Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

jmonroe1 · January 2023

@stickguy, Not a good thing to happen but if like you say companies are looking for experienced people at your age all you have to do is get in the door for a few years and you should be in good shape.

@28firefighter, hope your wife bounces back quickly too.

jmonroe

Michaell · January 2023

Yikes! So sorry, @tjc78, @28firefighter and @stickguy

Maybe we can form a mutual support group, off line.

Sandman6472 · January 2023

So sorry to hear this guys. I remember the feeling when I was "let go" from the post office back in 2010. Was really a difficult period as I was pretty young, 56 at the time, but it was the first time I was ever fired from a job and now, had to deal with this mental anguish along with the chronic pain I was dealing with. Those were tough times & took a couple of years off to get better both mentally & physically. Luckily, I found a good job in 2013 and am still in the same industry. Looking back, they probably did me a favor as I bounced back and am much happier now. I have faith that y'all will find something better in due time as you guys all seem to be pretty smart. Definitely tough times that we're living in now. Just try to make lemonade from the lemons you currently have and I know y'all will do just fine.

kyfdx · January 2023

All that sucks. My wife and I both worked for the same company, long term. It always worried me, a little, but fortunately it turned out okay.

Sandman6472 · January 2023

My wife is lucky in that she works part time for two companies right now plus still has some clients of her own. She's really loving her Turbo Tax gig, think it's her ninth or tenth year there plus she works for a local CPA a couple days a week at two different places. Now that tax season is upon us, she's starting to get really busy which will only get worse as T T will probably get her to work more than her 30 hours she's working now. But, she can handle it as long as I take care of everything else in our lives.
Still waiting for my boss to give me the new schedule I've been asking for. He knows I'm flexible with which days I work but for some reason he's not cooperating with me on the change. Am hoping he'll come around in the next few weeks as all I want is a set schedule with the lead driver I prefer to be with. If I don't get what I want, am thinking of going down to two days a week for awhile as I'm tired actually. Worked three days in a row last week and not something I will do again. I would go back to every other day like I used to but I've proposed to work two days, have off two days and then work one more. Don't mind giving up my Mondays off if I can get Wednesday & Thursday off. So, just have to wait & see where this all goes.

tjc78 · January 2023

Michaell said:
Yikes! So sorry, @tjc78, @28firefighter and @stickguy

Maybe we can form a mutual support group, off line.

We did the big layoff in November in prep for this. Right now it is crazy busy and all of us that hold relationships with vendors have a lot of work to do. I really didn’t want to add dealing with a bankruptcy to my resume. They claim we will be out in 4-6 months. We will see.

I’m glad I didn’t own any stock.

I’ve already applied for a similar role with another retailer.

explorerx4 · January 2023

Good luck to all those looking for jobs, hopefully you find another one soon.
It seems like all these layoffs are part of a corporate herd mentality.
A few companies do it and others say to themselves, we need to do it too.

stickguy · January 2023

@jmonroe1 said:
@stickguy, Not a good thing to happen but if like you say companies are looking for experienced people at your age all you have to do is get in the door for a few years and you should be in good shape.

@28firefighter, hope your wife bounces back quickly too.

jmonroe

Unfortunately they aren’t. At least that I know of! I was being sarcastic.

stickguy · January 2023

@Michaell said:
Yikes! So sorry, @tjc78, @28firefighter and @stickguy

Maybe we can form a mutual support group, off line.

Not a bad idea!

ab348 · January 2023

Jeebus, this sounds awful. My sympathies to all those affected.

au1994 · January 2023

Sorry to hear all. PM’ed you my Linkedin if I can help.

oldfarmer50 · January 2023

nyccarguy said:
“ They claim all will be fine, no layoffs”

You know what that translates to in corporate-ese

No layoffs in upper management

When my boss called in 2020 with the layoff notice I asked if he was going to be caught up in the same pandemic panic. He scoffed and said “of course not”.

The next week he was let go after 18 years.

oldfarmer50 · January 2023

stickguy said:

@jmonroe1 said:
@stickguy, Not a good thing to happen but if like you say companies are looking for experienced people at your age all you have to do is get in the door for a few years and you should be in good shape.

@28firefighter, hope your wife bounces back quickly too.

jmonroe

Unfortunately they aren’t. At least that I know of! I was being sarcastic.

