Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

Sandman6472 · April 2021

I'm waiting patiently for the new VW Taos to come out, sometime in the fall of 2021 according to the sales guy I spoke to at the West Palm VW store last week. He took me outside to see the new electric they are selling now but it's just too big to fit into our garage, maybe on the wife's side(left) but no way on my side. I mentioned the new Taos and he said it should be about the size I require, so we shall see.
Size wise, the Mini Cooper is just about perfect though the rest of the family thinks the regular Mini is just too small. The Countryman is a bit bigger and I do like them. I'd be looking at a loaner to save a few bucks because the $37.4K is a lot to spend on a new vehicle. I'm still thinking around $25K plus my trade is about as high as I'd like to go. But we'll just have to see. I really need some good seat time behind the wheel to decide.
That little bit of oil I found on the garage floor must've been a fluke as no more has shown up after I cleaned the garage floor. Had canceled the appointment at the mechanic last Monday as thought it would be a waste. At about 66.8K on the clock now and doubt I'll hit 68K by years end.

Sandman6472 · April 2021

One thing I really need to think about is that I doubt I'll ever be putting 13K on any newer vehicle I get after the Golf. Just not driving that much anymore. As I recall, I had the Tucson for about 375 days and it had just over 16.4K miles when I traded it. But getting a job much closer to home has cut down my yearly miles dramatically. Plus, the pandemic brought my mileage down to around 2750 miles in 2020. Figure when things get back to normal, might be doing 5K miles each year if that, so I'll be able to keep the next vehicle a bit longer. Just hope that there will be some brands that still have 0% or super low financing rates when the time comes. Would rather not interrupt my portfolio to plunk down $25K or so on a depreciating asset at this stage of our lives. Who knows, this could be the last vehicle I end up buying, not to get too morbid here. I'm the last sibling left out of four, so we're entering new ground here! But maybe that's a great reason in itself to just say the h-ll with it and just spend whatever I want! No rule that says I can't spend it all before I go!

qbrozen · April 2021

The ongoing Camaro saga:
I shared my overheating story, which resulted in me not making it to the Motor Vehicle offices that day. Turns out it didn’t matter. Drove there again Thurs (in the Fiat) to find it closed due to Covid. Did I share that already? I forget. Well, anyway, I check today to make an appt at a different office and find THAT office is closed but the original one is re-opened. So back in the Fiat for the 30-min trek. I get there to find it MOBBED. You’d think there was a Fair going on. Cars taking up every inch of curb space all around the facility and at least 100 people standing outside waiting to get in. So much for appointments?? I don’t know, but I didn’t stay to find out, not that I could find parking anyway.

I emailed the good folks at Heidebreicht Chevy to give them an update and to ask, if it doesn’t cost anything, if they’d be so kind as to send me a new temp tag. Both ladies I had worked with are on vacay, but a gentleman business manager replied that he’d be happy to send me a 14-day tag at their expense because it only costs $1. I gotta say, with the large number of lousy dealers I ran across looking for this Chevy, this outfit has been top notch, even taking the contract errors into account. They’ve just been very accommodating and nice and attentive.

By the way, regarding the Fiat: I really like that car. I mean, in some ways. I would like a more supportive seat and an Abarth model, of course. It is fun to zip around in.

stickguy · April 2021

I am considering keeping the jetta less and less every time I hear a DMV horror story. I hope in a few weeks Carvana or Carmax make her an offer she can't refuse (and that I don't want to match, since my cost would be matching the best offer we can find!)

stickguy · April 2021

well, this is gorgeous. If I was ever going to buy a car off an online auction, it should be this one. Not only is it a great configuration, it lives really close to me (actually right in the middle of me and TJC) and the indy that did the recent work on it is about 5 minutes from me (I drive past it frequently) and is the place I would use if I ever actually did buy an old BMW. I am curious what this is going to end up selling for. And I am sure it will eat the next owner alive, but at least the carbon was just cleaned out.

even has a warranty!

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3vG5AJgm/2009-bmw-z4-sdrive35i

28firefighter · April 2021

Anyone have any experience or thoughts on Audi Q5e?

tjc78 · April 2021

explorerx4 said:
I doubt a Taco can do a burnout.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ubeesKsGlkY

oldfarmer50 · April 2021

Sandman6472 said:
One thing I really need to think about is that I doubt I'll ever be putting 13K on any newer vehicle I get after the Golf. Just not driving that much anymore. As I recall, I had the Tucson for about 375 days and it had just over 16.4K miles when I traded it. But getting a job much closer to home has cut down my yearly miles dramatically. Plus, the pandemic brought my mileage down to around 2750 miles in 2020. Figure when things get back to normal, might be doing 5K miles each year if that, so I'll be able to keep the next vehicle a bit longer. Just hope that there will be some brands that still have 0% or super low financing rates when the time comes. Would rather not interrupt my portfolio to plunk down $25K or so on a depreciating asset at this stage of our lives. Who knows, this could be the last vehicle I end up buying, not to get too morbid here. I'm the last sibling left out of four, so we're entering new ground here! But maybe that's a great reason in itself to just say the h-ll with it and just spend whatever I want! No rule that says I can't spend it all before I go!

