Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

corvette · December 2025

LegitStreetCars leased a Sierra EV as a shop truck/tow rig and also leased a Hummer for his wife. Something about an Illinois specific power company incentive on those vehicles making them incredibly cheap for businesses to lease (something like $10k or less for a three year, one pay lease). I suspect his wife's gas-powered supercharged Escalade stays in the fleet for longer range towing.

corvette · December 2025

I'm gonna eat my words here... I'm eleven minutes in his latest video (where he's test driving and buying a GMC Syclone in Youngstown, Ohio, 400+ miles away from his home base in Chicago), and here is what I saw (with trailer behind it) as he pulled out to give it a test drive:

explorerx4 · December 2025

Indiana has a very good Tesla charging infrastucture along I-90.
Not so sure about Ohio(225 miles or so across from Youngstown).

corvette · December 2025

I'm about 25 minutes in... he basically said EV towing is not a good idea, but he would do it on a local trip (presumably, one where he wouldn't need to recharge).

nyccarguy · December 2025

@breld

Glad you got to enjoy your 230i. Those MR2s are wild!

stickguy · December 2025

from stuff I have seen, the EV trucks are fantastic for towing. You just have to accept more recharging since range drops (less of an issue with the Chevy since it has a big battery). But for shorter distance towing (which a lot of people do more than long haul) they are excellent at it.

nyccarguy · December 2025

So my best friend wanted to get his son a new truck. There was nothing wrong with the 80K mile 2021 Tacoma SR Access Cab 4cyl Long Bed 4WD. The Tacoma was part of ny friend’s fleet of delivery vehicles for his restaurants. I got his play by play. Toyota dealers in South Florida are just on another level if craziness. Every single truck he looked at at every dealership he visited had a market adjustment sticker, window tint, floor mats, some kind of extended service plan or warranty. Plus outrageous dealer doc fees, a dealer that had a SUBWAY inside the dealership, & the dealer where he ended up inking the deal which is open until midnight! In the end he came up with an out the door number and stuck to it. He ended up buying (1.9 % Apr) a 2025 Tacoma TRD Sport 2WD in Silver/Black.

kyfdx · December 2025

The MR-2s are the best...

jmonroe1 · December 2025

@nyccarguy said:
So my best friend wanted to get his son a new truck. There was nothing wrong with the 80K mile 2021 Tacoma SR Access Cab 4cyl Long Bed 4WD. The Tacoma was part of ny friend’s fleet of delivery vehicles for his restaurants. I got his play by play. Toyota dealers in South Florida are just on another level if craziness. Every single truck he looked at at every dealership he visited had a market adjustment sticker, window tint, floor mats, some kind of extended service plan or warranty. Plus outrageous dealer doc fees, a dealer that had a SUBWAY inside the dealership, & the dealer where he ended up inking the deal which is open until midnight! In the end he came up with an out the door number and stuck to it. He ended up buying (1.9 % Apr) a 2025 Tacoma TRD Sport 2WD in Silver/Black.

——————————————————
After doing good research, there is nothing wrong with coming up with a number and sticking to it but sometimes you can do better. That’s exactly what happened when I bought my ‘15 Genny from a dealer in Virginia just outside of DC.

I had a number but the dealer didn’t hit it so I hung up. He called back about 20 minutes later with a better offer but still not good enough. As I’m about to hang up again he wanted to know what my number was so he could take that number to the SM. I told him I wasn’t going to give him my number. He whined a little and said, “how am I going to hit your number if I don’t know what it is”? I told him when he hit it I’d let him know and I went on to say I thought we were wasting each others time because a dealer in Akron had a better price than he did but I liked the color of his car more and that’s why I called him to start with. He almost begged me to give him another chance “to earn my business”. He called back with a little better number than mine so I bought his car.

So, you never know what a dealer is willing to do until he knows you’re willing to walk and you’re not bluffing.

jmonroe

xwesx · December 2025

Tacoma in 2WD? They make ‘em like that?! 😱

Michaell · December 2025

xwesx said:
Tacoma in 2WD? They make ‘em like that?! 😱

Not where you (or I) live.