Strangely, a lot of companies ARE looking for seasoned older workers because they usually have a strong work ethic and can be counted on to show up, not steal or engage in workplace hijinks. Unfortunately, those are usually low wage positions

fintail · January 2023

28firefighter said:
My wife and I work for the same company. She was laid off this week and I lost 50% of my org including my manager, his peers, and all of mine. We’ll be fine, but man, what a blood bath.

Damn what a mess, fingers crossed for her and everyone here going through this drama.

I remember my tech-adjacent employer cut a bunch of people (myself included) in 2019, I should contact some old co-workers and see if there's a new axe swinging. All of this should kick the Seattle metro housing market between the legs. IT'll be fun to see the execudrone bonuses for 2023-24.

mjfloyd1 · January 2023

Sorry to hear of the layoffs and potential layoffs.

I hope for a quick search for stable employment

stickguy · January 2023

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

@jmonroe1 said:
@stickguy, Not a good thing to happen but if like you say companies are looking for experienced people at your age all you have to do is get in the door for a few years and you should be in good shape.

@28firefighter, hope your wife bounces back quickly too.

jmonroe

Unfortunately they aren’t. At least that I know of! I was being sarcastic.

Strangely, a lot of companies ARE looking for seasoned older workers because they usually have a strong work ethic and can be counted on to show up, not steal or engage in workplace hijinks. Unfortunately, those are usually low wage positions

yes, that is an issue. a well paying "career" type corporate position (like I had) is tough to come by. I have no concerns about finding a job for part time work! As my wife kindly pointed out today, the Burger King has a sign up that they are hiring at $15.75/hour. Going back to my roots that would be, since my first W2 job (in high school) was at BK! I figure I might last one shift, tops.

ab348 · January 2023

Later in life, working is hard. I know when I retired at 58 (because I had planned it that way) I thought I would do some freelance consulting or writing for a few years, but once I got into it I discovered that I just didn't want to do it any more. I could have stayed another year or two in my job and really enriched my govt pension quite significantly, but I just couldn't take the BS involved in working any longer. I even turned down a job offer to be the E. D. of an industry association because it would have been the same thing, just from the other side of the table. I had enough put away that given my lifestyle and my retirement account outside of the pension I would be OK. It has worked out fine.

This past Friday I had lunch with a friend of mine, a V.P. where I used to work, who told me he is retiring at the end of March for exactly the same reason. He's walking away from $150K+/yr because he can't put up with it any longer.

stickguy · January 2023

I highly recommend retiring early if you can comfortably do it. Unfortunately not many people are really able to.

kyfdx · January 2023

I retired at 58, after 30 yrs with one employer. My wife had received a buyout from the same employer, about three years previously. Like @ab348 , I'd just had it with my assignment, etc, and I could do it, so I did. My wife being off work factored into it, as well.

It was planned about four months out, and one month before I retired, my wife took a part-time job with a non-profit that she volunteered for. Guess she was worried about too much togetherness.

I have nothing bad to say about retirement.

stickguy · January 2023

I agree that it is odd if one spouse is still working. Even if I decided not to work again, I would not be living the retirement lifestyle since my wife would still be working a FT job. So all the fun stuff you plan, wouldn't be happening. I would mostly be wandering around the house trying to stay busy, without making too much noise.

mjfloyd1 · January 2023

Local car sale ad says Check out our truck selection!!! All priced at invoice.

Fine print says 1500s only and does not apply to ZR2.

sda · January 2023

If not miled up the 16 Malibu might be a decent buy for basic transportation.

mjfloyd1 · January 2023

sda said:
If not miled up the 16 Malibu might be a decent buy for basic transportation.

151,250 miles

oldfarmer50 · January 2023

sda said:
If not miled up the 16 Malibu might be a decent buy for basic transportation.

151k miles but on the positive side it’s now priced at $10.6.

Prices might be dropping across the board. Today I passed one of those mom&pops type lots and it was full to overflowing. A year ago they had just a few cars. Farther up the road is a lot where previously, a dealer had stored his overflow inventory. Empty for almost two years, today it was full.

