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Hello thread. I'm at a point where my '05 Infiniti G35 needs more money in repairs than it's worth, so I'm looking at a replacement. To use the OP template: Proposed Budget: under $25k New or Used: used Body Style: sedan or 4-door hatchback How will you be using the car?: daily driver / commuter (mix of city and highway driving in Austin, TX) Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?): yes What aspects are most important to you?
I have it generally narrowed down to 2014/2015 editions of the Audi A4, BMW 320i or 328i, Lexus IS250 or CT 200h, and MB C300. I've yet to test drive any of these, so I may end up hating them all  Since German cars and "reasonable maintenance costs" don't really belong in the same sentence, I'll be looking for cars that have at least 1 year left on the mfg warranty. I've pretty much written off Infiniti (because the newer models feel cramped) and Acura (I just couldn't find a model that looked interesting).The most sensible choice of the bunch is probably one of the Lexuses. The potential resale value of the CT200h is (in my opinion) questionable, which probably points to the IS as the presumptive winner. Aesthetically speaking, I'd prefer the Germans, but I've also heard enough horror stories about how much their repair costs. But if I can find a BMW with 2 years left on the warranty, I'd consider it. So, am I missing anything obvious, or is the wishlist and price point too optimistic?
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Jan 4, 2017 23:29
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If it makes a difference to you, nowadays you can often get a non-luxury-car brand with more gizmos then you'd get on the luxury car brand at that price range...so it depends on if you're more interested in the luxury prestige or the gizmos when you answer "yes" to "Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?".
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Jan 4, 2017 23:33
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Trabant posted:Hello thread. I'm at a point where my '05 Infiniti G35 needs more money in repairs than it's worth, so I'm looking at a replacement. To use the OP template: This reads as you want to spend $10,000 to own a car for two years. What you want is a lease with something that caps your "wear and tear" cleaning costs. $416/month in lease gets you a hell of a brand new luxury car. https://www.bmwusa.com/special-offers.html for example, that is advertised so the deal can only get better from there.
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Jan 4, 2017 23:58
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Thermopyle posted:If it makes a difference to you, nowadays you can often get a non-luxury-car brand with more gizmos then you'd get on the luxury car brand at that price range...so it depends on if you're more interested in the luxury prestige or the gizmos when you answer "yes" to "Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?". I suppose the question from the OP was the best catch-all, but it's not so much the gizmos or prestige as it is the fit and finish of the car. I think those still match up best with luxury brands. My 12-yo car still feels better than many recent Toyotas and Nissans I've driven. Maybe I just drove crappy ones? I've certainly babied my G35, and if it weren't for the ABS pump/controller crapping the bed, I'd probably drive it for a good while longer. The cabin is spacious, layout is a bit old-fashioned but uncluttered, and I went a good 100k miles before I started noticing some (still minor) squeaks and rattles. I'm happy to entertain non-luxury brands, if you can think of something that would be along those lines. Strictly speaking about the tech/gizmos: power seat(s), Bluetooth, AUX input, and a USB charging port are top priorities, with SiriusXM bringing up the rear. And you're right: other than the power seats, I've seen those features in econobox rentals these days. H110Hawk posted:This reads as you want to spend $10,000 to own a car for two years. What you want is a lease with something that caps your "wear and tear" cleaning costs. $416/month in lease gets you a hell of a brand new luxury car. You're correct, leasing did come up as an idea too. While I haven't written it off, it has two strikes against it: 1) I live in TX, where the lease gets taxed the full vehicle purchase price (and not the lease portion of it), and 2) More importantly: there's a nonzero possibility I'll be moving out of the country in a couple of years. While I can negotiate a lease length to be something other than the typical 36/39-month term, I just don't like the idea of being "under contract" if I have to up and move my rear end to Germany. I feel that selling a car would be easier. So yes, that's worth looking into as well. Just somehow... riskier?
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Jan 5, 2017 00:10
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Trabant posted:You're correct, leasing did come up as an idea too. While I haven't written it off, it has two strikes against it: Everything is negotiable, including a lease. You can get a 24 month lease, you can potentially return it early, and you can use the up-front tax liability to complain about your payment price / residual value being too high/low respectively. Or have them roll it into the lease payment. The big drawback in your scenario is if you are in country for 25 months on a 24 month lease. That is a month of renting a car. If you have to ship off on a months notice then selling a car could put you in the hole just as easily. Relying on the residual value of a vehicle when it's not in writing is a big risk. I would just go to a dealership and chat with the guy. Say you need a car you don't want to worry about for 2 years but because you are a special snowflake you really need to know what happens if you move to Germany and have to drop the keys off early.
