Do stores send out satisfaction surveys for used car purchases? Or
is that just done for their new car sales portion? I never got anything
from the Cruz purchase in January.
New cars only, however some manufacturers survey CPO sales because that is the way they maintain high resale values on their products - remember CPO's come with special manufacturer financing incentives and extended warranties.
This is a CPO '15 Cruz, or I wouldn't have bought it for my son. Would have bought a new vehicle. Actually he's buying it from me. He's not a car person. The only car he'd noticed that he wanted was the '16 Malibu, the new model.
The 2-year CPO warranty that I can extend with an authentic GMEP warranty makes the '15 Cruz worthwhile.
LOL. But those folks sometimes end up on Judge Judy. Even that job is not stress free.
Double LOL....so many cases on Judge Judy and on Hot Bench are about dogs and dog watchers!
Driver, you mention Judge Judy and Hot Bench occasionally. My go to Judge is Marilyn Millian of People's Court. You can zip through a "case" in ten minutes and watch an hour long show in under 1/2 hour when cutting through the fluff, boring set ups and post case interviews. There are a lot of used car horror stories (plus rent and dog issues...). Car case take aways are: get a PRE purchase inspection and, an as is sale usually is, as is. ps, I'll be in Pigeon Forge same time as you. My wife and I are driving down in later March to miss some of Vermont's mud season....
sb55, Yeh, I am a sucker for court room stuff. When I was a teenager I sometimes went to the courthouse to watch cases being tried. I like the process of how the facts come out, and I am fascinated by the way some people can lie so much and so easily, and I really like the way the judges get to the truth. I have watched a lot of the judges at one time or another including Judge Marilyn, Judge Faith, and others, but Judge Judy is the Queen of the court, and I like Hot Bench because the 3 judges each have a skill, and you can get a sense of the thinking process they use to reach a verdict.
I record them too, and a 30 minute show becomes 20 minutes without all the filler:
Here is a small example of Hot Bench about a motorcycle accident claim...lots of lying and investigative judge work. https://youtu.be/7OI-26bDS9U
We go through Pigeon Forge area to go home...would like to spend time there one day. I think imid is going there in March/April this year. Sounds like a nice place, especially like to go to Dolly World.
Washed Dads Ghia today. Clay bar and a good waxing are next up. Figured out how to release the rear window so I can lower the top. Dad had an air ride kit installed, it sits looow. Looks cool, but would never try to drive it that low.
Another thought about selling cars, and maybe Mike has some thoughts on this.
My Mercedes sales assistant (not sure what the main sales guy does but I mostly deal with his helper" has to be so knowledgeable, I just can't learn all that stuff any more. For one thing, he has to demonstrate that self parking feature. He has to answer questions all day, and he has to know how to hook up every new device that comes out. He takes courses in all this stuff, and it is constantly changing.
At one time cars might have one or two simple new devices, like speed control or pop open trunks, but think about what they have to learn today. I suppose a high end salesman could do quite well, but I am sure he would work really hard to do that.
Yes, driver, when I sold cars, I had to demonstrate to the customer how every feature operated. Today, you have GPS and know how to activate voice recognition, sophisticated audio systems, Bluetooth, Lane-Tracking, Blind-Spot monitors, adaptive lighting, satellite radio, satellite tracking monitors such as ON-STAR, keyless access and starting, and scores of other systems to demonstrate. The salesmen today do not have the training necessary to educate their clients, so many dealerships have gone the route of delivery specialists who actually deliver the car when paperwork is completed.
But the salesmen have to know what the features are and the benefits of those features in order to "sell" those features. Many customers are invited back to take additional training because of the multitude of features and the need to show how the features operate and how to access them.
I know I could never go back to selling cars or even demonstrating the features. It's a young person's job today. It also takes tremendous patience.
Since many car features are linked to smart phones I have no idea how they even work. It would have been helpful though if my salesman had gone through things like how to reset the gauge displays.
