Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

british_rover · February 2022

@qbrozen said:
Except all of that is internal designations (I think). Nothing on their website indicates this to consumers. It all just says "Recharge" for all of them. Pretty annoying, IMHO.

Volvo sucks at marketing and nomenclature. I have told them that. Even told a couple of VPs one of whom is now a president of some part of Volvo.

Privately more than on Volvo executive has even admitted that they suck at it.

In the middle of the XC90 launch I was in a meeting with a bunch of different VPs, various senior retailer personnel(mostly owners and GMs) so not exactly sure how I ended up there.

We were all talking about the current Volvo commercials and basic messaging problems. The short version we didn't think Volvo wasn't putting enough emphasis on safety.

The VP in charge of advertising/marketing said, and paraphrasing here, we don't feel Volvo needs to emphasis safety any longer as the Volvo brand is synonymous with it. We don't need to mention safety as it is the first thing people think when they hear Volvo.

The guy next to me said something along the lines of, respectfully ma'am that is crap, but he wasn't that diplomatic when he said it.

au1994 · February 2022

They need to remember that those of us that remember the Volvo commercials with them stacked on top of each other or being dropped from a crane are in our 50’s (or more) now.

The generation of buyer they need to attract has grown up with many of the safety items Volvo pioneered as standard equipment.

28firefighter · February 2022

The offers on the Jeep are dropping, so I think I'm going to sell it and just figure it out later. Not ideal, I realize, but the highest offer I have is $53k and most are $50k or below at this point. That is down from $55-$56k a few weeks ago.

roadburner · February 2022

stickguy said:
Hopefully they pressure tested the system. They don’t leak just sitting on the rack!

And some only leak cold and others only leak hot; it needs to be tested under all conditions.

mjfloyd1 · February 2022

Sandman6472 said:
Had green liquid under the Audi this weekend. Mechanic had the car from Tuesday morning till yesterday afternoon and couldn't find the leak! Crazy as that sounds, they had it up on their lift and looked all over & nothing, nothing at all. Left my vehicle at home yesterday for the wife to drive, her first time but very similar to hers, but since hers was done before she had to go to Ft. Lauderdale, she left mine at the mechanics parking lot & picked it up after work.
So going forward, we'll just keep an eye on the floor and if the leak starts again, will deal with it then. Gotta a good feeling that by this time next year, if the chip situation is history, the Audi will be gone. Like most wives, she has zero tolerance when issues start to happen. The annoyance factor plays the biggest part as she just wants her vehicle to work when needed...and when it keeps acting up & isn't that reliable anymore, it's days in the stable are numbered. Think we're almost at that point but as I told her, now is just not the time to buy something new. So, we'll just monitor the situation & go from there.

Water pumps on the Audi 2.0 tfsi tend to fail prematurely

Michaell · February 2022

28firefighter said:
The offers on the Jeep are dropping, so I think I'm going to sell it and just figure it out later. Not ideal, I realize, but the highest offer I have is $53k and most are $50k or below at this point. That is down from $55-$56k a few weeks ago.

1. I haven't had many folks on the Wrangler lease boards comment about availability
2. Given that the second owner won't get the incentive, I believe the value of these will drop

28firefighter · February 2022

I think so too, though I did enjoy one Jeep dealer that quoted me saying "well your original MSRP is $55k, so we can't offer you that" to which I said "Oh, so all the 4xE's on your lot that you have marked with a $10k markup are actually selling for MSRP then (or less), right?" She had no response.

corvette · February 2022

@qbrozen said:

@au1994 said:
Shoulda got an automatic

Who let this guy in?!?

That would have been even funnier coming from @stickguy

mjfloyd1 · February 2022

28firefighter said:
I think so too, though I did enjoy one Jeep dealer that quoted me saying "well your original MSRP is $55k, so we can't offer you that" to which I said "Oh, so all the 4xE's on your lot that you have marked with a $10k markup are actually selling for MSRP then (or less), right?" She had no response.

That is almost verbatim what the BMW dealer said. Your MSRP was $58500 and we see this as a $54000 retail vehicle. They didn’t mention that the msrp was bumped a couple times after I bought. They said Manheim numbers were nuts and “that’s what’s driving the book number up.”

Well no 💩, Sherlock!

ab348 · February 2022

Hmmmm.

https://youtu.be/--KwZnLBkB0

oldfarmer50 · February 2022

Michaell said:
Be unique at your next Radwood gathering

Wow,what is that thing?

oldfarmer50 · February 2022

henryn said:

xwesx said:

Sandman6472 said:
Think we're almost at that point but as I told her, now is just not the time to buy something new. So, we'll just monitor the situation & go from there.

