New car musings

[sbr]

Further investigation on the Internet revealed two things.  My used car is hot, but ain't hot enough to bother buying back just for trade-in.  Waiver of the $350 fee is a pretty good deal.  Secondly, the offer on the new car the guy gave me was within $200 of the best I could get on the Internet, guaranteed.  He was fair on both accounts, which makes his dickishness a bit more puzzling.  If you're going to adopt the tactic of dropping the bullshit and going straight to the point when it comes to price, you should probably also drop the tactic of being an asshole. 

Maybe it wasn't a tactic.

[Barrister]

I am a fully-converted Jeep Wranglerer.  I hop curbs and black families.

Plus you'll be able to drive to the store in a snowstorm. And run over black families trudging home after the Pookiemobile slid off the road.

It isn't the vehicle, it is the driver.
I get around all winter in a Honda. Accord

I get around year-round in a Honda Accord coupe.  Cause I'm cool like dat.

[CountDeMoney]

I am a fully-converted Jeep Wranglerer.  I hop curbs and black families.

Plus you'll be able to drive to the store in a snowstorm. And run over black families trudging home after the Pookiemobile slid off the road.

It isn't the vehicle, it is the driver.
I get around all winter in a Honda. Accord

I get around year-round in a Honda Accord coupe.  Cause I'm cool like dat.

He's not that far from the equator.

[DGuller]

BTW, does anyone here have experience with all those environment-sensing thingies like adaptive cruise control, sideswipe preventer, or rear-end preventer?  Do they work well in practice, or do they get in the way more than help?  Audi A4 can be equipped with them, and I'm wondering if I should spend an extra couple of grand on them and maybe get a more "future-proof" car.

[Zanza2]

Adaptive cruise control is awesome if you drive longer distances (I've only tested the Mercedes, not the Audi variant so far, but under the hood it's probably the same anyway). You can just set it to your preferred speed and it accelerates and brakes for you. It takes some time until you trust the system to really break down when someone switches into your lane. But it is a mature and reliable technology now. Doesn't make sense if you only drive a few blocks in the city though.

Is sideswipe preventer the thing that warns you if something is next to you that you can't see because it's at a bad angle or the system that warns you when you leave your lane? The former is a good enough security feature and works well, the latter is annoying bullshit.

The rear-end preventer is something that very rarely triggers, but supposedly can save lives. I've never seen it in action really, so I can't tell if it's worth it.

Another sensor that I find helpful is the system that can read traffic signs and display them in your instruments. That way you are not missing speed limits as often anymore.

[DGuller]

I think I'm leaning towards postponing getting a new car.  I don't see much sense in paying extra $20k+ for a car that is a marginal improvement in most areas over my Jetta, with the exception of AWD and four rings on the grille.  The only thing that can sway me is if I can find a car with lots of cool gizmos for the right price, but A4s with the cool gizmos are very rare.  My Jetta is pretty damn good, and worth the buyout price.

[mongers]

I think I'm leaning towards postponing getting a new car.  I don't see much sense in paying extra $20k+ for a car that is a marginal improvement in most areas over my Jetta, with the exception of AWD and four rings on the grille.  The only thing that can sway me is if I can find a car with lots of cool gizmos for the right price, but A4s with the cool gizmos are very rare.  My Jetta is pretty damn good, and worth the buyout price.

I saw this the other day and thought of you:

http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/59756/Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang-Car-Up-For-Sale



has lots of cool gizmos as well.

[DGuller]

Does it have adaptive cruise control?

[Zanza2]

I drove a Mercedes S class the whole weekend. Spent more than 300 euro on fuel (something like 60 gallons of premium). Of course it was my employer's money.

I found out that adaptive cruise control only works up to 200 kph. Beyond that and you have to drive yourself.

I really liked the massage seats. That's a gizmo that might just be worth it if you drive a lot. The camera to drive backwards is a nice touch. And the button to close the trunk lid so you don't have to do this manual labour yourself is obviously an essential feature of a car.

[Ed Anger]

I still want an old Jag.

[DGuller]

I found out that adaptive cruise control only works up to 200 kph. Beyond that and you have to drive yourself.

  If Germany won the war, we'd probably be driving on autobahns now.

[mongers]

I still want an old Jag.

Suits you, here's you new avatar:

[DGuller]

Well, the decision has been made.  I'm buying back my Jetta.  Even that turned out to not be as simple as I thought.

Not realizing that all I had to do was call VW Credit, since it's their car, I called my dealership which sold me the car, and asked them what I needed to do to buy back my car.  They told me to come in and talk about it.  I come in, and a guy I'll call Mr. Dumb meets me.  Immediately he starts setting me up for a loan, as if it was a done deal, and it took me a minute to convince him that no, I don't need a fucking loan, I'm paying in full.

Then he took me to another guy, I'll call him Mr. Dumber.  He's prepping up the documents, and tacks on a turn-in fee of $350.  The conversation went something like this:

Me:               "Uhm, no, I don't need to pay a turn-in fee, since I'm not turning in my car."
Mr. Dumber:  "Well, the computer says you need to pay a turn-in fee."
Me:               "Here, read my contract, it says the fee is to be paid if I do not purchase my car.  If I purchase my car, I need to pay a buyout option fee, which is stated to be $0 right here."
Mr. Dumber:  "Hmm, OK, if that's what it says, then I guess I'll take it off.  But VW Credit says you have to pay a turn-in fee."
Me:               "Why would I pay a turn-in fee if I'm not turning in my car?  "
Mr. Dumber:  "I don't know, I'm not a VW Credit guy.  It just says there that the turn-in fee is $350."
Me:               "But I'm not turning in my car!  It's an English question, why would I need to pay a turn-in fee if I'm NOT turning in my car?"
Mr. Dumb:     "Well, they need to cover the costs of sending a flatbed truck out there and towing your car."
Me:               "But I'm going to drive away in my car, why do they need to tow it?  "
Mr. Dumb:     "Well, they don't know that."
Me:               "Uhm, OK, let's move on."

Mr. Dumber hands me a new piece of paper, without the turn-in fee, but with about $600 worth of fees tacked on.  While I'm reading it with a disgust on my face, Mr. Dumb starts up another conversation.

Mr. Dumb:     "Why do you want to pay the whole amount, wouldn't it be better to just pay a few bucks a month?"
Me:               ".  Uhm, no?"
Mr. Dumb:     "Well, instead of paying the whole amount, you could be just paying a little every month.  Isn't that smarter?"
Me:               "Uhm, no."

As they see my face, and hear me ask about the fees, they inform me that I don't need to deal with them if I don't want to pay the doc fees, and I can contact VW Credit directly.  Maybe they'll even not charge me any fees, and I can convince them to keep my plates.  I take them up on the offer instantly, and thank them for their time through my screeching teeth.  I don't know what's more insulting, that they tried to cheat me, or that they assumed I was a total idiot during those attempts.

Turns out all I needed was a 5 minute conversation with VW Credit representative.  No fees, no plate changes, just send a check to them and then go to DMV.  Lesson learned.  In the mean time, I'm pondering whether I should contact BBB, leave a scathing review on the Internet, or just let it go.

[Ed Anger]

In the mean time, I'm pondering whether I should contact BBB, leave a scathing review on the Internet, or just let it go.

Follow them after work and ambush them in a parking lot.