I bought another car
 

So, I sold off most of the "project cars" and "parts cars" that I don't have time to work on. I kept my 66 Tempest convertible because it is roadworthy and just plain fun to drive. My wife and I also own an 08 Suburban (bought for vacation road trips, but also used as my wife's commuter), an 05 Sierra crew cab (bought for hauling bikes, etc with the whole family), a 99 S-10 step-side (acquired for use as a 4 cylinder, yard vehicle) , a 98 Sierra step-side (owned since new), a 97 Mustang GT convertible (wife always wanted a convertible mustang), and a 96 Ford handicapped mini-van (bought for parents, but currently off the road).

Now, I realize, to most people, owning this many cars is ridiculous. Especially, considering I already downsized by A LOT. Well, my wife told me she wanted to trade in the Suburban for a newer, lower mileage vehicle. She was considering a Toyota Sequoia. She even has some money saved up. The members of our family are all tall, so back seat floor space is important (a reason my daughter hates sitting in the back seat of the Mustang). Well, we priced some vehicles, and saw the crazy $40k plus price tags for used ones.

I tried to convince my wife to keep the Suburban strictly for trips, and buy a new sedan. So, we went to a dealership on a Sunday to look at the sedans without any hassle from salesmen. We looked at the spacious Impala and Lucerne, among others. But then, at the back of the lot, by the mechanics bay, I saw it. I think my heart stopped for a second. I couldn't believe it. It was an 09 G8 GT with 48k miles. The back seat room was huge as far as cars go these days. Plus it has a sun roof, aftermarket wheels, and it's black. I've never even seen a G8 GT up close, in person before. I told my wife, "This is it." To which she said, " No it isn't. It's too old.". I wasn't going to give up that easily. We discussed it, and agreed to borrow enough from my 401k to pay off the Suburban, the Sierra, and the G8. The finances seemed doable, and in fact, in our favor.

So, we contacted the dealership to buy the G8. The following weekend we went in to test drive and get a closer look. That's when I started noticing aftermarket performance pieces, both under the car, and under the hood. The car drove great, so we started working with the salesman. The dealership would not offer any warranty on the vehicle, because Kooks headers (minus cats) had been installed by the previous owner. I was ready to walk away. Buying a vehicle with unknown modifications like that, could lead to a real mess. Who knows what performance mods have been done? The salesman lowered the price even lower, and we agreed. A better barterer would have gotten the price even lower than that, but I got what I wanted for a fair deal.

Let me tell you, this car is faster, and more agile than I ever imagined. It's well balanced, and hooks up like a boss. When I step on the accelerator, it goes, and it goes fast. I have yet to even spin tires on it. It hugs corners with ease. I know there is a G8 GXP which is faster, but I can't even imagine what that is like. Plus it gives one heck of a rumble when you step on it. If you ever get the chance to drive a G8 GT, do not pass it up.

I left the G8 parked in front of the Suburban, subliminally forcing my wife to take the G8 to work, and see she actually likes it. She has been driving it regularly, and even revs the engine once in a while. I think she still wants a new SUV though. And this is how I end up with too many cars.

Luke

Great story- doesn't happen like that often!

They were a great performance sedan. Other than a few active safety features a new car might have, this car should have everything you could want. Tight suspension, RWD, lots of V8 power, a Pontiac look, enjoy your "new" car.

Sounds like you are getting your priorities in order, but... borrow money to buy a car?

I hope your comment is tongue in cheek about borrowing to buy a new car. I've bought cars for cash in the past. Most of the time, they ended up costing me a lot more money to maintain and repair in the long run.

If you have the cash to buy the newer, ridiculous priced cars, even the ones a couple years old, well, I'm jealous.

I thought I'd post an update. Soon after the G8 purchase, my wife opted to purchase a 2014 Implala, which is a great car in its own right. Later, we traded the 2008 Suburban in for a more reliable 2015 Suburban. I realize that nine vehicles is ridiculous. I don't have an issue with thinning the heard. However, I hate dealing with inconsiderate buyers and their techniques. I'd rather keep a vehicle, than sell it to someone who degrades it, and offers half of the going price. But I digress.

