Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

stever

Oh, I think I understand. I just don't want to meet "the manager". Odds are it'll make me less interested in returning. Why should I have to mess around with a salesperson who has no authority, a manager who can make the deal and an F&I person who will try to upsale me? Bah....

Now, if I got handed off to that "other guy" making the rounds today, I'd be yelling for the manager.

driver100

abacomike said:

ab348 said:

The dealer where I got the Cadillac and previously the Buick has its greeter leave the showroom and engage you out in the lot if she sees someone looking around outside. That irritates me.

In both dealerships I worked, customers were left alone on the lots (used and new) and were not to be approached by employees.  At the dealership where I was a manager, we had several decorative signs prominently displayed in all areas - these stated, "...you are our guest - feel free to browse.  If you would like some assistance, please stop into the showro

om."

I like that approach "you are our guest - feel free to browse.". Most people looking at a Mercedes or similar car are adults and they can ask for help if they need it.

They are grown up enough they can wander the lot and see what models they want to enquire about.

I think meeting the manager is OK with me....if he is likeable and seems trustworthy it could give a customer more confidence in the dealership.

When we were looking at Passats we met the manager at one dealership, and he seemed very nice. I would have bought from them, but they got more bad reviews than good ones...bought from a dealer that is further away and harder to get to, but who got mostly very good reviews - and we have been totally satisfied with their service.

In this case, meeting the manager, and having good reviews, could have made a difference in where we bought our Passat.

roadburner

Meeting the manager as Mike describes it is fine, what I detest is when "Meet the manager" is just another name for letting someone else have a shot at trying to get you to buy TODAY. The local Nissan dealer pulled that stunt on my wife and it cost them the sale of a fully loaded brand new Xterra.

roadburner

The Mustang GT is now officially off my list; I checked out a base GT. I didn't think it was possible, but the cloth seats look even worse in person than they do in pictures. So, based on my budget I could either get a base GT with the Performance pack, Recaros, and the cr*p interior or get a GT Premium with a livable interior and no Performance pack or Recaros. I cannot decide which would suck more- so the 'stang is off the island....

fezo

I hate being handed off to a manager when I'm just looking. I've definitely gone to the approach of finding what I want in theory, write them nicely that I'm interested and that if the car is as advertised and I like it after the test drive I'll buy it at an out the door price determined before I go to the dealership. So far I'm two for two on that. When I brought a dealer where I didn't use that approach the sales manager, after hearing my out the door price and being OK waited until I brought my wife in and started ridiculing my price. We immediately got up and left and he started complaining how much of his time we wasted. Not nearly as much as he wasted mine.

I dropped an email to the salesman saying sorry the deal blew up but it wasn't his fault; it was his manager's. He calls, apologizes, for the sales manager and says the sales manager wanted to know if he could call. I said I saw nothing to be gained by that. By then I'd bought the 5.

Today in sales you better be ready to pounce on a deal that will make you money when you have a ready customer. Had he done that I'd have a CX5. I'm happy and he had that CX5 for some time after that.

fezo

I saw our new friend over in RWTV and CCBA. I think isellpotiacs is back.....

nyccarguy

Paging @isellhondas - http://jalopnik.com/my-parking-sensors-failed-another-carmax-warranty-upda-1710059478

graphicguy

So, did the Strategic Vision interview last night. It lasted an hour (was supposed to last 45 minutes).

Interesting!

Pretty in-depth but the highlights were mainly centered around my ownership experiences with different brands, and my opinions of specific brands. Get this out of the way up front. They asked about Cadillac, but dropped it off the list after I gave them my "ranking" of it in terms of its competition. They wanted me to be honest and said there "were no wrong answers".

So, I gave them my honest opinion about the CTS. Don't know if Cadillac will see what I said because my comments were supposed to be anonymous. Hopefully, if they did, they'll take it to heart and learn something about customer service and their inability to provide "customer satisfaction" when their products go bad. If not, "same old, same old".

After we spoke about my "current car", how it was unreliable and that I did not consider it a quality vehicle, we moved on to 4 other specific brands.....Audi, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes.

Again, it was an hour interview so I'm probably missing some of it, but generally speaking they wanted to know...