The Colorado chapter of CCBA met up for breakfast this morning - @breld (and the missus), @jpp75, and I met up at the New York Deli News (get it?). Pancakes, omelets, and benedicts were had, and consumed. Not as much talk about cars as is the norm - everyone seems pretty happy with what they have.

We've got to get together more than twice a year, but with @jpp75 now living up in the mountains, it's hard to coordinate schedules.

explorerx4 · December 2025

In Florida, when it comes to Toyota, you dealing with SET which adds a bunch of stuff at the distributor, so you are in the hole to start.

oldfarmer50 · December 2025

nyccarguy said:
So my best friend wanted to get his son a new truck. There was nothing wrong with the 80K mile 2021 Tacoma SR Access Cab 4cyl Long Bed 4WD. The Tacoma was part of ny friend’s fleet of delivery vehicles for his restaurants. I got his play by play. Toyota dealers in South Florida are just on another level if craziness. Every single truck he looked at at every dealership he visited had a market adjustment sticker, window tint, floor mats, some kind of extended service plan or warranty. Plus outrageous dealer doc fees, a dealer that had a SUBWAY inside the dealership, & the dealer where he ended up inking the deal which is open until midnight! In the end he came up with an out the door number and stuck to it. He ended up buying (1.9 % Apr) a 2025 Tacoma TRD Sport 2WD in Silver/Black.

I have heard that about Florida dealers. I understand that all Toyotas in the southeast are pre-loaded with a lot of add-ons because of some shady deal with a regional distributor. The doc fees are almost legendary in their outrageousness.

Michaell · December 2025

oldfarmer50 said:

nyccarguy said:
So my best friend wanted to get his son a new truck. There was nothing wrong with the 80K mile 2021 Tacoma SR Access Cab 4cyl Long Bed 4WD. The Tacoma was part of ny friend’s fleet of delivery vehicles for his restaurants. I got his play by play. Toyota dealers in South Florida are just on another level if craziness. Every single truck he looked at at every dealership he visited had a market adjustment sticker, window tint, floor mats, some kind of extended service plan or warranty. Plus outrageous dealer doc fees, a dealer that had a SUBWAY inside the dealership, & the dealer where he ended up inking the deal which is open until midnight! In the end he came up with an out the door number and stuck to it. He ended up buying (1.9 % Apr) a 2025 Tacoma TRD Sport 2WD in Silver/Black.

I have heard that about Florida dealers. I understand that all Toyotas in the southeast are pre-loaded with a lot of add-ons because of some shady deal with a regional distributor. The doc fees are almost legendary in their outrageousness.

Here's the full story on SET

au1994 · December 2025

Nobody’s shopping year end deals?

stickguy · December 2025

I should pop over to the Toyota dealer before Thursday. Just time is at a premium. Gotta work, and 3rd base coaching the kids on their house purchase (they close late tomorrow afternoon). And trucking some stuff up there for them. I really need to have this whole week off!

tifighter · December 2025

@Michaell said:
Not where you (or I) live.

The Colorado chapter of CCBA met up for breakfast this morning - @breld (and the missus), @jpp75, and I met up at the New York Deli News (get it?). Pancakes, omelets, and benedicts were had, and consumed. Not as much talk about cars as is the norm - everyone seems pretty happy with what they have.

We've got to get together more than twice a year, but with @jpp75 now living up in the mountains, it's hard to coordinate schedules.

Where is jpp located these days?

corvette · December 2025

@tifighter - "up in the mountains" is quite vague considering the topography of Colorado.

Michaell · December 2025

tifighter said:

@Michaell said:

Not where you (or I) live.

The Colorado chapter of CCBA met up for breakfast this morning - @breld (and the missus), @jpp75, and I met up at the New York Deli News (get it?). Pancakes, omelets, and benedicts were had, and consumed. Not as much talk about cars as is the norm - everyone seems pretty happy with what they have.

We've got to get together more than twice a year, but with @jpp75 now living up in the mountains, it's hard to coordinate schedules.

Where is jpp located these days?

Eagle/Vail area.

jmonroe1 · December 2025

@Michaell said:
Eagle/Vail area.

