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Seriously, I like the clock face!
He then started to play typical salesman games - will give me 18K for my car, the special goes for 38K (sticker at $34). So this is like trading in my car for 14K and buying at MSRP :-0 I repeatedly asked for a trade in value for my car without artificially increasing it while bringing up the cost of the new one. Just wanted to see what it would cost me to get in a special. After he realized I was not interested in his so called "deal", he proceeded to sell me a 2001 (why would I trade in my 2001 to get a 2001?), a PT cruiser, a grand cherokee, and a lexus (in this order). I'll stick with my 2001 for a few years..
I visited my no-star this weekend, but they had no specials in stock.
The reason for the explanation is; when you see the pics, mine is larger and more obvious than the dealer's.
SDMike, I'll send 'em to ya, since I haven't figured out how to attatch pics with this post.
I will be by a 5* this afternoon, I could take a closer look at them.
The reason for the explanation is; when you see the pics, mine is larger and more obvious than the dealer's.
SDMike, I'll send 'em to ya, since I haven't figured out how to attatch pics with this post.
Mike
1. Noises under hood
2. Light show
3. Deteriorating steering wheel
4. Biannual safety/emissions check
Results:
1. Service writer said "Your belts are cracked and Chrysler won't replace them after one year. We can replace them for $150." I asked the mech to show me the belts, and after examining with a flashlight could see no visible cracks. Passed on their offer.
2. "Could not duplicate problem" (what a huge suprise!)
3. "We ordered a new wheel. You'll get a card"
4. No problem. In May Texas requires a more stringent check for a substantially increased fee, so I didn't wait till the last minute.
This dealer was formerly a Chrysler Plymouth, now Dodge 5*. They had three Vipers in the showroom.
Silver
This does not sound right. I had my AC belt replaced after 1 year in service under warranty. From what I know, you get 36mo/36000 miles bumper-to-bumper, brakes are exception to the rule - 12000 miles/ 1 year. Tires - they will replace them (60000?), but you will pay the "wear" adjustment (mine was about $50).
Any other warranty exceptions that we should know of? I dont have a warranty guide with my car (bought it used).
If I was serious about trading in to get the special, I would:
0) prequalify for a loan at virtualbank.com or own bank.
1) get trade in TMV for my car
2) get Invoice and TMV prices for the car I am shopping for.
3) make sure the dealer's "awesome, this weekend only, one of a kind" deal matches the numbers in 1 and 2.
4) keep financing and monthly payments out of conversations with the sales guy. I know what my credit is like and what my payment will be on a $N car.
5) not feel bad for the sales guy - yes, they need to make money on the deal, but let him make it on someone else. If I dont like the deal, head for the door.
6) get MaxCare.
This one particular dealer managed to sell a Jeep Liberty to a friend of mine for 29K (TMV about 25K). I felt bad for not being there for him.
Those pics were taken several weeks ago, here in Canada. (You know, where the Eskimos build igloos out that white stuff)
Needless to say, it all disappeared in last week's 88º.
When I told them what I wanted to pay they said "no way" and started negotiating. I told them I could get this car at 10 different dealers and three places on the Internet for not much more, and it was up to him. I showed him some quotes (well armed). He got within $250 of my price after I got up to leave and he practially fell over himself chasing me to the parking lot. The last thing he said as I drove away was "you'll drive away from this car for $250??". Yep!
When I got there the next day we talked about my trade-in. As expected they low-balled me, to which I replied "I want $10,000 for the car or I'm taking it home with me. $10k was 1/2 way between wholesale and retail blue book and the middle of the TMV and value ranges from many sources. And honestly, I would have taken it home and sold it myself. After 30 minutes he agreed to the 10k. In the meantime they ran my credit after I INSISTED that they not do it and they told me they wouldn't. I told them if I wasn't financing through them they had no reason to do it, and they blatently lied. If I hadn't gotten the pricing I wanted on my M and my trade-in by then I would have yelled at them for 10 minutes and left. Instead I yelled at them for 10 minutes and stayed. Then we got to the financing/paperwork person, who was actually the coolest of the group. She tried to sell me rust-proofing and all that stuff but I told her I wasn't interested. She didn't push it. She asked about an extended service contract and offered one at $1600. I showed her information on some third party ones (warranty direct, for example) for half that price for the same or better coverage. I got her down to $900, and I figure the $100 additional cost was worth it just because it's a DC contract (third party contracts are a pain...I have one on the van).
We then talked about financing and I told her that I already was preapproved at people-first, but if she could beat the rate I'd go with her financing. She could match it, which wasn't worth the extra paperwork for me. I filled out the peoplefirst check and wrote my own for the difference, and then got to drive my baby home. I'm sure at each step the sales people (and everyone else in the food chain) thought "we'll get him on the trade", or "we'll get him at the financing". Well, they could have made it hard or easy, and they made it hard. But I truly came out of the experience realizing that being fully armed with information and options, knowing exactly where your "take it" or "leave it" thresholds are...and sticking to them....is the key to a successful car purchase.
Sorry about the long post, but it's something I feel passionately about. These car salesmen sell cars 8 hours a day. We buy cars once every 3 years or more. They have an incredible advantage over us, and a lot of tricks of the trade. However, we have the money and, thank heavens, the Internet to help us.