-what my general opinion was about the above brands.
-would I describe them as reliable? Dynamic? Premium? Elegant? Timeless?
-Did I consider any of them to evoke premium, stout, luxurious?
-Were they youthful?
-Were they focused on performance?
-Were the brands perceived as safe?
-Were they appealing enough to get me to test one?

This is where they kind of got into the meat and potatoes of the interview. The above questions needed me to expound on my answers and give them the reasons why I felt the way I answered....about each brand.

They wanted to know my opinions on the Audi A/S 3/4,, BMW 3/4, Lexus IS/ES and Mercedes C//CLA.

Missing from this list, rather surprisingly given Lexus was on the list, were Acura, Infiniti, Volvo, Jag and Lincoln.

Don't know where they got their data, but it was assumed I drove all the models above at some point. All true except for the BMW 4 series and the Lexus ES.

Again, the interviewer asked about my opinion of the performance of each, compared to the others. They styling of each compared to the others. The feeling I got while driving them. Whether I felt they were quality vehicles. Whether they were dynamic. If I felt they were premium vehicles. IF I felt they were worth their MSRP price points (the price points they threw out there seemed to be on the low side. For example, I told the interviewer I probably wouldn't consider an IS250, but would consider an IS350 F Sport, which is several thousand more than the IS 250.

Again, probably more in depth than what I'm writing here. I liked the interview. I'm glad they valued my opinion. The interviewer wouldn't give me the number of interviews they were tabulating, but I don't know how many they could do, over a reasonable period of time, taking an hour each.

I'd do it again!

ab348

I would tend to question the validity of their results if they ask the same questions about cars a respondent has driven and ones that have not been driven. The two seem incompatible.

bwia

carnaught said:

Considering an Encore with all the bells and whistles, love the size. To suydam and BWIA, do you have Nav., and how is/are the audio and electronics? What is/are the things about it you like least?

Although the Encore hits the sweet spot the 2016 Hyundai Tucson Limited looks like a home run with all the bells and whistles and six inches longer at 176 " than the Encore. https://www.hyundaiusa.com/all-new-tucson/

I've been in the market for a compact CUV for a few months now and I have been waiting for the Tucson since I first set my eyes on it at its unveiling at the Geneva auto show. The dimensions seem just right and not as top heavy as the Encore. And the tech and performance is exactly what I want, to wit.

175-hp, 7-speed, 1.6L turbo, with 19" wheels (for the Limited). 8-inch touch-screen navigation, 405-watt premium audio with external amplifier and 8 speakers, Leather seating surfaces, Power driver seat w/power lumbar support and power passenger seat, Dual automatic temperature control w/Clean-Air Ionizer and Auto Defogging System, Blue Link® Telematics System, Heated front and rear seats.

Wait, there's more: Proximity Key entry with Push Button Start, Hands-free automatic Smart Lift-gate , Full LED headlights, HID with Dynamic Bending Lighting System , LED tail lights, LED Daytime Running Lights and Front fog lights.

And for safety: Back-up camera with Rear parking sensors, Lane departure warning, Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Blind Spot Detection system with Rear Cross-traffic Alert and Lane Change Assist.

Features like these were once the domain of the "luxury" high price marques. Thanks to Hyundai, the MSRP for the Tucson Limited is in the low to mid $30k's.

suydam

I believe the Tucson is more the size of the CRV, so if that's the size you like, the compares would be to compact vehicles like Escape, RAV4, etc.

nyccarguy

Hey guys. I'm attempting to help someone I know buy a new 2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid SE. He's a hard working livery cab driver from the Dominican Republic (excellent credit). He is a super nice guy and I just don't want him to get raked over the coals. He currently drives a 2014 Ford Taurus Limited which @qbrozen pegged a value of $16,000 on the trade. The Fusion he's buying has a sticker price of $29,765 and an invoice of $27,475.

He qualifies for the following rebates:

$500.00 Aged Inventory
$1,000.00 Ford Motor Credit Company

Did I miss anything rebates or incentive-wise?

That would bring the selling price of the car down to $25,975.00 minus $16K for his trade in comes out to $9,975.00 plus 8.875% NYC sales tax ($885.28) equals $10,860.28

ab348

I really like the look of the new Mazda CX-3, and I am normally not a fan of Mazda. It is 168" in length. I am still leery of Hyundai.

robr2

ab348 said:

I would tend to question the validity of their results if they ask the same questions about cars a respondent has driven and ones that have not been driven. The two seem incompatible.

