Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)
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Congrats! We're now up to 7 purchases for the year.
That's a tough call. $11-12k is very affordable, but the 08 model has the older 2.0T engine and will need a timing belt and tensioner replacement, even though the maintenance schedule only calls for the belt, and those had issues with carbon buildup, usually between 60-100k. If it's a DSG, that's another maintenance cost and you have to hope the previous owner changed the fluid and filter on schedule.
"Your comment will appear after it is approved." Did I get locked in a rubber room?
Congrats! We're now up to 7 purchases for the year.
Sometimes the "automatic" spam detection feature of our new software thinks stuff is spam when it's not. Apologies. Your account has been permanently marked "not a spammer" so feel free to post links to those "performance" kinds of ads you see in the back of the car mags.
I'm impressed, I didn't think they would get this far.
Thanks! I'll go ahead and sign up as an affiliate/shill for those "enhancement" products.
Regarding all the chat a few pages back about DV.
Crashes that causes any need for repainting on metal, or straightening of any unibody or subframe component etc, inevitably compromise future corrosion resistance and in a huge way. Metal crumpling and bending cracks all the original factory sealants, that, when not disturbed, keep capillary and creeping salted wetness from corroding between the metal spot welded and line welded folds for many years. Hopefully at least 10+. Some will continue to protect far in excess of 10 years but eventually these sealants will dry and crack with age so will fail eventually, but as soon as car..even brand spanking new, gets crunched, this will stretch and cause cracking and premature failure right away.
Same concern when a body panel from a relatively 'innocent' fender bender causes the need for "a little bondo" on there to make it look like new again. During the sanding and prep process, the surface of the galvanized metal becomes compromised to varying degrees, depending on the severity of the damged area from the crash, and simply cannot preform corrosion resistant anywhere near the level of its intended resistance if it had not been damaged.
Same concerns with electrical harness stretching, seals becoming partially unsealed (and un-discovered) during the crash and repair, leading to all kinds of potential and almost inevitable wiring and electrical glitches for the life of the car...only to be accelerated by more years exposure to salted roads or coastal salt-laden humid coasts like the east side of Florida. The more electronic wizardry our cars adopt..the more this type of damage will raise its head and diminish value down the road. And unfortunately, it is almost always months or years down the road out of repair wty coverage.
DV is very VERY real and the only thing one can be assured of, is that insurance companies will always be one step ahead of us in securing their profit margin. Assuming any liability for the victim's DV, couldn't be farther from their profit bottom-line minds.
Congrats on all the new purchases lately.
VERY sorry to hear about the S4 and the GTi crashes.
Great game last night!!!!!!!
Plan to replace the RDX this summer and am considering the options. Wagon/SUV/maybe even truck to be the ski/bike/trip vehicle. Today's test drive/chapter is the 15 XC70 T6.
Pros - Nice interior, pretty good seats, lower roof for rack access. Love the look, 40/20/40 rear seats, nice ride quality. Euro delivery.
Cons - that's 300hp? Are you sure? Rear seat small for overall length of car, meh MPG which would be fine if it felt quicker.
Sticker on model driven was $46k with premier plus pkg. I'm a bit underwhelmed, to be honest. V60 looks nice but too small. Maybe should have tried the XC60? Anyhow, the process is underway.
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0 / 03 Montero Ltd
Went looking at cars with my Prius driving friend. He's many months to lease end, but he is growing more tired of the car, and wants to start shopping.
First went to see a Lexus IS - my friend told the salesman he simply wanted to see the electronics, didn't want to drive as he isn't ready to buy. Salesman went in to get a key, never came back. My friend went in to find him, didn't (after waiting 10-15 mins), so we left. Not sure what happened there, but my friend wasn't pleased.
Then to see a 3er wagon. Salesman was much more attentive even when my friend made it clear he was just looking. Got to play with the toys and talk about the car.
Then saw the Q50, on my recommendation. Salesman there was helpful and showed all the desired features even when it was made clear there'd be no sale today. The car we sat in was loaded, and I have to admit the toys were impressive - as they should be for the ~55K MSRP, I suppose.
