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Ever buy a car, new or used and regretted it almost before you even got it home?
I thought I was going to love it. I sold it and hope I never have that feeling again.
I can think of several examples that left me cold ...
a '65 MB 300Se ... 4 door sedan with the 3ltr and air suspension car. Was a huge disappointment after having owned several 220SEb's. The 300 increased HP and air suspension wasn't enough to bring these cars up to any better ride/handling. Just a lot more complexity and over-engineering at huge expense without benefit.
a '67 250SE 'benz. Didn't come close to the performance of the 280SE that followed, nor the fuel economy. The injection pump drive woodruff key failed on my drive home and I had to tow the car to my shop. PIA to repair the injection pump drive and put in a new timing chain and guide rails. Couldn't wait to get this car sold.
an early 230SL. What a dog. I sold my 190SL thinking the newer body style and equipment would be an improvement. Not. These cars didn't make it until the 280 power came along, years later.
BMW Bavaria's ... didn't matter what year or engine series, these cars just didn't work for me. I regretted buying several of these, each time thinking that "this one will be OK". Nope, they all were huge money pits and the cost/value never matched up. Not one of the folk I sold these cars to was every happy with it, no matter how much work went into a resto and mechanical repairs to make it roadworthy. In the same way that 2002's were pretty tough little cars, the Bavaria simply didn't measure up as the "big brother" to the 2002. After 3 Bavaria's, I swore off this model ... along with the 2.8 and 3.0 CS coupes ... "flagship" model of the line at the time, these cars were even bigger money pits. The driving experience didn't match the cost on these, no matter how elegant the 6-cylinder BMW engine ran. Marginal cooling systems saw many failed head gaskets and cracked heads ... a warm day in the Colorado mountains and an encounter with a bunch of butterflies was enough to restrict the radiator flow to overheat these engines to failure. By the time you saw the temp gauge start heading northward and reaching 7/8 to "hot", the head was toast.
The Jag XKE V-12 2+2 I bought. A desperate to get rid of it customer made me an offer I thought I couldn't refuse. I didn't. What a mistake. My first day with the car I needed to replace the water pump. What a horror show. Between ignition, heater fan, A/C, and a host of other electrical problems, dodgy thermostats ... these cars reeked of curb appeal and driver nirvana ... but the reality was these weren't meant to be driven. Just parked and admired for the work of art they were and all the high quality interior trimmings and ergonomics.
As an aftermath ... I had a cash "deal" with a buyer. He wanted a pre-buy inspection by "his mechanic", one of the best to walk this planet. The buyer doubted that I'd done the work to the car that I claimed to make it saleable merchandise. He "knew" that poor compression would be a deal breaker and he didn't believe my cylinder balance test result on my sun 'scope.
No problem, happy to let them look to their heart's content, do the compression test, etc. I drove the car across town to his "ace" shop. I watch his mechanic pull the car into his shop and put a floor jack under the front. The guy was a real prima donna and wasn't interested in my input about the car, so I turned to the customer waiting area to read the paper until my secretary showed up to take me back to my shop. Moments later, I hear the screams from the shop ... the mechanic had placed the jack under the radiator and jacked it up to the hood, destroying the radiator and wrinkling the hood pretty badly. Apparently, he wasn't sharp enough to see that the rising pad on the floor jack wasn't raising the car. Oh well, you've just bought the car and it's not my problem, good day. Your lowball cash offer has been accepted, see ya'.
I can think of several examples that left me cold ...
a '65 MB 300Se ... 4 door sedan with the 3ltr and air suspension car. Was a huge disappointment after having owned several 220SEb's. The 300 increased HP and air suspension wasn't enough to bring these cars up to any better ride/handling. Just a lot more complexity and over-engineering at huge expense without benefit.
a '67 250SE 'benz. Didn't come close to the performance of the 280SE that followed, nor the fuel economy. The injection pump drive woodruff key failed on my drive home and I had to tow the car to my shop. PIA to repair the injection pump drive and put in a new timing chain and guide rails. Couldn't wait to get this car sold.
an early 230SL. What a dog. I sold my 190SL thinking the newer body style and equipment would be an improvement. Not. These cars didn't make it until the 280 power came along, years later.
