CAMARO6 - View Single Post

draph · 03-10-2017, 11:06 PM

See if you can spot the opportunities for buyer's remorse in my car buying history past and present:

1. First car choice (during poor college student years) year 1987: My brother's 1972 Olds 442 Special edition Hurst 4 on floor hood scoops, 350 V8, gold with black stripes for $700 (needed some work on ignition system, gas tank and floor boards) OR literally my Father's Oldsmobile, 1984 Ciera Brougham 4.3 Diesel for $2000, Crushed blue velour, wire wheel covers - 99000 miles, looked brand new, Dad had major services done before selling it to me. I picked the diesel because I didn't know at the time another 1300 would have got me HE ignition, new gas tank, floor boards..and the car would have been worth 6 figures today. Diesel was cheaper at 88 cents/gallon with 40 mpg, and I was really a poor college student. One warning ticket for speeding in 4 years of ownership...no major mechanical problems until 1991 when I sold it for $1200 (after spending $300 on new injector pump).

2. First new car...1991: Honda Accord EX Coupe..vs a myriad of other cars in the $15K price range at the time...Wanted a Grand Am HO Quad 4 with a stick 190 hp a lot back then..or Grand Prix with MT...neither to be found for test drive. Honda fit and finish compared to domestics was impressive and obvious...but only 130 hp out of an admittedly smooth 4 cyl for its time. The low cowl, airy greenhouse, double wishbone suspension and the Honda stick feel sold me on "less power but more refinement". ...but after a few years that 130 hp, while a ton more compared to that diesel felt weaker and weaker by the month.

3. 2nd new car....1995: Paid dearly for limited availability Azure Blue Green Pearl Prelude VTEC ($26K)...Could have had a Trans Am for less money (190hp high strung new tech engine vs. 275 old school V8...I was enamored in high revs and continued Honda suspension and fit and finish refinement...some time later got tired of being beat off the line by pushrod V6 minivans unless I dumped the clutch at 4000 rpm.

4. Sedan years...2001, 2007, 2010...All MTs...Maxima 20th AE edition, BMW 335 with 1st generation twin turbo 6, TL SH AWD 6MT...A fair number of competitors for less or same money...2007 was one of last years for an Accord V6 with 6MT but splurged on a wasteful leased BMW. Planned to buy at end of lease, but burning oil, disappearing coolant, and failed fuel injector during the lease scared me away.

5. Now...still 2 years away from no longer having back seat riders....Test drove 2SS after setting my heart on SS sedan...SS sedan feels so old now (G8 GXP almost happened in 2010 but market went crazy for the last few 2009 MTs still on lot in early 2010 so I had to pass - SS sedan same exact 10+ year old drive train)...kids only ride in car to the bus stop...one can ride in front with seat moved up for one in the back of the Camaro.....but still driving TL about to turn over 100K...still a lot to like about that car, unexpectedly fast to most fellow commuters. ELS kicks Bose butt, SH-AWD awesome year 'round...no car payments for a long time now has been nice, insurance and excise tax based on car value is low. Main fear is SS power novelty is short lived to be taken over by claustrophobic ergonomics and visibility and tens of K dollars flushed away when I know the TL can easily go another 100K miles...and the biggest opportunity for buyers remorse is GM comes through with my pipe dream of a $40-50K alpha sedan with LT1 V8 and 6MT to backfill the SS sedan after 2017.

03-10-2017, 11:06 PM	#191
draph Drives: AcuraTL SH-AWD 6MT and '70 'vette Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Indiana Posts: 46	See if you can spot the opportunities for buyer's remorse in my car buying history past and present: 1. First car choice (during poor college student years) year 1987: My brother's 1972 Olds 442 Special edition Hurst 4 on floor hood scoops, 350 V8, gold with black stripes for $700 (needed some work on ignition system, gas tank and floor boards) OR literally my Father's Oldsmobile, 1984 Ciera Brougham 4.3 Diesel for $2000, Crushed blue velour, wire wheel covers - 99000 miles, looked brand new, Dad had major services done before selling it to me. I picked the diesel because I didn't know at the time another 1300 would have got me HE ignition, new gas tank, floor boards..and the car would have been worth 6 figures today. Diesel was cheaper at 88 cents/gallon with 40 mpg, and I was really a poor college student. One warning ticket for speeding in 4 years of ownership...no major mechanical problems until 1991 when I sold it for $1200 (after spending $300 on new injector pump). 2. First new car...1991: Honda Accord EX Coupe..vs a myriad of other cars in the $15K price range at the time...Wanted a Grand Am HO Quad 4 with a stick 190 hp a lot back then..or Grand Prix with MT...neither to be found for test drive. Honda fit and finish compared to domestics was impressive and obvious...but only 130 hp out of an admittedly smooth 4 cyl for its time. The low cowl, airy greenhouse, double wishbone suspension and the Honda stick feel sold me on "less power but more refinement". ...but after a few years that 130 hp, while a ton more compared to that diesel felt weaker and weaker by the month. 3. 2nd new car....1995: Paid dearly for limited availability Azure Blue Green Pearl Prelude VTEC ($26K)...Could have had a Trans Am for less money (190hp high strung new tech engine vs. 275 old school V8...I was enamored in high revs and continued Honda suspension and fit and finish refinement...some time later got tired of being beat off the line by pushrod V6 minivans unless I dumped the clutch at 4000 rpm. 4. Sedan years...2001, 2007, 2010...All MTs...Maxima 20th AE edition, BMW 335 with 1st generation twin turbo 6, TL SH AWD 6MT...A fair number of competitors for less or same money...2007 was one of last years for an Accord V6 with 6MT but splurged on a wasteful leased BMW. Planned to buy at end of lease, but burning oil, disappearing coolant, and failed fuel injector during the lease scared me away. 5. Now...still 2 years away from no longer having back seat riders....Test drove 2SS after setting my heart on SS sedan...SS sedan feels so old now (G8 GXP almost happened in 2010 but market went crazy for the last few 2009 MTs still on lot in early 2010 so I had to pass - SS sedan same exact 10+ year old drive train)...kids only ride in car to the bus stop...one can ride in front with seat moved up for one in the back of the Camaro.....but still driving TL about to turn over 100K...still a lot to like about that car, unexpectedly fast to most fellow commuters. ELS kicks Bose butt, SH-AWD awesome year 'round...no car payments for a long time now has been nice, insurance and excise tax based on car value is low. Main fear is SS power novelty is short lived to be taken over by claustrophobic ergonomics and visibility and tens of K dollars flushed away when I know the TL can easily go another 100K miles...and the biggest opportunity for buyers remorse is GM comes through with my pipe dream of a $40-50K alpha sedan with LT1 V8 and 6MT to backfill the SS sedan after 2017.