Hooniverse Asks- Has Anyone Who Asked For Your Car Buying Advice Actually Taken It?
Today, let’s start out with a little story, gather ’round the van, kids, gather ’round, help yourself to the free candy.
A couple of weeks ago an acquaintance of mine – a guy you drives a perfectly serviceable 2nd-gen Prius – got a wild hair and made it known that he wanted a new car – a NEW car. So he tells me that he wants something a little better than the Prius, something that’s a little more engaging to drive, but with his 50-mile a day commute, it needs to get good mileage AND has to fit his shit in the back – bike, musical paraphernalia, etc. He has set a max spend, everything seems pretty straight forward.
I sent him to the VW dealer to look at the Golf and Jetta Sportwagon Diesels, which I figure fit the bill. He doesn’t like those though, thinks the interiors are too cheap looking – good thing I didn’t suggest the new Jetta to him! I next send him to Mazda for a 3 with the new direct injection 2.0. He calls all excited and tells me that he loves the car, might just buy it that night. I figure, my work is done here and walk away dusting my hands.
His wife meanwhile is stating that his next car should be a Prius 5 so that he can fit in all the crap he has and still save the environment.
A couple of days later, no new car, and he comes over to my house to ask what I think about 2007-08 BMW 328is. He has now fallen in love with a 328 at Car Max and wants to know if its any good. I let him know that they are great cars but meet almost none of the criteria he had originally laid on me. Still, he’s getting all hot and bothered after experiencing driving something with huevos to spare.
The BMW phase is followed by a Lexus IS 250 phase and then another wave of hot BMW want, and I show him Edmunds and KBB so he can determine if the 2008 328i at Car Max is a deal – which it appears to be. There’s hours spent looking the cars up on Autotempest and Automobile classifieds, searching out the perfect 3-series, and plots to keep his Prius for daily duty, while dropping insurance coverage to bare minimum on it so insuring both cars won’t break the bank.
Then comes the call – my neighbor has bought a car, I’m the first person he’s called after pairing his phone with it’s hands-free bluetooth. He’s really excited, and nervous about someone running into his new baby. The spend was much more than he had originally told me was the max, but he seems fine with that, the car having all the options he was jonsing on.
The car he bought is, of course, a Prius 5.
The moral of this story is. . . hell, I don’t even know. The question for today however is has anybody you have ever given car-buying advice to ever taken it? And if so, how’d that work out?
Related posts:
- Hooniverse Asks – Where Do You Go For Car Advice?
- Hooniverse Asks- What Was Your Worst Car-Buying Experience?
- Hooniverse Asks- Have You Ever Bought a Car that You Later Regretted Buying?
- Hooniverse Asks- What’s the Worst Piece of Car Advice You’ve Ever Received?
- Hooniverse Asks- Would You Consider Buying a Diesel Sports Car?
No.
Yeah, they have. Usually it ends up going to my brother since he is a salesman though. Someone was interested in the Rogue and I directed them to take a Tucson out. They much preferred the Tucson and bought it.
I fat-fingered the thumbs down while trying to scroll on my phone. Sorry.
It happens to the best of us. It happened to me trying to thumbs up one of dearthairs comments on atomic toasters about his recently deceased uncle. That was when I stopped thumbs upping on my phone.
No. That is why I am here at Hooniverse. Duh.
Yes. my mother-in-law, who had driven two successive craptastic Cadillacs (a RWD '94 Brougham, and a FWD '01 DeVille, was shopping for a new car. She was about to buy a Town Car, when I told her she should look at Lexus instead. Of course I was hoping she'd buy an LS430, but she did buy a Lexus anyway. A new 2005 ES330. After 120,000 trouble-free miles, she traded it this past summer for another one, a CPO 2008 ES350 with 45k miles. Her 2005 came with the 17" wheel package with chrome alloys, and since she liked those, she popped for $1300 to get the factory chrome alloys put on her new one.
She's got 11 brothers and sisters, and they all drive either a Caddy, Lincoln, Lexus, or Acura. It's a keeping up with the Joneses thing for them.
Several people a day do. Because I sell them.
Not including actual customers though, yes. All my friends do. Especially if they are buying GM ( I sling Buick/GMC) they ask me to pull invoices, check pricing and rebates for them, which I like to do. I've worked for 3 dealerships and one of them was as shady as shady can be. So I learned all the deceptive tricks, quit and ended up at a reputable place. Now, when people come in with 4 square sheets, I show them how they are being cheated. They like that and buy from me in most cases.
I recently helped a fellow [redacted]/hoon out on G with the purchase of his Chevy Sonic, even gave him my supplier discount. He is very happy. I like to help my fellow hoons.
Beware of Dearthair if you're buying a Volkswagon in Canada. He likes to screw people by selling them there new Volkswagon's at reasonable prices. Be very careful. You'll end up with boring. =D
You know, you should find a job that doesn't involve ripping people off for a living.
(Sorry, old habits die hard.)
I wish I could rip people off here. (kidding)
Seriously though I can't. I'm in internet sales. Every single customer is loaded with info before they even get to me.
I hear the influx of "Find out how to make sure your local dealership can't make anything on the front end while we charge them $300 a lead" websites is killing you guys. My brother is less than pleased with them (Buick/Caddy/GMC/Saab).