Oh yeah...once I had a price negotiated I went outside and called 4 other dealers to see if they could beat the deal by at least $200. Nobody could/would, so I knew I was ok. Dealers love taking business from other dealers because of the usual service work that follows.
You are a tough negotiator! I find it hard not to feel bad for the sales guy (they like to bring up the fact that they get paid commission, that their kids are hungry etc), but I know they are robbing people at the service dept with $80/hr.
So it your case, after you took off in "bigred", the dealer probably though "we'll get him at the service dept" :-)
One more thing: when buying a used car, a CarFax report is a must, but one should also take it to some shop for review - make sure it was not in an accident etc. Mine apparently was in a fender bender, nothing about it in CarFax, found out about it months after purchase. If I knew this at the time of sale, I probably would not buy, even though it was a minor accident.
For anyone not familiar with W8 design, It has the cylinders offset from adjacent ones in each bank so that 1&3 are at one angle, 2&4 at another, then the 4 are "siamesed" close together for a more compact and lighter block and heads. Each bank forms a narrow "V4" so both banks are a "W8".
At least Honda had the good sense to call their high bucks cars "Acuras".
If VW can't be happy with the Audi name on their premium priced cars they deserve whatever happens to them.
Now they have their sights on an $80,000 car with a VW badge...who do they think is going to pay that kind of money for a "peoples car"?
http://cartalk.cars.com/About/Guy-Chick-Finalists/chick.html
These guys are nuts!!!!
Back then, the Dealership had a lot of discretion, but this particular dealer was cut-throat. Here are 2 examples:
1) Water pump on a T-Bird goes bad 1 month after purchase. Handled under warranty. No problem, right? But the dealer Service Manager charges the guy $10 for anti-freeze that was obviously lost during the repair. Service Manager claims fluids are not covered under warranty (can't send 'em back!) So the new T-Bird owner goes nuts, pays the 10 bicks but goes into the showroom screaming that he'll never buy another car there and no one else should either. So for 10 lousy bucks (actually less...we got all the fluids wholesale of course) the dealer probably lost hundreds of dollars in lost sales.
2) Lifter starts clicking on a 2 month old F-150. Covered under warranty, of course. I replace the lifter and of course change the oil and filter, a standard procedure for any work of that sort....and the dealer charges the guy for the oil. Same story as above.
3) In the VW dealership the Dealer would "eat" those fluid costs as "dealer good-will."
This has nothing to do with Ford vs. VW or Import vs. Domestic. Just a difference in business philosophy. I'm not a businessman, but I think the Ford dealer's logic was just plain stupid, creating a lot of ill-will, and untold lost sales.
That was back in the 70's. I don't know how the dealerships (No Star or 5 Star) handle these situations these days....
Thanks
That leads to a question. What else just inside the front driver side wheel on a grand caravan can be leaking tranny fluid? They've replaced the axle seal at least twice that I know of already.
Hope that helps.
Mike
http://www.300mclub.org/faq.htm
also see photo.
http://www.300mclub.org/phgrotor.jpg
the PHP rotor is the one one the right.
also a 99 PHP will have the 16" "wagon wheel" aluminum wheels non chrome.
the photo linked below is a 99PHP/PHG 300M.
http://www.car-truck.com/chryed/review/300m7d.htm
All PHP equipped cars 99- present come from the factory with V rated Michelin Pilot tires. the 99 and early-mid 2000 models were 225/60-16" with the above wheels.
All non PHP cars in 99-2000 Got Goodyear Eagle LS 225/55-17" tires with 17" Razorstar wheels.
The PHP equipped cars were changed to 225/55-17" Michelin Pilot V Rated tires with the 17" Chrome Razorstar wheels for the remainder of the 2000 model year.
DC switched to Michelin tires on all 300M models in 2001. Only PHP equipped cars get the V rated tires.
Hope this helps. good luck.
tnsc300m
Woke up this morning to 2" of snow. A temperature drop of 58 degrees in four days. Sigh !!!!
ignore it
logos on my Mopar mud flaps red (there white now but have half worn away) Can't decide if
it will look right or not.
Mike
I've done mucho surfing trying to find out what it would take to get my 99 non PHP up to PHP specs. My estimation to do it my self, brakes, chassis parts and struts/springs: almost a grand without V rated tires. nearly $1400 with Tires :-(. Thats only for parts. no Labor and you have to get the ECM reprogrammed to to allow over 118MPH speeds.
DC will do it for ya for $575 when you buy it new. Such a deal.
Blonda- many old timers here may recall the angst I endured putting my Bosch Platinum plus 4 plugs in. stripped out the torx screw heads on 5 out of 12. that PN for the replacement sdmike gave out . I gave him. And those screws don't come out of the coilpack assembly. If you'll notice below the coil on the screw shaft is a little plastic spacer/keeper that's crimped onto the shaft of the screw.
I've still got the 12 screws I bought to replace all mine. I decided not go thru the hassel of breaking off all those spacer/keepers and replacing them too.
Very Long Story shortened - Replace the plugs in the morning after the engine has cooled all the way down! We did this to phases78 300M after learning it the hard way on mine and had no problems.
Definently get and use the the antiseize compound on the plug threads and on the screw threads when you reinstall.
Good Luck,
tnsc300m