We have been enjoying the G8 as is (fast and loud) since we bought it. In January of this year, the state inspection ran out. I was very anxious about failing because of the long tube headers, and lack of cats. I did a lot of research, and was facing a lot of decisions. My local mechanic wanted me to order the cats made for headers, a tuner, and the tune. The thought of researching and ordering all the correct stuff, without the guarantee of the car passing inspection made me very nervous. The cost issue wasn't as bad as the thought of getting the wrong cats, tuner or tune. I stopped by Corvette Paramedics, which is not far from my house. They took care of everything. All I had to do was drop it off, and pick it up when it was finished. The price was far less than I had calculated too. I drove directly to the inspection station. I was instructed to get out of the car and stand on the sideline. The inspector started the car and revved the gas. "Here we go", I thought. A group of inspectors gather around it. One of them drove over a camera to look at the exhaust. He called me over, put a new sticker on the windshield, and said, "Nice car.".


I drove my wife and kids to a school basketball game afterwords. My wife was happy it passed, but said it wasn't as loud as it used to be. She jokingly asked if I could have the new cats pulled until the next inspection.

Good story. Yet is why i never lived in NJ.

I drive an 09 G8 GT daily in the summer and love it. Handles well and performs as expected but nice to get a rear wheel drive car again as a daily driver.

Yeah, those inspections are nuts!

I've owned or own newer vehicles with longtubes and no cats, and always pass. Just gotta make sure you tune out the computers ability to look for emission items.

Congrats on your situation (I guess). To each his own but I'd rather walk or CRAWL than make multiple car payments OR rob my retirement funds to fund the purchase of an unnecessary depreciable asset. Guess I'm just a cheap azz...... I normally don't make comments like this but you are kind of inviting them in giving us all this information...... Please feel free to hate me.

Good find! I have been looking for a low mileage G8 for a while now and not finding anything close by. It seems that the GXPs with low miles are out there but the prices are nuts. There is a GT 90 miles from here that I'm planning on checking out on Tuesday, we'll see how that goes.

I understand your point of view, and at one time, when I was younger, I felt the same way. As I got older, I got lazy about having to constantly repair older, high mileage vehicles. Breaking down on road trips is something that got real old real fast too. I had one truck that was actually costing me more in monthly repairs than payments on a newer vehicle.

As for the car payments, well they do add up, but we own a smaller house than most people. I would venture to say I spend less than the guy with a large mortgage and fewer cars.

I didn't "rob" my retirement funds. It is a loan, to which I pay myself back, with interest, as opposed to paying a bank. At the time, I wasn't making much interest on my 401k. If anything, I was loosing money. By taking the loan, I was paying myself more in interest than I was making by leaving it alone. There is much debate over whether or not this method is a good idea, but we felt it made sense at the time.

Now, as for buying cars that only depreciate, well they can't all be collector cars. A while back, my father came into some money. Some people told him to save the money for the future, but he was of the mindset to enjoy life while you can. He bought a 2010 SS Camaro, and a large, Dodge quad cab truck. He prized those vehicles, and loved driving them. He passed away, unexpectedly, not long after that. I can't help but wonder how different his last years would have been if he had saved the money, and not splurged on unnecessary vehicles and such. We try and keep a balance of enjoying life while still putting away some for the future. I am happy with our purchases, and would do it again.

If he didn't buy those cars, he wouldn't have had the pleasure of owning them. Everyone always says plan for the future (which is great advice), but if you don't enjoy life in the moment, all you're doing is saving your money for someone else. He got to enjoy ripping around in a new Camaro and a cool new Ram, which is more than most can say.

Good luck. The G8 GT is a great purchase. The G8 GXP manual shift is a better purchase, but with the prices they are selling for, the GT is a better deal. Don't overlook the modern Police Caprice vehicles. From what I understand, they are based on the same vehicle. I'd like to find a manual shift Cadillac CTS-V. Of course we'd have to sell or trade some of our current vehicles first.