It doesn't really cause me too many problems, but that is because I'm in Detroit and everyone has an employee discount of some sort. Most if not all the dealers in the area will usually tell them to hit the road when they bring in the Truecar pricing sheet anyway. So I don;t have to worry about the dealer across town blowing out the deal on the car to move a unit. So my price is in line with everyone else. Eventually they come back understanding that the Truecar.com price is not going to be given to them.
I'm slinging GTI's, GLI's, CC's and Touaregs. You're slinging Buicks and pickup trucks. And you say I'm going to sell boring? THEM'S FIGHTIN WORDS!
::slap slap slap slap::
Challenge ACCEPTED!
I sell the Regal GS, fine mid level luxury, HEAVY DUTY pickem up trucks, and 'Merica! My diesels trump your lawn mower diesels. They will pull your dealership and all the inventory TO HELL!
You sell the new 2012 Camr…. Errr… Passat and cars for girls.
I did sell a used Audi TT this morning.
Too bad you don't have Caddy in your store or this battle would be one before it began. I think a 400 horse 700 torques 20 MPG pickup beats out a lot of what he's got.
I've got an RS4, S5, Cayman, R32, chipped V10 Touareg, and W12 Phaeton in the basement ready to rumble.
Yeah, that's cool I guess, but none of them are 556hp station wagons.
Plus, you named a "W" engine, so now I must run away screaming "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!"
RS4 you say… wait wait wait, Chipped V10 Touareg? Tell me more please.
Our dealership serves double-duty as the used car dealership for Audi, next door. Anybody want a 2009 Audi R8 with full STaSiS tune on it? So we've got a ton of fun stuff downstairs. A matching pair of TTS coupes, a loaded S5, a few Porsches, a couple AMG's. Lots of nice stuff to play with.
awesome.
I'm not a huge fan of the TTS though… a bit boring, I expected more from it. Not a bad car, but not as fun as I hoped.
How much does the store want for that R8?
Um… $115,000. Was about $160,000 new, so not a bad deal.
Just priced it out. I stand corrected. Closer to $200k with the Stasis upgrades.
Oops.. Your markup is showing!
Just sold an '08 CC. I think it's a base car.
I'm being serious when I say this. This was my first time in a CC which I have always admired the styling of. I was extremely surprised at how cheap the interior is. The radio seems like an afterthought and the doors don't thud. I think I was disappointed because I've always been impressed with VW interior fit, finish and just the sound of the quality. Not this one.
If its a base, absolutely. They shouldn't have even sold that car. The top level has real polished-aluminium touches, gorgeous leather, nicer controls… the base model feels like they were trying SO hard to get the price point down. So disappointing.Still, a nice car for the price of a Jetta, I suppose.
It had leather, which was nice. In fact the seats are great. That center info screen between the gauges is really crisp. In fact, I've always like the dash on a VW. The rest of it though…
Everything felt Honda-ish. Light and flimsy interior bits. It wasn't that they were going to fall off, and knowing VW, they probably won't, but they felt like they would. Of course I'm used to 3,600 pound compact mid-size cars at Buick. That's how much the Regal weighs anyway. That's heavy. The CC weighs what, like 2,800 with 3 inches of snow on it? (that's 4 Saskatoonameters deep of maple syrup and 13,000,000 Pummelgrams in weight to you Canadian's)
I liked how it drove and it handled well, but again it felt too light. It's just a good car in my opinion.
Don't read this but…
I like the way the new beetle drives.
You forgot about Eos…(es?).
And that new Jetta thing..
And the Beetle. (although I might kind of like it)
And that Tiguan thing…
I think the bad outweighs the good.
Eos is a hell of a lot of fun, particularly since the new front end is more masculine now. I'd own one in a heartbeat. It's a great car. Jetta, well, it's a necessary evil, and better than any of its competitors, even if it's not as awesome as the last one was.
I've had the 2012 Beetle out a few times this week. I'm a little embarrassed to admit how much I like it. It's no GLI or GTI, but it's raw, stylish, and actually a hell of a lot of fun. SO much better than the previous Beetle.
And sorry, the Tiggy is awesome. There's not a bad thing about that, other than size — but if that's a complaint, well, you shouldn't be buying a compact SUV at all, right?
… It's weird how VW markets all their "compact" cars but not one of them is under 3000 lbs. I mean, that was pony car curb weight territory.
No, but I'm sure there are a bunch of Kias that would fit your qualifications. I'm sure you'll be very happy with them, based on your standards.
VW better watch it's back when the Veloster Turbo comes out.
If I had money, I would daily drive a lotus. Unfortunately, I do not. So I must find the best value, reliability, power to weight and mpg for my 60+ miles a day. Unfortunately, VW has been ignoring these things since the MK 2 (ok so reliability since day one).
If you believe that, we have nothing to worry about from the Veloster, because you should still be believing Hyundai makes nothing but the Pony, or maybe the first Excel. But, of course, your mind is going to be completely made up, and no amount of pesky "facts" will possibly get in the way on that. Let me guess, your cousin's husband's neighbour's dog's groomer's cousin's uncle's pastor's poolboy once had a Volkswagen that caused problems?
Well, that is a pretty sweeping assumption, so, you piqued my interest, what facts?