It's not a terrible time to buy new if you cap your buy at MSRP, but it *is* a terrible time to buy used.
Well ..... That depends. If you're buying a car that has always sold at close to MSRP, then I would agree with your statement. If you're buying a car (or truck) that 3 years ago could be had at 15 to 20 percent off MSRP, or even more at the end of the model year, then yes, this is a bad time.

But you are 100% correct about buying used, this is an unbelievably bad time. I was reading a news article this morning about the latest inflation numbers, and they mentioned that used cars are up 40% over the past 12 months.

Frickin' unbelievable!

On Edit: I happened to be looking at my house on Zillow earlier today. According to them, my house has appreciated a little over $2.5k in the past 30 days alone. A little basic math, and that is slightly above 1.1% for one month, an annual rate of 13.2%. Insanity. At that rate, I can see why first time home buyers are out of luck these days.

About the same appreciation rate as 2007. Oh oh.

oldfarmer50 · February 2022

28firefighter said:
The offers on the Jeep are dropping, so I think I'm going to sell it and just figure it out later. Not ideal, I realize, but the highest offer I have is $53k and most are $50k or below at this point. That is down from $55-$56k a few weeks ago.

If you recall, I mentioned that things were loosening up in the rental market. Our local resale lot now has a lot of cars and all day we were shuttling cars to our NJ wholesale operation which is now 80% full vs 20% a few weeks ago. Those cars will eventually make their way into the retail lots suppressing prices.

The drought may be ending.

corvette · February 2022

Foxconn, Apple's manufacturing partner, has said they are seeing the supply chain issues easing, which is a pretty bold statement, although I suspect it may take the auto sector a while to catch up, since many of the OEMs supposedly lost their place in line with suppliers.

graphicguy · February 2022

Talking to a former colleague last night on the phone. He was asking me about Acuras in general, as he's trying to find an MDX (harder than you'd think). I suggested he look at the new Grand Cherokees as they seem to be relatively plentiful, and also seem to have some price "wiggle room", at least locally.

Strange, given they were just released.

graphicguy · February 2022

mjfloyd1 said:

@graphicguy said:

It has red interior. What’s not to like?

Open your eyes, man

Oh yeah...make fun of the half blind guy. (j/k)!

mjfloyd1 · February 2022

Ouch. Sorry

nyccarguy · February 2022

I'm here to report a tentative punch for next weekend-ish. Got a call from my local dealer. Told the woman what I was looking for and if they were still charging over sticker for Highlanders. She said yes and I told her that I am interested in a Highlander, but am not willing to pay over sticker. She said: "Let me talk to my manager and call you back."

So next week I'll be picking up a Ruby Flare Pearl/Black Guts 2022 Highlander XLE AWD V6. After thinking it over, I decided to finance the Highlander instead of leasing.

I'm going to sell my truck to the dealer (or one of the car buying vendors), give the highlander to my wife until her Jeep arrives, and drive the Pilot until the Jeep arrives. When the Jeep comes, I'm going to sell the Pilot and take the Highlander. If she needs the 3 row SUV (or likes it better) than the Jeep, then we can switch.

Michaell · February 2022

nyccarguy said:
I'm here to report a tentative punch for next weekend-ish. Got a call from my local dealer. Told the woman what I was looking for and if they were still charging over sticker for Highlanders. She said yes and I told her that I am interested in a Highlander, but am not willing to pay over sticker. She said: "Let me talk to my manager and call you back."

So next week I'll be picking up a Ruby Flare Pearl/Black Guts 2022 Highlander XLE AWD V6. After thinking it over, I decided to finance the Highlander instead of leasing.

I'm going to sell my truck to the dealer (or one of the car buying vendors), give the highlander to my wife until her Jeep arrives, and drive the Pilot until the Jeep arrives. When the Jeep comes, I'm going to sell the Pilot and take the Highlander. If she needs the 3 row SUV (or likes it better) than the Jeep, then we can switch.

Advanced congratulations!

I know it's hard to pay MSRP for this group, but in the current climate, that may be the best you can do.

au1994 · February 2022

nyccarguy said:
I'm here to report a tentative punch for next weekend-ish. Got a call from my local dealer. Told the woman what I was looking for and if they were still charging over sticker for Highlanders. She said yes and I told her that I am interested in a Highlander, but am not willing to pay over sticker. She said: "Let me talk to my manager and call you back."

So next week I'll be picking up a Ruby Flare Pearl/Black Guts 2022 Highlander XLE AWD V6. After thinking it over, I decided to finance the Highlander instead of leasing.