When I took delivery he basicly tossed me the keys.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Mike, it sounds like if any of us wanted to sell cars at this point in our lives...it would be best to find a used car lot that features cars at least 10 years old or more. I can barely work all those devices myself let alone demonstrate them for someone else.
And, then the learning! Things change so fast today that you would be learning new things every year. It makes my head spin just thinking about it. And, if you learn all this stuff there is no guaranty you will earn enough to make a living.
Maybe I'll just consider being a curbsider.
I'd love to be the guy who buys the cars for a used store but I'd have a hard time letting them go. Not a good business model.
I think my retirement job will be buying low mile older cars, test driving them for maybe a year and then giving them to relatives. My version of charity work.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
My problem is that I don't have the "sales" gene in me. Never been comfortable with a variable pay plan, either.
Always had trouble selling someone else's product especially if I didn't "believe" in it. Different story for my own products. I have quite a following at the farmer's market because I can paint an image of how my customer will benefit from buying my stuff. I actually have fun dispite being a natural introvert.
Maybe go into business for yourself in a similar line like driver100.
If I was going to sell cars I think I'd sell these:
The commission on one a year would set me up fine. 261mph on the test drive would be fun too.
Wow, that is a good looking Mustang !!
I think you could buy about 75 Mustangs for the price of that baby.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
My problem is that I don't have the "sales" gene in me. Never been comfortable with a variable pay plan, either.
Always had trouble selling someone else's product especially if I didn't "believe" in it. Different story for my own products. I have quite a following at the farmer's market because I can paint an image of how my customer will benefit from buying my stuff. I actually have fun dispite being a natural introvert.
Maybe go into business for yourself in a similar line like driver100.
If I was going to sell cars I think I'd sell these:
The commission on one a year would set me up fine. 261mph on the test drive would be fun too.
Wow, that is a good looking Mustang !!
I think you could buy about 75 Mustangs for the price of that baby.
I know it is fast and expensive, but I actually don't like the way it looks that much.
When I started in the car business I hit the ground running. I made great money from the start. I usually went over six figures but that's not the norm for most people and most stores.
As the years went by, a lot of the "fun" left the business. I'll be the first to admit that I would run from customers that looked like they would be difficult to deal with and so did the other veterans. The greenpeas quickly learned why we did this. My last few years I basically went through the motions which wasn't fair to our customers or my employer. The bulk of my sales came from referrals or repeat customers.
Finally I got to the point I wasn't having fun and that it was time to leave. I would have stayed a couple more years but it was time and I retired early. Now, I volunteer two or three days a week at our local Food Bank and I love what I do and the people I work with.
Doing a proper delivery on even a lowly Civic would have to be a long tedious prospect. Even a bottom of the line LX has complicated features that have to be explained in detail. I never thought things like rear cameras, keyless entry etc would be standard equipment on the entry level Civics.
My advice to anyone considering going into the car business would be to find, if you can, a family owned store with a good reputation. Most stores treat their salespeople like little kids and have turnover that is staggering.
....hey, I found my niche in life, now I can fill long boring days and find stuff to do and the day flies by...and I would be absolutely hopeless in any job I would be in. No one would want to hire me at this point....I just want to observe from a distance the old rat race and not be part of it.
+1 I'm very happy being retired and doing whatever I want. It's nice to have zero pressure to accomplish something every day. If I get the lawn cut, cool. If not, there's always tomorrow. I'm getting a lot of delayed reading done. After 35 years of work stress, life in retirement is good.
That reminds me of the joke - How many retired guys does it take to change a light bulb? Just one, but it will take all day.
....hey, I found my niche in life, now I can fill long boring days and find stuff to do and the day flies by...and I would be absolutely hopeless in any job I would be in. No one would want to hire me at this point....I just want to observe from a distance the old rat race and not be part of it.
+1
That reminds me of the joke - How many retired guys does it take to change a light bulb? Just one, but it will take all day.
