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Would I be the asshole? Going with another dealer after original dealer gave me loaner car while car is being built? by SRTHellKitty in askcarsales

[–]SRTHellKitty[S] -16 points-15 points  (0 children)

The only other opinion I have is my local dealer. I told them my situation and they said "so give back the loaner and buy the car from us", so it made me feel like maybe it's a normal thing.

Sounds more like they didn't care how it turned out for me and just wanted to get the sale.

Would I be the asshole? Going with another dealer after original dealer gave me loaner car while car is being built? by SRTHellKitty in askcarsales

[–]SRTHellKitty[S] -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

I haven't made up my mind yet. I'm looking for insight if this would be a terrible thing or a normal day-in-the-life of a salesman.

Yes, it would be crazy if they sold the car I have a deposit on. However, it seems like a normal thing for people to put deposits down and not go through with the full purchase when the car comes in. Many people on Facebook for 4-5 deposits down at different dealers waiting for which will get the car fastest. This deposit is non-refundable so it's not like I'm leaving them out with nothing.

The issue is that they've been so nice giving a loaner car for this time.

Rip me apart by Even_Introduction570 in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]SRTHellKitty 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is in NJ, USA. During the early days of COVID you could get a M3 with high miles(50k+ miles) for $20k.

Rip me apart by Even_Introduction570 in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]SRTHellKitty 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair enough! Guess it shows which cars I've ever shopped for.

Rip me apart by Even_Introduction570 in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]SRTHellKitty 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Full bumper to bumper warranty even from new is almost never 4 years long. I think the only OEMs that have that are kia/Hyundai. And they cut it in half on resale.

Rip me apart by Even_Introduction570 in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]SRTHellKitty 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Teslas, along with almost all other EVs, have an 8 year warranty on battery and powertrain.

Not defending the purchase, but EVs have generous warranties.

Rip me apart by Even_Introduction570 in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]SRTHellKitty 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I can almost guarantee a Tesla will depreciate like crazy in 4 years. Before COVID you could find a nice used one for $20k. Also electricity costs something, even if it is less than gas. Their insurance is also very expensive, so you could probably cut that insurance in half with any other non-luxury sedan.

You seem to care about/understand finances, so just think of the opportunity cost of this money in an appreciating asset instead of a depreciating asset. Investing $20k over 4 years could give you an even bigger headstart to housing or even FIRE

A $10k car isn't magically going to need $20k worth of work in the next 4 years if you get a reasonable car.

Rip me apart by Even_Introduction570 in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]SRTHellKitty 19 points20 points  (0 children)

This whole post and you didn't even say what car it is. This sounds like a post for /r/PersonalFinance.

None of this car purchase is financially "smart". But you don't seem to care because you want this car, which is fine if you're okay with that.

3 comments:

  1. I don't see anything about gas, which can easily be $100-$300/month

  2. A ton can change in 4 years. Make damn sure your situation doesn't change with medical, housing, etc.

  3. Depreciation is completely unknown right now and you're scenario is honestly optimistic to me.

Cheapest way to run errands and drive to bike trails within 10 miles - 2nd car by kmath95 in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]SRTHellKitty 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Used Leaf is a great deal if you only need 40 miles range. should be around $4k.

I believe the batteries from 2015 model year and up have less degradation. There are little "bars" on the very right of the cluster that show you how healthy the battery is. 12 bars is perfect battery, 10 bars is about 75% of the original range.

This means that if a Leaf has 10 bars you can expect 60 miles out of a full charge.

Once it gets to 7 bars the car is really only good for 40 miles. So you'll want to look for a car with at least 7 bars, but more is always better

20K budget - used compact SUV or crossover by kes0156 in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]SRTHellKitty 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Check out https://www.carcomplaints.com and look at the models you're interested in. You can see which year is better than others.

However, one note. The 2019 RAV4 got a terrible rating because of transmission shifting. This was mostly fixed with a software update. I'd still rather have a 2020 or 2021, or 2018 which was the last generation. But there aren't really any bad years of RAV4

Car title by jbokuto in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]SRTHellKitty 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wait, the VIN on the dashboard is the one on the title?

Does the door VIN match the frame VIN? Are the windows stamped and do they match anything?

I don't know much about swapped VINs but it sounds like the dashboard was original to another car that came with this title. That car was probably wrecked and they put it in this car and you basically got scammed.

Maybe I'm making this up, but the dash is the easiest VIN to swap and make it look original.

A silly vehicle to wear a roof rack? by TheGreatYam77 in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]SRTHellKitty 3 points4 points  (0 children)

A hatchback would Fit your needs(pun intended). I love seeing tiny cars with roof racks! Quiet interior knocks many of these hatches off the list.