It sounds like they are looking to find out the respondent's perceptions not actual driving experience.

qbrozen

nyccarguy said:

Hey guys. I'm attempting to help someone I know buy a new 2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid SE. He's a hard working livery cab driver from the Dominican Republic (excellent credit). He is a super nice guy and I just don't want him to get raked over the coals. He currently drives a 2014 Ford Taurus Limited which @qbrozen pegged a value of $16,000 on the trade. The Fusion he's buying has a sticker price of $29,765 and an invoice of $27,475.

He qualifies for the following rebates:

$500.00 Aged Inventory
$1,000.00 Ford Motor Credit Company

Did I miss anything rebates or incentive-wise?

That would bring the selling price of the car down to $25,975.00 minus $16K for his trade in comes out to $9,975.00 plus 8.875% NYC sales tax ($885.28) equals $10,860.28

well, per truecar in my area, there is $1500 hybrid cash, plus $1000 if I finance through Ford (no problem! do it and pay it off a month later), plus $500 aged inventory. The Truecar estimate is $24,580.

graphicguy

robr2 said:

ab348 said:

I would tend to question the validity of their results if they ask the same questions about cars a respondent has driven and ones that have not been driven. The two seem incompatible.

It sounds like they are looking to find out the respondent's perceptions not actual driving experience.

That's the impression I got, too. Although, when asked if I had ever driven a particular brand/model, the questioning turned in a different direction (one of more personal experience). If I answered I hadn't driven a particular model, the questioning turned more to my perception of it in more general terms.

explorerx4

@nyc,
In CT, I'm getting 0% for 60 months plus $1000 or $2500 cash back for a 2015 Fusion Hybrid.

nyccarguy

qbrozen said:

nyccarguy said:

Hey guys. I'm attempting to help someone I know buy a new 2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid SE. He's a hard working livery cab driver from the Dominican Republic (excellent credit). He is a super nice guy and I just don't want him to get raked over the coals. He currently drives a 2014 Ford Taurus Limited which @qbrozen pegged a value of $16,000 on the trade. The Fusion he's buying has a sticker price of $29,765 and an invoice of $27,475.

He qualifies for the following rebates:

$500.00 Aged Inventory
$1,000.00 Ford Motor Credit Company

Did I miss anything rebates or incentive-wise?

That would bring the selling price of the car down to $25,975.00 minus $16K for his trade in comes out to $9,975.00 plus 8.875% NYC sales tax ($885.28) equals $10,860.28

well, per truecar in my area, there is $1500 hybrid cash, plus $1000 if I finance through Ford (no problem! do it and pay it off a month later), plus $500 aged inventory. The Truecar estimate is $24,580.

Thanks! Edmunds didn't have the Hybrid cash listed.

driver100

bwia said:

carnaught said:

Considering an Encore with all the bells and whistles, love the size. To suydam and BWIA, do you have Nav., and how is/are the audio and electronics? What is/are the things about it you like least?

Although the Encore hits the sweet spot the 2016 Hyundai Tucson Limited looks like a home run with all the bells and whistles and six inches longer at 176 " than the Encore. https://www.hyundaiusa.com/all-new-tucson/

And for safety: Back-up camera with Rear parking sensors, Lane departure warning, Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Blind Spot Detection system with Rear Cross-traffic Alert and Lane Change Assist.
Features like these were once the domain of the "luxury" high price marques. Thanks to Hyundai, the MSRP for the Tucson Limited is in the low to mid $30k's.

Wow....a lot of car for the money! I think it looks great too...kind of like a baby X1!

fezo

GG - you might find this interesting. The problem seems to be with YOUR computer code which became your problem and not GM's as soon as you bought it!

http://consumerist.com/2015/05/20/gm-that-car-you-bought-were-really-the-ones-who-own-it/

driver100

fezo said:

GG - you might find this interesting. The problem seems to be with YOUR computer code which became your problem and not GM's as soon as you bought it!

http://consumerist.com/2015/05/20/gm-that-car-you-bought-were-really-the-ones-who-own-it/

So,
GM’s claim is all about copyright and software code, and it’s the same claim John Deere is making about their tractors. The TL;DR version of the argument goes something like this:

Cars work because software tells all the parts how to operate
The software that tells all the parts to operate is customized code
That code is subject to copyright
GM owns the copyright on that code and that software
A modern car cannot run without that software; it is integral to all systems
Therefore, the purchase or use of that car is a licensing agreement
And since it is subject to a licensing agreement, GM is the owner and can allow/disallow certain uses or access.


