Car buying time!

[Macfrommichigan]

Buick Lucerne and LaCrosse are staples of the golden years crowd. Driven to church and bridge games and doctor appointments, mostly.

 

[H4nk]

For some reason, we get great deals on used BMW's and Mercedes. One reason is that people don't like to buy them used. There are lots of them around so that drags down the price.
I went from an Infiniti to an Acura. I would buy both again and probably will. But a Mercedes would be a serious temptation.

 

[shavefan]

A friend of mine is almost that bad about car buying lol. He buys a new used car every 5 years. Hes constantly scanning the for sale ad's looking for the little old ladies in small towns that dont drive very far, and finds them lol.

His cars are usually in mint condition with low miles, meticulously maintained and bought for a song.

Right now he's driving an 07 Grand Prix GT. His car before that was a 2000 Grand Prix GXP we had to drive 2 1/2 hours to get lol.

Just yesterday I was at a stoplight and right next to a Subaru Baja. When's the last time anyone saw one of those?

On top of the rarity, it was in MINT (I mean MINT) condition. I was truly impressed and thought; man, someone really put a lot of work into that car! I looked closer and there was a little old lady behind the wheel (barely able to see over). I'd bet that car had 20k original miles on it. MINT!

 

[Macfrommichigan]

For some reason, we get great deals on used BMW's and Mercedes. One reason is that people don't like to buy them used. There are lots of them around so that drags down the price.
I went from an Infiniti to an Acura. I would buy both again and probably will. But a Mercedes would be a serious temptation.

Lots of those are lease cars. And parts + repairs are expensive on MB and BMW. Nice cars, tho.

 

[BigFoot]

Bolt-on mods (i.e., those that just get installed without major mechanical changes) like cold air intakes, suspension parts, better brakes, exhaust systems, etc. are pretty safe and typically won't void any warranty. Cam upgrades, gear modifications, fuel system upgrades, superchargers, turbos, etc. likely will void them. As far as being "driven hard" due to modifications, well all those parts are designed so the car can be driven hard. I'd imagine it's better for the car to be driven hard with great aftermarket mods.

Buy a Miata and it'll be fun to drive without any mods, I'm sure.

Believe it or not when I had my Challenger I wanted to put a Cat Back System on it. The only way I could do that without voiding the powertrain warranty was go through Dodge. Over $5000.00 in 2013.

 

[Esox]

And don't discount the Chrysler 300 sedan, especially the more recent upgrade with a nicer grille, 2015 and later.

I'm not too familiar with the later models, but I know the 2005-2006 models had over 200 TSB's(Trouble Shooting Bulletins) at the dealers. They can also be difficult to see out of.

I'd bet that car had 20k original miles on it. MINT!

That friend of mine just the other day found a 2003 Buick LaSabre with 47,000KM/29000 miles on it. It looked like it just came off the showroom floor, inside and out. He's 61 but still not ready for an 'old mans car' haha.

 

[Badgerstate36]

I've seen some issues others have with modified cars. Had a buddy that bought a Lexus and the original owner had big wheels and tires on it prior to sale. It cost some money to get the suspension right. I'm a little fearful because this car will have to last me for a long time before I can buy another. I really like to get my money's worth out of a car.

Yup. Bigger wheels and tires can create issues because it puts more stress on the suspension parts. It often can create camber and caster issues too because the suspension simply isnt designed to work with bigger wheels and tires. Not to mention, unless you gear it, it puts more of a load on the engine and transmission too.

 

[Esox]

Not to mention, unless you gear it, it puts more of a load on the engine and transmission too.

That was a serious problem with my old pickup. I lifted it and put 35" BFG Mud Terrains on it. It had a TH700R4 transmission, stock. I rebuilt it four times in 5 years. The last time it went I broke the case. It got replaced with a TH400 and that solved the transmission issues, but the 3:08 gears with 35" tires was a poor choice on the road. It sure worked in the mud though and thats what I wanted it for.

 

[cleanshaved]

Believe it or not when I had my Challenger I wanted to put a Cat Back System on it. The only way I could do that without voiding the powertrain warranty was go through Dodge. Over $5000.00 in 2013.

Wow, I had to look twice. Even a cat back with a re map of the ECU should be no where near that price.

My car needs a re map of the ECU if I want to put a OTR cold air intake or it will throw a code.
So that adds to the cost of what use to be a bolt on mod. Here in NZ places charge around $600 for a bench tune and $1200 for a custom tune. I would hate to think what the stealerships would cost.

 

[Esox]

I would hate to think what the stealerships would cost.

The last I heard the GM dealership near me was $119/hr. They wont do tuning like that either, it voids the warranty if there is one.

I thought about a smaller supercharger pulley and tune with raising the shift point RPM, but I can pull an entry level BMW to 200km/h as it is. Fuel cut off at 203km/h and they walk away. Scary to think how fast that car would go with the fuel cut off eliminated. It still pulls hard at 200.

It all just add's up to increased stress on parts and twice the speed limit is way to fast anyway, even if the roads are made for it here.

 

[Badgerstate36]

That was a serious problem with my old pickup. I lifted it and put 35" BFG Mud Terrains on it. It had a TH700R4 transmission, stock. I rebuilt it four times in 5 years. The last time it went I broke the case. It got replaced with a TH400 and that solved the transmission issues, but the 3:08 gears with 35" tires was a poor choice on the road. It sure worked in the mud though and thats what I wanted it for.

Yup, its often an issue on trucks that are lifted with large tires.

 

[Esox]

Yup, its often an issue on trucks that are lifted with large tires.

That worked out okay off road though. The wheel spin from the high gearing really helped clean the tires out. A 420HP Chevy SB didnt hurt either.

 

[PreachTheWord]

I'm looking at a performance sedan, and reading this reinforces my belief that I want a bone stock vehicle. If I get the car I want, I'm sure that I won't need anymore horsepower than that.

 

[PreachTheWord]

For some reason, we get great deals on used BMW's and Mercedes. One reason is that people don't like to buy them used. There are lots of them around so that drags down the price.
I went from an Infiniti to an Acura. I would buy both again and probably will. But a Mercedes would be a serious temptation.

I really love BMW sedans. I'm not a real fan of Mercedes (no particular reason). Unfortunately, my "dream" BMW is a little rare.

 

[Esox]

I was looking at Nissan Z series and Infiniti Q60 before I bought my Grand Prix. Some of their engines develop head gasket issues though and that turned me away from them.

They all need fixing at some point but replacing the intake gaskets on a 3800 series engine is a lot easier and inexpensive than head gaskets on an import.

There are some pretty good deals around on BMW's, but all I've seen are high mileage and the expense at repair time sure turns me off.

 

[shavefan]

Unfortunately, my "dream" BMW is a little rare.

Perhaps?...

 

[Villalobos]

I'm looking at a performance sedan, and reading this reinforces my belief that I want a bone stock vehicle. If I get the car I want, I'm sure that I won't need anymore horsepower than that.

Don’t know what your budget is. 2014-2015 Lexus IS 350 F sport may be worth looking into.

 

[PreachTheWord]

Perhaps?...

View attachment 933031

Not quite that rare!!! If I won the lottery it would be a BMW 507 convertible.

 

[shavefan]

Hmmmmmm. Maybe...

Or....

 

[Esox]

Honda S2000. Only made until 2009 though I think.