——————————————————
That explains the more recent Sasquatch sightings reported in that area lately. Some say it seems like Sasquatch is getting away on what appears to be new-fangled turbo powered skis.

jmonroe

clm8 · December 2025

I have a punch to report. 2023 Audi A5 Premium Plus convertible (or cabriolet in Audi speak). White, tan interior, brown top. CPO, 15,000 miles. I pick it up later today. I know, pictures or it doesn’t count. I’ll try to post some later, if I can figure out how to do it.

Sandman6472 · December 2025

Wife back from St. Augustine and all went well. Daughter had 2 new beds delivered so we now have a place to stay once we move so we have time to find either a rental or a new house. Think the odds are that we'll rent at first and see how that works. From pics I've seen, it's a really nice place with enough room where we won't be on top of each other. Moving in sometime in mid-February. Still needs a couch and a dining table and should be o k.

Worked these past 2 weekends but going back to my 4-day week starting tomorrow. Was glad I took last week off as I needed the rest. A mental health few days is always a good thing. Waiting on the X-finity guy to come between 8 and 10to install the new internet/cable t v system. Hopefully it'll work out just fine. Locked in for 5-years on the internet price. Our long time company would not price match for some silly reason, so we left. Now that there's competition, think they'll see lots of folks going to one of the other two companies. Price wise, it was a no-brainer for us.

nyccarguy · December 2025

clm8 said:
I have a punch to report. 2023 Audi A5 Premium Plus convertible (or cabriolet in Audi speak). White, tan interior, brown top. CPO, 15,000 miles. I pick it up later today. I know, pictures or it doesn’t count. I’ll try to post some later, if I can figure out how to do it.

Congrats! Sweet ride! Enjoy!

nyccarguy · December 2025

Took a cool pic of my Integra on Friday night in the back of the Trader Joe’s parking lot.

laurasdada · December 2025

While I'd like to buy a new car, and for the 65th consecutive Xmas Santa did not leave me a shiny new car with a big red bow in my driveway, what's better than the A7 mutt or the M240 drophead?

While I may test drive a Lucid in the new year, I think I'm moving away from electric (reading about higher insurance, software glitches, very high repair bills and the tetris-ing of having to swap cars in the garage to ensure the nuclear sub has juice. As well as installing a 240v...).

Thoughts to replace the A7 include MB E450 and (used) Panamera.
The M240; Lexus LC, BMW 840, maybe MB SL and 911 (used, of course).
Or a "practical" vert like an MB CLE450 to replace both? Although I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be driving a vert 24/7.

Wife still loves her X3, doesn't want anything new. Love that woman.

tjc78 · December 2025

Insurance is no joke on an EV. Ours went up a good bit from our XC90 to the EQE.

nyccarguy · December 2025

Some pics from the craziness that is the Toyota market in South Florida:

cdnpinhead · December 2025

P. T. Barnum lives!

ab348 · December 2025

“Anti-viral treatment” for $2995.00?!? WTH?

I see similar mania locally among those who absolutely must have a Toyota because of their purported reliability. But man, you’re being taken to the cleaners.

jmonroe1 · December 2025

@cdnpinhead said:
P. T. Barnum lives!

——————————————————
I was thinking the same thing. Great minds like ours will probably never fall for stuff like that. I know I couldn’t live with myself if I did.

jmonroe

explorerx4 · December 2025

The top price is the TSEP, so I wonder if that includes the SET add on's?
Here's the listing.
https://www.edmorse.com/new-Delray+Beach-2025-Toyota-Tacoma-SR5-3TYLB5JN7ST100941

Sandman6472 · December 2025

I shopped for a Corolla Cross when they first came out. Told the sales guy the color/trim I wanted and asked hime to get back to me when one came in. Crickets...never heard back. Tried Al Hendrickson real close to the house and didn't like the way they do business. Bought a 1993 Camry LE there and was sleazy then so when we got the 1995 Camry LE, went right to Deerfield Beach Toyota.

