's just over $200/week. I'm sure they could rent something for that rate.

Not to mention insurance and storage costs.

What am I missing here?
They ran the numbers and came to the conclusion they could not.

In the off season $200/week is doable. But from May-September during cruise season, rentals can run as high as $500/week, esp for an SUV. They're here quite a bit during the summer.

Do they need to rent an SUV?

Hey, it's not my money, and I've got no skin in the game, I'm just genuinely curious.

But, I'm glad Sam gets to see his grandparents as much as he does. I only saw my paternal grandparents a handful of times in my life - I grew up in CA, while they lived in NY.

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

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