As for my VW history, no I have never owned one. My dad's first car back in the 60's was a VW Beetle, it was rather problem free so far as he's told me so no complaints there. He even has a story about about rebuilding the engine in a night with a case of beer and basic hand tools. He later bought a Rabbit (after American car stint (63 Impala, 71 Mach 1 w/ 428 CJ and Olds 442)) shortly after he got married. Apparently it needed its belt tensioned weekly and had many other electrical nightmares. After a VW free stint, my brother was given an 84 Golf 4 door for his first car. It was decent enough, needed minor wear and tear stuff done, shift linkage, etc. He didn't really drive it much so I'm sure more could have gone wrong with it. After that was hit and we found out the fender was a loosely held together network of rust, he junked it. My sister was the next one to buy a VW with a MK4 Jetta. Overall it was alright, minor to major electrical issues every six months or so, but her husband is a mechanic so I don't know all of the little fixes. Through working at a Saturn dealership, I have seen a fair share of them traded in, mostly MK4 platformed, the best of which being a new beetle that had something like 60k on it. I think every wire on that car needed to be replaced. From sunroof doing whatever it wanted to spoiler not closing to not starting, not unlocking, randomly dying, throwing CEL's, etc. everything kept going wrong with it. My sister did have a MK6 for a few weeks after her MK4 was totaled. That was depressing. It's probably my fault for expecting them to make a fuel efficient, fun and small car though.
Sorry, that did sound kind of asshole-ish. I should have added a smiley, I was just teasing. No vitriol intended.
Reliability was an issue for years, no arguments there. Since the MkV's, however, that's seen a dramatic improvement. Especially with the current MkVI's. The biggest problem VW ran into was that each time they'd introduce a new generation, they'd introduce an entirely new car. New platform, new engines, new electronics, new transmissions, new interiors, new ICE, new everything. So that first year would be guaranteed problems, and then the mind-set of unreliability is entrenched. Since then, they've changed their approach so that a new platform will use existing engines, and introduce a new engine mid-way through the product cycle, for instance. That's helped A LOT.
We also have the issue that VW owners tend to be REALLY picky about their cars, and report on issues far more than the industry standard, based on our own internal testing. If a sunroof switch is finnicky, for example, on a domestic, those owners tend, statistically, to just figure out how to deal with it and leave it alone. On a VW, that person will be back in every time it does anything odd. I've got one person complaining that the power mirror switch "doesn't feel right", with no further explanation than that. We can't find a thing wrong with it, feels fine to us, but he's written a letter to Volkswagen complaining about it.
It chaps me a bit, though, because I hear people complaining about VW reliability based on an experience with a '89 Jetta. But you don't hear people bitching about Ford reliability based on their '89 Tempo. Well, not as much, anyhow.
See, reliability isn't my main peeve with them, primarily it is that they build whales now. I would love to have a modern reiteration of the MKII. They were small, fun, rev happy little cars. Unfortunately, that no longer happens, which is why I have hope for the Veloster. I mean, a sub 2600 lbs car for the base model, and a turbo version coming down the pipe that should be good for a little over 200 horse sounds like what VW should have been doing for the past decade. I don't know about Canada, but VW USA pays techs quite shittily from what I hear as far as warranty work which apparently leads to quick fixes. As much as they have tempted me in the past, I think that ship is sailing with their current direction.
I hear where you're coming from, absolutely. But then counteract that with all the people who want a car to feel more solid, want it to have less flex, want it to be safer in a crash, want this, want that. The Golf is one of the strongest chasses in the industry, and has the potential to handle well over twice the horsepower it ships with — we have a GTI downstairs with 512 bhp — but that comes at a cost of weight.
Read the reviews on Hyundais, on Kias, on Civics. There are a ton of complaints that they feel flimsy, that the doors feel thin, that this isn't that sturdy, that this isn't solid. We want a better-quality interior! We want power seats! We want heated everything! We want air-conditioned cupholders! Okay, but that adds weight.
I'm with you, 100% on a lot of that. My Corrado weighs about 2600 lbs, and when it's in full proper tune (ie not partially disassembled like it is right now), it's about 240 hp. Problem is, a 200hp GTI, at about 3200 lbs, will spank it seven ways from Sunday, and feel nicer while it does it.
Yeah, there has been a lot of progress in handling and drive dynamics in the past 20 years. It kind of kills me that I could sell a kidney, pick up a GTI and drive right down the street to AWE and have a sub twelve second car. I just can't do it to myself though…
( … yeah… http://www.awe-tuning.com/products/vw-1/mk6-g-j-2… (I can't wait to see this kit on a Golf R though…))
On a very serious note, why do all MK 4 VW's smell like crayons after a few years?
Well, I'm personally leery about VW reliability because all of my VW owning friends talk about being in the shop so often they know all the techs on a first name basis. And we're talking about a new Tiguan, a new-ish Beetle ('05 I think), several recent Jettas and I think there's a Golf in there, that guy is more a casual acquaintance though.
Actually, if I was going based on some dude with an '89 Jetta I'd be all about VW, since my bro had one and it was pretty solid.
And I'm not sure what to do with that. Case in point: the other day my dad was talking about my mom's previous Camry, and what a great car it was, and how it hadn't cost him anything, and hadn't needed much of anything.
That car required TWO engine rebuilds, and then an entirely new engine. The transmission kept slipping. One of the brake rotors warped at about 10,000 kms. The fuel lines had to be replaced. The radio had a mind of its own. The interior lights stopped working properly after about a year. I reminded him of all these things, and he replied,
"Well, I mean, apart from those things, it was great!"