I am not sure what he will buy - he still has a thing for the Fusion Hybrid, too.
@kyfdx@Edmunds
That number seems awfully high. I'm on the wrong machine right now to check my sources but I bought my '08 several years ago with about 40k miles for $15k. I think I traded it in with 60k on the 135 for about $11k. That had to be nearly 2.5 years ago now.
On the leaf, it's a decent enough car. Solid and quiet. Driver's seat not great for me but it wasn't intended to be my car. Turned out I drive it way more than her though.
'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
Mark me down for Monday and Tuesday night.
Go Huskies! 2004 redux!!!
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Well, that certainly takes a load off! One more, and you should be set for the year!
Your friend got "lot dropped" This happens fairly often.
That Lexus salesperson, knowing your friend was a non serious buyer, figured him to
be a "stroke" and decided he wasn't going to waste his time with him.
I never did that but when people are working on straight commission they can get to the point that they have little patience for non buyers.
When I bought my Q50 I had the same experience at the local Lexus dealership. Total [non-permissible content removed] show with no one knowing what was going on, where anything was and just generally incompetent all around.
I'm still loving the Q50 hybrid, all the toys are fun and work great. Happy with the gas mileage, 28ish around town and 33ish on the highway. We bought out the lease this weekend as @breld did with his Passat. I'd buy it again for sure.
I do enjoy the Fusions when I get them for a rental, would definitely be on the short list if I was looking in that price range.
We tried the 3 series diesel but I just didn't care for the interior and the pseudo ipad glued on the dash.
That lot dropping thing might not have worked - my friend will definitely be a customer somewhere and he's willing to spend up to around 50K - he pretty much said he'd never come back. He was upfront in saying he was just looking to compare electronics (he's big on nav quality and parking aids, as he lives in a dense area) and not wanting to drive anything - I know the dealership at least once had someone who was there simply to show the cars but not sell. Should have passed my friend to him.
I am impressed with the Q50 - design and materials are light years ahead of the old G, and although IMO the styling isn't up to European levels, it is a lot of tech for the money. I might have to try one out just to see how it feels on the road. I also like the idea of the 328d wagon, but the price inflates quickly, and like you say, the tacked on tablet display isn't the most elegant solution (not happy MB is using it too).
My friend has tastes all over the board, and realizes a loaded Fusion or Accord hybrid will be 20K less than the premium brands. But like many people, the badges are worth something to him, and he's never had a highline car before.
I like the new 3 series wagons. Very nice cars but yes, they're pricey. But locally there are a lot of smoking deals on new and demo 3 series leases, so overall not bad if you want a new luxury car for decent payments.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
I've told my friend to wait til the end of the year - there will be some blowout deals and heavily subsidized leases on everything he likes, as the diesel and hybrid cars are not volume movers. He's still not a good negotiator, and I have to remind him that the price stated when he "builds his own" is not a real world number.
In the US, I've never seen demo cars up for lease, just purchase. Local dealer did have a couple of 2014 328d sedans with ~4K miles on them for sale though, maybe 5K under sticker.
I consider myself respectful of salespeople's time at a dealership, but the idea that a customer would be outright ignored if the sale wasn't happening that day? Sounds very amateurish to me. I would think a salesperson at a premium brand dealership needs to understand the longer-range picture and work at establishing relationships for future sales.
2024 Audi Q8 e-tron - 2017 911 C4S - 2025 BRZ - 2023 A6 Allroad - 2024 Genesis GV60 - 2019 Cayman
Had some time between my son's baseball games this weekend, so I sauntered over to the BMW dealership (on Sunday, so they were closed). Checked out the new 2-series and, like others here, am very taken by it.
They had an M235i in red, which was very impressive. But what caught my eye the most was a 228i, lightly equipped with just the m-sport "line" and heated seats. Estoril Blue. MSRP was $38k - not exactly cheap, but for what you're getting, it seemed pretty reasonable to me.
Having been down the coupe road already, not sure if it would work out too well, but I liked it so well, part of me doesn't care.