Life sure is complex theses days! I wonder if Toshiba owns my laptop, if Samsung owns my TV, if SanDisc owns my MP3 player, if Mercedes owns my E400?

Interesting arguement. Maybe GM feels it doesn't have to fix GG's car, since it belongs to them anyway.

stever

Wait until you get a pacemaker and a bionic knee, lol.

suydam

This will be settled in the courts. The difficulty for automakers is you BOUGHT the car, you didn't rent it from them. AND you sign a licensing agreement for your laptop software. You didn't sign a licensing agreement for the software that runs your CVT.

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

The Mustang GT is now officially off my list; I checked out a base GT. I didn't think it was possible, but the cloth seats look even worse in person than they do in pictures. So, based on my budget I could either get a base GT with the Performance pack, Recaros, and the cr*p interior or get a GT Premium with a livable interior and no Performance pack or Recaros. I cannot decide which would suck more- so the 'stang is off the island....

I'm back. Not dead but as some surmised I've been busy with spring chores and driving the bus. They're down 40 drivers so it's been 50 hour weeks. Add the farm (hopefully my last year) and it's been crazy.

Trying to catch up on posts and the best I could do is go back a few weeks. Missed the start of GG's Caddy problem. That's just not fair, he really liked that car. I think the company is being stupid. To imply that he's making it all up is so insulting.

Too bad about Mike's father but great news about that new Hep C drug. A woman at work had to fight the insurance company to get payment for her husband to take it. Something like $80,000.

Very interesting about Roadburners impression of the Mustang. My opinion of the cloth interior is similar. I like the Ceramic interior but when I saw it in person it looked cheap. The leather version, on the other hand was beautiful. Don't know if it's $5k more beautiful but I liked it.

RR, what did you think of the shifter? I'm sure you have more experience with modern short throw set ups but it totally creeped me out. Clutch pedal was too soft and the shifter felt like I was playing with a video game toggle. I'm not a very proficient standard shift man so I think the auto would be my choice.

Did you think it was too quiet? I thought it had the same exhaust sound as my Lincoln. I found a couple of options for exhaust system retrofit but wonder why I have to spend the extra money right out of the gate.

Anyway, nice to see you're all still here holding down the fort.

graphicguy

Well, if that's the case, GM's code is terrible. And, it makes at least their Cadillacs faulty. Garbage in....garbage out!

I want them to have it back. No problem!

driver100

suydam said:

This will be settled in the courts. The difficulty for automakers is you BOUGHT the car, you didn't rent it from them. AND you sign a licensing agreement for your laptop software. You didn't sign a licensing agreement for the software that runs your CVT.

There is probably fine print somewhere. All the manuals for the E400 must add up to about 800 very dry pages. In the Bmw 535 I had to agree to the terms of the GPS every time I started the car...if I didn't it assumed I had agreed.

Stever, I know what you mean about those forms. Before a colonoscopy or for laser vision they bring out the agreement at the last moment. I have to sign and give up my rights to sue, even if they blow it!

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

The Mustang GT is now officially off my list; I checked out a base GT. I didn't think it was possible, but the cloth seats look even worse in person than they do in pictures. So, based on my budget I could either get a base GT with the Performance pack, Recaros, and the cr*p interior or get a GT Premium with a livable interior and no Performance pack or Recaros. I cannot decide which would suck more- so the 'stang is off the island....

I'm back. Not dead but as some surmised I've been busy with spring chores and driving the bus. They're down 40 drivers so it's been 50 hour weeks. Add the farm (hopefully my last year) and it's been crazy.


.

Welcome back. I figured you were either plowing the back 40, or were looking for all those buried cans with hidden money.

nelsonf

I've been thinking about buying a used BMW M4 next year, maybe someone's 2 year lease return, just as a fun weekend/Summer/Track day car.