Funny you should say that joke...and it is funny. I do about the same in a day as I did when I was working, reading two papers a day and doing one other major activity (play tennis, go to dog park, do some banking or financial stuff, doing something around home), the big difference is I used to do the same except I also worked about 8 hours a day as well.
I'm surprised Ford/Lincoln quit making Town Cars. Seems like the tooling would have been paid for years ago, basically making the car pure profit after labor costs.
I think they would still sell a bunch. Must be a reason though...
Currently own: 2017 BMW M4, 2011 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X Used to own: 2008 VW R32, 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport, 1987 BMW 325IS
My advice to anyone considering going into the car business would be to find, if you can, a family owned store with a good reputation. Most stores treat their salespeople like little kids and have turnover that is staggering.
After losing job #3 within 4 years I took a government sponsored self-employment course. They taught us the principles of running your own business.
They brought back a successful businessman who had graduated from the course, and who was making over $100k a year now on his own. He bought a few cars to sell and they didn't move at all. Being a good entrepreneur he changed his business plan....instead of tying up his money in stock that didn't sell he would order cars for people. Customers would tell him the car, the color - a few choices, and whatever else they wanted and he would find it. He would buy the car and add on a commission. This was before people could find their own cars on the internet. He did well because a lot of people can't pick out a good used car, and don't know how to find the car they want. He could probably find cars in Auto Traders or something and negotiate a better price than the average person.
Once he lined up the car, told the customer the cost, and the customer wanted him to take an extra $1000 off the price. The car guy said I can do that for you....what don't you want, a fitness certificate or the 3 month warranty? The customer paid the extra $1000!
Car brokers have just about disappeared at this point and the dealers certainly don't miss them.
The information available on the internet has both hurt and helped the dealers. The shoppers can and do research so they walk in knowing as much as the salespeople do in some cases. This ends the two hours of asking questions. They know what the dealer paid for the car they are interested in and several sources are more than happy to tell them what a "fair" price is. Of course, they always want to pay less than what is suggested.
I have said many times here that Supply and Demand is what determines pricing and that drives some "thrifty" people insane when hey find they can't buy a high demand low supply car for 200.00 over invoice.
I used to get some people that thought I should tell them what we had paid for a used car they were interested in buying. Sorry!
Car brokers have just about disappeared at this point and the dealers certainly don't miss them.
I used to get some people that thought I should tell them what we had paid for a used car they were interested in buying. Sorry!
That's like a magician giving away his magic tricks or a restaurant giving you the recipe to one of their unique favorite dishes...a lot of nerve!!!!!!!!
Just to show how knowledgeable a sales person has to be these days.
I started the E400 - with keyless starter, and a warning came up, battery in remote is low. There was a Dollar General store across the street (there is one on every corner these days) so I bought a 2025 flat battery.
You have to be one smart dude to figure out how to open the keyless remote unit. Had to look it up in the manual. First get the actual manual key out which no human being could do without instructions, and then getting to the battery would take an Einstein to figure out. Put the key in some other way and it pushes the battery case door which is completely hidden, open. Now it has been done, and I have an extra battery in the glove compartment in case this happens again.
Now I see why Mike trades his cars in every 6 months.
My problem is that I don't have the "sales" gene in me. Never been comfortable with a variable pay plan, either.
Always had trouble selling someone else's product especially if I didn't "believe" in it. Different story for my own products. I have quite a following at the farmer's market because I can paint an image of how my customer will benefit from buying my stuff. I actually have fun dispite being a natural introvert.
Maybe go into business for yourself in a similar line like driver100.
If I was going to sell cars I think I'd sell these:
The commission on one a year would set me up fine. 261mph on the test drive would be fun too.
Wow, that is a good looking Mustang !!
I think you could buy about 75 Mustangs for the price of that baby.
I know it is fast and expensive, but I actually don't like the way it looks that much.
I said I'd sell them but if I was to own a super car it would be this one.
Wouldn't matter much if it could do 200 or 260. I'd be happy.