In this case this could potentially be to your benefit, since Tiguan girl says that she's always in the dealer, and sold her old Beetle because it was unreliable, but her lady parts go all aflutter when she sees the new Beetle and she's probably going to buy one and she loves VW in general. Plus she moves around the country constantly (so much so I actually forget where she lives now), so she might be buying her eventual Beetle from you!
The heart wants what it wants.
Routan.
Sprinter. THAT was a fair trade for VW, wasn't it?::slap slap slap::
Actually, I have people asking me for car advice pretty regularly. A friend of ours got t-boned in his pickup (so hard it rolled up on the passenger side), and they're looking for a used minivan. I just steered them away from the horrible Windstars, and I'm helping them search for something else.
Brother-in-law wanted to get rid of Saturn Ion and trade for small fuel efficient SUV. He and his wife were leaning towards beige but I told him to look at GMC Terrain as it was most fuel efficient. They didn't like prices of small SUVs so I suggested he look at Subaru line up. Two weeks later they brought home their Subaru Impreza Outback.
My other in-laws ask me for advice but never take it.
My stepdad was looking for a light duty truck that was easy to drive, comfortable, and had plenty of power. I suggested the Subaru Baja Turbo. He bought a 6 cylinder Olds Bravada… last month.
Wow. Wow.
By 1985, my retired dad had happily owned several top-of-the-line Mercurys over the years, and was recently struggling with a crappy Topaz my Mom had convinced him to buy. I knew he would look askance at anything Japanese, and he wanted a biggish and comfortable car for road trips that wouldn't suck up gas. I talked him into buying a then-new Mercury Sable, and he picked up a loaded LS wagon in the beginning of 1986. He loved the car and it served him quite well. He even replaced it with another Sable wagon in 1990.
Yes. A couple of times actually. I will usually poke and prod to find out what they are looking for and then point them to a small selection of cars to look at and test drive. When I am asked which car they should buy, or which one I would buy, I tell them: Buy the car that puts the biggest smile on your face when you drive it. A BMW 3 series is damn fine car, but if a Kia Forte makes you giggle with joy when you drive it and not the BMW, then the BMW is not for you.
I'll gladly give people car buying advice, but in the end they should buy what makes them happy.
No. Nobody but my wife asks my advice regarding cars.
Now, bikes are a different matter — three people have bought motorcycles based on my shopping advice in the past year.
My father-in-law bought the Highlander I recomended. That's it. Oh, and my friend Bill ended up with the M3, but it was more of me blessing his choice (I told him to get the Cayman) than anything really.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! No.
I can picture how that conversation goes:
Relative/friend: " 'cog, what car can I get that'll fit in my two Bernese Mountain dogs and a stroller but get 35mpg+ on the highway?"
Skaycog: "GT-40, duh."
How did you know that? Are you a wizard?
Did that tidbit of wit just push you over the 100p barrier?
I hit 100 weeks ago. I guess you missed the witty repartee between me, MDHarrell, and the Professogeezer when we all hit it at once.
$kaycog, I'm no wizard – I just pretend to be one in various parks on weekends.
"Gentleman, behold! My junk!"
Stand back, I have "summoned the basilisk", and I won't be able to return him to "the chamber of secrets" until he "uses his murderous eye" to "kill a muggle"
I never follow shopping advice from someone whose name begins with a dollar sign, anyway.
LOL………smart man!
Whats that supposed to mean?
<img src="http://www.autospies.com/images/users/Agent009/omega_hypnotic_cadillac_escalade_2.jpg" width=500>
"Look at the wheels. You're getting sleeeeeeeeeee-py."
Sleepy? No. Nauseous!
Now I know who stole the burners off my stove.
<img src="http://hostedmedia.reimanpub.com/TFH/Projects/FH09JUN_NOHEAT_01.JPG">
Only my wife. The advice was, "You shouldn't worry about this honey, I'll figure it out." God bless her.
My brother is notorious for asking my dad and I for advice on cars, then doing the exact opposite. Now he's in China teaching the commies to speak English, so he doesn't have a car. This has made our lives easier.
My mom and dad finally listened to me about how good Ford's quality had been getting. After the Disaster of the 1991 Caravan Transmission™, my dad swore off American cars. When the lease on his Altima was coming due, I told him my father-in-law could get them X Plan on a Ford. And that Ford's quality was way up, particularly on the cars he was interested in (Focus and Fusion). With the X Plan, he was able to get a well loaded Fusion in his budget. He loves it. He loves it so much that when my mom's Xterra was due for replacement she got an Escape. Now she's on her second Escape.
Finally, someone listened to me.
No offense to you or your advice, but something inside of me wants to commit arson whenever I see a Fusion. I don't know why, I've driven worse, but those cars just piss something inside of me off so bad it hurts. I just have a blind hatred towards them at this point.
And they smell like hay… all new fords smell like hay. What the hell is that shit? Environmentally friendly interiors. DAMN YOU ENVIRONMENT!!
And yet last time I drove one I said "hooray, a mainstream sedan that doesn't suck the life out of you!" Seriously, if I was a sales rep for a largish company I'd be all over that thing for a company car.
Since I'm not a sales rep for a largish company I'm not going to have one any time soon.
To each his own.
It probably is the environmentally friendly interiors. Ford is using soy foam in the seat cushions and probably processed animal feed in the carpets. OK, that last part I kind of made up. Though, it would explain the hay smell.