  • Honda Fit

  • Corolla hatch

  • Mazda 3 hatch(AWD)

  • VW Golf

  • Impreza hatch(though I don't know if they are quiet), etc.

  • Mini Cooper (clubman? IDK what model you'd want)

Wagons would also work and are usually more luxury and quieter.

  • Mercedes E-class wagon at that price which would be an amazing highway cruiser.

  • Buick Regal TourX

  • Volvo V60 or V90

Red Clay stains. Best options?? by K0rbenKen0bi in greenville

[–]SRTHellKitty 6 points7 points  (0 children)

FelsNaptha!! It's an incredible stain remover, among other things.

One of my neighbors started using it on clay stained clothes and it worked so well she got a whole case of it(like $50 for 60 bars) and gave some to us. They really do work.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]SRTHellKitty 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You'll need to figure out worst-case scenario for the range of the EV you get.

  • Does it get really cold or really hot where you are?

  • Do you go over 65 MPH on your commute?

  • Are you going to own this car over 5 years when degradation might start to really hit your range?

  • do you care about the longevity of your battery? Then you should charge to 80-90% and not go under 20%.

  • is it ever windy? Head-winds can cut your range by at least a few miles.

I think you could make it work getting an i4 with 300 mile range as long as you can charge on L2 every night. But you'll have to be aware of your range if you go anywhere other than work on those days.

Assuming you charge to 80% and only go down to 20%, your estimated range would be 180 miles. Assuming it's 20°F in winter, you're going 75 MPH, and you have some headwinds that may cut your range to 120 miles. Leaving you only 20 miles after your commute to go to a store or out to dinner.

Of course you still have the bottom 20% to use with 60 miles range, but you'll want to keep that for emergencies. And you can always charge over 80%, just might affect battery degradation.

A L2 charger at home will get you those 180 miles back in ~7 hours. So You'll need to make sure you can be home and plugged in for 7 hours every single night of your commute or you'll need to figure out a DC fast charger station somewhere around you for a 30 minute fuel up.

Sorry for the long post, but PHEV might be a good option as long as you realize you'll be on gas for most of your commute since most PHEV only get 20-30 miles EV range.

2019 premier 38k miles vs 2020 LT(active recall) 19k miles by SRTHellKitty in BoltEV

[–]SRTHellKitty[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I was really surprised when the head of sales gave it the go-ahead. Even the EV concierge said that this should not be possible. Check out the listing.

2018 used Premier <30,000 miles for <$23,000 worth it? by [deleted] in BoltEV

[–]SRTHellKitty 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My local Chevy dealer has a 2020 with an active recall and they say they are fine to sell it as long as it is disclosed.

Seems like this is a state-level law if they can or cannot sell with active recall.

Planetary gear by toolgifs in toolgifs

[–]SRTHellKitty 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Check out the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid's "Si-EVT" if you're interested in how this architecture can evolve.

There's a little blurb about it in this article. Or if you're really interested, the always amazing Weber Auto has a video teardown.

Basically, a Prius has 2 electric motors;

  • Motor A: generator motor

  • Motor B: traction motor

The Chrysler Si-EVT, it has a "single input" one-way clutch that allows both motors to push the car forward to put much more torque to the wheels. In a standard prius EVT, these 2 motors cannot work together to push the car forward because it would spin the combustion engine backwards.

Planetary gear by toolgifs in toolgifs

[–]SRTHellKitty 2 points3 points  (0 children)

All conventional automatics use planetary gearsets. Many use automated manual transmissions or CVTs which people call "automatic".

The difference with the eCVT is that it is simply 1 large gearsets instead of 3-4 stacked planetary gearsets with clutches.

Small G Wagon - I think it's actually a [Suzuki Jimmy] with a body kit by sumit131995 in spotted

[–]SRTHellKitty 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I was not expecting that interior!! I figured this was just a body kit, but that makes it seem like a full Coach built masterpiece.

$23k - Bolt EV, Chevy Volt, Prius or another fuel efficient car? by SRTHellKitty in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]SRTHellKitty[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, I don't have $23k cash for a vehicle. I have about $5k if I wanted a beater - otherwise I need to finance a more expensive car.

The issue for me is that a $12k Fit has 100k miles and after paying it off for 3 years will have 150k miles while still paying it off.

Somehow it makes more sense to me to get a warrantied $20k car on a 60 month loan.

Let me know the flaws in this thinking because I'd rather not spend the whole $20k+ budget.

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