But so glad I waited for the 2025 Golf GTI SE to come out. Love it really and getting used to the low profile 40" tires. Just drive a bit slower & try to avoid any bad road deviations if possible. End of this week is 6 months of ownership and won't even be at 2K miles! We've discussed going up to St. Augustine after tax season but said I'd like to let the GTI finally stretch it's legs a bit on I-95. I've taken it on the Sawgrass Expressway a few times but want to let it go a few hours at 70 or so. No matter how much I fill the tank, it always shows 330 on the dash. But when I got it on the Sawgrass to the doc and back home, showed closer to 425 when I filled the tank so it seems the vehicle reads one's driving speeds when it calculates how far a tank will go. Seems silly to rent a vehicle since mine is so new. Finally drove the Kona when she was out of town to pick up a new smart t v at Best Buy as I thought it would fit better out back. Was amazed at how nice it drove actually! With just under 12K on it in a bit over 2 years, felt really tight and no squeaks or rattles. Am very impressed with it really and all the features it came with for the price she paid.

Sandman6472 · December 2025

Having some teething issues with the new Xfinity internet/tv and seems like they have to come back tomorrow to tweak it as we lost internet for awhile before dinner. Their tv package has different channels then our old provider so lost a few channels I like. But wasn't paying $401.00/month anymore! Locked in for 5 years on the internet now and down to $233/month for it all. Think when we do move, we'll do streaming and a Roku stick instead. The prices have gotten way out of hand really and can see so much on my computer now.

Not sure if I mentioned one of my favorite vloggers on YouTube passed last Monday at 51. His name was Adam The Woo and he had some very cool vlogs over the years. Many dealt with the Orlando theme parks and that whole area. He started doing more foreign trips in 2025 and had many more planned for 2026. But he was found dead in his bed after not answering his phone for almost 24 hours which was very unusual. Still feeling the sadness and loss of someone I never met but felt like I knew him. His videos resonated somehow with me and my family and feel so sad now. That's the thing about a sudden unexpected death of a friend/loved one whatever, so much left to say that was never said. A total shock to so many in the YouTube community really that am still in somewhat of a shocked state! Just felt like we were friends...and I don't usually feel this way when someone dies. That feeling of loss is more profound then I ever imagined!

corvette · December 2025

@Sandman6472 - both $401 and $233 per month sound insane to me, but I don't have traditional cable. I'm paying $85/month for a grandfathered gigabit fiber plan which includes HBO/Max/HBOMax or whatever they're calling it now. I share Netflix and Prime Video with my parents and I selectively pick up other streaming services for maybe a month at a time if they have something I want to watch.

ab348 · December 2025

Adam was a unique personality who had a way of connecting to a great many people. He went from drifting around in dead end jobs and then living in a van while travelling around the country. Then he discovered he could make videos about what he encountered each day, put them on YouTube, and eventually make money doing it. He had a focus on the Disney theme parks but also covered a lot of other ground. He became somewhat more polished over time but always had a bit of a “just folks” sort of mindset. He came across as genuine and kind. He did well for himself by the end, reportedly making mid-6 figures from YT in recent years and being worth a few million dollars, and had bought a house in Celebration, FL a couple of years ago. This past year he branched out into international trips and had just got back from several weeks spent in Italy, Malta, Switzerland, and France. He was just 51 when he died, apparently in his sleep though the autopsy results have not yet been released. As Sandy noted, the reaction has been very powerful, with a billboard on the highway next to Celebration honoring him and countless visitors to his house paying their respects. He had a profound effect on people.

stickguy · December 2025

with the new house we finally went with cord cutting. Our high speed Fios internet and Hulu live TV is about $185 together. We do have netflix (or more accurately, we pay for it but our daughter stole it) and Apple TV+ for extras. More than we ever can watch.

stickguy · December 2025

Sandy, I support taking the GTI on a road trip. Cars need to get on a long run like that occasionally. It is good for them. But seems counterintuitive that you have to drive a GTI slower than a regular car!

ab348 · December 2025

I have basic cable plus 25 optional channels of my choice, but all I ever watch regular TV for is live sports. In the summertime I get MLB.tv, and this time of year the NFL. I find most modern movies and TV series of no interest. I have Prime but almost never watch it. I've had a half-dozen free 3-month trials of Apple TV but aside from The Morning Show and a few documentaries hardly ever watched it. I did see F1: The Movie recently there just before my latest trial ended. It was OK, though the plot was weak. I find myself less and less impressed by such productions where you just know most of the spectacular visuals were not real but created with CGI.

benjaminh · December 2025

The big Toyota dealer markups beyond list was one of the reasons we got a Subaru instead. With Toyota they were trying to get msrp + $3k, while for a Subaru it was easy to get $3k off of list. So cars with a similar msrp actually had a price difference of around 6k. But more than that we just liked the Subaru better. Nicer and more luxurious inside and smoother ride + better awd system + wagon design and more cargo room, and all for less money. Plus 0.9% financing with Subaru compared to 5% with Toyota saved another 2k or so.

