Buying a car?

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Trollicious_sl

shitlord
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0
Grand Inquisitor Kegkilla_sl said:
also a question about car loans.

what APR am I likely to be offered with ~750 credit score, or is there more to it than that? also, can you pay additional money towards the principle if you desire?
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Depends on a TON of factors but dont pay more than 4% unless you are buying something really old. Money is cheap right now.
Post more specifics and I can give you a better idea.

Dont buy shit at a dealer wholesale scam shit. If it smells like a bad idea it generally is.

As for the registration bit, not worth it to risk it. Depending on your state it could add up to a bunch of bullshit.
 
Zodiac

Zodiac

Lord Nagafen Raider
1,200
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Grand Inquisitor Kegkilla_sl said:
what's the likelihood of getting caught by a cop if I try to drive for ~month with expired inspection stickers?
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Like 6-7 years ago I went 6+ months without getting my car inspected, pos wouldn't pass emissions. In TX our stickers are on the windshield and I did get pulled over a few times, only one ticket I had to pay though. The other times I told the cop that I was working on the car getting it in running condition or that I was a student and it had been sitting up and they let me slide. I finally found this old black dude at an inspection place and I slipped him $20 and he slapped a sticker on it for me lol.
 
kegkilla

kegkilla

The Big Mod
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lol nice. I was thinking it might be worth a shot to go into the hood and see if I can work out a deal.
 
TomServo

TomServo

<Bronze Donator>
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Keg,

As far as the 2008 328 for 18k with 50k miles its a fairly good price, however depends on how good of condition the car is in now. As a fyi after 2007 BMW worked out alot of the electrical problems in the previous generation e46's. My wife has a 2003 325 and 2007 M Roadster and has have a fucking ton of issues with electrical shit. All of her electric windows broke and cost something like 2k to fix them all.
 
Noodleface

Noodleface

A Mod Real Quick
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So my phone cannot do text messages through the Honda handsfree stuff, now I hate my car and I'm trading it in. Just kidding, now I need a new phone
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Z

Zombie Thorne_sl

shitlord
918
1
I drove for almost 2 years on expired tags when i moved back from Florida. I was involved in an accident in FL, took out a small citylight pole avoiding a drunk driver and somehow Orange county decided to bill me the 76k to replace the pole. I had no idea for a little over a year, and didnt find out what the issue was until trying to get new OK tags. It took nearly a year to get the issue resolved. Got pulled over a few times, always got lucky enough to have a cop that understood the situation.

You should have seen my face when i got a call from Orlando Power Authority saying i had a past due electric balance of $76,212... I was like, damn i must have left the stove on!
 
Drinsic

Drinsic

privileged excrementlord
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What the fuck? I've had two friends drunkenly take out a light pole and it cost them about 2.5k each.
 
Arative

Arative

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Zodiac_sl said:
Like 6-7 years ago I went 6+ months without getting my car inspected, pos wouldn't pass emissions. In TX our stickers are on the windshield and I did get pulled over a few times, only one ticket I had to pay though. The other times I told the cop that I was working on the car getting it in running condition or that I was a student and it had been sitting up and they let me slide. I finally found this old black dude at an inspection place and I slipped him $20 and he slapped a sticker on it for me lol.
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In Missouri, if your car is older than 1997, you don't have to get an emissions test, just an inspection. Kind of backwards really, newer cars should have better emissions controls on them than older cars.
 
Frenzied Wombat

Frenzied Wombat

Potato del Grande
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Having owned three BMW's, I would never, ever, own an out of warranty beemer. IMHO, BMW's are the perfect lease car-- fixed stable payments each month, no maintenance costs, and of course the dealer eats all the warranty repairs. Give it back in 3 years and get another at the same monthly cost. Owning an out of warranty BMW requires that you be able and willing to drop 3k for a repair without batting an eyelash. Even the simplest repair will cost you 1K, heck even the car battery is $600 bucks with installation.. My friend's 2007 335 just had it's AC go out and the repair bill was 2.5K. If you know a really good non-dealer based "german car" garage life can be a little bit better, but imho it just isn't worth it.


Grand Inquisitor Kegkilla_sl said:
might need to get a new car. friend of mine works at a BMW dealer and can get me the best price available on a car there. thinking about grabbing a 2008 328 with ~50k miles for around $18k. good idea?
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kegkilla

kegkilla

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turns out the dealer was trying to fuck me and all I needed for inspection was a gas cap.
 