I'm surprised Ford/Lincoln quit making Town Cars. Seems like the tooling would have been paid for years ago, basically making the car pure profit after labor costs.
I think they would still sell a bunch. Must be a reason though...
Crash regulations? Emissions? Dying market? (Literally)? But you have a point. Without having to share market with Crown Vic or GM the Towncar might fill a niche.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I'm surprised Ford/Lincoln quit making Town Cars. Seems like the tooling would have been paid for years ago, basically making the car pure profit after labor costs.
I think they would still sell a bunch. Must be a reason though...
They probably needed the assembly plant capacity to build more pickup trucks.
Just to show how knowledgeable a sales person has to be these days.
I started the E400 - with keyless starter, and a warning came up, battery in remote is low. There was a Dollar General store across the street (there is one on every corner these days) so I bought a 2025 flat battery.
You have to be one smart dude to figure out how to open the keyless remote unit. Had to look it up in the manual. First get the actual manual key out which no human being could do without instructions, and then getting to the battery would take an Einstein to figure out. Put the key in some other way and it pushes the battery case door which is completely hidden, open. Now it has been done, and I have an extra battery in the glove compartment in case this happens again.
Now I see why Mike trades his cars in every 6 months.
I do not trade my cars every 6 months. I trade my cars in every 11-12 months. There - now I feel better!
That way the battery in the remotes never have to be replaced. No oil changes. Frequent trading has its merits.
Frequent trading costs a lot more than oil changes and remote battery replacements, but I hate taking my car for service or parts. You avoid all that by trading the car before it needs to be serviced. You have me pegged, Imid!
I do not trade my cars every 6 months. I trade my cars in every 11-12 months. There - now I feel better!
That way the battery in the remotes never have to be replaced. No oil changes. Frequent trading has its merits.
Frequent trading costs a lot more than oil changes and remote battery replacements, but I hate taking my car for service or parts. You avoid all that by trading the car before it needs to be serviced. You have me pegged, Imid!
That's one reason I trade at the end of the warranty period. I just hate waiting around to find out what repair my car needs and how much it will cost. I hate having a breakdown in the middle of a trip, or when I need to be somewhere at a certain time. Actually, it is a way to avoid stress in my life...extra amount I pay is worth it to me.
I said I'd sell them but if I was to own a super car it would be this one
.
Wouldn't matter much if it could do 200 or 260. I'd be happy.
OF, I like this one a lot more...and it even has the blue Ford oval just like your Mustang...you are part way there.
What can I say, I'm a Ford guy now. 10 years ago the GT sold for about $150,000. This one is estimated to be in the low $200s. Less than 1/10th the price of the Bugatti.
A real bargain since it's price is a tad less than my total net worth.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Not a car story but the technology behind this voyeurism video is amazing. I just watched the Erin Andrews peep hole video in full color and frankly that lawsuit is more about boosting her career (a la Kim Kardashian) than emotional damage.
As far as these things go I was expecting to see a grainy black and white video but instead it was a tasteful color video with Erin primping and combing her hair in front of a full length mirror. BTW, she looks great with no surgical enhancements. She should be proud to show off her assets instead of dragging a frvilous invasion of privacy lawsuit through the courts.
Nonetheless, the hotel is at fault for providing her room number and other personal details. For that they should be fined perhaps $500k but nowhere near $75 million.
you can always tell when your states primary is coming up. and the day after, miraculously all the ads disappear.
I believe Mike is in the deluge phase at the moment, since they are coming up soon.
what is even worse is when you live in a border state. I get my TV out of Philadelphia, though I live in NJ, and will get swamped with commercials for people running for offices in PA, that I can't even vote for!
Actually, we have not yet been deluged with political ads here in South Florida. But now that Super Tuesday is over, I expect that deluge to begin shortly.
What I am saying is that this election cycle is the worst I can ever remember in regard to mud slinging.