Then this showed up:

http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/1506-alfa-romeo-giulia-quadrifoglio-arrives-with-510-hp/

Supposed to compete against the M3. Looks pretty impressive, but I haven't seen any pricing info or interior shots. It would be great if a 6 speed was available. Looking forward to the car magazine reviews.

I prefer the 2 doors of the M4, but this is a pretty good looking sedan.

Nelson

fezo

Last year on the farm? We'll have to start calling you oldbusdriver.

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

I'm back. Not dead but as some surmised I've been busy with spring chores and driving the bus. They're down 40 drivers so it's been 50 hour weeks. Add the farm (hopefully my last year) and it's been crazy.

Trying to catch up on posts and the best I could do is go back a few weeks. Missed the start of GG's Caddy problem. That's just not fair, he really liked that car. I think the company is being stupid. To imply that he's making it all up is so insulting.

Too bad about Mike's father but great news about that new Hep C drug. A woman at work had to fight the insurance company to get payment for her husband to take it. Something like $80,000.

Very interesting about Roadburners impression of the Mustang. My opinion of the cloth interior is similar. I like the Ceramic interior but when I saw it in person it looked cheap. The leather version, on the other hand was beautiful. Don't know if it's $5k more beautiful but I liked it.

RR, what did you think of the shifter? I'm sure you have more experience with modern short throw set ups but it totally creeped me out. Clutch pedal was too soft and the shifter felt like I was playing with a video game toggle. I'm not a very proficient standard shift man so I think the auto would be my choice.

Did you think it was too quiet? I thought it had the same exhaust sound as my Lincoln. I found a couple of options for exhaust system retrofit but wonder why I have to spend the extra money right out of the gate.

Anyway, nice to see you're all still here holding down the fort.

Welcome back! I never got around to test driving a GT; there was no point once I found out I'd have to take the cr*p interior if I wanted the PP. I did check out the shifter when I sat in the car; I liked it. A lot. At least I gave Ford a chance to earn my business...

stever

driver100 said:

Stever, I know what you mean about those forms. Before a colonoscopy or for laser vision they bring out the agreement at the last moment. I have to sign and give up my rights to sue, even if they blow it!

I was thinking more about your "Toshiba owns my laptop" comment. Who's gonna own your bionic knee? Will you have to dance to JNJ's tune?

The John Deere case is interesting - they sell two versions of the same tractor, but the "better" code unlocks more power than the cheap version. You crack the code (chip the tractor), you get the better model without having to pay for it.

driver100

nelsonf said:

I've been thinking about buying a used BMW M4 next year, maybe someone's 2 year lease return, just as a fun weekend/Summer/Track day car.

Then this showed up:

http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/1506-alfa-romeo-giulia-quadrifoglio-arrives-with-510-hp/

Supposed to compete against the M3. Looks pretty impressive, but I haven't seen any pricing info or interior shots. It would be great if a 6 speed was available. Looking forward to the car magazine reviews.

I prefer the 2 doors of the M4, but this is a pretty good looking sedan.

Nelson

It looks more like bmw 3 series than a 3 series...I wonder if they worked with bmw on it. The rear quarter window and the lines on the side are direct copies of a 3.






Not available until 2016 so you have some time to think it over. Who is going to sell them, and more importantly, who is going to service them?

Looks pretty nice though................

driver100

stever said:

driver100 said:

Stever, I know what you mean about those forms. Before a colonoscopy or for laser vision they bring out the agreement at the last moment. I have to sign and give up my rights to sue, even if they blow it!

I was thinking more about your "Toshiba owns my laptop" comment. Who's gonna own your bionic knee? Will you have to dance to JNJ's tune?

The John Deere case is interesting - they sell two versions of the same tractor, but the "better" code unlocks more power than the cheap version. You crack the code (chip the tractor), you get the better model without having to pay for it.

Now I see what you mean.

If you own a Tesla you have to leave it outside once a month so Tesla can do computer updates etc. I guess they will want to own the car too.

Yeh, knees, hearts, etc., I think I should own the part....they can still "control" the software, just like they do on my computer.

driver100

driver100 said:

stever said:

driver100 said:

Stever, I know what you mean about those forms. Before a colonoscopy or for laser vision they bring out the agreement at the last moment. I have to sign and give up my rights to sue, even if they blow it!

I was thinking more about your "Toshiba owns my laptop" comment. Who's gonna own your bionic knee? Will you have to dance to JNJ's tune?