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Jan 5, 2017 00:23
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Lease something the manufacturers are desperate to move that will be ok for the first 2 years of its doomed life but they'll cut you a nice deal on. How do you feel about Fiat 500s? e: upon looking it seems those shitheaps don't have powered seats. I know Mazda3s do but they're not difficult to move off lots because they're good cars. Maybe look at Hyundais. IRQ fucked around with this message at 01:38 on Jan 5, 2017 |
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Jan 5, 2017 01:31
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Take a look at a used ES300h from Carmax. Seems to check off most of your boxes (and I'm sure that it'll completely ruin you going forward because it can have ventilated seats).
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Jan 5, 2017 03:33
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OK, you've convinced me to re-examine the lease possibility. That certainly opens up more possibilities!IRQ posted:Lease something the manufacturers are desperate to move that will be ok for the first 2 years of its doomed life but they'll cut you a nice deal on. How do you feel about Fiat 500s? Am I crazy in thinking that'll be the case with the BMW i3, esp. once the shine is off the '17 model in a month or two? That one was an out-there candidate (because a guy I know has it and raves about it) that definitely doesn't fit in with the rest of my list and made no sense as a used car purchase. But as a lease... maybe? Phone posted:Take a look at a used ES300h from Carmax. Seems to check off most of your boxes (and I'm sure that it'll completely ruin you going forward because it can have ventilated seats). Will do. I seem to remember writing them off because they were above my $25k price point, but I'll take another look.
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Jan 5, 2017 04:51
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In the market for a new car to supplement my old Volvo wagon. I want to buy something nice and newish and get an insurance per mile plan on it. I don't plan on driving this more often than every weekend, so ill be putting low mileage on this every year. Would it be a good idea to buy a certified BMW 3 series? Something within the past couple years and under 30k miles on it? Prices seem to range in the low 20s. I figure it'd be nice, and would last a while since I wont be driving it hard at all.
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Jan 5, 2017 18:14
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Saint Celestine posted:In the market for a new car to supplement my old Volvo wagon. I want to buy something nice and newish and get an insurance per mile plan on it. I don't plan on driving this more often than every weekend, so ill be putting low mileage on this every year. You can get pretty low rates on an extra vehicle. (># of drivers in the home.) I pay $552/year to insure my third card. Make sure to at least quote your primary carrier, let them know your annual estimated mileage is under whatever their low miles threshold is, and that it is for pleasure use only. Also a BMW will still find a way to suck money from you unused.
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Jan 5, 2017 18:53
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H110Hawk posted:You can get pretty low rates on an extra vehicle. (># of drivers in the home.) I pay $552/year to insure my third card. Make sure to at least quote your primary carrier, let them know your annual estimated mileage is under whatever their low miles threshold is, and that it is for pleasure use only. Also a BMW will still find a way to suck money from you unused. I figured, but I wanted something 'nice', and keep the money suckage as low as possible. I know ill have to pay more for BMW repairs, but it shouldn't be as much as if I was putting a ton of miles on it every year. Any other suggestions?
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Jan 5, 2017 19:16
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Saint Celestine posted:In the market for a new car to supplement my old Volvo wagon. I want to buy something nice and newish and get an insurance per mile plan on it. I don't plan on driving this more often than every weekend, so ill be putting low mileage on this every year. If you really don't plan to drive it much, why not get something actually fun and interesting?
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Jan 5, 2017 19:27
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Saint Celestine you'll find that a lot of people here talk a lot of poo poo about the current BMW 3 Series, not least of which are the goons in the BMW thread. I guess they have their reasons.
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Jan 5, 2017 19:42
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Saint Celestine posted:I figured, but I wanted something 'nice', and keep the money suckage as low as possible. I know ill have to pay more for BMW repairs, but it shouldn't be as much as if I was putting a ton of miles on it every year. Oh still get it, just know that it will still find a way to surprise you. Or get a Z4.
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Jan 5, 2017 19:52
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Definitely buy a 2WD truck then, they're way cheaper. Sorry to come back to this so late, but what half-ton 2wd truck would you guys recommend?
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Jan 5, 2017 20:02
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:If you really don't plan to drive it much, why not get something actually fun and interesting? Like what?
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Jan 5, 2017 20:51
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Seriously considering driving 100+ miles to test drive and buy this Outback: https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listing/4S4BRBGC1D3312807/2013-subaru-outback/92020/ Here is the carfax: https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/Report.cfx?vin=4S4BRBGC1D3312807&csearch=0&partner=GAZ_0 Any red flags standing out to you guys? Is 22k miles a year too much?