I think the fiber is actually woven with some form of processed grass. GM used them for a bit as well. Unfortunately for Ford, the ones they used in the Escapes were not water fast in any form when water hit them. It usually left a big white splotch on the seat. Those were the first of the current generation though, I think they did fix it eventually. But honestly, we had ~20 Escapes in the rental fleet and most of them had big water stains everywhere.
Are you sure that was water? I only ask because last time I rented a car… Well… Nevermind, you wouldn't believe me if I told you.
Why? Whatever could you mean by that? It tasted like water…
It probably wouldn't surprise me. I detailed rentals for 4 years.
Tasted like water? TASTED LIKE WATER!?!?!?
That was my prize winning pancake batter! Gramma's secret recipe! And you say it tasted like WATER!! I've killed a man for less.
I told you that you wouldn't believe it was possible to cook pancakes in an Escape.
What's wrong with the hay smell, as long as it's not accompanied by the cow pie smell?
I had a nice guffaw at "Now he's in China teaching the commies to speak English, so he doesn't have a car."
Thank you.
Yes, Sometimes they even bring me along when they buy it.
A year or so ago a co-worker did. He was looking to replace his 1999 or so Miata with an automatic (Yes, he actually fit the stereotype of the kind of man that would drive an automatic Miata). He mentioned that he liked a Z4 he saw but just wasn't sure about it and wanted to make sure he found an automatic. Since I drove a Z3 at the time I was going to try to steer him away from BMW. There should NOT be any more automatic sports cars in the world. I mentioned that he should look at M-B SLK320s. A week or two later he got a nice 2 or 3 year old SLK 320 and loves it.
My dad has been asking me for car advice for the last 20+ years or so (I'm 39 now). We usually bounce new car purchases off each other. My dad will take my advice about half the time.
Did he ask for bra fitting advice shortly thereafter?
/giggles incessantly
Audi TT is a nice hairdresser's car also.
Or the Lexus 2-door retractable hardtop thingy.
A white V6 mustang convertible with a tan top would have been a perfect choice, really.
He was looking for something similar in size to the Miata, the Lexus is just too big. As for the Audi, I couldn't in good conscience recommend anyone buy a VW group product, now a lease with a full warranty is another story.
The Lexus I associate with Cougar Town so I assume the only people who want one are functioning alcoholics.
New cars? People ask for my advice and avoid it. I used to buy/trade cars on a whim so I didn't even take my OWN advice.
Tracks cars are a different matter. I'll instruct someone in an automatic sedan and they'll want one of those mega-charged muscle cars that just passed them going 120. Slow Down There Pinto.
Two guys bought 944s as track cars after they witnessed mine on the track. I don't think they spoke to me after that…
Were they dead? Is that why didn't speak to you?
I have a buddy who is like you. He actually bought a new car (WRX) for the first time a few months ago. I haven't seen him in a couple months so I'm wondering if he tried to sell it yet. He works in the wrong business too (he's a car salesman)
They are around! I think!!
I think the cost of maintenance caught them off. The cars are so great on the track and cheap to buy upfront but maintenance will eat you up unless you have time to research work it yourself.
Oh, in that case they seem like bitches. Who gets a 944 and doesn't expect to get raped?
Yes! A guy I know wanted something nice for $10,000 or so, I suggested a Mazda 3, and now he drives one.
Though sometimes they go in the complete opposite direction of what you expect. A coworker wanted something sensible to transport her elderly parents around town. After suggesting a couple slightly higher riding sensible cars, she goes and buys an '06 CTS-V. I'm pretty glad she ignored me.
You recommended a VW to a friend? Some pal you are!
To answer the question – yes. My fiancee was ready to sign on the dotted line for a new Mini Cooper. Despite it being a fun car, I told her she'd be paying too much, they're not known for being reliable, and it's not practical for her lifestyle (especially since my daily driver is an SVT Focus, which is pretty darn similar). To add insult to injury, she was going to buy an automatic. Luckily she came to her senses and ended up buying a used Highlander Hybrid, which while somewhat boring has proven to be a great car.
My neighbor (who has a wife and 4 kids) had a Focus wagon (PZEV with a 5-speed – a rare bird) and a Sequoia SUV in his family's stable. He told me they were getting tired of the fuel bill for the Toyota and were thinking of trading in both cars for a pair of new Priuseseses. I told him that was silly, his new car payments would FAR exceed the money he'd save in gas. Amazingly, he hadn't thought of that (and now we know why Americans can't save money). I said if I were him, I'd keep the Focus and dump the Sequoia for a kid hauler that was better on gas. Sure enough, he did, and bought a used Escape Hybrid (after I extolled the virtues of my fiancee's above mentioned Hi-Hy).
Honestly, who the hell would drive a VW? Next you'll tell me one of the staff members wants a VW "pickup"
I have a acquaintance that just traded a paid off Honda Element in for a new Passat TDI because it got better fuel mileage. I called him an idiot because gas is cheaper than car payments.
Two days before taking delivery, he lost his job.
Now he's wishing he'd listened to my advice.
… but he didn't take delivery yet… he still bought it?
he had already signed the paperwork, to my knowledge, as it was an ordered car.
No VW Assurance program.
Not that it matters much. he married a trust fund baby and will use that to pay for car.
Poor guy.
He is but his wife will just dip into Grandma's trust fund to buy it, I assume.