I'm going to sell my truck to the dealer (or one of the car buying vendors), give the highlander to my wife until her Jeep arrives, and drive the Pilot until the Jeep arrives. When the Jeep comes, I'm going to sell the Pilot and take the Highlander. If she needs the 3 row SUV (or likes it better) than the Jeep, then we can switch.

Solid plan, a win all around. Advanced congrats!

graphicguy · February 2022

@nyccarguy …another Advanced Congrats. Those are extremely nice!

stickguy · February 2022

Hope you don’t miss being able to use the bed for deliveries. But it’s tough times out there

Seems like a solid plan though. Nice car you are getting.

breld · February 2022

@nyccarguy - congrats! I've always been a fan of the Highlander. Very solid choice.

nyccarguy · February 2022

stickguy said:
Hope you don’t miss being able to use the bed for deliveries. But it’s tough times out there

Seems like a solid plan though. Nice car you are getting.

As we got busier starting in about October, I hired a driver that drives our 14' Box truck 2 days a week. It has been great. I do LOVE a lot about my tacoma, but commuting with an empty bed and parking it on the street aren't fun.

oldfarmer50 · February 2022

nyccarguy said:
I'm here to report a tentative punch for next weekend-ish. Got a call from my local dealer. Told the woman what I was looking for and if they were still charging over sticker for Highlanders. She said yes and I told her that I am interested in a Highlander, but am not willing to pay over sticker. She said: "Let me talk to my manager and call you back."

So next week I'll be picking up a Ruby Flare Pearl/Black Guts 2022 Highlander XLE AWD V6. After thinking it over, I decided to finance the Highlander instead of leasing.

I'm going to sell my truck to the dealer (or one of the car buying vendors), give the highlander to my wife until her Jeep arrives, and drive the Pilot until the Jeep arrives. When the Jeep comes, I'm going to sell the Pilot and take the Highlander. If she needs the 3 row SUV (or likes it better) than the Jeep, then we can switch.

Wow, that’s great wheeling and dealing. I like the Highlanders. Very solid feel to them.

carnaught · February 2022

Wow, @nyccarguy, very good plan as an advanced member of the CCBA. Congrats!

corvette · February 2022

Great color. Congrats in advance, @nyccarguy !

ab348 · February 2022

Here's one for @Sandman6472 , a Hagerty review of the Corolla Cross, equipped just like he wants it, with even some comment about the JBL sound system (spoiler alert: they mostly liked it):

https://www.hagerty.com/media/new-car-reviews/review-2022-toyota-corolla-cross-xle-awd/?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_content=MED_UN_NA_EML_UN_DailyDriver_Friday_IS&hashed_email=4dfd5eb578ec2c283a7103ad5b4577bad4b82ee74a06cbd66c7a232304ff2c0a

corvette · February 2022

Looks like a baby previous gen Highlander.

au1994 · February 2022

Just took the dog for a walk since its 70 out and looks like someone up the street has a new VW Taos in the driveway. Its in the ubiquitous ‘putty gray’ and looks like a nice little CUV.

And yes, since its beautiful out I did pop the panels out of the Jeep and take an extended cruise at lunch. Because Jeep

tjc78 · February 2022

Congrats NYC. You’ll like the Highlander.

@Michaell
Yes MSRP for a vehicle is killer and the lack of decent leases also pretty much sucks.

As I have said the S60 goes back in August. It is laughably under mileage sitting at 13 and change right now.

We theoretically could do with one car, but not sure I’m willing to make that commitment as just this week we did need both a few times.

So since I’m cheap (and won’t finance anything) that leaves me only a few choices.

1: extend the Volvo. Four year BtoB warranty so no real risk. I haven’t even checked to see is Volvo finance does it

2: Attempt rolling into another Volvo with some equity in my lease. Only one I’d want is the S60 Recharge and doubtful I’d be happy with the numbers based on findings this week

3: Order a 4XE late April assuming the programs/discounts stay similar. Wife is all over it, I’d only be buying it because it’s a good deal in this market. I’d end up giving it to her and taking the XC which she isn’t 100% happy with anyway.

4: Buy an old Panther for me to knock around in when needed

au1994 · February 2022

tjc78 said:
Congrats NYC. You’ll like the Highlander.

@Michaell

Yes MSRP for a vehicle is killer and the lack of decent leases also pretty much sucks.

As I have said the S60 goes back in August. It is laughably under mileage sitting at 13 and change right now.

We theoretically could do with one car, but not sure I’m willing to make that commitment as just this week we did need both a few times.