The John Deere case is interesting - they sell two versions of the same tractor, but the "better" code unlocks more power than the cheap version. You crack the code (chip the tractor), you get the better model without having to pay for it.

Now I see what you mean.

If you own a Tesla you have to leave it outside once a month so Tesla can do computer updates etc. I guess they will want to own the car too.

Yeh, knees, hearts, etc., I think I should own the part....they can still "control" the software, just like they do on my computer.

But, I am sure there is a disclaimer about changing the software in an engine to make it perform differently...no company would take on that liability.

Michaell

driver100 said:

nelsonf said:

I've been thinking about buying a used BMW M4 next year, maybe someone's 2 year lease return, just as a fun weekend/Summer/Track day car.

Then this showed up:

http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/1506-alfa-romeo-giulia-quadrifoglio-arrives-with-510-hp/

Supposed to compete against the M3. Looks pretty impressive, but I haven't seen any pricing info or interior shots. It would be great if a 6 speed was available. Looking forward to the car magazine reviews.

I prefer the 2 doors of the M4, but this is a pretty good looking sedan.

Nelson

It looks more like bmw 3 series than a 3 series...I wonder if they worked with bmw on it. The rear quarter window and the lines on the side are direct copies of a 3.






Not available until 2016 so you have some time to think it over. Who is going to sell them, and more importantly, who is going to service them?

Looks pretty nice though................

My understanding is that existing Fiat dealers will have the opportunity to sell Alfas as well.

What's hilarious is that Marchionne expects to sell 150K Alfas by 2018 in the US alone, and 400K worldwide. They sold 90K all of last year.

oldfarmer50

Possible replacement for GG's faulty Caddy:

driver100

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

nelsonf said:

I've been thinking about buying a used BMW M4 next year, maybe someone's 2 year lease return, just as a fun weekend/Summer/Track day car.

Then this showed up:

http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/1506-alfa-romeo-giulia-quadrifoglio-arrives-with-510-hp/

Supposed to compete against the M3. Looks pretty impressive, but I haven't seen any pricing info or interior shots. It would be great if a 6 speed was available. Looking forward to the car magazine reviews.

I prefer the 2 doors of the M4, but this is a pretty good looking sedan.

Nelson

It looks more like bmw 3 series than a 3 series...I wonder if they worked with bmw on it. The rear quarter window and the lines on the side are direct copies of a 3.






Not available until 2016 so you have some time to think it over. Who is going to sell them, and more importantly, who is going to service them?

Looks pretty nice though................

My understanding is that existing Fiat dealers will have the opportunity to sell Alfas as well.

What's hilarious is that Marchionne expects to sell 150K Alfas by 2018 in the US alone, and 400K worldwide. They sold 90K all of last year.

I think it is brilliant! Not too many people can afford an Alfa, but, if these are more popularly priced then it will make an Alfa available to way more people.

There aren't too many European luxury cars to choose from these days, and the Alfa will offer something a little more unique.

I wonder where they will be on the JD Powers and CR reliability surveys...but other than that, they should sell really well.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

Possible replacement for GG's faulty Caddy:

At least the engine won't cough and sputter!

imidazol97

stever said:

I was thinking more about your "Toshiba owns my laptop" comment. Who's gonna own your bionic knee? Will you have to dance to JNJ's tune?

I believe both my wife's knees were made by Zimmer. She had been seeing ads on TV from the attorney offices wanting to "help" you get free money from companies because their knees were causing problems. She just asked her doctor at her 5,000 mile checkup this week (note automotive allusion) if either of them are in the recalled group. He said there were no problems with either. They X-rayed both knees to do the checkup.

I wonder if the manufacturer of the knees can claim they still own the knees because it was their software code that built them? They're just letting you use them.

nyccarguy

@oldfarmer50 - hey pal! Good to see you are still around. Thank-you for checking in. I thought maybe those fugitives from Clinton were hiding somewhere on your property

bwia

oldfarmer50 said:

Possible replacement for GG's faulty Caddy:

Speaking of GG's faulty Caddy, I wonder whether it is possible (with the VIN) to trace the car after it is returned to GM? Will GM crush it as it did with its first generation EV's or sell it for a tidy profit?