Noodleface

Noodleface

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On the flipside, my brother went 1 day over his inspection sticker and got pulled over and ticketed. This was in MA though, notorious dickwad cops.
 
Z

Zombie Thorne_sl

shitlord
918
1
Frenzied Wombat_sl said:
Having owned three BMW's, I would never, ever, own an out of warranty beemer. IMHO, BMW's are the perfect lease car-- fixed stable payments each month, no maintenance costs, and of course the dealer eats all the warranty repairs. Give it back in 3 years and get another at the same monthly cost. Owning an out of warranty BMW requires that you be able and willing to drop 3k for a repair without batting an eyelash. Even the simplest repair will cost you 1K, heck even the car battery is $600 bucks with installation.. My friend's 2007 335 just had it's AC go out and the repair bill was 2.5K. If you know a really good non-dealer based "german car" garage life can be a little bit better, but imho it just isn't worth it.
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This is what ive always heard too. However you can offset costs by learning to do it yourself. A lot of the issues they have are electrical, power window switches, power seats, door locks etc. Usually a pretty easy fix if you take the time to learn. If that doesnt appeal to you at all, then F it.

As everyone has said, i wouldnt suggest an out of warranty german car unless you really like cars and the whole driving experience.
 
Eomer

Eomer

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I've only driven a single BMW off warranty for about 4 years, a 2001 330xi, and the only work required on it other than maintenance was a failed water pump. Around $600 installed at an independent shop, if I recall right, as I have no interest in wrenching on my own vehicles. That said, I don't put a lot of miles on my cars. The car had about 120-140,000 km on it and was 9 years old when I sold it. A lot of minor niggles when it was under warranty with squeaks and rattles, but otherwise the car was pretty damn solid.

My 2009 335xi just came off warranty, so we'll see. Again, lots of squeaks and rattles, and something went wrong with the AWD after about a year (car would go in to "safe" mode with no power to the front wheels, no ABS and no traction control, which wasn't fun as it happened in the dead of winter), recall on the fuel pump, and that's about it.

I agree that they're not easy on maintenance or repairs. But I don't think they're nearly as bad as people seem to think either, unless you're servicing them at the dealership.
 
Big Phoenix

Big Phoenix

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Noodleface_sl said:
On the flipside, my brother went 1 day over his inspection sticker and got pulled over and ticketed. This was in MA though, notorious dickwad cops.
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Damn. I just went 5 months with expired tags and never got pulled over. Even had a cop pull up behind me once and nothing.
 
Frenzied Wombat

Frenzied Wombat

Potato del Grande
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Let's face it, the main reasons behind driving a BMW are 1) Prestige, 2) Looks, and possibly 3)handling/performance. A 5+ year BMW has significantly diminished prestige/looks, particularly a 3 series. In the absence of those factors, you are better off with a Honda Accord or maybe Infiniti at the high end. Better long term quality and far cheaper repairs.

It's just a matter of opportunity cost. You buy a German car because of the status it provides, not reliability or cost efficiency. In the absence of the former (somewhat aligned with warranty expiration), you are better off with a Honda Accord.

I've always said the true test of a car's worth was to drive it in Montreal and then compare. American cars would be rust buckets after 4-5 years, beemers were a bit better but the stiff suspensions took a beating from all the potholes. Pretty much the only cars that could make it ten years were Japanese cars. I think 80% of the city drove Honda/Toyota.

And God, do BMW's rattle like crazy after a few years-- they end up sounding like a late '80's Oldsmobile. It drives me nuts that my girlfriends 25K Japanese car is whisper quiet while my 50K Z4 sounds like all sorts of creaking plastic.


Eomer_sl said:
I've only driven a single BMW off warranty for about 4 years, a 2001 330xi, and the only work required on it other than maintenance was a failed water pump. Around $600 installed at an independent shop, if I recall right, as I have no interest in wrenching on my own vehicles. That said, I don't put a lot of miles on my cars. The car had about 120-140,000 km on it and was 9 years old when I sold it. A lot of minor niggles when it was under warranty with squeaks and rattles, but otherwise the car was pretty damn solid.

My 2009 335xi just came off warranty, so we'll see. Again, lots of squeaks and rattles, and something went wrong with the AWD after about a year (car would go in to "safe" mode with no power to the front wheels, no ABS and no traction control, which wasn't fun as it happened in the dead of winter), recall on the fuel pump, and that's about it.

I agree that they're not easy on maintenance or repairs. But I don't think they're nearly as bad as people seem to think either, unless you're servicing them at the dealership.
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