I'd still look into getting a Camry hybrid in the unlikely event I decide to move on from my Acura TLX, but only if I can get a good price. And actually recently there are some discounts on the Camry in my area.

nyccarguy · December 2025

benjaminh said:
The big Toyota dealer markups beyond list was one of the reasons we got a Subaru instead. With Toyota they were trying to get msrp + $3k, while for a Subaru it was easy to get $3k off of list. So cars with a similar msrp actually had a price difference of around 6k. But more than that we just liked the Subaru better. Nicer and more luxurious inside and smoother ride + better awd system + wagon design and more cargo room, and all for less money.

I'd still look into getting a Camry hybrid in the unlikely event I decide to move on from my Acura TLX, but only if I can get a good price. And actually recently there are some discounts on the Camry in my area.

While not always ideal or conducive, sometimes you have to look outside your local market for the best price. @corvette and I have both leased Toyotas through a broker outside of Philadelphia, PA. I have leased 2 Jeeps and a Toyota from a broker in Massachusetts. It all depends on whether the cost of shipping or your time is worth the trip. I happen to live in a densely populated area with a lot of dealers and a lot of competition across multiple states. Sometimes incentives vary by region.

tjc78 · December 2025

We could start a whole thread on streaming, internet, security, cloud services, music streaming, delivery apps, and cell phones... it honestly is mind blowing the amount things that ding your CC each month.

Either included with other stuff or subscribed on it's own we have the following:

YT Live TV
Netflix
Disney +
Hulu
Paramount+
Peacock
HBO whatever it is called now
Apple Music
Pandora Premium
Prime
Kindle whatever.. the book thing
Apple Cloud 2TB
Xfinity Internet / Security
Xfinity Internet only at the shore
Some app for the cameras at the shore
AT&T wireless for 4 phones - 1 phone is on Xfinity mobile because they had free for a year promo
Walmart +

It is out of control.....

Icing on the cake, my wife wanted to watch a movie that NONE of the services had and we paid $3.99 to rent it

Rant over.. sorry

ab348 · December 2025

Well, @tjc78 , you could be the poster child for the costs of being connected. Connected, and then having something to actually use that for. I know it is different when you have a family with different tastes and tolerances for content. I am at the opposite extreme in that I have a very low appetite for very much of that stuff, considering most of it as junk.

My iPhone 15 was free to me and costs $43/mo for unlimited data (I think I was beneficiary of a mistake on their part but I’m not telling). The only one of the services you pay for that I have is Prime, and that is because the $10/mo or whatever is a good deal for the free shipping given the amount of stuff I buy from Amazon. The content which I seldom look at is a bonus. But that’s it. Sometimes it’s good to be an old retired guy.

nyccarguy · December 2025

tjc78 said:
We could start a whole thread on streaming, internet, security, cloud services, music streaming, delivery apps, and cell phones... it honestly is mind blowing the amount things that ding your CC each month.

Either included with other stuff or subscribed on it's own we have the following:

YT Live TV
Netflix
Disney +
Hulu
Paramount+
Peacock
HBO whatever it is called now
Apple Music
Pandora Premium
Prime
Kindle whatever.. the book thing
Apple Cloud 2TB
Xfinity Internet / Security
Xfinity Internet only at the shore
Some app for the cameras at the shore
AT&T wireless for 4 phones - 1 phone is on Xfinity mobile because they had free for a year promo
Walmart +

It is out of control.....

Icing on the cake, my wife wanted to watch a movie that NONE of the services had and we paid $3.99 to rent it

Rant over.. sorry

You aren't the only one. I can't stand the subscription based business model. Like you, I don't like my credit card being dinged constantly month after month. I used to do Disney Plus yearly, but then the price skyrocketed. I asked my kids if anybody watches it anymore & they all said no. My daughter came to me and said she wants to start watching something on Disney Plus. I go and have her subscribe to the monthly with the advertising. Now her and my son complain that the advertising makes the shows unbearable to watch.