So since I’m cheap (and won’t finance anything) that leaves me only a few choices.

1: extend the Volvo. Four year BtoB warranty so no real risk. I haven’t even checked to see is Volvo finance does it

2: Attempt rolling into another Volvo with some equity in my lease. Only one I’d want is the S60 Recharge and doubtful I’d be happy with the numbers based on findings this week

3: Order a 4XE late April assuming the programs/discounts stay similar. Wife is all over it, I’d only be buying it because it’s a good deal in this market. I’d end up giving it to her and taking the XC which she isn’t 100% happy with anyway.

4: Buy an old Panther for me to knock around in when needed

3 or 4 seems like the best options. Although #4 is kinda what I did with the Land Cruiser. Liked it and it was functional for hauling stuff back and forth to the lake but at the end of the day it was a 2008 and was going to have some needs. Don’t get me wrong, it was a bucket list vehicle for me and I don’t regret it but the wife hated it truthfully. I got lucky that the 4xe deal came along otherwise I’m not sure what situation I’d be in.

oldfarmer50 · February 2022

tjc78 said:
Congrats NYC. You’ll like the Highlander.

@Michaell

Yes MSRP for a vehicle is killer and the lack of decent leases also pretty much sucks.

As I have said the S60 goes back in August. It is laughably under mileage sitting at 13 and change right now.

We theoretically could do with one car, but not sure I’m willing to make that commitment as just this week we did need both a few times.

So since I’m cheap (and won’t finance anything) that leaves me only a few choices.

1: extend the Volvo. Four year BtoB warranty so no real risk. I haven’t even checked to see is Volvo finance does it

2: Attempt rolling into another Volvo with some equity in my lease. Only one I’d want is the S60 Recharge and doubtful I’d be happy with the numbers based on findings this week

3: Order a 4XE late April assuming the programs/discounts stay similar. Wife is all over it, I’d only be buying it because it’s a good deal in this market. I’d end up giving it to her and taking the XC which she isn’t 100% happy with anyway.

4: Buy an old Panther for me to knock around in when needed

You might want to rethink that Panther. Here’s one I would have bought just because of the mileage but maybe for a third of this asking price.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/saratoga-springs-2006-mercury-grand/7444493071.html

stickguy · February 2022

3 or 4, but perfect world 4 would be a small truck for dragging crap to the beach and projects around the house. Just really hard to find now.

au1994 · February 2022

There’s options here:

A Maverick from @stickguy or any number of options from Qbreldzen Motors: multiple 4xe’s, a couple of Bronco’s or a Santa Cruz. Plus some others that will inevitably show up.

stickguy · February 2022

Might work. My inventory is back ordered until probably august at this point anyway! I just don’t offer leasing.

sda · February 2022

oldfarmer50 said:

tjc78 said:
Congrats NYC. You’ll like the Highlander.

@Michaell

Yes MSRP for a vehicle is killer and the lack of decent leases also pretty much sucks.

As I have said the S60 goes back in August. It is laughably under mileage sitting at 13 and change right now.

We theoretically could do with one car, but not sure I’m willing to make that commitment as just this week we did need both a few times.

So since I’m cheap (and won’t finance anything) that leaves me only a few choices.

1: extend the Volvo. Four year BtoB warranty so no real risk. I haven’t even checked to see is Volvo finance does it

2: Attempt rolling into another Volvo with some equity in my lease. Only one I’d want is the S60 Recharge and doubtful I’d be happy with the numbers based on findings this week

3: Order a 4XE late April assuming the programs/discounts stay similar. Wife is all over it, I’d only be buying it because it’s a good deal in this market. I’d end up giving it to her and taking the XC which she isn’t 100% happy with anyway.

4: Buy an old Panther for me to knock around in when needed

You might want to rethink that Panther. Here’s one I would have bought just because of the mileage but maybe for a third of this asking price.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/saratoga-springs-2006-mercury-grand/7444493071.html

Looks like a base GS. I hate those wheels, though I assume they are winter steelies?

kyfdx · February 2022

stickguy said:
Might work. My inventory is back ordered until probably august at this point anyway! I just don’t offer leasing.

Bank of kyfdx leasing is the way to go. $1999 acquisition fee, though.

tjc78 · February 2022

Looks like they put P71 hubcaps on the regular wheels. A GS would have had full plastic hubcaps.

That thing is filthy for the asking price. Look at the carpet on the trans tunnel.

oldfarmer50 · February 2022

stickguy said:
3 or 4, but perfect world 4 would be a small truck for dragging crap to the beach and projects around the house. Just really hard to find now.

