Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

28firefighter · February 20

@nyccarguy said:
Nice job! What was the sticker on that bad boy? Dealerships are choking on cars. The Hyundai dealer in my town has rented out garage space in one of the malls to store brand new cars. Extra rent on top of their floor plan interest and other high overhead?

$38,015. It was a fairly loaded Limited.

xwesx · February 20

qbrozen said:
Had a surprise delivery this morn.

Ooh, great! Sounds like the auction place is staying true to form!

tifighter · February 20

Okay - regarding the purchase. Car itself was purchased by the first owner in November as the single car for a family of three. Supposedly after three months, the wife had enough, and they traded it for a SUV at the local BMW dealer (a GC SRT-8, lol).

It went up on Friday, I saw it on Saturday, and went to check it out on Sunday. Listed at $49k. Yes, MSRP on a new one is $45k. But that might as well be a made up number because it doesn't exist in the real world. There are 19 new ones within 500 miles of me, 7 in my state. None of those were blue. Some of those were already presold. All are marked up (a lot - think $55k), and I can only imagine how much work a test drive would be.

And on the M2C side, there is only one manual listed for sale within 500 miles of me, 16k miles for $57k. On BaT, the last 4 sales brought $52k, $51k, $47k, and $45k. Those are oldest sales to newest, so they are starting to come down, it seems. A BaT sale usually represents a strong private sale, so I would not expect to do much better myself.

So, knowing that, I focused on the trade number. First pencil on trade was $46k, we ended up at $50k. I feel okay about that. The CTR would have been gone within days anyhow, and the trade was a lot less work than trying to list the car and dealing with the yahoos, as Q constantly teaches us. Also we have the trade in tax credit in WA, so the trade itself wiped out the tax on the CTR.

It's not an amazing deal, but I can live with it. They threw me the CTR keys for the test drive immediately, and I drove it around roads I know for 30 minutes on my own, which was helpful. I'd guess they'll list the M2 for $60k and will bank on tax season plus spring coming. I paid $58k for it in 2022 coming out of covid, when there were NO kids on the horizon. Life changes, and we change with it. I enjoyed that car and will miss it, but I'm sure the new one will be fun too. I mean, it's not an Altima or something.

qbrozen · February 20

So did you pay asking price on the Honda? And basically no cash changed hands? Maybe they threw you a couple hundred bucks after fees and DMV?

qbrozen · February 20

Looked over the truck briefly just now. About as expected from photos. The outer bolts on the flares are for show. I was able to pull them enough from the body to get a look. There is some rust on the edges in the rear. So I’ll have to pull the flares, address the rust, and reinstall. The undercoat was definitely an afterthought. Seems like they likely sprayed it on without treating anything, which is a silly shame. For example, bottom of rocker edges sprayed but top of lip is still bare rust. Something I will address as well. Good news is the thin metal pieces underneath are still solid and strong, suggesting lots of life with some preventative measures.

Tonneau is a sectional folding type and liner appears high-quality. Only problem is the tailgate lock. It is not powered and I can’t find they key anywhere (it is unlocked). Guess I’ll be replacing that somehow.

2 fobs and 2 keys, but the fobs aren’t factory as far as I can tell, and what should be the remote start button does nothing.

nyccarguy · February 20

qbrozen said:
So did you pay asking price on the Honda? And basically no cash changed hands? Maybe they threw you a couple hundred bucks after fees and DMV?

That's how I read it as well

oldfarmer50 · February 20

qbrozen said:
Had a surprise delivery this morn.

Oh, I like it. Remind me of the details so I don’t have to scroll back and do it myself. Year, mileage, price?

Never mind, I got ambition and looked back. Nice for $6k.

xwesx · February 20

Yeah, no doubt on the Silverado. Seems like a solid buy for the price, and makes me think how convenient it would be to have a pickup like that lives at the Ohio house.

explorerx4 · February 20

I would think the tailgate uses the same key as the ignition. My pickups didn't have a dedicated tailgate key.

28firefighter · February 20

I think that’s reasonable, @tifighter - and if the backstory is true, it probably wasn’t beat on. Congrats!

And @qbrozen - truck looks great for the $$!

tifighter · February 20

nyccarguy said:

qbrozen said:
So did you pay asking price on the Honda? And basically no cash changed hands? Maybe they threw you a couple hundred bucks after fees and DMV?

That's how I read it as well

Yes, you got it. I guess I wrote that strangely.

tifighter · February 20

28firefighter said:
I think that’s reasonable, @tifighter - and if the backstory is true, it probably wasn’t beat on. Congrats!

And @qbrozen - truck looks great for the $$!