That was said mostly in sarcasm.
damn internet needs a sarcasm font…
Use the [sar] tag. It looks like italic, but slanted in the other direction. [/totly srs]
I sometimes have to remind myself to take my own advice. My Focus gets pretty crummy mileage in my daily commute (20-21 MPG) and I often think of getting something newer and nicer with better mileage. Then I remind myself that I'm spending maybe $150/month on gas, and that I like not having a car payment. So I'll probably drive it until it dies.
I did recently discover that if I keep it under 75, I can get over 30 MPG on the highway, which I didn't think was possible. I guess I'm slowing down in my old(er) age.
Yeah, no. I think I told the story on here a year or so ago about the co-worker who was pissed off that the tires for his less-than-two-years-old Mazdaspeed3 were "so much more expensive than on my old Camry" and after asking my advice, ended up trading it in for a brand new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon (which is WORLD RENOWNED for using cheap tires). Another co-worker similarly asked for help finding a no-frills, reliable commuter/kid hauler for less than $5K. After I put together a nice list of local stuff (the standard Camcordibu array plus a couple of once-in-a-lifetime deals on an older Outback and V70) and offered to go with her to check them out, she went out and dropped over $7k on a 10yr old Explorer with an imperial shit-ton of miles because "I thought it would be safer for my kids."
From now on, anyone who asks gets a link to bringatrailer or the Other Makes section on Ebay.
hah! The first thing I did when I bought my Speed3 was start shopping for my eventual tire upgrade… Normally, the type of people who buy Mazdaspeed3s are the type who put tire quality pretty high on the list of things they're willing to spend money on. As far as the fwd asian sportscar market goes, it's a remarkably mature community.
I try NOT to dispense advice because most people base their car buying decisions on phases of the moon. I will tell you what I know, but you won't get me to recommend a specific make or model because when it craps out on you, and everything does eventually, you'll blame me.
In 1990, my sister wanted a DiamondStar. Dealership A sold Mitsubishis, and offered her a variety of normally-aspirated slushbox Eclipses with steel wheels and limited options as their best offerings within her budget. Dealership B was a Chrysler dealership that had filed for bankruptcy and was about a week away from shutting their doors. They had a red and a black Laser, both FWD turbo cars with alloys and the additional features (nicer interior, nicer radio, power windows, etc.) that came at the turbo's trim level. Because of the bankruptcy, these cars had fire-sale pricing, and were about $1,000 cheaper than the more boring Eclipses she looked at. The problem was that the Chryslers were both 5-speed cars and she didn't know how to drive a stick.
My advice was to buy the superior and lower-priced 5-speed and my dad and I would teach her to drive it. She followed that advice. After about a week, she didn't stall it at traffic lights anymore, another week later she could handle being stopped while pointing uphill, and a few weeks later was a real pro.
When it came time for her next car, she deliberately sought out one with a manny tranny.
YES!
Not too long ago, I helped a buddy move. When we were done, I drove his teenage son back to the kid's mom's house. On the way over, he started asking me questions about driving a stickshift, and reminded me that I taught his mom to drive one when she was in the same situation as my sister–buying a manual car without first having mastered the necessary skill.
I guess it left a big impression on the mom that she would pass that story down; it happened several years before the kid was born.
There's a certain joy in being able to drive a nearly theft-proof car…
Offspring #1 had two requirements as we were searching for a new (to him) car. 1) it runs, 2) its a 5/6MT. beyond that, he didn't care much.
Offspring #2 will be getting her permit in a couple of weeks, and has already made a tentative foray into the world in my 5MT Passat, and after about 45 min of county back roads, was fairly proficient. She doesn't really want a MT, but will be capable!
Sort of, maybe? I successfully steered my mother away from a RAV4, but I think I was too enthusiastic about her initial interest in a Mazdaspeed 3. Enthusing about turbochargers and horsepower put her off of a car that she thought of as "cute." She ultimately picked a Fit Sport, which I endorsed. I'd also like to think I had some hand in my brother's choice of a Mini Cooper over the Range Rovers he'd fantasized over for years, but that was as much him as me. I've yet to have any luck convincing my dad that what he really needs as he cruises through his 50s is a CTS-V, but I'll keep at it.
I am so excited… I get the CTS-V wagon in about a week. I just had to share.
I've been DYING to drive this thing.
(Though I did briefly drive an auto-box one on the track about a month ago)
Auro box? Which one were you driving?
wait, did we get the manual trans one? my brain is mush.. actually, that was the black diamond we drove, wasn't it?
Shit… that is the exact one I get then.
Shway! Speaking of which, where's my 500 Abarth and Passat TDI?
Still working on the Passat… This time of year is terrible to try and book media vehicles.
Also, if I get you a 500 Abarth, we might be sharing that one…
Aw man, you have to drive the same CTSV wagon as last year? That's too bad.
I did get to ride in the sedan version finally, the scary part is that from the passenger seat, it just feels like a Cadillac that accelerates very, very well.
I've yet to have any luck convincing my dad that what he really needs as he cruises through his 50s is a CTS-V, but I'll keep at it.
Stay strong!!!
After a change of job that required him trading his short, bicycle friendly commute for a 45 minute grind each way, my father in law needed a car. He did not want to spend much more than $20000, so he looked at various new entry models. He also wanted a decent mileage and a nice, comfortable interior. At first he only looked at new cars.