I don't think you're remembering well enough as I don't see this year as any worse than any other year.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I heard on the news (CBS Evening News) that the government doesn't want Apple to hack into the iPhone or develop software to hack into the iPhone. The government wants the software that locks the phone after 10 tries to be disabled. Once that happens, the government says it wants to use its own software to crack the 4 digit pin code on the iPhone.
I agree with arguments to both sides here. I also don't trust either side either (large multi billion dollar international corporation or the government).
You stated perfectly my opinions and feelings about this fiasco. Besides, everyone in the world (almost) knows the FBI has this phone - do you really think anyone who might have helped those killers in San Bernardino hasn't already gone underground or became invisible?
Or alternately these phones were never used for that purpose and all involved used prepaid phones to plan and support this.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Not a car story but the technology behind this voyeurism video is amazing. I just watched the Erin Andrews peep hole video in full color and frankly that lawsuit is more about boosting her career (a la Kim Kardashian) than emotional damage.
I honestly never understood her career trajectory. A reasonably good-looking woman but there are thousands of others who look equally good. Never been particularly impressed with her interview skills or depth of knowledge on various sports. Her rise to prominence was a creation of the frat-boy world I suspect. Some years ago CBS had a sideline reporter named Bonnie Bernstein who to my old-guy eyes was really attractive but more importantly who knew her stuff and did great work. She just fell off the face of the earth. I hope that was her decision. Right now NFL Net has Kimberly Jones reporting for them, not old but certainly not in her 20s any more, who to me gets more out of her interview subjects than just about anyone I see, and who is one of the most lovely women I have ever seen. I just don't get it.
Are you kidding me? Her privacy was totally violated without her permission. It doesn't matter how she looked. And you, a total stranger, are free to watch this internet video whenever you want to. That you would do it disgusts me.
A quick straw poll... How many transmission issues have you had with any vehicle you've owned? I 've never had one. As far back as I can remember, only my Dad and Grandpa had an issue with identical '65 Impalas. No family members, no friends with tranny complaints. Only reason I ask, SO many people are griping about CVTs, and I think most of it is that the feel of the thing is so different for a lot of folks. Our latest vehicle has one, closing in on 60k, no issues, had a recall reprogramming recently, no change in behavior or mileage that I notice. Not that there are NO people with actual issues, but the grousing gets in your head like a dash rattle
Was talking about this with a buddy who owns a tire shop/garage, and a customer chimed in that he had had tranny issues with almost every car he's owned, no matter the make or model. That made me feel better because I think I have the common factor for that customer pinpointed!
I haven't had a transmission issue in my life, my son blew a transmission at about 120K miles but that's the only issue I can recall in my family. That being said my Elantra at about 150K miles would kick like a mule shifting from first to second on cold days (say below 25-30) until it warmed up, but other than that no issues. Anticipating the shift and taking my foot off the gas when it shifted solved that issue until it warmed up.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Are you kidding me? Her privacy was totally violated without her permission. It doesn't matter how she looked. And you, a total stranger, are free to watch this internet video whenever you want to. That you would do it disgusts me.
+1
This lawsuit & video has absolutely nothing to do with boosting her career. She was victimized by this stalker & then again by people who didn't believe how traumatized she is by this. Her rights were violated. Her privacy was violated. Have you seen her testify? Have you heard what she has to go through now every time she checks into a hotel? She still has to travel for work. The anxiety and paranoia...
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Your comment about, "...I don't think you're remembering well enough..." as regards the amount of mud-slinging this election cycle over previous election cycles is probably dead on snake! I'm no spring chicken when it comes to my memory, that's for sure.
Well, the deluge of political commercials on TV has begun down here in South Florida. I saw my very first Trump spot this morning - paid for by his campaign. We are dealing with PAC commercials as well as the candidates' own commercials.
I guess in a few days, I will be looking forward to the return of the local car dealership commercials on local and cable TV.
I've gotten a number of phone calls from the various candidates' campaigns in the form of surveys as well as the Republican and Democrat political parties.