I'm also going to go through my finances and credit card statements with a magnifying glass to see where I can spend less and maybe save. If anybody has a good budgeting spreadsheet I'd love to have a copy of it.

oldfarmer50 · December 2025

nyccarguy said:
Some pics from the craziness that is the Toyota market in South Florida:

“Anti viral treatment”? Did the salesman forget to wash his hands or did they have an outbreak of plague in Florida?

clm8 · December 2025

Here are a couple of quick pictures. It’s simply too cold to stand out there and take more detailed shots.

tjc78 · December 2025

ab348 said:
Well, @tjc78 , you could be the poster child for the costs of being connected. Connected, and then having something to actually use that for. I know it is different when you have a family with different tastes and tolerances for content. I am at the opposite extreme in that I have a very low appetite for very much of that stuff, considering most of it as junk.

My iPhone 15 was free to me and costs $43/mo for unlimited data (I think I was beneficiary of a mistake on their part but I’m not telling). The only one of the services you pay for that I have is Prime, and that is because the $10/mo or whatever is a good deal for the free shipping given the amount of stuff I buy from Amazon. The content which I seldom look at is a bonus. But that’s it. Sometimes it’s good to be an old retired guy.

If there are two subscriptions we use it's Amazon and Walmart. The ability for small order free shipping and unlimited grocery delivery fit our lifestyle.

@nyccarguy
I used to have a sheet but it was literally just a line item and cost... nothing fancy. I think most credit cards you can download the spend via an Excel file and then you can parse it from there to see where the spend is.

I know Amazon you can download all your orders and spend for the year. I was going to do that and my wife and I both said maybe it is better we don't know lol

suydam · December 2025

tjc78 said:
We could start a whole thread on streaming, internet, security, cloud services, music streaming, delivery apps, and cell phones... it honestly is mind blowing the amount things that ding your CC each month.

Either included with other stuff or subscribed on it's own we have the following:

YT Live TV
Netflix
Disney +
Hulu
Paramount+
Peacock
HBO whatever it is called now
Apple Music
Pandora Premium
Prime
Kindle whatever.. the book thing
Apple Cloud 2TB
Xfinity Internet / Security
Xfinity Internet only at the shore
Some app for the cameras at the shore
AT&T wireless for 4 phones - 1 phone is on Xfinity mobile because they had free for a year promo
Walmart +

It is out of control.....

Icing on the cake, my wife wanted to watch a movie that NONE of the services had and we paid $3.99 to rent it

Rant over.. sorry

We have a lot of those too, but we divide them among 3 or more family households so one family isn’t paying for all of them.

corvette · December 2025

@nyccarguy - it looks like Mint has moved to Credit Karma. I know a lot of people used Mint for budgeting. I'm a longtime Quicken user--it's extremely powerful and does budgeting, transaction downloads from most financial institutions, reconciles your checking account, etc.

au1994 · December 2025

We cut the cord several years ago for a nice monthly savings, now with rate increases and additional subscriptions, we are well over what we were paying with traditional cable.

Like, @tjc78 said, don’t get me started. AT&T internet was $64 when we started, over $120 now. Our services are:

Prime,
YoutubeTV
Paramount +(may be included with ATT)
HBOMax
Apple TV
Apple Music and Storage
Starz
Ring Camera
Netflix (probably the worst offender of rate increases)

I am very sure with an intro special, we’d be better off going back to traditional cable. Changing and canceling all of this is about number 287 on my to do list though.

jmonroe1 · December 2025

@oldfarmer50 said:
“Anti viral treatment”? Did the salesman forget to wash his hands or did they have an outbreak of plague in Florida?

——————————————————-
I Googled the Toyota anti-viral treatment and it says it’s good for 3 months. Then, if you still want protection, you have to get it done again but the cost is 80 bucks or only 55 bucks if you have it done while being ripped off for other services. I wonder how many folks have enough of a phobia to have it done every 3 months? I’m sure you can buy the anti bacterial spray and do it yourself for a lot less.

To me the best part of this is how the dealership can hold a straight face while making it an ADM. Maybe throwing in the wheel locks makes it an easy sale.

jmonroe

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

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