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Jan 5, 2017 21:10
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Michael Scott posted:Saint Celestine you'll find that a lot of people here talk a lot of poo poo about the current BMW 3 Series, not least of which are the goons in the BMW thread. I guess they have their reasons. FWIW, I love my old 2004 330ci and it hasn't been nearly as bad on maintenance and upkeep as people seem to think. But it definitely requires more attention and maintenance schedule adherence than a Toyota or whatever. That said, I still would only recommend one to a car enthusiast who is willing to put up with the quirks, since most people think having to do scheduled maintenance like brakes/tires or a water pump means a car is "on its last legs". But mine is also one of the last BMWs that isn't a turbocharged, totally computer-controlled machine that requires recoding for every drat thing. Granted a lot of new cars are insanely more complex and computer-controlled than cars from 10 years ago, but for example on the new BMWs you have to recode the computer to replace the drat battery. Turns a $100 battery replacement into a $400 affair. poo poo like that.
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Jan 5, 2017 21:10
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khysanth posted:Any red flags standing out to you guys? Is 22k miles a year too much? If it's kept up on maintenance, no. That's almost to-the-mile what I have on my 2013 CR-V 
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Jan 5, 2017 21:15
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Guinness posted:But mine is also one of the last BMWs that isn't a turbocharged, totally computer-controlled machine that requires recoding for every drat thing. Granted a lot of new cars are insanely more complex and computer-controlled than cars from 10 years ago, but for example on the new BMWs you have to recode the computer to replace the drat battery. Turns a $100 battery replacement into a $400 affair. poo poo like that. While the total isn't that far off, the battery itself for my '09 Z4 is ~$200. Plus coding. http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/autocraft-platinum-agm-battery-group-size-h7-850-cca-h7-agm/10210826-P?navigationPath=L1*14920%7CL2*15000 It's this little nickel and dime crap that adds up to much higher repair prices on BMW's and their ilk. The parts cost more, there are simply more parts, and the computer will get mad at you if you don't speak its language.
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Jan 5, 2017 22:09
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Saint Celestine posted:Like what? Low 20s buys you a hell of a lot of gently used car. I assume when you're looking at low 20s you're talking about 328s, which aren't particularly interesting. Do you care about driving stick or not, and do you care about driving dynamics or not?
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Jan 5, 2017 22:11
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fyallm posted:Sorry to come back to this so late, but what half-ton 2wd truck would you guys recommend? I like Rams personally with THE RAMBOX but really any recent half ton is about the same.
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Jan 5, 2017 22:12
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Low 20s buys you a hell of a lot of gently used car. I assume when you're looking at low 20s you're talking about 328s, which aren't particularly interesting. Do you care about driving stick or not, and do you care about driving dynamics or not? I prefer automatic and don't even know what you mean by driving dynamics, so I'm gonna say no. My main uses for this will be errands and short roadtrips around the pacific northwest. My car right now is a 93' volvo 240 wagon, and i like it, but its showing its age.
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Jan 5, 2017 22:20
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Saint Celestine posted:I prefer automatic and don't even know what you mean by driving dynamics, so I'm gonna say no. Positive driving dynamics are what someone means when they say something is "fun to drive." Nimble handling characteristics, non-puny drivetrain, not 8,000lbs, minimal body roll, stuff like that. The opposite of the average American-focused crossover. Most people who want a car to go from A to B (typically home to work and back) don't care about driving dynamics, unfortunately, so automakers respond by putting resources into other areas. Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 22:33 on Jan 5, 2017 |
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Jan 5, 2017 22:30
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Saint Celestine posted:I prefer automatic and don't even know what you mean by driving dynamics, so I'm gonna say no. Don't buy a BMW if you don't nominally care about driving dynamics or owning a manual transmission sport sedan. If you want a gently used sport sedan I'd steer you to the Lexus IS or Infiniti G or Q.
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Jan 5, 2017 23:24
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Saint Celestine posted:I prefer automatic and don't even know what you mean by driving dynamics, so I'm gonna say no. You really want a Lexus. ES300h should be a good fit.
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Jan 5, 2017 23:37
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Twerk from Home posted:You really want a Lexus. ES300h should be a good fit. Interesting. Price matches. I don't really know much about Lexus. Good car?
