dwightlooi

6 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

By buying a 3 yr old CPO from California w/ 25k miles I got a rust free pretty much spotless like new Jeep that had only trivial differences from a new one, at about $15k off the new price.  New car smell isn’t worth that much for me. 

I got the 2014 CTS VSport Premium from Texas with 26K miles and not a scratch in 2017 for $33K ($40K off the $73K as new price tag). That's 55% off. You cannot convince me that buying new and driving that first 26K miles at a cost of $40K is a good deal compared to driving the next 70K miles for $18~20K.  It has 69K miles on it now and I'll probably keep it for another year to year and a half.

The beautiful thing about the market place is that we do not have to rely on oldhurst442 for a healthy supply of used cars. I have never, ever, had a significant issue with my used cars. I buy at 3~4 sell at 6~7. Usually, they never see the inside of a workshop and if they did it is usually under warranty anyway. I don't even buy particularly "reliable" makes and models (apart from the two Acuras). The last 6 were 2017 Acura MDX, 2014 CTS VSport, 2011 Jaguar XF 5.0 Supercharged, 2008 Acura TL, 2005 M-B C55 AMG and 2000 Audi S4.

Go buy a new car and lose lots of money then. It's a free country -- even Canada is in this regard. We need people like you to buy new so we have used cars to benefit from.

I'll never buy new. If I have a billion dollars, that 2014 Boeing 787-9 with 20,000 flight hours will look pretty good especially if it has GEnx engines that was just overhauled.

5 hours ago, ocnblu said:

The CTS coupe is an example of a polarizing Cadillac.  So terrible though.  With a gunslit back glass when viewed from inside the car, and just an ugly fat ass.  Difficult to believe it came from the same company that has ACED the coupe mystique innumerable times over its history.

I did like the ATS coupe, but now I feel it was a bit too tame perhaps.  Where is Cadillac's GOLDILOCKS?  Escalade.  CT6.

I like the (2nd generation) CTS Coupe. It looks like the VW Corrado to be honest, but I like it. Can't say the same about the creaky Recaro seats in the car though. Those were a disgrace.

9 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

just like the CT5, I can't tell if I like the accord or not.  I think it is one of those vehicles that only looks good in black.

It's OK. It's just not a design feature that exudes "luxury" or "exclusivity". A luxury car that "looks" like a Honda Accord is, well, meh...

8 hours ago, regfootball said:

Early CT5 design study unmasked!

You worked too hard and researched too deeply. Cadillac's LOSER designers simply plagiarized their work from a car they see everyday while driving to work!

50+K is more than the XT5. GM needs to figure out how to make money on cars that don;t sell in the hundreds of thousands or they are going to have a problem going forward Camaro or no Camaro..

Looks like an i8 which was a total loser product. And, looks like they are repeating the same loser formula -- pathetic electric range + weak asses ICE generator. Add a big price tag and the impracticalities of of a 2-seat coupe, good luck with the sales.

Let me put it this way, the car will be CHEAPER, SIMPLER, LIGHTER and FASTER if it was simply a pure EV. And, trust me, people looking for a "practical" ride with the legs to go on interstate trips don't buy 2-seat hybrid supertoys anyway.

1 hour ago, Potluck said:

So are they still building this or not? the update looks good, it seemed a bit too femm in the first version

CT6 production has been extended through Jan 2020 at Detriot-Hammtrack, MI. Beyond that it'll either end or it'll be moved to Lansing, MI. The CT6 will continue to be built in China for the Chinese market. But it is unlikely that GM will import it from China given the Trump administration's 25% tariff and on going trade conflict with China -- that'll be bottomline and PR suicide.

I like the vertical headlights and tail lights of the 2016~2019 CT6. The 2020 restyling added clutter and the Mazda look in front which I don;t care for. The 2020 will also be too new as a candidate to replce my 2014 CTS VSport. I'll probably pull the trigger next year or 2021 at the latest. A 2020 car will only be 1~1.5 year old and wont have depreciated enough. The 2017 Platinum with the 3.0TT, AWD, Panaray and Supercruise will be a candidate though, along with the 2016 CTS-V, C63, E63, RS4 and RS6. The Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio 2.9TT is tempting, but seems supremely unreliable.