I am thinking crushing it is an unlikely scenario and the dealer will likely reflash the computer and resell the vehicle as a CPO.

driver100

bwia said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Possible replacement for GG's faulty Caddy:

Speaking of GG's faulty Caddy, I wonder whether it is possible (with the VIN) to trace the car after it is returned to GM? Will GM crush it as it did with its first generation EV's or sell it for a tidy profit?

I am thinking crushing it is an unlikely scenario and the dealer will likely reflash the computer and resell the vehicle as a CPO.

And that begs the question.....I wonder who is driving the first CTS GG handed back in?

nelsonf

driver100 said:

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

nelsonf said:

I've been thinking about buying a used BMW M4 next year, maybe someone's 2 year lease return, just as a fun weekend/Summer/Track day car.

Then this showed up:

http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/1506-alfa-romeo-giulia-quadrifoglio-arrives-with-510-hp/

Supposed to compete against the M3. Looks pretty impressive, but I haven't seen any pricing info or interior shots. It would be great if a 6 speed was available. Looking forward to the car magazine reviews.

I prefer the 2 doors of the M4, but this is a pretty good looking sedan.

Nelson

It looks more like bmw 3 series than a 3 series...I wonder if they worked with bmw on it. The rear quarter window and the lines on the side are direct copies of a 3.






Not available until 2016 so you have some time to think it over. Who is going to sell them, and more importantly, who is going to service them?

Looks pretty nice though................

My understanding is that existing Fiat dealers will have the opportunity to sell Alfas as well.

What's hilarious is that Marchionne expects to sell 150K Alfas by 2018 in the US alone, and 400K worldwide. They sold 90K all of last year.

I think it is brilliant! Not too many people can afford an Alfa, but, if these are more popularly priced then it will make an Alfa available to way more people.

There aren't too many European luxury cars to choose from these days, and the Alfa will offer something a little more unique.

I wonder where they will be on the JD Powers and CR reliability surveys...but other than that, they should sell really well.

There is a lot to consider. If you were looking at the Alfa vs. an M3, assuming competitive pricing, the BMW wins out for dealer support, aftermarket support, and club support.

The Alfa wins out for looks in my opinion, and engine sound. Here's the promotional video. The first 20 seconds or so is fluff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=17&v=cCPYmVZwXc4

nyccarguy

explorerx4 said:

@nyc,
In CT, I'm getting 0% for 60 months plus $1000 or $2500 cash back for a 2015 Fusion Hybrid.

Cool. I just saw this post now from yesterday. Weird. Cool. Let us know how it goes. So you are dumping the Escape, right? I like the Fusion, it is very slick looking. I'll be interested to hear your take on the Hybrid versus the 2.0 Turbo you had before the Escape. Your 2.0 T was FWD too, not AWD?

bwia

Caddy Vs Buick

I was just perusing a Buick forum and found a customer's experience with his Buick Encore which I expected to be the same at Buick or Cadillac. In short, the guy returned two vehicles and got his money back. Here is an excerpt of his original post, GM's response and the resolution.

@neilman ... "Vehicle road tested wonderful during the dealer visit, but has been a huge disappointment after taking it home. We already exchanged the vehicle (so we're on our second one) and really appreciate the dealership's cooperation with doing their best to make the situation right for us. Both vehicles have the same problem, in fact the 2nd one is worse and I wish I had kept the 1st one."

@nrichards ..."I have shared your comments with our engineers and they are interested in more details. Would you be willing to email me last 8 of your VIN and the dealership from whom you purchased the vehicle?

Nick Richards
Buick Communications Manager
nick.richards@gm.com"

@neilman .... "Sorry for the delay in providing an update. Luckily we were able to return the vehicle and get our money back. GM and the dealer were very accommodating and cooperative throughout the process. I would say it was the best service I have experienced from all dealers of various brands I have done business with over many years. They actually put MB, Acura, Lexus to shame.

Too bad...my kids really loved the Encore. Maybe down the road when the bugs have been worked out and the cars are made in the US we'll give it another try."