2024 Audi Q8 e-tron - 2017 911 C4S - 2025 BRZ - 2023 A6 Allroad - 2024 Genesis GV60 - 2019 Cayman
I like to think the guy just had an emergency bathroom break or something. Very shortsighted otherwise. Last time I was there was when they got their first new IS shipment, and the guy I dealt with was more into showing than sales - I think he'd pass you to someone else if a deal was to be made. He begged me to take a drive (and I did), even though I made it clear I just wanted to see the car. To vanish is just weird to me.
The MB dealer seems to handle that better - for some time before I got my car, I'd stop by every month or two and just look around and see if they had anything weird. I was always treated well, but maybe pulling up in another MB helped.
Speaking of BMW, I don't recall if the dealer here had any 2s - but they had a lot of 4 coupes. I don't know if I like the design, something seems a little off about it to me, like the middle of the greenhouse is too long.
@tjc78, something in the paper today for you (if you get the courier post, in the USA today money section (Probably in the USA today also). They have a 3 row SUV challenge you might find interesting. Santa Fe finished 1st. Traverse finished last out of 7.
not particularly analytic, but well done for a typical buyer (what they are interested in).
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
The bigger Santa Fe keeps scoring wins. Consumer Reports gushed about it.
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0 / 03 Montero Ltd
I have helped 3 friends buy Santa Fe's within this past year. 2 big models and 1 smaller.. They all rave about this SUV.. Hyundai has a contender on its hands with this model for sure.. I like the 2.0 turbo smaller model.. drives very nice, handles good, but gas mileage is lacking. Nice quiet inside the SUV while driven.. i have a 60k bmw x-5.. I'm thinking on the next go around for half the price I might be just as happy with this truck..
23 Telluride SX-P X-Line, 23 Camry XSE
fintail....I had a very similar experience when looking at an IS350 a few years ago. Sales person went in to get keys and a sheet on incoming units, never came back. I thought I may have spooked him when he asked if I had been looking at other cars. I had, and told him so.
I even asked the receptionist to page him. He still never came back. I was a buyer, too. At the time, I really liked the IS350. That was the first, and last experience I've had with Lexus.
I'm sure some have heard this before, but in 2007 my wife, my son, and I showed up at a BMW dealer in Cincinnati(Hint: NOT The BMW Store) fully intending to pay cash for a CPO 540i Sport. We were pointedly ignored for over 15 minutes; I even walked into the showroom and no one offered to help. The next day I sent a polite letter to the dealership's UCSM describing what happened- I never received a reply...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Funny, my friend told me he might send a letter to the dealer about the incident. But without a salesperson's name, I don't know how it would work. And it's a place that sometimes gives me the feeling it doesn't really need your business.
I've never personally had an experience like that. I've been ignored (which I sometimes don't mind) but not abandoned. Heck, about 10 years ago I was looking at C43 AMG, the salesman (Porsche) gave me the keys and said go take it for a spin - alone!
It's called "prosperity disease", and often strikes people who are on a roll at the moment.
Have you had any feedback from those who you helped buy late model Sorrentos (that chose to go with the V6 instead of turbo 4 in Santa Fe) with real world mpg numbers? I can easily see the turbo 4 being thirsty in a heavier type AWD SUV, as they are prone to foot heaviness cuz the urge is there and people tend to tap into it, thinking that because it is a 4 they can get away with it. In some cases like this, if driven a bit on the aggressive side, the V6 can do better.
I've been ignored (usually preferred) but never dumped at a dealership. Not even our Lexus place. I do get ignored there, as they've come to know me as the guy who (used to) show up almost every Saturday for the free wash...
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
crkyolfrt,
Never had the pleasure on the Sorrento. I do agree with what you said about driven conditions with a Turbo. Its true people tend to be more aggresive and why not...... What would be the fun then.. I was not in my friends Turbo for more than a minute When he said this is why my gas mileage is lacking due to how i was driven.. faster off the lights, stepping harder on the pedal between car passing etc..
23 Telluride SX-P X-Line, 23 Camry XSE
RB....I know just about everyone at the dealer you're referring to.....from the Service Mgrs....to the GM...to the SM. If you ever decide to do business with them again, I can probably set you up with the dealer principal, if you want.
"I can probably set you up with the dealer principal, if you want."