14 minutes ago, dfelt said:

This guy looks DUMB AS A ROCK.

3 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

Prestige?

HA HA HA

Not to me...you wont be "prestigious" to me because you bought a used car for 35 000 dollars...

To me...you are a fake... a facade...   smoke and mirrors

Trying to pass a lifestyle that isnt true...   And I could see right through that.

If you choose to try to flaunt your fake high society status on me...

What isn't prestigious, true or real about a luxury car after 3 years? Paying more than twice for those things, however, is real... REALLY DUMB! Who is going sniff for "new car smell" when you drive by? OK, maybe Creepy Joe would, but that's about it.

Depreciation is the aggregation of what everyone in general values. And, yes, you ABSOLUTELY got a better deal with the 50% residual car because it is a 100K car and it cost you 50% of that to own it for three years, whereas the $75K car cost you 58% of its price to own for three years. That is if you buy new of course.

I NEVER buy new, I'll be the guy buying the prestige, luxury, features and/or performance of the $75K car for $31.5 instead of some $31.5K econo sedan with some bull$h! new car smell. And, if I wanted to spend $75K, I'll be buying something that would have cost me $150~160K new. It's not for a lack of money; the socialist scums running for political office say I am the 1%. It's simply a better deal. Smart people by used. Do you know that Trump's 757 was used and all his Sikorsky helos were used?

Nobody in the family buys new. Not cars, not homes, not even laptops, watches, lenses, cameras or anything that depreciates like crazy. OK, we buy FOOD, underwear, toothbrushes and the like new. But that is about it.

All luxury brands suffer depreciation greater than more utilitarian brands. But, that is not to say that all Luxury brands suffer the same depreciation. CADILLAC SUFFERS MUCH MORE DEPRECIATION THAN ANY OTHER LUXURY BRAND.

1 hour ago, smk4565 said:

2018 Infiniti Q70 sells for that price and cost E-class money new.   2016 CTS's are in the $22-25k range, all luxury sedans depreciate because they aren't crossovers.   Let's be honest you could price an S-class, CT6, 7-series or anything else dollar for dollar even with a Toyota RAV4 and the RAV4 would outsell it just because it is a crossover.  You give people the choice between a $30k RAV4 and a $30k brand new Rolls Royce and they will buy the RAV4 out of fear that the oil change on a Phantom costs more than on a Toyota.

That is great because I ONLY buy used and I ONLY buy sedans. Depreciation is great because once somebody else eats the first 3 years, I don't care how much it depreciates. I already saved 40 grand up front.

I only buy White or Silver cars; colors which are usually not hard to find.

52 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Or if like me you buy and hold onto them for 10 plus years, then new is fine as you know exactly how it is taken care of. I have no problem with CPO, but new long term is fine with me.

Or you can buy a three year old for 40% the price and hold that for 10 years and spend 60% less on your car. Or, get a car which would have been 1.5 times more than you can afford.

1 hour ago, Drew Dowdell said:

The CT6 has been depreciating rapidly too... even the 3.0TT model.  I've been keeping my eyes on them. If only I didn't have the problem with the driveway.....   oh well, time for a new (to me) house.

The CT6 3.0TT is one of the CTS replacement candidates. The others being the CTS-V, the the E63, the M5 and the RS6 Avant. The CT6 being the most affordable and the SLOWEST of them all. It'll help if there are respectable ANY ECU tuning options, but there aren't. The Blackwing CT6 or the CT5 are not in the running. The former because it is too new; the latter because it is unbearably WEAK SAUCED (and too new).

14 hours ago, smk4565 said:

2017 Alfa Romeo Guilia's are now under $25k, and those were like $45k new 2 years ago and got all the praise.  Even while under warranty people won't touch that reliability.  And I have seen them with 5k  miles for under $25k, not like high mileage beaters.

The only Giulia which is interesting is the Quadrifoglio with its 500 hp TTV6. But anything whose engine is Ferrari derived gets an "F" for reliability and longevity. The "Regular" Giulia is not particularly interesting except perhaps for the excitement in not knowing when it'll leave you on the side of the road.

27 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

Yeah...

Cash is dirt...

You stick to that logic....Ill stick to working hard in my restaurant, Im making good coin. 