Hopefully not. But at least it's under warranty for awhile. The M2 went out of warranty last year.

I was also curious how different these cars were in size-
M2C
Length 175.6"
Width 73"
Weight 3600lbs

CTR
Length 180.9"
Width 74"
Weight 3188lbs

M3
Length 189"
Width 75"
Weight 3800lbs

tifighter · February 20

qbrozen said:
Had a surprise delivery this morn.

So, can you help move some stuff over the weekend?

jmonroe1 · February 20

tifighter said:

qbrozen said:
Had a surprise delivery this morn.

So, can you help move some stuff over the weekend?

————————————————
If you edit that to include free pizza and beer along with a drive in your new ride, he’d probably say yes.

jmonroe

explorerx4 · February 20

Congrats tifighter. In a few months when the kid puts on some more weight, you'll probably be getting another SUV.

mjfloyd1 · February 20

@28firefighter said:
I think that’s reasonable, @tifighter - and if the backstory is true, it probably wasn’t beat on. Congrats!

And @qbrozen - truck looks great for the $$!

Probably wasn’t beaten on until the day before they traded it for a SUV😂

I stopped by the local Honda dealer. They had a type R in the showroom with a $7500 ADM. I must have long legs because there was absolutely no room for a rear passenger’s legs behind me.

andres3 · February 20

28firefighter said:
Local Saab mechanic posted this bad boy. I have absolutely no need for it, but I want it!!

Looks good on the outside, but the inside of those is a big let down as it's from your standard low-rent (rental fodder?) GM interior parts bin of the early part of the 21st Century.

Also, the turbo lag was big, but I only drove the auto.

corvette · February 20

28firefighter said:
$38,015. It was a fairly loaded Limited.

I wish they still offered the Forester XT.

Sandman6472 · February 20

That Mini Cooper CountrymanS loaner was still in the showroom on Monday morning. Was told it has about 5800 miles on the clock. No paperwork on the window so have no idea how much they're asking. It's white with a white roof over dark gray guts. I was drawn to it last week when I first saw it and the sales guy went to see how much they want for it. I had to leave & do another run, so he never got back to me. Wanted to go over last Wednesday or Thursday but since I wasn't feeling well, never got over there. Hope to go over either tomorrow or Thursday and take a test drive if it's still there. They also had a similar unit outside, white rood over a gray body but a dark interior. Am liking the Countryman more & more lately so think a test drive is in order.

Size wise, think we're good here. Really curious about the audio system in both units as I do like a nice system I don't have to mess with actually. Next, I'm gonna have to really love the way it drives. I can see myself in one of these for the next 9 to 10 years honestly and if I do actually go for a test drive, I'll be very surprised but this is the closest to even wanting to try since well, the end of 2014. If the drive goes well and the price is right, could work. Just hope the place isn't high pressure because that'll turn me off right away & I'll be out the door very fast! As much as I do love my Golf, think this could be the one!

corvette · February 20

@qbrozen - the Silverado is a "punch" and not for resale, right?

xwesx · February 20

mjfloyd1 said:

I stopped by the local Honda dealer. They had a tripe R in the showroom with a $7500 ADM. I must have long legs because there was absolutely no room for a rear passenger’s legs behind me.

Naw, that's just like old-school sedans!

tifighter · February 20

@mjfloyd1 said:

@28firefighter said:
I think that’s reasonable, @tifighter - and if the backstory is true, it probably wasn’t beat on. Congrats!

And @qbrozen - truck looks great for the $$!

Probably wasn’t beaten on until the day before they traded it for a SUV😂

I stopped by the local Honda dealer. They had a tripe R in the showroom with a $7500 ADM. I must have long legs because there was absolutely no room for a rear passenger’s legs behind me.

Then don’t sit in the other cars that were on my list - because the Civic has the most rear legroom by far.

stickguy · February 20

I checked out the Si and regular Civic a couple of times. with the seat set so I could use the clutch, there was plenty of room behind me. So maybe the seat was just set way further back than you realized?

tifighter · February 20

They’re actually listing it for less than I thought-

Maybe looking for a quick turnaround versus maximum margin…

stickguy · February 20

must be because of that auto shift manual option.

tifighter · February 20

@stickguy said:
must be because of that auto shift manual option.

Yeah I saw that and thought what the heck? Maybe they mean it has auto rev match? Silly.

stickguy · February 20

more likely, whoever puts the ads in never expects to see an old school stick so they "automatically" put in something else!

mjfloyd1 · February 20

@tifighter said:

@mjfloyd1 said:

@28firefighter said:
I think that’s reasonable, @tifighter - and if the backstory is true, it probably wasn’t beat on. Congrats!

