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Buying Luxury used cars

406 messages,  Last post on May 24, 2009 at 2:16 PM

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#397 of 406 Re: #325 of 360 Why? by hpmctorque [circlew] by Mr_Shiftright HOST May 23, 2009 (8:17 am)
Replying to: circlew (May 23, 2009 8:10 am) oh dear, that is most unfortunate. Some stylist needs to clean that up a bit.   It seems that there is a "sweet spot" for buying luxury cars.   Not so soon in their life span that you pay a punishing price to own them used.   Not too late in their life span that you pay a punishing price to fix them.
#398 of 406 Re: #325 of 360 Why? by hpmctorque [circlew] by andre1969 May 23, 2009 (10:27 am)
Replying to: circlew (May 23, 2009 8:10 am) I never noticed the parrot angle, but I can see it. This is what it makes me think of, though... Replies to this message: Mr_Shiftright (May 23, 2009 11:55 am) andre1969 (May 23, 2009 4:12 pm) hpmctorque (May 23, 2009 8:37 pm) and 1 more...
#399 of 406 Re: #325 of 360 Why? by hpmctorque [circlew] by fintail May 23, 2009 (11:38 am)
Replying to: circlew (May 23, 2009 8:10 am) That's a good one.   The rear end is just as bad
#400 of 406 Re: #325 of 360 Why? by hpmctorque [andre1969] by Mr_Shiftright HOST May 23, 2009 (11:55 am)
Replying to: andre1969 (May 23, 2009 10:27 am) I hated that movie. It was like the Zimmer of movies, the Clenet of cinema. Noise, brass, chrome, big size, and didn't make sense. Replies to this message: andre1969 (May 23, 2009 4:12 pm) hpmctorque (May 23, 2009 8:37 pm) andre1969 (May 24, 2009 4:35 am)
#401 of 406 Re: #325 of 360 Why? by hpmctorque [Mr_Shiftright] by andre1969 May 23, 2009 (4:12 pm)
Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (May 23, 2009 11:55 am) It was Grbeck who made me think of the Joker. Back in Feb, when we went to the Philly auto show, there was a new TL behind us, and he said it made him think of the Joker, the way it seemed to have the slashes that extended from the corners of the grille, up under the headlights.   A guy at my job recently bought a 2009 TL, SH-AWD or something like that. He got the one color that I think these cars look semi-good in, a deep, dark metallic blue. I sat in it once. Nice car, but it just doesn't seem like a $40K car to me. In contrast, before that he had an '04 TL and then a slightly newer one when that one got totaled. I think they were around $30K, and for that price, they seemed like a bargain. The new one seems sort of like what Detroit started doing in the 1970's...making the cars bigger, but in a useless sort of way, where you got more bulk without any additional interior room. Replies to this message: hpmctorque (May 23, 2009 8:37 pm) andre1969 (May 24, 2009 4:35 am)
#402 of 406 Re: #325 of 360 Why? by hpmctorque (Mr_Shiftright)[andre1969] by hpmctorque May 23, 2009 (8:37 pm)
Replying to: andre1969 (May 23, 2009 4:12 pm) As I see it, the '99-03 TLs were outstanding values and all-around excellent cars, marred only by the problems associated with the introduction of the new 5-speed automatic in the '00 model (the 4-speed automatic in my wife's '99, with 117,000, has been trouble-free). The '04-08 generation was improved in every way. It's quicker and quieter than '99s-'03s, and the steering is sharper. Well, okay, the ride isn't as supple, but Acura softened it just a touch for '06 or '07, giving it an excellent ride-handling compromise. My take on the '04-'08 is that it's as good as a FWD sedan can be. If that TL doesn't satisfy you you need to consider a german luxury brand or an Infiniti. I don't know if the RWD Lexuses cut it.   As for the '09, I agree with you, shifty and andre. It wouldn't be on my shopping list Replies to this message: andre1969 (May 24, 2009 4:35 am)
#403 of 406 Re: #325 of 360 Why? by hpmctorque (Mr_Shiftright)[andre1969] [hpmctorque] by andre1969 May 24, 2009 (4:35 am)
Replying to: hpmctorque (May 23, 2009 8:37 pm) My friend at work had a '99-03 style, as well. Actually, I think it was an '03. I say this because he had an '00 Lincoln LS that was a POS, got traded for an '01 Lincoln LS, and when it hit 50,000 miles he didn't trust it anymore, so he traded for the TL.   I rode in it once or twice, and thought it was a nice car. When that '04 came out though, he just had to get a new one. I know Acuras hold their value pretty well, but I'd still imagine he took a pretty big hit by trading after only one year!
#404 of 406 Re: Why? by hpmctorque May 24, 2009 (8:27 am)
I apologize for being off-topic, but I'll add to my comments about the TLs by saying that to improve over the '04-'08 generation, Acura should have switched to RWD for '09. If any manufacturer has the ability to wrest the top sport sedan crown from BMW, it's Acura, in my opinion. Why? Acura beats Infiniti in refinement and tops BMW in reliability and cost. For those needing or wanting AWD, SH-AWD could be bases on RWD architecture rathere than FWD.   I was hoping that Honda-Acura would follow Nissan-Infiniti's model of FWD for the family haulers and RWD for the luxury division's products, but unfortunately I don't think it's going to happen. Replies to this message: Mr_Shiftright (May 24, 2009 8:44 am)
#405 of 406 Re: Why? [hpmctorque] by Mr_Shiftright HOST May 24, 2009 (8:44 am)
Replying to: hpmctorque (May 24, 2009 8:27 am) Good points.   Yeah let's try to swing back on topic here. Thanks!
#406 of 406 The Sweetest Spot by hpmctorque May 24, 2009 (2:16 pm)
There's probably more than one sweet spot for buying a used luxury car, but I've concluded that the sweetest one is to buy one just before the typical five year factory warranty expires, with no more than 30,000 miles on the odometer. I would include one that's a few months older than five years, with a few more than that number of miles, if the owner (in the singular, because it gets harder to gauge how the car's been driven after the first owner) had been meticulous about maintenance. By this point most of the depreciation has been borne by the original owner, but the car still has ~80% of it's useful life ahead of it.   As we've noted in this discussion, the depreciation on used luxury cars has accelerated significantly during this recession, especially for those who can pay cash, so it's a great time to buy. What I'm not sure of is the sweet spot for selling or trading the hypothetical 5 year old, 30,000 miles car. I'm thinking that age is less important than mileage, so maybe age can be disregarded, and one should follow shifty's suggestion (if I'm recalling correctly) and bail out at ~80,000 miles. Do I have the sale part about right?   What about doing the necessary maintenance and repairs and going to 150,000-200,000, so you enjoy the full benefit of your expenditures. I mean, why spend the money, only to sell at, say, 110,000-120,000 miles?   Your thoughts?

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