That’s what I’m looking for but the prices are out of this world. I got bad news yesterday when I found out the coworker with the pristine old Ranger wasn’t coming back in March as planned but was staying in Florida until May.

I suppose I’ll just have to wait and make due with the cargo van.

stickguy · February 2022

should have ordered a stippo $19,995 Maverick when you had the chance!

tjc78 · February 2022

@kyfdx said:
Bank of kyfdx leasing is the way to go. $1999 acquisition fee, though.

Money factor marked up to the max and $750 doc fee

ab348 · February 2022

au1994 said:
There’s options here:

A Maverick from @stickguy or any number of options from Qbreldzen Motors: multiple 4xe’s, a couple of Bronco’s or a Santa Cruz. Plus some others that will inevitably show up.

It's always fun when they find something they had completely forgotten they had out at the back of the lot or parked behind an outbuilding.

corvette · February 2022

stickguy said:
should have ordered a stippo $19,995 Maverick when you had the chance!

There aren't many of those being made because of the shortages which appear to be affecting the hybrid powertrain, although they do appear to be on a two week cycle where they are building more of the hybrids. Lots of people with very early orders still waiting to be built. I'm skeptical that mine will be built in the 2022 model year.

stickguy · February 2022

they scheduled a bunch of hybrids this week. Should be pretty much caught up with June/July orders by now, with a few stray orders from dealers with no allocations left. But with no new orders the old ones should get scheduled real soon.

I would not be surprised if my 10/30 order of a well optioned hybrid does not make it. But I am fine with bumping it to 2023 MY.

stickguy · February 2022

dealer stock inventory though, particularly on hybrids, is very low. and many places marked up.

henryn · February 2022

oldfarmer50 said:

tjc78 said:
Congrats NYC. You’ll like the Highlander.

@Michaell

Yes MSRP for a vehicle is killer and the lack of decent leases also pretty much sucks.

As I have said the S60 goes back in August. It is laughably under mileage sitting at 13 and change right now.

We theoretically could do with one car, but not sure I’m willing to make that commitment as just this week we did need both a few times.

So since I’m cheap (and won’t finance anything) that leaves me only a few choices.

1: extend the Volvo. Four year BtoB warranty so no real risk. I haven’t even checked to see is Volvo finance does it

2: Attempt rolling into another Volvo with some equity in my lease. Only one I’d want is the S60 Recharge and doubtful I’d be happy with the numbers based on findings this week

3: Order a 4XE late April assuming the programs/discounts stay similar. Wife is all over it, I’d only be buying it because it’s a good deal in this market. I’d end up giving it to her and taking the XC which she isn’t 100% happy with anyway.

4: Buy an old Panther for me to knock around in when needed

You might want to rethink that Panther. Here’s one I would have bought just because of the mileage but maybe for a third of this asking price.

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/d/saratoga-springs-2006-mercury-grand/7444493071.html

That is an insane price on the Grand Marquis. Totally insane, even in the present market. Here in Houston, you can get a 2010 or 2011 Grand Marquis, very clean, for $5k to $8k. They're going to have 100 to 150k miles, but those Panthers run forever, kind of like a Toyota.

henryn · February 2022

I'm kind of wishing I had ordered a Maverick last year. Although I still might not have it anyway. And I still have no idea whether I would fit in one. I called 3 local Ford dealers this week and asked if they had one that I could test drive. Not buy, mind you, just sit in and drive around the block. "No".

andres3 · February 2022

If the average car price is up "XX%" over the last year, then we all should have bought as many cars as we could have a year ago, assuming that XX number is outpacing inflation.

CCBA should have been taking out massive loans to buy up everything in site.

stickguy · February 2022

henryn said:
I'm kind of wishing I had ordered a Maverick last year. Although I still might not have it anyway. And I still have no idea whether I would fit in one. I called 3 local Ford dealers this week and asked if they had one that I could test drive. Not buy, mind you, just sit in and drive around the block. "No".

you will fit. they are extremely roomy. And I think you are someone with knee space issues (meaning don't like consoles?) The center console is so low you can really splay your knees if you want. Lots of headroom too. I have read a lot of comments on the forums from big people (tall and wide) that have found it to be very spacious. even 6'7", 300# guys have not had an issue with it.

I sit "tall" (long torso, short legs), have the seat way up high, and a moonroof, and I still have many inches of extra headroom.

if you ever see one in the wild, ask for a test site. Most owners are happy to show them off. We are like pioneers! Or just stop at a Ford dealer anytime you happen to go by. maybe you will get lucky and they will have on on the lot. even if spoken for, you can usually sit in one (just not drive).

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