[amitoj]

Call me paranoid but with these car prices, my biggest fear is an accident that forces me into the market! It is the worst time ever to have your car wrecked.

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by vj123

Its really crazy. I know a friend who had to wait for a couple of weeks and paid over MSRP for a Civic in West Coast.

Those huge discounts might be a thing of the past and we might never get back to the good old days.

True. Dealer markups on top of already inflated prices! Common man cars, enthusiast cars, trucks everything is on fire. Dealers are also dishing out good prices for exchanged cars because they can turn over a huge profit on reselling those used cars.
USA used to be heaven for car enthusiasts if but this pandemic has turned it upside down and things don't seem to take turn for better anytime soon.

[mazda4life]

Excited to share that I will be taking delivery of a 2022 new CX-5 today. Went thru my Costco membership as the dealers are playing real hard on giving any discounts. Supply is severely constrained and not as before with me waiting a week since the car had to come from Japan. Shopped around 3 dealers and finally selected one in Mesa, Az as they had the trim I wanted.
The used car market is a real sellers market with expectations sky high even for 2019 models.

[infotech58]

Originally Posted by mazda4life

Excited to share that I will be taking delivery of a 2022 new CX-5 today.

Did you test drive a CX-50 as well? If yes, how does CX-5 compare to CX-50 (specially the transmission tuning and not independent rear suspension (in CX-50))?

P.S. I have a 2020 CX-5 Signature and it exceeded my initial expectations in most areas.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Call me paranoid but with these car prices, my biggest fear is an accident that forces me into the market! It is the worst time ever to have your car wrecked.

Why would you think negative?

If your car gets wrecked, you can buy a new one in similar price range. I understand the prices are going up and deliveries delayed. But, it's not the same for all brands. Choose a brand that can deliver ASAP.

you can get a change of driving scene too.

Originally Posted by amol4184

True. Dealer markups on top of already inflated prices! Common man cars, enthusiast cars, trucks everything is on fire. Dealers are also dishing out good prices for exchanged cars because they can turn over a huge profit on reselling those used cars.
USA used to be heaven for car enthusiasts if but this pandemic has turned it upside down and things don't seem to take turn for better anytime soon.

In current market scenario, buying brand new only makes sense.

If preowned cars are selling for almost same price as their new value there is someone out there forking out that dough to procure them.

This means people have buying power so it makes me wonder why they can't spend a few grand more and get a new one (only reason could be delivery is months away). At least this way, the used car market will get back down where it belongs.

Originally Posted by mazda4life

Excited to share that I will be taking delivery of a 2022 new CX-5 today. Went thru my Costco membership as the dealers are playing real hard on giving any discounts. Supply is severely constrained and not as before with me waiting a week since the car had to come from Japan. Shopped around 3 dealers and finally selected one in Mesa, Az as they had the trim I wanted.
The used car market is a real sellers market with expectations sky high even for 2019 models.

Congratulations. Looks like all BHPians are Mazda lovers. Welcome to the Mazda world and wish you lots of happiness. You will enjoy driving this beauty.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by mobike008

This means people have buying power so it makes me wonder why they can't spend a few grand more and get a new one (only reason could be delivery is months away). At least this way, the used car market will get back down where it belongs.

Its ugly now. When buying new, we would want a specific model/features and color. When ordered, the delivery time is unknown. Even after your custom build arrives at the dealer, they are selling it to people who are willing to pay insane markups. I know people who ordered a custom Ford F150, had been promised a VIN number, but stealer sold it to someone else when it came close to the delivery date. The markup is insane - like $25k more than MSRP - sight unseen.

I had been looking for a 4WD, standard bed Ford F150 super cab, they are very hard to come by. Most popular ones are short bed with crew cab, or long bed regular cab. I am looking at wait times of more than a year for this. If my current truck is totaled, I will now need to wait a year to replace it with my preferred truck, or pay insanely marked price for a used one.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

I know people who ordered a custom Ford F150, had been promised a VIN number, but stealer sold it to someone else when it came close to the delivery date.

Isn't that unethical? Sharing a VIN and then sell it to a different customer? I don't think that happens. Was it promised or shared?

Either ways, it's completely unethical.

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

The markup is insane - like $25k more than MSRP - sight unseen.

Woah! This is insane. Which car goes for 25 grand over MSRP?

[mazda4life]

Originally Posted by infotech58

Did you test drive a CX-50 as well? If yes, how does CX-5 compare to CX-50 .

Sorry , I didn’t test drive , they just one on display and none for test drive. I didn’t consider CX-50 as it appeared to be more elongated and the height was lesser than CX-5. Also, the wait period was 4 weeks iirc and I wanted a higher seating stance as I am used to sitting like that.
But, the design is a treat for sore eyes

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Isn't that unethical? Sharing a VIN and then sell it to a different customer? I don't think that happens. Was it promised or shared?
Either ways, it's completely unethical.
Woah! This is insane. Which car goes for 25 grand over MSRP?

Ethics and car dealers have parted ways long ago. My friend had made a deposit (at a dealer he had been going to for 30 years) for a Ford F150 King Ranch edition, delivery was promised after 6 months, and he was told they have a VIN number too. After 6 months they sold it to someone else who was willing to pay the insane markup.

People use these as work trucks, and livelihood depends on them. A contractor, or a plumber who totals his truck needs one the next day. They are willing to pay anything, and dealers are always ready to cash on it.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Why would you think negative?

If your car gets wrecked, you can buy a new one in similar price range. I understand the prices are going up and deliveries delayed. But, it's not the same for all brands. Choose a brand that can deliver ASAP.

you can get a change of driving scene too.