You can’t take it with you unless the hearse has a trailer hitch.

ab348 · April 2021

stickguy said:
well, this is gorgeous. If I was ever going to buy a car off an online auction, it should be this one. Not only is it a great configuration, it lives really close to me (actually right in the middle of me and TJC) and the indy that did the recent work on it is about 5 minutes from me (I drive past it frequently) and is the place I would use if I ever actually did buy an old BMW. I am curious what this is going to end up selling for. And I am sure it will eat the next owner alive, but at least the carbon was just cleaned out.

even has a warranty!

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3vG5AJgm/2009-bmw-z4-sdrive35i

I thought you posted that you had sworn off sticks in your old age?

oldfarmer50 · April 2021

tjc78 said:

explorerx4 said:
I doubt a Taco can do a burnout.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ubeesKsGlkY

Ha ha, if you lock up the front brakes my Chevy Express could do a burn out too.

https://youtu.be/1kZfU9_KhHI

breld · April 2021

28firefighter said:
Anyone have any experience or thoughts on Audi Q5e?

I test drove one back in December and really liked the feel of it. Audi did a nice job with the overall refresh of the Q5 for all models.

That Q5e utilizes the electric engine well for smooth and quick starts and overall I believe it’s as quick as the SQ5, but just goes about it in a different manner.

And the federal incentive is not much less then a full EV - I think around $6k?

It would have been my top choice of the SUVs I was looking at, but decided the used X3 was a better buy.

kyfdx · April 2021

au1994 said:

pensfan83 said:

Personally, I’d put at least 2k more on those unless they were getting slippery in the rain.

Tacos come with this "feature" standard...

Michaell · April 2021

breld said:

28firefighter said:
Anyone have any experience or thoughts on Audi Q5e?
I test drove one back in December and really liked the feel of it. Audi did a nice job with the overall refresh of the Q5 for all models.

That Q5e utilizes the electric engine well for smooth and quick starts and overall I believe it’s as quick as the SQ5, but just goes about it in a different manner.

And the federal incentive is not much less then a full EV - I think around $6k?

It would have been my top choice of the SUVs I was looking at, but decided the used X3 was a better buy.

$6712 in most of the country

stickguy · April 2021

ab348 said:

stickguy said:
well, this is gorgeous. If I was ever going to buy a car off an online auction, it should be this one. Not only is it a great configuration, it lives really close to me (actually right in the middle of me and TJC) and the indy that did the recent work on it is about 5 minutes from me (I drive past it frequently) and is the place I would use if I ever actually did buy an old BMW. I am curious what this is going to end up selling for. And I am sure it will eat the next owner alive, but at least the carbon was just cleaned out.

even has a warranty!

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3vG5AJgm/2009-bmw-z4-sdrive35i
I thought you posted that you had sworn off sticks in your old age?

nope. Not me. I am fine with another one, and it's almost a must have for a "fun" or toy car.

28firefighter · April 2021

The Q5e has $6712 where I am, plus $2000 for Costco, plus a $750 supplier rebate I qualify for. So it could be competitive. Maybe.

xwesx · April 2021

Hmm... perhaps a tactic at Vroom? I received a notice from them that they increased my offer on the Crosstrek to $19,538 (increase of $500 from five days ago, and $500 more than I paid for it). They say, "Don't delay/! Click "Continue" now!"

So, if you plan to sell your car to them, maybe hold out for a few days after that original offer to see if they come back with a bump.

sda · April 2021

xwesx said:
Hmm... perhaps a tactic at Vroom? I received a notice from them that they increased my offer on the Crosstrek to $19,538 (increase of $500 from five days ago, and $500 more than I paid for it). They say, "Don't delay/! Click "Continue" now!"

So, if you plan to sell your car to them, maybe hold out for a few days after that original offer to see if they come back with a bump.

Your wife would not be delighted if you sold it from under her. But honey we made $500!

laurasdada · April 2021

28firefighter said:
The Q5e has $6712 where I am, plus $2000 for Costco, plus a $750 supplier rebate I qualify for. So it could be competitive. Maybe.