Whenever the question(s) about "have you made up your mind about who you will vote for on March 15th in the primary", I always respond "yes" so I don't get calls from a myriad of campaigns trying to convince me why I should vote for their candidate. I actually have not decided who I will vote for, but by knowing who I will definitely not vote for will make it easier for me to finally decide.
On car sales as a career. My FIL was in car sales for a long time at Center City Cadillac for the longest time. He was exactly the wrong sort for sales in that he's spend like a sailor when times were good and more or less starve, family along with him, when times were bad. In the 70s Cadillac tanked and Center City closed up shop. He tried lesser makes locally here but his heart wasn't into it. So an earlier change in market really did him in.
My dad would have been great at car sales. He tended to be in sales most of his life and could sell most anything. Just as well he never tried with cars because while he knew what he liked he didn't know a whole lot about them. He an my mother had completely different idea as to what constituted a good car. Dad like Caddys with all the bells and whistles. Mom would like something basic with a heater (and later AC), AM radio and a stick shift. Small was good, too. I remember day buying her an new 83 dolled up New Yorker and her telling him, "this a car you like. Not me."
He got a few that hit her mark nicely. A 1980 Datsun 510, a 72 Corolla, which gave a new meaning to small, and her last car was an 87 Sentra wagon with AWD. A slow, but nice little car.
2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
fezo - did you like your Mom's Datsun 510? That car and its predecessor Bluebird 411 are resting on my backburner lately quite nicely. Sort of like the anticipation of Seattle getting the Sonic's back for some NBA action.
That's one reason I trade at the end of the warranty period. I just hate waiting around to find out what repair my car needs and how much it will cost. I hate having a breakdown in the middle of a trip, or when I need to be somewhere at a certain time. Actually, it is a way to avoid stress in my life...extra amount I pay is worth it to me.
driver100 - this is on my mind now as my 2011 Kia Soul heads towards the end of its Warranty period (mine ends on 07/01/16).
Well, after a few years, being under warranty doesn't eliminate the risk of failure or breakdown. Just who pays for it (with certain wear part exceptions).
Your Benz hitting 4 years old doesn't mean it will become any less reliable.
Are you kidding me? Her privacy was totally violated without her permission. It doesn't matter how she looked. And you, a total stranger, are free to watch this internet video whenever you want to. That you would do it disgusts me.
+1
This lawsuit & video has absolutely nothing to do with boosting her career. She was victimized by this stalker & then again by people who didn't believe how traumatized she is by this. Her rights were violated. Her privacy was violated. Have you seen her testify? Have you heard what she has to go through now every time she checks into a hotel? She still has to travel for work. The anxiety and paranoia...
I hope she gets at least $50M. Anyone who watches that video should be ashamed of themselves. Imagine if that were your daughter. Would you still be OK with it then?
Comments
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
An interesting Judge Marilyn>
https://youtu.be/kHXDarcQ_1Y
I record them too, and a 30 minute show becomes 20 minutes without all the filler:
Here is a small example of Hot Bench about a motorcycle accident claim...lots of lying and investigative judge work.
https://youtu.be/7OI-26bDS9U
We go through Pigeon Forge area to go home...would like to spend time there one day. I think imid is going there in March/April this year. Sounds like a nice place, especially like to go to Dolly World.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Cool looking car.
Yes, driver, when I sold cars, I had to demonstrate to the customer how every feature operated. Today, you have GPS and know how to activate voice recognition, sophisticated audio systems, Bluetooth, Lane-Tracking, Blind-Spot monitors, adaptive lighting, satellite radio, satellite tracking monitors such as ON-STAR, keyless access and starting, and scores of other systems to demonstrate. The salesmen today do not have the training necessary to educate their clients, so many dealerships have gone the route of delivery specialists who actually deliver the car when paperwork is completed.
But the salesmen have to know what the features are and the benefits of those features in order to "sell" those features. Many customers are invited back to take additional training because of the multitude of features and the need to show how the features operate and how to access them.