Once some of the more delusional dealers give up on trying to sell their overpriced inventory for pandemic prices they might be some decent cars for decent prices.

oldfarmer50 · January 2023

kyfdx said:
I retired at 58, after 30 yrs with one employer. My wife had received a buyout from the same employer, about three years previously. Like @ab348 , I'd just had it with my assignment, etc, and I could do it, so I did. My wife being off work factored into it, as well.

It was planned about four months out, and one month before I retired, my wife took a part-time job with a non-profit that she volunteered for. Guess she was worried about too much togetherness.

I have nothing bad to say about retirement.

I retired at 65 just as soon as I could replace my company health insurance with Medicare. I could have stayed until full SS retirement age but I was afraid I’d strangle the boss.

As it turned out I rolled into an enjoyable retirement job.

stickguy · January 2023

at some point dealers have to generate cash flow, even if it means lowering prices to move metal. What they paid 6-9-12 months ago is a sunk cost.

151,000 miles on that Malibu? Hard pass, but for the price, could make an OK car for a HS kid. cheap enough, and if they dent it up, who cares?

I was looking online (nextdoor) today at something my wife found (a treadmill) and one of the featured items as a 2016 BMW 330xi, for $19,999. I resisted the temptation to look at it (and assume that all those ads are private sales locally).

stickguy · January 2023

was out shopping this morning, and leaving the lot got stopped behind a Maverick (always something I point out). wife mentioned again not liking the color (she just does not like cactus gray). Then unsolicited, she said that after having mine, she can't imagine not having a truck in the fleet. Especially one with 4 doors and a nice back seat. Though having a bigger bed might be nice, even though it would not fit in the garage.

First I knew that she was that attached to the concept! Good thing, since I plan on having one indefinitely. and it could fit my long term plan to find a cheap(ish) toy car that would go in the garage, and at some point, upsize the truck if it needs to sit outside anyway. And could potentially go with a smaller cab and use the RDX (or equivalent) if we have people to cart around.

possibly having a bunch of dirty PVC pipes in her car yesterday, instead of the bed of the truck, had something to do with it.

au1994 · January 2023

The Malibu would be a perfect HS beater. I’m not sure what goes on in the parking lot but I swear Jr comes home with a new door ding or scratch every day.

henryn · January 2023

"Priced at inventory" sounds good, but does he have any in stock? The Ford dealers around here are still pretty bare, and the Chevy dealers are not much better. Dodge / Ram seems to have some stock, nothing like the old days, but better than Chevy or Ford.

stickguy · January 2023

I saw my kids HS lot in action and it was terrifying. Both of them took well used and "patina'd" cars and had instructions to park in the back and hang out a bit until the rush cleared.

the 145K mile TL and 90K mile S40 came with enough dents, dings and scratches that I would not really notice a few extras.

zero chance I was sending a nice car into that demolition derby.

mjfloyd1 · January 2023

henryn said:
"Priced at inventory" sounds good, but does he have any in stock? The Ford dealers around here are still pretty bare, and the Chevy dealers are not much better. Dodge / Ram seems to have some stock, nothing like the old days, but better than Chevy or Ford.

Looks like about 17 trucks and they show discounts on the ZR2s.

https://www.curryautocenter.com/searchnew.aspx?Make=Chevrolet,GMC&Bodystyle=Crew Cab,Double Cab

roadburner · January 2023

@28firefighter said:
So sorry to hear that, @stickguy. Seems to be the theme of the season.

Yes, that sucks.

Michaell · January 2023

I was chatting with my best friend in CA last night, and we were talking about minivans.

Situation is this - he takes care of his elderly parents, and they have 3 vehicles for basically one driver. They have, I think, an '06 RAV4 (with the V6) and 150K on it. My friend has the G35 with low-ish miles and an inherited late 90's RAV4 - also with mid-100K miles on it.

He was thinking of trading/selling both RAV4's for a minivan, for better ease of access for his parents. The only minivan I could find within 30 miles of his location was an Odyssey with 115K for $20K. Widening the search radius a bit turned up a Sienna LE with 75,000 miles on it for under $10K.