Similar tech setup to my A7e; just more practical and sensible! What was I thinking... And, looking forward to the $6712 next tax time. 1.49% Audi financing on the Q5e, if buying is the route you're thinking.

The switch between electric and ICE is smooth, almost imperceptible. The economy is excellent, I'm still above a half tank of dinosaurs after 300 miles of driving; overall mpg is reading 57+. Of course, all local driving.
I've traded the superior handling of the XF for the improved tech (tech overload, Will Robinson!) and Rube Goldberg powerplant. My building super saw the A7 for the first time yesterday, in his opinion a big trade up from the Jag. I'm not sure I agree, depends upon the parameters one applies, I guess.

Upcoming birthday for the fiance/wife; I'm thinking she'll want us to have a third, totally fun, mid-life crisis car in the driveway. Yup, what woman wouldn't want that.

stickguy · April 2021

parked by a new Tesla today. The CUV version of the 3 I think. Gray with shiny wheels. Actually looked sharp. Pointed it out to the wife and explained what it was. She actually said that sounded like a good idea, but was probably expensive! We chatted a bit about the EV concept and I mentioned range issues for when we travel, and she just said we have the RDX for that.

which goes back to my issue with paying that much money for effectively a 2nd car to just use for around town duties.

andres3 · April 2021

rny421 said:
Dang! So I've been monitoring Carvana for my TLX to show up, and I just saw it for the first time on there today. It's listed at $18,590, and it's already pending!

https://www.carvana.com/vehicle/1737643

That's only $1,400 less than I paid for it in 2018!! There's no way I'd pay $18K for a 6 year old TLX with almost 70k miles. Who's paying these prices???

Sites like Carvana and CarMax started because the used car industry had a well deserved and earned reputations for having only one motivation in life; to rip you off! They've been successful in large part because of that; as they aren't built around the idea that it's good to rip off their customers.

Now that they are so successful, they can sort of get away with ripping people off. Comes full circle.

andres3 · April 2021

sda said:

xwesx said:
Hmm... perhaps a tactic at Vroom? I received a notice from them that they increased my offer on the Crosstrek to $19,538 (increase of $500 from five days ago, and $500 more than I paid for it). They say, "Don't delay/! Click "Continue" now!"

So, if you plan to sell your car to them, maybe hold out for a few days after that original offer to see if they come back with a bump.
Your wife would not be delighted if you sold it from under her. But honey we made $500!

I think Vroom is the only one to use the low ball first offer tactic, then raise the offer on the 2nd take. I've heard of them doing that before, but never heard of anyone else using that method.

andres3 · April 2021

Drove the B8.5 S4 home the fun way yesterday afternoon. What a blast! Forgot how fun these cars are to canyon carve. Even on all-season Michelins, this thing was slicing and dicing through the little mountains of Highland Valley Road.

The supercharger whine and then the aggressive downshifts of the DSG (in S-Mode w/ car in Dynamic mode) while bringing the hulk of metal down to very tight corner speeds are extremely pleasing engine/drivetrain sounds to my ear. Makes it more fun. I can see how even a slow V8 could be fun for the aural pleasures. Then to top it all off, that rear-sport Diff is TRICK! Hilarious how fast you can bring this weighty thing out of a tight turn with it. Of course, this requires driving with some real enthusiasm to really activate that rear diff noticeably. I don't mind.

There's something to be said about the fun in maneuvering a heavier car at higher speeds through twisties, but not "ludicrous" speeds like the lightweight TTS can achieve with my current setup. Makes for more fun at more "relaxed" speeds. I do wish the TTS had that torque vectoring rear though... My main point is the TTS is so light you have to go faster in my view to have "fun." Driving the TTS slower isn't that fun. I suppose I could put 800 treadwear tires on it...

I have a heavy commute now, but I don't plan on this S4 going anywhere, I absolutely love it; it's my IDEAL daily driver. A bit thirsty on gas, and an expensive car to daily, but it's worth it.

andres3 · April 2021

kyfdx said:
Runflat on wife's car started leaking.. Nail in the shoulder. 19" tire. $403 for replacement OTD.