Honest day's work for an honest day's pay.

Why not relish an honest day's work, make good coin and convert that coin into something that appreciates so you don;t end up with a fraction of the coin in a decade? Remember, this is not ancient times. You are not being paid in gold or silver. You are not even being paid in a currency backed by gold reserves or any commodity. You are being paid in fiat coin backed by BULLSH!T and confidence in Bullsh!t.

1 minute ago, oldshurst442 said:

yeah...but I explained it further in my post though...

Cash...is always king.

Id rather have it in cash.

If not all in the banks, if not all invested somewhere, because money can be lost in banks and in investments...

Cash is king...I prefer to hide some of it under my mattress so to speak...

To make it grow?

Properties could be bought and sold all the time...

Property that you live in, you use as a permanent residence...should NEVER be treated like a commodity...

Buying, flipping and selling properties, houses and businesses....yes!

Your own residence....never. 

CASH IS DIRT! Currency is a depreciating asset, especially fiat currency from a country with no qualms about creating more money out of thin air (quantitative easing). Let me put it this way...

In 1994, $150,000 will buy you a home in Silicon Valley. 25 year later that same home will cost you $1.5M. As far as homeownership goes, if you held cash you are left with 10% your buying power. Conversely if you held a property, you'll make 10x what you put into it.

If you held simply the NASDAQ composite index fund you have 6x the money you put it. If you bought GOLD of all things you will have 4.5x the money you put in. If you bought AMD stock three years ago you'll make 10x return in 3 years. CASH IS DIRT.

1 minute ago, oldshurst442 said:

yeah...just like Ill NEVER buy a 6 figure car (I could affford one, I just never in my right mind spend that much...on a DEPRECIATING asset...)  will ever buy an 8 figure house...no matter how big, or small it is...

That's a little different though because a home is NOT generally a depreciating asset. In fact, some people believed it to be an infinitely appreciating asset. That is why I know people who spend $8,000 of their $9,000 take home income on the mortgage, drive a 1985 Camry, sleep on a used mattress, sit on the floor, shop at Goodwill and eat cup noodles every day.

BTW, the top neighborhoods actually do not have the best public schools... NOBODY goes to public school in Hillsborough, so the schools are shared with a neighboring city like San Mateo and are so-so. Crystal Spring middle school (Private) is available for $44,500 a year tuition. If you have two kids you are out about $90K for middle school.

9 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

Those are crazy assed prices...

 

Nah... go 3 miles up the road in the city of Hillborough next door and you'll see 8 figure price tags all over the place.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/456-Pullman-Rd,-Hillsborough,-CA-94010_rb/15519370_zpid/

19 minutes ago, dfelt said:

WOW, a Split level like mine with 2 car Garage. 

Shocked, not shocked by the crazy prices of California. Paid $140,000 in May 1999 for my Foreclosed home and spent $25K to clean it up once I tore the inside down to the studs and put in new windows, roof and doors.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/6305-223rd-Pl-SW-Mountlake-Terrace,-WA,-98043_rb/38486952_zpid/

Nice. 1999 was a long time ago though...

I almost took a job in Bellevue in in late-2000s, but wifey couldn't find anything that paid as well as she was making so we stayed in CA.

In CA, today, $1.5M is a middle income neighborhood. If you want to live where the doctors and VPs live it's about $3~5M. To rent an apartment will cost you about $3K a month. If you make about $300K a year (combined) you'll be OK. $300K is about $180K after tax or about $15K a month. Your mortgage will be about $8K so you'll have $7K left over to get a pair of cars, pay for insurance, eat out, pay for child care and the like. Anything less and you are the working poor.

My home was built in 1968. We bought it in 2013 as a 45 year old property. It is 1,240 sq-ft and we put nothing into it except paint, carpets and light switches. We got a good deal on it because the owners wanted a contingency to sell and rent back for 6-12 months as they cash out for a down payment and buy in another part of the country.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/2611-Ponce-Ave-Belmont,-CA,-94002_rb/15548669_zpid/

LOL... and I don't care the slightest bit for being the 1st owner of anything (well, OK, I'll make an exception for condoms and the like) and I don't care for the new car smell. I only care about getting the most car for my money. Same thing with homes. We don't buy new homes, either.