After some thought, he figures the parents like their RAV4 well enough, though he did mention that the AC is an on-again, off-again type thing, and is afraid it could cost some $$$ to repair.

roadburner · January 2023

I’ve got a bit less than two years left in my term. It’s been a blast but I’m ready to slow down a bit.
Not on the road, mind you.

corvette · January 2023

The Prius lives! Bonus pics of some of the under dash wiring and modules. I’m going to drive it for at least a day or two since it’s been out of service for a few weeks.

228,480 miles... I’d like to do something special for it if it makes it to 238,900 miles (the distance to the moon) and I still own it at that point. It will probably need new tires before then, but maybe something more frivolous/cosmetic like try to DIY fiberglass mesh the cracked front bumper or replace the marginal hatch struts.

Michaell · January 2023

corvette said:

The Prius lives! Bonus pics of some of the under dash wiring and modules. I’m going to drive it for at least a day or two since it’s been out of service for a few weeks.

228,480 miles... I’d like to do something special for it if it makes it to 238,900 miles (the distance to the moon) and I still own it at that point. It will probably need new tires before then, but maybe something more frivolous/cosmetic like try to DIY fiberglass mesh the cracked front bumper or replace the marginal hatch struts.

That's awesome, especially with the "during" pics you posted recently.

sda · January 2023

mjfloyd1 said:

sda said:
If not miled up the 16 Malibu might be a decent buy for basic transportation.
151,250 miles

Nope

jmonroe1 · January 2023

Michaell said:

corvette said:

The Prius lives! Bonus pics of some of the under dash wiring and modules. I’m going to drive it for at least a day or two since it’s been out of service for a few weeks.

228,480 miles... I’d like to do something special for it if it makes it to 238,900 miles (the distance to the moon) and I still own it at that point. It will probably need new tires before then, but maybe something more frivolous/cosmetic like try to DIY fiberglass mesh the cracked front bumper or replace the marginal hatch struts.

That's awesome, especially with the "during" pics you posted recently.

————————————————
The Prius looks pretty good with the Maverick mod.

jmonroe

nyccarguy · January 2023

I'm sorry for everyone experiencing employment troubles and job loss right now. Hopefully it is just a temporary setback and you'll find something better soon.

nyccarguy · January 2023

I guess I need to find a new Jeep dealer. The service department at the one closest to my house stinks. I made an appointment to fix the "loss of motivation power" recall & the "coolant leak" customer satisfaction notification a few weeks ago for this coming Saturday (1/28) knowing that I would be off. I called today to make sure they have all the parts.

"We are only open for oil changes on Saturdays. We only do recall work Monday through Friday. The loss of motivation power recall takes a couple of days. The earliest I could get you in is February 15. Would you like me to schedule it?"

I asked if they have loaner cars. "No." I asked if they have rental cars. "No."

*EDIT*

Got a call back. They will take my Jeep in on 2/15. They suggested I call the day before to see if they have any loaner cars available. Fair enough.

corvette · January 2023

@nyccarguy - is this the same dealer that claimed to have neither loaners nor rentals?

nyccarguy · January 2023

corvette said:
@nyccarguy - is this the same dealer that claimed to have neither loaners nor rentals?

Yes

jmonroe1 · January 2023

OK @roadburner it’s time to wake up. I want your opinion about a used X3 that Son #1 decided to buy from a Benz dealer in Oregon for his wife. Yes, I said Oregon, with all the cars in this country he found one there

. It has the color and options he wanted. He said nothing local came close. Other than being on the other side of the world this is what I know:

2018 X3, M40i

Mileage: a couple ticks over 28K (supposed to be a real cream puff)

Engine: B58

He saw service records via Carfax and the oil was changed every 8/9K miles at the BMW dealer that sold the car when it was new.

Before he bought it he talked to 2 local BMW indie shops here in the Burgh area that he’s heard are reputable about what they thought of the reliability of the engine/automatic 8 speed tranny and generally the car itself. They both thought it was a reliable car. They volunteered that they would go with more frequent oil changes like around 7500 miles. When my son said he planed on doing them himself at 5/6K they said, “even better” but thought that was an overkill. And both recommended using Liqui Moly 0W-20 oil.

The BMW indie shop in Oregon that he used for the PDI thought the car was in great shape other than the brakes were at around 20% remaining life. He negotiated a price reduction based on that. I didn’t want to ask him what he paid but from our conversation it sounded like the mid 30’s.