I know I could never go back to selling cars or even demonstrating the features. It's a young person's job today. It also takes tremendous patience.
Since many car features are linked to smart phones I have no idea how they even work. It would have been helpful though if my salesman had gone through things like how to reset the gauge displays.
When I took delivery he basicly tossed me the keys.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I think my retirement job will be buying low mile older cars, test driving them for maybe a year and then giving them to relatives. My version of charity work.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I think you could buy about 75 Mustangs for the price of that baby.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
As the years went by, a lot of the "fun" left the business. I'll be the first to admit that I would run from customers that looked like they would be difficult to deal with and so did the other veterans. The greenpeas quickly learned why we did this. My last few years I basically went through the motions which wasn't fair to our customers or my employer. The bulk of my sales came from referrals or repeat customers.
Finally I got to the point I wasn't having fun and that it was time to leave. I would have stayed a couple more years but it was time and I retired early. Now, I volunteer two or three days a week at our local Food Bank and I love what I do and the people I work with.
Doing a proper delivery on even a lowly Civic would have to be a long tedious prospect. Even a bottom of the line LX has complicated features that have to be explained in detail. I never thought things like rear cameras, keyless entry etc would be standard equipment on the entry level Civics.
My advice to anyone considering going into the car business would be to find, if you can, a family owned store with a good reputation. Most stores treat their salespeople like little kids and have turnover that is staggering.
I'm very happy being retired and doing whatever I want. It's nice to have zero pressure to accomplish something every day. If I get the lawn cut, cool. If not, there's always tomorrow. I'm getting a lot of delayed reading done. After 35 years of work stress, life in retirement is good.
That reminds me of the joke - How many retired guys does it take to change a light bulb? Just one, but it will take all day.
2025 Forester Limited, 2024 Subaru Legacy Sport
Funny you should say that joke...and it is funny. I do about the same in a day as I did when I was working, reading two papers a day and doing one other major activity (play tennis, go to dog park, do some banking or financial stuff, doing something around home), the big difference is I used to do the same except I also worked about 8 hours a day as well.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I think they would still sell a bunch. Must be a reason though...
Currently own: 2017 BMW M4, 2011 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X Used to own: 2008 VW R32, 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport, 1987 BMW 325IS
They brought back a successful businessman who had graduated from the course, and who was making over $100k a year now on his own. He bought a few cars to sell and they didn't move at all. Being a good entrepreneur he changed his business plan....instead of tying up his money in stock that didn't sell he would order cars for people. Customers would tell him the car, the color - a few choices, and whatever else they wanted and he would find it. He would buy the car and add on a commission. This was before people could find their own cars on the internet. He did well because a lot of people can't pick out a good used car, and don't know how to find the car they want. He could probably find cars in Auto Traders or something and negotiate a better price than the average person.
Once he lined up the car, told the customer the cost, and the customer wanted him to take an extra $1000 off the price. The car guy said I can do that for you....what don't you want, a fitness certificate or the 3 month warranty? The customer paid the extra $1000!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
The information available on the internet has both hurt and helped the dealers. The shoppers can and do research so they walk in knowing as much as the salespeople do in some cases. This ends the two hours of asking questions. They know what the dealer paid for the car they are interested in and several sources are more than happy to tell them what a "fair" price is. Of course, they always want to pay less than what is suggested.
I have said many times here that Supply and Demand is what determines pricing and that drives some "thrifty" people insane when hey find they can't buy a high demand low supply car for 200.00 over invoice.
I used to get some people that thought I should tell them what we had paid for a used car they were interested in buying. Sorry!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I started the E400 - with keyless starter, and a warning came up, battery in remote is low. There was a Dollar General store across the street (there is one on every corner these days) so I bought a 2025 flat battery.
You have to be one smart dude to figure out how to open the keyless remote unit. Had to look it up in the manual. First get the actual manual key out which no human being could do without instructions, and then getting to the battery would take an Einstein to figure out. Put the key in some other way and it pushes the battery case door which is completely hidden, open. Now it has been done, and I have an extra battery in the glove compartment in case this happens again.