BMW Bavaria's ... didn't matter what year or engine series, these cars just didn't work for me. I regretted buying several of these, each time thinking that "this one will be OK". Nope, they all were huge money pits and the cost/value never matched up. Not one of the folk I sold these cars to was every happy with it, no matter how much work went into a resto and mechanical repairs to make it roadworthy. In the same way that 2002's were pretty tough little cars, the Bavaria simply didn't measure up as the "big brother" to the 2002. After 3 Bavaria's, I swore off this model ... along with the 2.8 and 3.0 CS coupes ... "flagship" model of the line at the time, these cars were even bigger money pits. The driving experience didn't match the cost on these, no matter how elegant the 6-cylinder BMW engine ran. Marginal cooling systems saw many failed head gaskets and cracked heads ... a warm day in the Colorado mountains and an encounter with a bunch of butterflies was enough to restrict the radiator flow to overheat these engines to failure. By the time you saw the temp gauge start heading northward and reaching 7/8 to "hot", the head was toast.
The Jag XKE V-12 2+2 I bought. A desperate to get rid of it customer made me an offer I thought I couldn't refuse. I didn't. What a mistake. My first day with the car I needed to replace the water pump. What a horror show. Between ignition, heater fan, A/C, and a host of other electrical problems, dodgy thermostats ... these cars reeked of curb appeal and driver nirvana ... but the reality was these weren't meant to be driven. Just parked and admired for the work of art they were and all the high quality interior trimmings and ergonomics.
As an aftermath ... I had a cash "deal" with a buyer. He wanted a pre-buy inspection by "his mechanic", one of the best to walk this planet. The buyer doubted that I'd done the work to the car that I claimed to make it saleable merchandise. He "knew" that poor compression would be a deal breaker and he didn't believe my cylinder balance test result on my sun 'scope.
No problem, happy to let them look to their heart's content, do the compression test, etc. I drove the car across town to his "ace" shop. I watch his mechanic pull the car into his shop and put a floor jack under the front. The guy was a real prima donna and wasn't interested in my input about the car, so I turned to the customer waiting area to read the paper until my secretary showed up to take me back to my shop. Moments later, I hear the screams from the shop ... the mechanic had placed the jack under the radiator and jacked it up to the hood, destroying the radiator and wrinkling the hood pretty badly. Apparently, he wasn't sharp enough to see that the rising pad on the floor jack wasn't raising the car. Oh well, you've just bought the car and it's not my problem, good day. Your lowball cash offer has been accepted, see ya'.
Man, you're a slow learner. It took you a bunch of European junk to learn that it's all junk.
Nah...I guess I've been lucky but I'm truly fearing this when it comes to my next purchase. I've had a few rentals I've hated tho...one was a Yaris, which I truly hated driving and is probably THE WORST car I've ever driven (saying ALOT considering I've been driving since the 80s) and the other was a Jeep Compass which wasn't outwardly terrible just an awkward vehicle that did nothing well.
my brother and I got a high pressure tactic and both walked out of the dealership at the same time with purchase agreements on 2 new Acuras when the dealership was trying to meet some sales goal.
A week later, we both cancelled our agreements and walked away.
Every single time except the most recent time, when I paid cash. I didn't even know what that awful feeling was until someone told me: "It's buyer's remorse, haven't you ever heard of it?" There was never anything wrong with any of the cars. I think for me it was the idea of paying for a car over an extended period of time that made me feel ill. For some reason it's always felt wrong somehow. But after three or four days I'd start to regain some composure.
I do wonder though how anyone can agree to a five, six, or seven year contract for a car. Surely there's a better way. Unless this just doesn't phase people anymore.
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