He has already ordered the recommended oil and a Mann filter and plans to do an oil/filter change this weekend if the car is delivered on Thursday/Friday like he’s been told. He also plans to get an oil analysis from Blackstone (I think that’s the outfit you use).

So, what are your thoughts about his purchase and plans for oil/filter changes.

Thanks.

jmonroe

stickguy · January 2023

fun car. quite quick. and clean oil is always a good thing.

Michaell · January 2023

@jmonroe1 - this is one of those cars I keep an eye on.

Mid $30's seems low for a 2018; most of the ones I've seen for sale with similar (or higher) mileage are $40K or more. Of course, the market in Oregon could be different, or that your son is a savvy negotiator. What has he been quoted for shipping costs to get it to your part of the country?

kyfdx · January 2023

@jmonroe1 That’s the big engine model (turbo 6). It should be a screamer. First year for the new body style, which means it looks current.

If the miles are that low, it probably received annual oil changes for the first three years, regardless of mileage. (Especially since they were free).

venture · January 2023

nyccarguy said:

corvette said:
@nyccarguy - is this the same dealer that claimed to have neither loaners nor rentals?

Yes

Maybe they have a shuttle service. Tell them you will need a ride to work and back. Don't tell them you work in the city.

jmonroe1 · January 2023

kyfdx said:
@jmonroe1 That’s the big engine model (turbo 6). It should be a screamer. First year for the new body style, which means it looks current.

If the miles are that low, it probably received annual oil changes for the first three years, regardless of mileage. (Especially since they were free).

————————————————
That’s the engine he wanted because he heard the turbo six was more reliable that the turbo 4 banger. I guess he got my trait which is to get the largest engine offered for the car model being sold. Yeah, he told me it’s a screamer alright. IIRC, something around 4 seconds for 0-60. I’m sure he’ll try that a time or two to prove it but it’s going to be her car and she likes to sit a little higher than the run of the mill sedans. I doubt she’ll be testing it but his youngest son, who now has his permit, well, that is another story.

I could be wrong about the price but I’ll fish around a little more.

As for the shipping I heard something like $1100 for the broker and driver. He thought about flying out and driving it back but when he got that price and figuring on staying a night at a motel he’d only be saving a couple hundred bucks so he nixed that idea. According to the shipping broker the car was already picked up and the driver will call when he’s about 12 hours away. He has to pay the driver in cash or certified check. No credit card.

I’d never buy a car that had to be shipped. I’ve bought 3 out of state and drove them home but he’s not me. I guess that’s the younger generation.

jmonroe

andres3 · January 2023

nyccarguy said:

Sandman6472 said:
No new iPad after all. Turns out the big discount for my iPad Air 2 was totally wrong on their website and they wanted to give me less than Apple would've done. But first, the Best Buy location couldn't give me a refund to my c c and said I'd have to go home & do it through my computer which I thought was stupid on their part. Went home & canceled the order & will be getting the refund in a few days but, B B just lost a customer as it should've been handled in-store and they should've taken responsibility for their website malfunction. I checked my inputs in the computer and I did nothing wrong. I would hate for them to lose money on the deal but they should've met me somewhere closer to the middle.
I had already cleaned out my iPad last night so had to come home and get all my info put back into the iPad for now. Luckily it rebooted everything easy peasy, a big reason I like Apple products as things like this are real easy to do. So, I still want to upgrade with a new iPad sometime in the near future but will wait a bit, at least till after President's Day as there might be some sales. And will buy it at the Apple store where they offered $35. Better than the $25 B B wanted to give me. It's an iPad Air 2 with only 32 gigs and at least 5 years old but it's in pristine condition and super clean. Really wanted the newer faster processor and at least 64 gigs. And the new iPad just came out so I know it's pretty good. And even though I was a bit pissed off at the way things went down at the store, a few hours later just looking at it as maybe the timing just wasn't right. I can definitely wait for a bit.
I have an @andres3 level of pure hatred for Best Buy.

Best Buy is on the same list as Rite Aid. In a pinch if I need something immediately and they are not overcharging, I'll buy from them; but how often does that happen? RARELY, and AMAZON is FAST! Long live BEZOS!

andres3 · January 2023

So how rare is a 2018 M240i with an Automatic and a LSD combination?

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

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