$280 for a 245/35R19 Yokohama A052 - so about $305 w/ tax. How big is this 19" tire?

roadburner · April 2021

oldfarmer50 said:

Sandman6472 said:
One thing I really need to think about is that I doubt I'll ever be putting 13K on any newer vehicle I get after the Golf. Just not driving that much anymore. As I recall, I had the Tucson for about 375 days and it had just over 16.4K miles when I traded it. But getting a job much closer to home has cut down my yearly miles dramatically. Plus, the pandemic brought my mileage down to around 2750 miles in 2020. Figure when things get back to normal, might be doing 5K miles each year if that, so I'll be able to keep the next vehicle a bit longer. Just hope that there will be some brands that still have 0% or super low financing rates when the time comes. Would rather not interrupt my portfolio to plunk down $25K or so on a depreciating asset at this stage of our lives. Who knows, this could be the last vehicle I end up buying, not to get too morbid here. I'm the last sibling left out of four, so we're entering new ground here! But maybe that's a great reason in itself to just say the h-ll with it and just spend whatever I want! No rule that says I can't spend it all before I go!
You can’t take it with you unless the hearse has a trailer hitch.

My father had lots of plans regarding what he wanted to do when he retired. Didn’t make it. I vowed not to repeat that error- starting with my E24 M6 in 1992.

andres3 · April 2021

roadburner said:
If I was going with a newer truck I’d go with a Ram.

I wouldn't, but then there's some history and bad blood there.

andres3 · April 2021

au1994 said:

pensfan83 said:

Personally, I’d put at least 2k more on those unless they were getting slippery in the rain.

Rain in April? What's that? We've hit the 80's a few days already.

explorerx4 · April 2021

Try a burnout with a new Taco not an old one like that.
Actually you can do it, but there is a trick to it.

sda · April 2021

laurasdada said:

28firefighter said:
The Q5e has $6712 where I am, plus $2000 for Costco, plus a $750 supplier rebate I qualify for. So it could be competitive. Maybe.
Similar tech setup to my A7e; just more practical and sensible! What was I thinking... And, looking forward to the $6712 next tax time. 1.49% Audi financing on the Q5e, if buying is the route you're thinking.

The switch between electric and ICE is smooth, almost imperceptible. The economy is excellent, I'm still above a half tank of dinosaurs after 300 miles of driving; overall mpg is reading 57+. Of course, all local driving.
I've traded the superior handling of the XF for the improved tech (tech overload, Will Robinson!) and Rube Goldberg powerplant. My building super saw the A7 for the first time yesterday, in his opinion a big trade up from the Jag. I'm not sure I agree, depends upon the parameters one applies, I guess.

Upcoming birthday for the fiance/wife; I'm thinking she'll want us to have a third, totally fun, mid-life crisis car in the driveway. Yup, what woman wouldn't want that.

That’s when you sneak in a Jag convertible in a stunning color.

clm8 · April 2021

This was my comment from March 11:

I have a 2014 Acura RDX Tech Package. I put it in Carvana 2 weeks ago, $15,200. I put it in again this morning, $17,100.

I just ran it again and the offer is $19,298. This is with 59,000 miles. I think I may have to let it go. We've had it since new, it's been a great vehicle, one recall, and just regular maintenance.

stickguy · April 2021

that is nuts. you sure you didn't change one of the inputs? Assuming you don't actually need the car, seems like a great opportunity. Bigger issue is, if you need to replace it right now!

clm8 · April 2021

No, I went with my license plate, so I know it's the same basis. If I do it, I'll buy new, maybe a Model Y.

qbrozen · April 2021

Y’all got me interested. I plugged in the X2 again. If the payoff includes tax, which I believe it does, I think we may be $1750 in the black. Wow. Gonna have to run that by the wife. Also avoids the new tires it needs and the disposition fee.

kyfdx · April 2021

You made me look.

The Carvana offer on the GTI is now $1500 more than I paid for it. 14 months and 8000 miles ago. 🤯

stickguy · April 2021

I will hold off on running the Jetta because the kid can't sell it for about 4 weeks when she is ready to move. Hopefully prices hold up that long!

Michaell · April 2021

The Outback just came back at $20,995

If the wife wasn’t so attached to it, and having to replace it with something else, well...

sda · April 2021

kyfdx said:
You made me look.

The Carvana offer on the GTI is now $1500 more than I paid for it. 14 months and 8000 miles ago. 🤯

What would you replace it with?

breld · April 2021

Unfortunately, I did receive a response from Carvana saying they couldn’t purchase vehicles leased with Nissan. The e-mail I received also mentioned US Bank, Infiniti (naturally), Ally Bank, Volvo, Lincoln and Tesla as leases they could not accept.

qbrozen · April 2021

This is what I don’t understand. How can they offer over $26k for our 2018 with 31k miles?
https://www.vroom.com/inventory/bmw-x2-2020-WBXYJ1C02L5P22257

stickguy · April 2021

is yours more loaded? this link looks like a pretty stripped model. Maybe they are comparing it to a nicely equipped 2018 like this orange one (which I kinda want to see!) Actually all the 2018s they list as other choices in your link are about 29-31k.

https://www.vroom.com/inventory/bmw-x2-2018-WBXYJ5C38JEB19315

ronsteve · April 2021

clm8 said:
This was my comment from March 11:

I have a 2014 Acura RDX Tech Package. I put it in Carvana 2 weeks ago, $15,200. I put it in again this morning, $17,100.

