I might do a thing today. talk me out of, or into it.

"sefeing, actually bought an E46" (sefeing90) 06/09/2018 at 07:57 • Filed to: Car Buying, Volkswagen, Help, Oppohelp

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Update: it was a great car, I just can’t justify it

So, ever since we sold the Civic and reverted back to mass transit or rentals when getting out of the city, I’ve felt a hole. I miss not having to take an Uber or hour and a half subway-to-bus trip to LGA to pick up a rental, or spending 3 hours on a cramped Trans-Bridge bus; I miss having a car.

And like every one of us, I spend tireless hours on Craigslist just to see what’s available. I started running insurance costs, and found that MK6 Jetta’s are cheap as hell to insure (I’m talking $100/mo, compared to the $160/mo that I was quoted for a 2004 Accord. What.), fairly reliable and cheap on maintenance (timing chain on the 2.5 5cyl), and are overall decent cars. They’re not the fastest thing, but they have 4 wheels and aren’t a 1999 Elantra.

I found one I like. I really like. It’s a 1 owner car , with 72k miles, SE model with convenience package (bluetooth, sunroof, etc) for $5500 from a private seller in Williamsburg, which is easy as pie for me to get to. The guy wrote me back a normal email like a normal human being - not that “yo just come see it in person” bullshit that half of NYC does - and I’m going to look at it today.

The fact that it’s well priced and 1 owner really really really makes it attractive to me, along with the cheaper insurance.

If you remember, not too long ago, I bought an ‘04 Civic EX Coupe as my first car in a few years. It was in OK shape - the paint was peeling and there were some dents - but it was from a single owner and the freedom was great. I sold it after taking a new job that came with a significant pay cut that gave me anxiety over the extra money a month. The girlfriend and I would be splitting it, so initial purchase price isn’t too stressful, I guess. Now I’m comfortable and feel I can afford this - BUT my real anxiousness is not using it enough to justify it, and I’m trying to save for some other large expense that comes once in a lifetime (if you get my gist).

ANYWAY, I’m going to look at it today in a few hours with a buddy. We’ll see what happens.

Here’s a link to the ad:

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Ash78, voting early and often > sefeing, actually bought an E46 06/09/2018 at 08:29

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Biggest question, Jetta aside: why go all the way to LGA for a rental? From my experience, non-aiport locations for rental companies are a lot easier and cheaper.

Second Q: I’m biased against sedans, especially in cities where space is at a premium. How about a Golf or a Jetta/Golf wagon?

Sounds like you have bigger stuff on the horizon, so I’d put it off, look for alternate rental options, and see what the near future holds before making a decision.

The cars I chose stuck around well through marriages and kids, and only when they truly stopped making sense did I get rid of them.

sefeing, actually bought an E46 > Ash78, voting early and often 06/09/2018 at 08:53

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LGA is, for whatever reason, MUCH cheaper to rent from than anywhere else around. I always thought airport rentals were more expensive too and then did my research. At least here in NYC, they’re not (unless you’re renting out in Long Island, which isn’t time sensitive). I’ve found $80/weekend before at Hertz at LGA. Zipcar is over $300 a weekend, and Car2Go’s don’t work for ski trips.

I’d be all for a Golf / wagon, but they’re hard to find, more expensive and in NYC, all beat up. Finding one that hasn’t been beat to hell is hard - part of the reason I’m drawn to this is that it doesn’t seem beat to all hell.

Whether or not I buy, definitely checking this car out.

someassemblyrequired > sefeing, actually bought an E46 06/09/2018 at 09:04

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The old trick used to be to take cars from Midtown to Newark - was like $20, then pick up there. Not sure if that’s still a thing but Avis and Hertz used to do that.

Edit: still a thing - see here: https://www.avis.com/car-rental/content/display.ac%3FcontentId%3Dnyc-newark-US_en-008428%26ICID%3DDealsLanding

Porsche was my first word > sefeing, actually bought an E46 06/09/2018 at 09:06

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If you need a car is a matter of personal preferences. If I can afford a car and park it without to much hassle I will always go for a car. Because I can drive out to the lake (Hamptons) spontaneously with out any further prep.

Being a good car (means do your homework) is way more important to buy a car with an reputation of being reliable from a shafy source. Just watch this Porsche Cayenne turbo video from Hoovie’s Garage for fun:

Always a good idea is to listen to Steve Lehto’s car buying advice, too. Steve’s YouTube Channel

Anyways, you have wide selection of cars to choose from. Pics from only the first page of autotrader.com

Porsche was my first word > Porsche was my first word 06/09/2018 at 09:15

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Some more cars.

TheRealBicycleBuck > sefeing, actually bought an E46 06/09/2018 at 09:47

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Purchasing with your girlfriend ? That’s a big fat NO in my book. For some unfathomable reason, by father-in-law participated in the purchase of our Explorer. I wasn’t involved at all, so I had no idea what they did until it was too late. He thought he was being nice, but now it’s come back to bite them in the ass. After the Explorer was totaled, the insurance company wrote a check out to BOTH of them. He lives 12 hours away in a town where our bank has no branches. Even if they both co-sign, the bank won’t let us deposit the insurance check without him here in person. So, my wife has to go home, go with him to deposit the check in his account, wait for it to clear, then either do an electronic transfer or get him to write a check back to us.

Add in the risk of a girlfriend who has no legal ties with you and you may end up in a situation where you lose everything you’ve invested into the car.

I know, things are “different” up there in NY, but the legal system hasn’t caught up to how people live thei r  lives. It isn’t about relationships, it’s about covering your ass if things don’t work out.

sefeing, actually bought an E46 > someassemblyrequired 06/09/2018 at 15:04

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Holy shit this just blew my mind.

someassemblyrequired > sefeing, actually bought an E46 06/09/2018 at 20:07

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Yeah it is a great scam apparently also works to JFK and LGA as well.