Read more at http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/14991/buick/encore/2015-buick-encore-prices-paid-and-buying-experience/p1

nyccarguy

Here's another Jalopnik article. This one is more relevant to the Buying & Selling topic:

http://jalopnik.com/here-s-why-my-dad-will-never-buy-anything-but-a-lexus-e-1713628752

Similar thing happened to a salesman I deal with. He had a 2002 RX300. Serviced it at the same dealership religiously. Every time he dropped it off for service, they gave him a loaner. One time the RX stopped running somewhere in PA. He called AAA and they towed him to his dealership in NJ which was exactly the max tow distance away from where he broke down. The problem was a coil pack that needed to be replaced. They told him they had one in the shop "laying around," put it in for him and sent him on his way. When the transmission finally crapped out on him at 450K miles, he looked elsewhere, but ultimately said: How can I ever buy another vehicle besides a Lexus. He bought a CPO RX350 with 48K on it. He's now got close to 200K on that one.

graphicguy

oldfarmer...good to see you back. Right now I'd prefer the Caddy you posted over mine.

Update....BBB response......(paraphrasing) Cadillac is ignoring your issue. They claim everything works as designed.

Then why did they replace the steering unit (which didn't solve the problem)?

The more I deal with these buffoons the angrier I get. And, they wonder why their sales are in the toilet. Ain't going to get any better by pulling this kind of garbage.

houdini1

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

The Mustang GT is now officially off my list; I checked out a base GT. I didn't think it was possible, but the cloth seats look even worse in person than they do in pictures. So, based on my budget I could either get a base GT with the Performance pack, Recaros, and the cr*p interior or get a GT Premium with a livable interior and no Performance pack or Recaros. I cannot decide which would suck more- so the 'stang is off the island....

I'm back. Not dead but as some surmised I've been busy with spring chores and driving the bus. They're down 40 drivers so it's been 50 hour weeks. Add the farm (hopefully my last year) and it's been crazy.

Trying to catch up on posts and the best I could do is go back a few weeks. Missed the start of GG's Caddy problem. That's just not fair, he really liked that car. I think the company is being stupid. To imply that he's making it all up is so insulting.

Too bad about Mike's father but great news about that new Hep C drug. A woman at work had to fight the insurance company to get payment for her husband to take it. Something like $80,000.

Very interesting about Roadburners impression of the Mustang. My opinion of the cloth interior is similar. I like the Ceramic interior but when I saw it in person it looked cheap. The leather version, on the other hand was beautiful. Don't know if it's $5k more beautiful but I liked it.

RR, what did you think of the shifter? I'm sure you have more experience with modern short throw set ups but it totally creeped me out. Clutch pedal was too soft and the shifter felt like I was playing with a video game toggle. I'm not a very proficient standard shift man so I think the auto would be my choice.

Did you think it was too quiet? I thought it had the same exhaust sound as my Lincoln. I found a couple of options for exhaust system retrofit but wonder why I have to spend the extra money right out of the gate.

Anyway, nice to see you're all still here holding down the fort.

He has arisen !!

houdini1

nelsonf said:

I've been thinking about buying a used BMW M4 next year, maybe someone's 2 year lease return, just as a fun weekend/Summer/Track day car.

Then this showed up:

http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/1506-alfa-romeo-giulia-quadrifoglio-arrives-with-510-hp/

Supposed to compete against the M3. Looks pretty impressive, but I haven't seen any pricing info or interior shots. It would be great if a 6 speed was available. Looking forward to the car magazine reviews.

I prefer the 2 doors of the M4, but this is a pretty good looking sedan.

Nelson

I never buy any car whose name I can't pronounce !! Much less spell !

fezo

Not on any subject that we've been dealing with and I'm not buying a vacuum cleaner or dishwasher any time too soon (though will be getting a carpet and upholstery steamer) but something else.

Have you ever seen a car that is in absolutely the wrong color for that car? I'm talking perfectly good colors that are just terribly wrong for that car. What brought this up is when my wife and I were out the other night and what drives by as we're walking along is a recent Camaro convertible in dark red with a black top. The combination of the sporty Camaro with the utterly staid and conservative color just seemed horribly wrong.

My theory is if you want a dark Camaro get it triple black and maintain that thing like crazy. Otherwise get a lighter color.

While we were up there (Red Bank, NJ - great little town) we pass a parking spot on the street with a charger for electric vehicles. By the time we walked by it a second time there was a BMW with dealership ads painted all over in it charging away. We were there for a concert that was well attended. I'm assuming the car was there to advertise. Good thing I don't have my Tesla yet.....