I just ran it again and the offer is $19,298. This is with 59,000 miles. I think I may have to let it go. We've had it since new, it's been a great vehicle, one recall, and just regular maintenance.

That's crazy! Mileage is clearly king, because they "only" put 16,1 on my '15 with 77K. Maybe I should run it again?

Of course, viable potential replacements are few and far between, so I'd have to be ready to move on one before I did anything like that.

EDIT: Ran it again and the offer is $16,3...

28firefighter · April 2021

Submitted an offer on a car. Not the Q5e. Likelihood is low for it being accepted, but gotta start somewhere...

corvette · April 2021

kyfdx said:
You made me look.

The Carvana offer on the GTI is now $1500 more than I paid for it. 14 months and 8000 miles ago. 🤯

And then the clutch replacement will be on them!

qbrozen · April 2021

stickguy said:
is yours more loaded? this link looks like a pretty stripped model. Maybe they are comparing it to a nicely equipped 2018 like this orange one (which I kinda want to see!) Actually all the 2018s they list as other choices in your link are about 29-31k.

https://www.vroom.com/inventory/bmw-x2-2018-WBXYJ5C38JEB19315

Ours just has the convenience pack with moonroof and heated seats/steering wheel. So the black one ups the ante with Nav. The black one does have a lot of paint issues, now that I look at the pics. Orange one has a lot of equipment. M sport always makes a big impact on value.

Wife doesn’t want to see hers go, but admits it would make financial sense. Says I have to find her a replacement first. But then I pointed out she’d drive the Fiat through the warm seasons so why rush? She agreed. I think I’ll placate her by promising a Volvo. We just have to wait for deals to come through.

oldfarmer50 · April 2021

kyfdx said:
You made me look.

The Carvana offer on the GTI is now $1500 more than I paid for it. 14 months and 8000 miles ago. 🤯

This is insanity. Who’s buying these cars?

mrwhipple311 · April 2021

Long time lurker occasional poster with a punch here. Never fell in love with my 1996 Mustang GT; felt like driving my 1972 Ford LTD. Replaced it with a 1997 BMW Z3, one owner under 80k miles dealer serviced all its life, Unfortunately its lived in Florida its whole life and has the Salvador Dali dashboard and a few other little issues. First Bimmer here, driving it home I really get these cars - liking it so far

mrwhipple311 · April 2021

For giggles I ran our 2011 RX450h thru Carvana - although its not going anyplace. Its got 155k miles on it. They came back with $9950. Not sure I understand a world where wholesale on a 150k vehicle is almost 10k. I remember buying cars for nothing back in the day just because they were over 100k miles (is this where I say get off my lawn?)

clm8 · April 2021

ronsteve said:

clm8 said:
This was my comment from March 11:

I have a 2014 Acura RDX Tech Package. I put it in Carvana 2 weeks ago, $15,200. I put it in again this morning, $17,100.

I just ran it again and the offer is $19,298. This is with 59,000 miles. I think I may have to let it go. We've had it since new, it's been a great vehicle, one recall, and just regular maintenance.

That's crazy! Mileage is clearly king, because they "only" put 16,1 on my '15 with 77K. Maybe I should run it again?

Of course, viable potential replacements are few and far between, so I'd have to be ready to move on one before I did anything like that.

EDIT: Ran it again and the offer is $16,3...

I don't know how you ran yours, but I found out if I don't use the VIN or license plate the offer is lower.

qbrozen · April 2021

2021 Tucson Ultimate is intriguing. Wife is a badge snob but I’ll run it by her.

stickguy · April 2021

I have not seen one in person but watched a few youtube reviews (probably the guy in Korea) and it looked really nice, and they had positive things to say about the dynamics. Can get the hybrid too. That probably goes on my shopping list too, but it really will be redundant to the RDX so I doubt it happens.

kyfdx · April 2021

sda said:

kyfdx said:
You made me look.

The Carvana offer on the GTI is now $1500 more than I paid for it. 14 months and 8000 miles ago. 🤯
What would you replace it with?

I wouldn't sell it, I don't think. Just curiosity. Pretty sure I can't make money, flipping cars, even if I show a profit on this one. The temptation of having driven the car for free for 14 months is hard, though.

I really want a Cayman, but that would probably require keeping the GTI as a daily driver (not that I drive it, daily).

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