I got the Z3 at a very good price. Right now there is nothing like it that can be had for under 7k. And I got the STI at MSRP. There are hardly any left on the lots now.
The wait for a Toyota GR Corolla or a GR86 will kill me. I refuse to drive anything other than stick shift now

[hema4saran]

After reserving and waiting for my Bronco for more than a year, I too bought a 4Runner TRD Offroad premium few weeks back. It was 2020 model year with 35k miles. I paid $43k to it from a private party. It has extended warranty till 100k miles. It also came with the following upgrades.

2.5 inch Toytec Aluma boss suspension.
285/70/R17 BF Goodrich KO2 tires on TRD Pro Wheels. (He gave the stock wheels to me which I sold in Marketplace)
Caliraised Rocksliders.

It was one owner car and used by his wife for daily 60 mile commute. The best thing with this truck was the previous owner made all these changes and sold it to me immediately as the gas prices went through the roof and they were feeling the pinch in their wallet. I go to office only twice or thrice in a week and also I got my VStrom 1000 for commute on boring days. To be honest, gas prices never bothered me somehow.

I took it to Toyota Jamboree event happened in Gilmer, TX last weekend along with my fellow Toyota buddies and did some crazy trail ridings. The best thing was this truck took all the abuse and performed flawless in the trails and brought me back home safe.

On the day of taking delivery



It looks imposing in the garage. I cannot open the trunk with the garage door opened. Courtesy to the suspension lift and bigger size tires.



With the garage staple mate, MDX. It is my wife's car which is running solid at close to 60k miles. It is my family's preferred long distance touring car. It is so quiet at 80MPH interstate speeds and comfortable for us. No plans of changing it in near future even though I am getting some sweet deals for it.



In its natural habitat.



Scary situation to be in on your first day of offroading but I was able to get out without any further drama.





Resting after all the action. It was the terrain and angle of the picture which make it looks like little sagged in the rear. But it is all good.



Things need to do in next few months.
1. Change the upper control arm to after market beefed up one to improve the wheel travel. Its still running on factory ones and it is a limiting factor as of now.
2. Install full skid plates to protect the underbody.

Front bumper and winch are all in pipeline but not in immediate future. I don't want to add unnecessary weight to the vehicle. After the last week offroad session, I am thinking of getting the Bronco whenever it comes and flip it for a profit if the market remains hot.

There were no alternatives considered and I closed this deal within 3 hours of initial test drive as I felt the price is reasonable in the market with all the upgrades.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by hema4saran

After reserving and waiting for my Bronco for more than a year, I too bought a 4Runner TRD Offroad premium few weeks back. It was 2020 model year with 35k miles. I paid $43k to it from a private party. It has extended warranty till 100k miles. It also came with the following upgrades.

That is an awesome deal on an excellent vehicle. I used to have a 2002 4runner that served me well for 10 years. I am sure you will have a lot of fun with the 4runner

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Woah! This is insane. Which car goes for 25 grand over MSRP?

Jeeps, the 4xE and Gladiator variants regularly have 10k markups. Gladiator used to have close to 20k markup even before covid hit.
Toyota SUVs and trucks have markups too, running into thousands.

Most egregious though are the ones on high end sports cars. Porsche GT4RS starts at 150k and dealers are asking 80-100k over MSRP (think it was a dealer in Bellevue) Doug DeMuro in his video said you can easily option out this car to 200k and end up paying over 300k to take it home.

[hema4saran]

Originally Posted by amol4184

Jeeps, the 4xE and Gladiator variants regularly have 10k markups. Gladiator used to have close to 20k markup even before covid hit.
Toyota SUVs and trucks have markups too, running into thousands.

Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xE does have good markup as well as the Rubicon with v8. But Gladiators still have decent discounts on them. A good friend of mine bought Gladiator Mojave trim for $3k less than MSRP with dealer added options. RAM Pickup trucks also have some decent discounts. Also RAM is much better than Ford and Chevy counterparts in terms of aesthetics and features.

I completely agree on Toyota. Everything have a markup these days. Only handful of dealers in Texas who are ready to sell you the vehicle for MSRP. Even a Corolla is costing close to $25k . Rav4, Rav4 Hybrids, 4Runner especially TRD variants, Tacoma and new Tundra are all having insane markups. $35k to $40k is the new norm these days for the cars for a decent midsized car. Gone are the days when you pay $21k, you will get a Camry or Accord. 6 years back, I was offered a Camry for $21k out the door.

Good thing with Tesla is you pay what you see on the screen. I have lot to say against Elon and Tesla in general. But one thing he did great was removing the middleman and direct delivery is a master stroke.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by amitoj

I got the Z3 at a very good price. Right now there is nothing like it that can be had for under 7k. And I got the STI at MSRP. There are hardly any left on the lots now.
The wait for a Toyota GR Corolla or a GR86 will kill me. I refuse to drive anything other than stick shift now

Sounds great. How about sharing a few pics of your steed? Would love to see the STI and Z3.

Originally Posted by hema4saran

J Even a Corolla is costing close to $25k.

Rav4, Rav4 Hybrids, 4Runner especially TRD variants, Tacoma and new Tundra are all having insane markups. $35k to $40k is the new norm these days for the cars for a decent midsized car. Gone are the days when you pay $21k, you will get a Camry or Accord. 6 years back, I was offered a Camry for $21k out the door.

Last year my niece turned 16, so my sis wanted to get her a BMW X1 but, I talked her out of it as 16 year old's shouldn't be driving a BMW.

She finally got her a brand new top-of line Corolla and I was shocked to know it costs $26k for the sports version.

I remember buying my Mazda 6 back in 2014 for $21K for one version below top-line.

Car prices have indeed risen beyond belief.