I suggested he looked at CPO Toyota Prii. He found one that has almost all possible options that came well within his budget and was the first car he drove that both he and his wife liked. He gets great mileage as a good part of his commute is in bumper to bumper traffic. I definitely scored major brownie points with the in-laws on this one.
I also introduced my wife to the Fiat 500. After spending a day going to all the dealerships that sell the cars on her short list (which I created for her based on 10 year ownership cost including purchase, fuel and maintenance. We both are engineers). The 500 was the only car that she found "cute"! So she is now the proud owner of her very first brand new car: a white with red and white interior Fiat 500.
The spreadsheet is here, by the way: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amts…
I would geek out over the spreadsheet, but you don't have the permission set to "Random".
Oops, sorry about that. You should be able to open it now.
I readily dispense information, when asked, but only my wife has followed it. Even then, this is back in '04, I asked her to wait on the new RX330 to see what it offered versus the RX300, and she didn't even get out of our car to look at it after seeing the giant ass on it.
I found her the exact '02 RX300 she wanted, color and everything, and she still has it.
Ages ago, right after I worked for a slimy, four-square-using stealership, I suggested she look at the Escort, the 1991 version, or so, the decent one, instead of a Cavalier.
Sigh.
She's since had not one, but two Cavaliers. At least they've been solid cars for her.
I'd like to come into a bunch of money and surprise her with a Lexus ES330, or the like, but that's rather unlikely, unfortunately.
I'm trying to convince her the best bang-for-the-buck is, and don't shoot me, a 2-3 year old Accord/Camry/Civic. She's dead-set against used, though. Feels as strongly about it as I do about purchasing brand-new.
What I've found about those asking for "advice"…even if you're a genius in the area of information, all they really want is approval of the decision they've already made.
This happened to me just a week ago surrounding laptop computers. I'm not a genius, but compared to this guy….
If I ever encounter anyone so deranged as to take my advice, it'll scare the hell out of me.
Well, this happened once… http://hooniverse.com/2011/11/24/a-hooniverse-tha…
Muthalovin's advice (demands) for buying a car:
Sports: NSX
High-End Sports: Ford GT
Truck: Raptor/Gen 2 Lightning (depending on needs)
SUV: SRT8 Cherokee
Crossover: CTS-VVagon (no one will ask about a wagon)
Economy: Motorcycle
I was once asked to accompany a good friend of mine to the hit up a few car dealerships for a replacement for his saturn. My friend is a paraplegic but doesn't like the idea of getting a van with a ramp, and he hunts occasionally but didn't want a full size truck. Knowing he wanted AWD and something with suicide rear door (so he can swing his chair in by himself) we ended up going to have a look and take a test drive in an element. It ticked all the boxed for him, and we got the additional bonus of having a good laugh at the salesman when he tried to brag up the running boards as a sales feature. Needless to say as soon as he mentioned it I said sarcastically "that's real useful" and he turned as red as the element he was showing us.
This in contrast to my wife, who at the time was just my girlfriend, who asked me what to buy. I said anything but a VW. She showed up the next day with a mk3 jetta.
Yes, I was given the task of finding a mini truck for my brother to make a 2,000 mile drive in, all for the paltry sum of 1,500 bucks. Which is actually alot of money, considering that $200 is the most I've paid for a running vehicle and $500 for a project. After a month of looking we found a clean base model Ranger that fits the bill. We've been very impressed with the simplicity of the truck, and the ease of doing repairs.
I miss my Ranger.
It threw a rod, and I sold it that very weekend for $750. I could've gotten more too..
My fiancee bought the used Hyundai Accent I found on AutoTrader for her, and that's been about it. Oh, and her father ended up not buying a Sentra (going for an Elantra instead) partially because I pointed out Nissan didn't offer the 10 year CVT warranty anymore.
Most of the people who ask for my advice end up taking it, but some certainly do not. Most of the people who've taken my advice have been happy as a result, but I fell for the hype over Hyundais and Kias being good 'now' in 2009, and they weren't there yet. I also recommended a Mazda 3 to someone who got bored with it fast but kept it and then had the engine fail at 80,000 miles. Most of my recommendations have been good though, and I will only endorse specific Toyota and Honda products at this point.
I've helped people buy a few Mazda 3's, and about three SAABs. A girlfriend's dad asked some advice when he wanted to pick up an antique hobby car. I tried to put him in a mid-50's to '60s English convertible, but he wound up choosing a Model A pickup. Not a bad choice for him.
No. Most of my friends and family haven't figured out that I've turned into a car guy yet. My Dad, Step-Father and Father-in-Law are the ones who have figured it out. But they have distinctive taste in cars, and I could either point them at what they'd already decided on or would find with a small amount of research or suggest something else and get ignored.
My Dad runs an '02 Jetta TDI 5-speed on BioDiesel, my Stepfather runs a CRD Jeep Liberty on dinosaur bones, and my Father-in-Law has a 350kmile Aerostar that refuses to die. The one most likely to get replaced is the Aerostar, and I'd probably point him at the Transit Connect, but he'd probably end up there on his own without my help. The Jetta and the Liberty are not likely to be replaced any time soon, as all the alpha males in my family tend to buy-and-keep when it comes to vehicles (which is why I'm 29 and on car #3, and #4 is most likely to be a second car/track toy, but not for a few years, and that's been the case for a few years now…). But a diesel-something-small (probably a newer TDI) for my Dad, and whatever Jeep's midsize SUV is in 5-10 years for my Stepfather (he drove an old XJ 4.0 past the 300k marker before he got the Liberty). If I suggested anything else, they'd ignore me.