And @qbrozen - truck looks great for the $$!

Probably wasn’t beaten on until the day before they traded it for a SUV😂

I stopped by the local Honda dealer. They had a tripe R in the showroom with a $7500 ADM. I must have long legs because there was absolutely no room for a rear passenger’s legs behind me.

Then don’t sit in the other cars that were on my list - because the Civic has the most rear legroom by far.

Not a problem. The only one I’d consider performance wise is the M3 and I can’t get over the snout look

qbrozen · February 20

@corvette said:
@qbrozen - the Silverado is a "punch" and not for resale, right?

Correct

qbrozen · February 20

@explorerx4 said:
I would think the tailgate uses the same key as the ignition. My pickups didn't have a dedicated tailgate key.

You’d think so, but no. It takes a much smaller key. I’m thinking maybe it is some kind of aftermarket add-on like this https://a.co/d/6hHudCn

qbrozen · February 20

Oh so I ran some errands on Sunday. Finally splurged on a new floor jack. Got the low-profile, high-lift harbor freight one. Been eyeing it for a long time but was waiting for it to go on sale. Had a 15% off one item for the holiday weekend. While I was out, I figured it was time to get the Maser a battery. I knew the one in there was not the right size. Turns out it was not the right type, either. The book specifies AGM. Pricier, of course, but quite possibly this wrong-sized wrong-spec battery can be blamed for some of its electrical maladies. Fingers crossed.

tifighter · February 20

@mjfloyd1 said:

@tifighter said:

@mjfloyd1 said:

@28firefighter said:
I think that’s reasonable, @tifighter - and if the backstory is true, it probably wasn’t beat on. Congrats!

And @qbrozen - truck looks great for the $$!

Probably wasn’t beaten on until the day before they traded it for a SUV😂

I stopped by the local Honda dealer. They had a tripe R in the showroom with a $7500 ADM. I must have long legs because there was absolutely no room for a rear passenger’s legs behind me.

Then don’t sit in the other cars that were on my list - because the Civic has the most rear legroom by far.

Not a problem. The only one I’d consider performance wise is the M3 and I can’t get over the snout look

Funny enough, the M3 has 2 inches less rear legroom than the CTR. But the good news is that they used that space for even more snout. Respect German engineering.

nyccarguy · February 21

"I was also curious how different these cars were in size-
M2C
Length 175.6"
Width 73"
Weight 3600lbs"

@Sandman6472 - this will fit on your side of the garage!

sb55 · February 21

"Tonneau is a sectional folding type and liner appears high-quality. Only problem is the tailgate lock. It is not powered and I can’t find they key anywhere (it is unlocked). Guess I’ll be replacing that somehow."

I owned one of these. The tailgate locked when the truck was locked and unlocked when you unlocked the truck. Maybe your issue is the non-factory fob?

stickguy · February 21

Should still have a key though.

breld · February 21

@tifighter - really excited to hear about your upcoming experiences with the Type R. I get that it and the M2 are different in some fundamental ways, but as an enthusiast, you can appreciate how each of them offer the same amount of “grin” factor from behind the wheel. And the Civic is simply more practical for what you need right now, with its 4-door configuration and large hatch.

I do miss having a stick.

breld · February 21

On another note, I was washing my garage floor and a couple cars over the weekend, and the very inexpensive power washer I bought over the summer was leaking here and there and making funny surge noises (I hate to call out a brand, but it rhymes with Bun Hoe).

I had already given thought to upgrading it so started researching “best power washers for cars.” Boy, is that a rabbit hole. Shouldn’t be surprised, but didn’t realize there were so many dedicated sites and YouTube channels on detailing.

ab348 · February 21

Now we're all trying to puzzle out what brand of power washer rhymes with Bun Hoe.

dad23 · February 21

ab348 said:
Now we're all trying to puzzle out what brand of power washer rhymes with Bun Hoe.

Replace the B with an S and the H with a J

tjc78 · February 21

@breld
Have you considered a wall mounted one for your garage? That may be perfect for your needs.

stickguy · February 21

I miss having a stick also. Of all people that should have one, it should be me!

I also haven’t car shopped in ages. I miss it. Not counting the Maverick buy last year. That was ordered 2 years prior and all I did was go pick it up.

oldfarmer50 · February 21

A missed punch.

I went to test drive a single cab 8’ bed 2013 F-150 XL this morning. Low, low mileage, minimal rust for the age, well respected 3.7L V6. Drove well enough that I was almost willing to forego the PPI.

They wanted $15k +TTL. I offered $15k out the door. They made a lame attempt at a $400 discount but in the end we were still $1,150 apart.