I wouldn't mind being set up with the dealer principal, graphicguy - but she has to be under 60 years old, slim, sauve, and of course debonair! What can you do for me on that, GG?
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
So, Mike, are you signing up for GGMatch.com?
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Speaking of Sante Fe's and Sorrentos, they're both great vehicles. I sold Hyundais for a year when the new Santa Fe came out and they're very well built, well designed anmd competitive. The only drawback i see is the 4 cylinder engine only if you want to tow. Might have some challenges there but otherwise for city driving it should be good.
A good friend of mine has a new 2014 Kia Sorrento, full load. He absolutely loves it but it's been in and out of service for warranty work on some electronics that are misbehaving. They can't seem to find or correct the issue yet so he's been in their courtesy 2014 Kia Rondo while the car was in the shop.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
The Sorrento (along with Pilot and CX9) just got its recommended rating pulled by CR after failing the new offset collision test. Bad press day for those guys, I'll bet.
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0 / 03 Montero Ltd
You guys are hilarious. I needed the chuckle at the end of a trying day.
Mike....I always said that my next wife had to be rich. Found one...but she's rich in character, rich in kindness, rich in sincerity...she's pretty darn good looking, to boot. Oh yeah...she's well under 60, too.
See, if you had been around just a little bit sooner....;)
"Mike....I always said that my next wife had to be rich. Found one...but she's rich in character, rich in kindness, rich in sincerity...she's pretty darn good looking, to boot. Oh yeah...she's well under 60, too.
See, if you had been around just a little bit sooner....;)"
Rich is good - who cares about character, kindness, sincerity and good looks. As I always said, "...MONEY TALKS!"
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
To paraphrase the renowned philosophers Abbot and Costello:
Never marry a beautiful woman.
Why?
She is likely to leave you for a richer man.
Isn't a homely woman just as likely to leave you for a richer man?
Yes, but who cares!
Apologies, no offense to men or women intended.
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Lot dropping customers can actually work to the salesperson's advantage IF and only if it's a high volume store with lots of traffic like the place where I worked.
We had a guy who was a master at that and surprisingly management never seemed to catch on or maybe they did and looked away because he sold so many cars.
I once told him that he reminded me of a person going through a buffet line.
Most people put portions of various items on their plates, carry the plate to their table and start eating. If something tastes bad, they may take a bite or two and leave the rest.
Then they'll return to the buffet and load up on the items they really liked.
I told him, he's the kind of guy would reach in with a spoon, take a bite and spit it out if he didn't like it only to repeat the process until he found something that tasted better.
He was a master at this and I have to say that, for the most part, it worked. He certainly sold a lot of cars.
One of my biggest pet peeves when I worked at busy dealers was when I was with a customer, and someone would approach me to ask for help, I'd go grab any sales guy who I saw was free, take them to the waiting customer who needed help and as soon as the sales guy saw the customer, if it wasn't to his liking (pre judging right away), he'd say he was busy and turn around and walk away. I'd be left standing now with my customers and the new customer who was still looking for help.
At the Honda dealer where I worked at however it was common on a busy Saturday to have customers waiting at reception looking for a sales person.
From experience though those who were impatient and demanding service typically never ended up buying. It was the people who were "just looking" who typically didn't want to be helped who were the buyers.
On a slow weekday morning or evening when there isn't much going on I think it's bad idea to be dropping customers.
First, it could end up being a potential deal down the road, and as a salesperson what else are you going to do when there are no customers around.
Second, even if it isn't going to turn into a deal then at least the salesperson can brush up on their product knowledge by answering any questions a customer may have.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
" if it wasn't to his liking (pre judging right away), he'd say he was busy and turn around and walk away. I'd be left standing now with my customers and the new customer who was still looking for help."
That reminded me of a sales story way back when I was selling cars at the Lexus dealership.
We had a computer "UP" system that listed all salesmen signed in and their position in line for the next customer greeted by the greeter. This particular day, I was the 2nd salesman in line. The management rule was that if you were UP or on DECK, you had to go to the greeter and stand by her.