Now I see why Mike trades his cars in every 6 months.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Wouldn't matter much if it could do 200 or 260. I'd be happy.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I do not trade my cars every 6 months. I trade my cars in every 11-12 months. There - now I feel better!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
OF, I like this one a lot more...and it even has the blue Ford oval just like your Mustang...you are part way there.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Exactly....sounds better than exaggerating and much better than outright lying
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
That's one reason I trade at the end of the warranty period. I just hate waiting around to find out what repair my car needs and how much it will cost. I hate having a breakdown in the middle of a trip, or when I need to be somewhere at a certain time. Actually, it is a way to avoid stress in my life...extra amount I pay is worth it to me.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
OF, I like this one a lot more...and it even has the blue Ford oval just like your Mustang...you are part way there.
What can I say, I'm a Ford guy now. 10 years ago the GT sold for about $150,000. This one is estimated to be in the low $200s. Less than 1/10th the price of the Bugatti.
A real bargain since it's price is a tad less than my total net worth.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
As far as these things go I was expecting to see a grainy black and white video but instead it was a tasteful color video with Erin primping and combing her hair in front of a full length mirror. BTW, she looks great with no surgical enhancements. She should be proud to show off her assets instead of dragging a frvilous invasion of privacy lawsuit through the courts.
Nonetheless, the hotel is at fault for providing her room number and other personal details. For that they should be fined perhaps $500k but nowhere near $75 million.
What I am saying is that this election cycle is the worst I can ever remember in regard to mud slinging.
I don't think you're remembering well enough as I don't see this year as any worse than any other year.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Or alternately these phones were never used for that purpose and all involved used prepaid phones to plan and support this.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
'24 Chevy Blazer EV 2LT
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
This lawsuit & video has absolutely nothing to do with boosting her career. She was victimized by this stalker & then again by people who didn't believe how traumatized she is by this. Her rights were violated. Her privacy was violated. Have you seen her testify? Have you heard what she has to go through now every time she checks into a hotel? She still has to travel for work. The anxiety and paranoia...
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Your comment about, "...I don't think you're remembering well enough..." as regards the amount of mud-slinging this election cycle over previous election cycles is probably dead on snake! I'm no spring chicken when it comes to my memory, that's for sure.
Well, the deluge of political commercials on TV has begun down here in South Florida. I saw my very first Trump spot this morning - paid for by his campaign. We are dealing with PAC commercials as well as the candidates' own commercials.
I guess in a few days, I will be looking forward to the return of the local car dealership commercials on local and cable TV.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Whenever the question(s) about "have you made up your mind about who you will vote for on March 15th in the primary", I always respond "yes" so I don't get calls from a myriad of campaigns trying to convince me why I should vote for their candidate. I actually have not decided who I will vote for, but by knowing who I will definitely not vote for will make it easier for me to finally decide.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
My dad would have been great at car sales. He tended to be in sales most of his life and could sell most anything. Just as well he never tried with cars because while he knew what he liked he didn't know a whole lot about them. He an my mother had completely different idea as to what constituted a good car. Dad like Caddys with all the bells and whistles. Mom would like something basic with a heater (and later AC), AM radio and a stick shift. Small was good, too. I remember day buying her an new 83 dolled up New Yorker and her telling him, "this a car you like. Not me."
He got a few that hit her mark nicely. A 1980 Datsun 510, a 72 Corolla, which gave a new meaning to small, and her last car was an 87 Sentra wagon with AWD. A slow, but nice little car.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
driver100 - this is on my mind now as my 2011 Kia Soul heads towards the end of its Warranty period (mine ends on 07/01/16).
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Your Benz hitting 4 years old doesn't mean it will become any less reliable.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I hope she gets at least $50M. Anyone who watches that video should be ashamed of themselves. Imagine if that were your daughter. Would you still be OK with it then?