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Jan 6, 2017 02:59
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Saint Celestine posted:I don't really know much about Lexus. Good car? They're fundamentally just really nice Toyotas, and come with most of the same good and bad as a Toyota. And the new ones are just as ugly as new Toyotas, too, maybe more. If you don't care about driving dynamics or a manual transmission, which is what you pay a premium for on something like a BMW or Porsche, and just looking for a nice plush ride with luxury gizmos then you're the target demographic for a Lexus. They are a bit more expensive to own and maintain than an economy car, though, since they're higher end and just generally have a lot more stuff to look after and eventually break than something like a Corolla. But as far as luxury cars go they are generally dependable. Guinness fucked around with this message at 03:06 on Jan 6, 2017 |
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Jan 6, 2017 03:02
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More reliable than most other luxury brands. The ES is the nicest Toyota Camry/Avalon that money can buy. If you want something with vaguely sporting pretensions, the IS shares most of the same virtues in terms of reliability while sacrificing some of the "driving a couch down the road" feeling. The only reason to buy one of the nazimobiles if you don't care about performance is if you like dick measuring contests based on the brand of car you drive.
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Jan 6, 2017 03:04
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Nearly spit out my drink after hearing nazimobiles for the first time, thank you kyoon.
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Jan 6, 2017 04:40
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I'm pretty sure that although the Camry has fold down rear seats the ES300 doesn't for some dumb reason if that matters to anyone.
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Jan 6, 2017 04:45
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:I like Rams personally with THE RAMBOX but really any recent half ton is about the same. Keyser S0ze posted:I'm pretty sure that although the Camry has fold down rear seats the ES300 doesn't for some dumb reason if that matters to anyone. Nitrox fucked around with this message at 06:40 on Jan 6, 2017 |
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Jan 6, 2017 06:37
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CHASSIS STIFFNESS I think the dude was gonna tow a small boat and make home depot runs. In fairness whenever I've had to use Real American Work Trucks they've all been 3/4 tons. I think you're supposed to avoid the 5.4L Ford Triton V8 (the 24-valve one) for various reliability reasons.
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Jan 6, 2017 14:41
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Saint Celestine posted:Interesting. Price matches. I don't really know much about Lexus. Good car? I just test drove one like a week or so back. I didn't end up getting it because I decided I wanted to spend less, but I really liked it. Good MPG, comfy as all gently caress, used 2013 or 2014 ones around 30k miles seemed like an extremely good value for the $. Would recommend.
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Jan 6, 2017 14:48
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What are the main differences between a Avalon (v6) and an ES 350? Say 2014 model year forward. Besides price, obv. One of those will probably be my next car.
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Jan 6, 2017 15:15
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:I like Rams personally with THE RAMBOX but really any recent half ton is about the same. Are there any years I should avoid?
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Jan 6, 2017 15:19
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Sorry, it's been forever - what's your budget?
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Jan 6, 2017 16:21
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euphronius posted:What are the main differences between a Avalon (v6) and an ES 350? Say 2014 model year forward. Besides price, obv. Longer Lexus warranty, Lexus touchpad infotainment, plus most ES trims have memory seats but only the top end trim of the Avalon does which was a dealkiller for me because basically if you wanted memory seats you were spending more money on the Toyota than on the Lexus (This may have changed at some point).
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Jan 6, 2017 16:45
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Throatwarbler posted:Longer Lexus warranty, Lexus touchpad infotainment, plus most ES trims have memory seats but only the top end trim of the Avalon does which was a dealkiller for me because basically if you wanted memory seats you were spending more money on the Toyota than on the Lexus (This may have changed at some point). same engine, brakes, trans, etc?
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Jan 6, 2017 16:52
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Been chatting through email with the internet sales team at the Subaru dealership re: https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listing/4S4BRBGC1D3312807/2013-subaru-outback/92020/ (price seems too good to be true so I have been wary). This is my first time purchasing a vehicle (still driving the same car I got when I was 16 over a decade ago) so indulge my naivete. Here are the questions I sent yesterday, the responses I got, and the followup questions I just sent now. Anything stand out as weird (other than their response to #11 lol)? Me posted:Here are my questions: Subaru posted:This email certainly required a manager's attention, so allow me to help. It's a very extensive list, so I'll answer as best I can. Me posted:Thanks for the responses. I have a few follow up questions: It's a 140 mile drive down to the dealership so I obviously don't want to waste our time. edit- Here is the response: Subaru posted:Regarding the inspection by your technician, I was under the impression he was local. Please understand my concern in putting hundreds of miles on a vehicle that you may decide not to purchase. I would be more than happy to provide you with a detailed list of what our certified technicians did, and allow you to get a second opinion from someone local to me. Despite them trying to get me in VERY quickly, they have had the car for sale since 11/13/16 according to the CarFax. khysanth fucked around with this message at 20:31 on Jan 6, 2017 |
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Jan 6, 2017 20:17
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