Also, I have minimalist taste in cars, so I don't know how great an idea it is to ask me for advice. I tend to think that A/C is an unnecessary luxury (my wife's Civic is too posh for my taste…). Maybe the send links to eBay's "Other Makes" and BaT is the best idea (a similar tactic has kept me from having to be the Computer Support Guy for my family).
Let them catch you in bed it a Lada Niva. That's the best way to come out as a Orthodox Hooniversal Hoonitarian.
(Edit: We should have an Orthodox Hoonviersal Hoonitarian list. The best of the best bare essential vehicles.)
I follow this credo and purchased a mildly used base Forester X and consider it a luxury car because it has power locks and windows.
Strangely enough, earlier this afternoon, a friend of mine posted a picture of his new Hyundai Veloster to Facebook – as he'd asked my opinion of it earlier (we agreed, it's a solid little car), I'm counting that as a victory. As a bonus, he bought a stick shift (coming out of a CVT-equipped Saturn Ion), so that's a victory all around.
In my senior year of high school, my parents told me I would be given the keys to my dad's Jeep if I helped find a replacement for it.
Of course, my response was, "When can we start?"
We went to a seemingly not-too-shady local used car dealer, Dad found 2000ish Pathfinder. Noticed a few odd little things that didn't quite add up (missing fender liner), but overall it seemed fine. Then we ran a CarFax and it had 30-something red flags, turns out it was a rebulit wreck that had been all over the country.
We went to a more reputable dealer, Dad looked at Pathfinders again, but Mom gravitated to a Land Rover Freelander, a car she always thought was "cute". A closer look and a test drive showed that it was actually an unpleasant little trucklet with almost no redeeming qualities, but the price was much lower than expected (more on that later) and my mind was still clouded by thoughts of freedom, so I gave it the OK.
It's only given us a handful of British issues over the years(ice inside the windshield in winter, fun security issues with the Lucas-branded key fob), and my dad doesn't actually drive it all that far, but eventually the novelty of having my own car wore off, my mind cleared and I realized that the timing belt service was imminent. I looked it up, stupid V6 has THREE timing belts, labor at the dealer is astronomical and nobody else wants to touch it. Told him to just sell it before it became a real headache, he didn't listen.
Last month it had two issues in the span of a week. First, the key refused to even turn in the ignition. The solution, I discovered after a bit of Googling, is to find a socket similar in size to the ignition cylinder, and tap it with (what else?) a hammer. Five days later, Dad told me the check engine light had come on, then said "I want to sell this before it becomes a real headache."
You may remember I said the car was cheaper than we expected. Depreciation has continued to not be kind to this car, even though my Dad hasn't put all that many miles on it. After looking up the expected resale value and looking at the inventory of local dealers, I had an idea. "When was the last time you filled up?"
"Today."
So… the check engine light wasn't a real issue, and I haven't heard about getting rid of it since.
Wait a minute, Robert. So when the wife came back off of your Mazda3 recommendation with a preference for the Prius 5 you didn't counter with a Mazda5 Sport? I am disappoint…
A college friend tweeted a couple years ago that he was looking at a nearly new Lincoln LS or a 75K mile BMW M5 and wanted thoughts. My response was those two cars have almost nothing in common. The Lincoln was boring but, being newer and rather bland, would be more reliable. The BMW would certainly be a blast, but when – not if – it broke, it'd kill him and his bank balance.
I asked if he'd looked at an Acura TL or, better, an Infiniti G series. Hadn't even crossed his mind. He looked around and fell in love with a slick black G35 coupe with 20s and a 6 speed. He loves the car and has thanked me more than once for pointing him to it.
Giving very often advice, shopping around with mates etc.
Most are following my advices sometimes not.
Trying to get my parents to buy an auto lately (dad becoming very lazy on the gears, taking roundabouts in 4th, or forgetting the 6th on the motorway)… but despite being 60+ years of age they won't listen and will stick with the shift… "It's for old pensioners and disabled"
Can't blame them for thinking that… next car will be a manual.
I told my parents to keep buying mid-range Toyota Corollas for as long as they need to own cars. There is no more perfect car for them, and they've followed my advice to the letter.
My younger sister needed to replace a 1996 Ford Taurus wagon when her fourth child was on the way, and I steered her towards a 2002 Honda Odyssey. She has been happy with it since she bought it, though a little sad that it wasn't available with a four-boys-proof interior that could be hosed out when needed.
Her: "I need a small / cute / reliable / cheap / fun car"
Me: How about a used mini?
Her: "my husband said it needs to be fast, and I decided it should also have 4wd and a decent amount of cargo space"
Me: Clubman or a Ralliart sportback?
Her: "I figured it out, I bought a Ford Escape."
As far as successes, ($4k) Toyota Camry (usable car that can be sold in two years for not too much of a loss), and I've steered people away from TDI, Prius, etc (by showing them the math: they'd have to drive 150k+ miles to break even).
Thanks for the shout out Robert! It's always interesting when someone asks you for advice. I find that alot of the time, they'll just go ahead with what they want anyways, regardless of the feedback they get. With cars, and with anything really
Cheers,
Martina