So the next salesman in line was standing there with me as this bearded, rather questionably dressed young man walked through the front door. This UP salesman told the greeter he had diarrhea and had to run to the washroom (RIGHT)! Do since I was next UP, the customer was introduced to me. I shook his hand, smiled, and told him my first name . He said "...Hi, my name is....and today is your lucky day!" I've heard that before, but I just asked him a group of questions to determine his specific needs.
After hearing what his needs were and the type of car he was looking for (an LS430 Ultra Sedan - MSRP usually around. $62,500 at that time), I took him out to the back rear lot where we kept LS430 Ultras and began to select a car that he liked. There were no options available on an Ultra as they were all equipped to the gills with every conceivable option.
Since the Ultra was in limited production (highest priced car that Lexus manufactured at that time), most dealers only stocked 2 or 3 of them. Since we were a huge dealership , we had about 15 on the lot.
He picked out a Black Cherry Pearl with beige perforated leather. I went back to the showroom with him and got the keys. I brought the car around, put on a dealer tag , and we drove off the property. He wanted to take it on the turnpike to see how it handled on the highway. I directed him to the turnpike, he drove about 5 miles at 70 mph and totally fell in love with the car .
On our way back to the dealership, he asked if I had any more Black Cherry Pearl Ultras and I remembered walking our inventory that morning and I remembered seeing a total of 3. So I responded we had 3 of them. He asked if I had any Black Pearl Ultras with black perforated leather. I told him I had 6 of them.
He then gave me his business card and said, "... I'll take the. 3 Cherry Pearls and the. 6 Blsck Pearls!" I think I started to feel the urge of peeing right then and their, but held it in until I got to the dealership.
He was CEO of a large Limo Service Company and needed to replace 9 of his Lincoln Town Cars.
He gave me a company check for 9 cars (around $585,000) and signed all the paperwork. We were to deliver the cars to his Palm Beach headquarters in 3 days.
I said nothing to anyone in the dealership except management, who was involved in helping me, and spent the next day getting the cars detailed and the two transporters to the dealership to pick up the cars.
My commission on the 9 cars, after deducting transportation costs, was $39,000. That was several month's salary for me.
The next day, the salesman who had diarrhea because he didn't want to take that customer, went to management demanding half the commission. They called me into the office, asked me if it was true that "stole" the customer. I went out and got the greeter to tell them the truth. The manager turned around and fired the salesman on the spot for lying about the customer and trying to avoid taking a customer when he was the NEXT UP salesman.
I made more that day than I made any previous or subsequent day of my life.
Thanks boomchek for jogging my memory about ditching customers! This is a true story - I didn't change a thing or embellish the story in any way.
How 's that for a sales story?
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
That's a classic! Glad you got to keep the commission!
@abacomike Great story!
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0 / 03 Montero Ltd
" @abacomike Great story!"
I had forgotten that story - it was 12 years ago. Funny how something jogs your memory after all those years.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
"That's a classic! Glad you got to keep the commission!"
That was just a small example of what happens in a large dealership. Many of those salesmen were just the scum of the earth. They would do anything to steal a sale or a customer.
I remember one day, a "be- back" couple came back to the dealership to buy a couple of cars. A "be- back" is a customer you had previously worked with and were then assigned to you for follow up.
I saw them sitting in the corner at a scummy salesman's desk. So I walked over to them. When they saw me, they said they had asked for me but were told by that salesman I was on vacation and not at the dealership. I had been there since 8:00 AM.
I immediately went to the greeter and asked if the couple had asked for me. She said yes, but John had told them I had to leave for my vacation, so she never paged me .
I went straight to management and told them what had happened. The manager told me to sit tight until the customers had left the dealership . They bought two cars. - $7000 in commissions. We were both called into the General manager's office. The greeter was also there. He questioned the greeter and me, and then he questioned the salesman.
As a result , management took away his commission, fired him on the spot, and I was paid the. $7000 commission.
This was just one time a salesman was caught cheating another salesman out of a sale. There were many other times where I didn't 't find out until I saw my customer had bought a car from someone else and I was never given half the commission - if it was your customer , you were entitled to half.