The salesman printed out a list of comparables in the area to convince me of the great bargain I was getting but he didn’t know I had already done my homework and they were all super cab V8 high trim models (nice try). Since I had already made my best offer I left.

Maybe they’ll call after a few days and make a better offer but I’m not sweating it. It’s becoming a buyer’s market as time goes on. Hopefully they’ll see the end of the month creeping up on them and cave. It’s nice to not NEED to buy anything.

I still would rather have an old style Ranger but they continue to be way overpriced.

breld · February 21

tjc78 said:
@breld

Have you considered a wall mounted one for your garage? That may be perfect for your needs.

Oh definitely - when I saw those options my eyes lit up.

I ended up ordering an Active 2.0 pressure washer which seemed to be the one to get at its price point. There are wall mount solutions for that unit that I could add later if I decide to go that way.

nyccarguy · February 21

@oldfarmer50

It’s nice to not NEED to buy anything

100%

andres3 · February 21

Shopping M2's and not needing to buy is nice. The salesman are trying to push a $40-43K car onto people with bad credit and not viable buyers (they might want it but an ill-advised purchase I'm sure). Someone with no credit really shouldn't be buying a $40K+ 6 year old M2.

oldfarmer50 · February 21

andres3 said:
Shopping M2's and not needing to buy is nice. The salesman are trying to push a $40-43K car onto people with bad credit and not viable buyers (they might want it but an ill-advised purchase I'm sure). Someone with no credit really shouldn't be buying a $40K+ 6 year old M2.

Somebody with no/bad credit shouldn’t be financing anything. The cheapest rate my credit union offers on older cars is 9.24% for a 2 year loan for top tier customers.

qbrozen · February 21

@breld said:
On another note, I was washing my garage floor and a couple cars over the weekend, and the very inexpensive power washer I bought over the summer was leaking here and there and making funny surge noises (I hate to call out a brand, but it rhymes with Bun Hoe).

I had already given thought to upgrading it so started researching “best power washers for cars.” Boy, is that a rabbit hole. Shouldn’t be surprised, but didn’t realize there were so many dedicated sites and YouTube channels on detailing.

Same brand same problem here. I finally bit the bullet and bought a gas one from Tractor Supply. No matter how much they say the electric ones have caught up, they never seem to compare to the gas.

mjfloyd1 · February 21

@tifighter said:

@mjfloyd1 said:

@tifighter said:

@mjfloyd1 said:

@28firefighter said:
I think that’s reasonable, @tifighter - and if the backstory is true, it probably wasn’t beat on. Congrats!

And @qbrozen - truck looks great for the $$!

Probably wasn’t beaten on until the day before they traded it for a SUV😂

I stopped by the local Honda dealer. They had a tripe R in the showroom with a $7500 ADM. I must have long legs because there was absolutely no room for a rear passenger’s legs behind me.

Then don’t sit in the other cars that were on my list - because the Civic has the most rear legroom by far.

Not a problem. The only one I’d consider performance wise is the M3 and I can’t get over the snout look

Funny enough, the M3 has 2 inches less rear legroom than the CTR. But the good news is that they used that space for even more snout. Respect German engineering.

Congrats on the CTR. Seems to be great bang for the buck and best shifter in the business. Enjoy in good health

mjfloyd1 · February 21

breld said:
@tifighter - really excited to hear about your upcoming experiences with the Type R. I get that it and the M2 are different in some fundamental ways, but as an enthusiast, you can appreciate how each of them offer the same amount of “grin” factor from behind the wheel. And the Civic is simply more practical for what you need right now, with its 4-door configuration and large hatch.

I do miss having a stick.

I predict that @breld will have a CTR or ITS within the next week😎😇

au1994 · February 21

I had a Camry SE for a rental last week. Put nearly 400 miles on it or 1 tank of gas. Some impressions:

- despite the ‘SE’ moniker there was nothing sporty about it. I think 203 hp so it didn’t get in a hurry but once up to speed it was fine.
- quiet and smooth on the highway. could easily have conf calls or talk in the car over some rough roads.
- A little low so not exactly easy to get out of. Could be that I am so used to SUVs.
- Good mpg. I didn’t put pen to paper but the car calculated 35 mpg.
- Driver had power seat and tilt/tele wheel but it still took a minute to find a comfortable driving position.
- Passenger was all manual and there were some grumbles about getting comfortable.

Not exactly my cup of tea but I can see why they sell. Especially back in the day when they leased very well.

If the X1 took a puke and there were deals to be had, I’d consider one as a replacement for Jr.

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

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