Car salesmen are cut throat and dishonest, as I learned after being in the business for. 8-9 years.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
@abacomike
Fantastic story! That's seriously the stuff I love to hear. It is stories like that which brought me here to SFTSF many moons ago!
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
I was actually passed off once and it was not a good experience. My son who is now 7 1/2 used to go nuts whenever he saw a MINI Cooper starting at age 2. So one day around noon when the dealership was completely empty, my wife took him to the MINI dealership to check out some of the cars. Yes she made sure he didn't climb all over the inside of the car. She was approached by a salesman and told her about our son's love for the MINI and that she was just there to show him his favorite car up close and personal. The guy is SUPER nice to her, gave my son a few catalogues & stickers, then gives her his card.
Fast forward a month or 2 later. I learn about cash for clunkers. Before the dealers even know what it is, I start looking, knowing that I'm going to get $3500 or $4500 for my E30 Project car that never took off. I stop by the MINI dealer. I do the right thing and find the salesman who was so nice to my wife and son. We start talking and he's "one of us," a car guy selling MINIs. I tell him about cash for clunkers and tell him that if I like the MINI, I'll come back to order one the second the program comes out. I tell him I want to drive a Cooper S with a 6 speed Manual and sport suspension package. The only Cooper S with a 6-speed is buried in the back behind 1 car that needs to be jumped and another that they can't find the key for. He tells me to please wait and they'll get it for me.
So at this point, I've been at the dealership for close to an hour. No big deal. Anyway, a couple that he's been working with and is there to take delivery of their new MINI shows up. He tells me they're pulling the car I want to drive now. He then casually passes me off to another salesman to go on a test drive with me.
The new guy greets me. I say: "Nice to meet you. I've been talking to John and 2 of his customers showed up to take delivery, so I guess you are riding shot gun for my test drive."
He gives me this sour puss look and says "well, you can't just walk in here and tell me you want to test drive a car. I need to get some information from you."
I tell him how I'd been waiting for over an hour, how the car I'm supposed to test drive was buried in the back…
He goes and chats with the manager for a second. The manager nods and he says: "OK, I guess we are going on a test drive. Follow me."
As we are walking out the door, he asks me if I know how to drive stick. He tells me that a lot of guys come to test drive these cars who haven't driven stick in years and that he has no problem "taking over" if I stall out more than 3 times.
I proudly point to my gleaming Prelude outside and explain to him that it is a stick and my 100,000 mile, 8 year old daily driver.
As we are pulling out of the dealership he says: OK, just remember if you stall 3 times, I'm going to drive us right back to the dealership.
I wasn't particularly thrilled with the MINI I drove. Horrible blind spot over the left shoulder, I had to look up and under the windshield at every traffic light, I didn't care for the electric power steering, and the clutch engagement was abrupt. Plus I had Mr. Personality riding shot gun.
Anyway, we get back to the dealership and I thank the guy for his time. I tell him that I don't think the MINI is for me.
As I'm leaving, the sales manager comes out to me. "Everything ok?" he asks. I tell him the story how the 1st guy was so nice to my wife and son, so I came back to see him, and went through the whole bit about the 2nd guy. But I did say that I didn't LOVE the way the MINI drove. He understood, then asked me about my Prelude. The year, how many miles. He said he couldn't believe the condition it is in for being an 8 year old car. He told me people come in with cars that are 2 to 3 years old and have less than half the miles of my car and they are in horrible shape. He then says to me: OK, I get that you aren't going to buy the MINI, but are you interested in selling us your Prelude?
"Sorry buddy. Prelude isn't for sale."
THE END
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
@nyccarguy
The manager wanted to "steal" the Prelude for his son or himself probably.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Great story about the bulk Lexus buyer. I like to think salespeople in my area, where people rarely dress up, and there are many relatively affluent young people, know better than to judge by appearances. Heck, I've just wore jeans and a t-shirt during all of my purchases - I am not going to dress up to buy a car.
Funny about the Prelude trade, when I was out with my friend (and a friend of his) looking at cars, we were in the fintail, as his friend had never ridden in such an old car. The BMW guy actually asked if it was going to be a trade in - he appeared half serious about it too.