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Comments
It isn't laid back at all here. A pre-approval is required to be a valid approval with an actual credit check, and an actual guarantee of funds to a certain amount, and the bank is happy to verify and guarantee that to any car dealer that wants to know...that last part is the key of course. And also, of course the dealer doesn't deliver the car until they receive funds, which they generally get via ACH for the local dealers that already have the business relationship, otherwise via cashier's check.
Incidentally, the Honda dealer is one of the ones around here that absolutely hates that and insists on running their own credit check. The Hyundai and Ford dealers just push really really hard for you to let them run one, even if they call your lender and verify that you're already approved (the Honda dealer refuses to call). The GM and Nissan dealers back off when they hear "HVFCU." I refuse to frequent Toyota dealers. The Subaru dealer previously sold my father a car so my experience might not be typical there, but they also waved the white flag at the mention of the credit union.
The Ford dealer has since been bought, so their policy may have changed...however, they were bought by the group that owns the Honda dealer, so then the question becomes "changed to WHAT?"
I notice now you've been shifting your tone some, you were previously intimating that everyone had to get a credit check done at your place, then you were saying that something like this might be workable only if the dealer could receive proof that someone were already approved for a loan rather than pre-approved. Now you're saying this was workable. I agree we should end this, before you backtrack any further.
By the way, I haven't been in this business for that long. Maybe that's a good thing.
So I almost made it to the top before the Nissan dealer knocked me back down.
Funny thing, though, another Honda dealer nearby was one of the best experiences I've ever had. But that was 20 years ago.
"With more than 30 years of continuously building eight generations of the Honda Accord close to our customers, our team now is using its experience and flexibility to add this sophisticated Accord Hybrid model," said Jeff Tomko, plant manager of the Marysville Auto Plant, in a statement.
The plant will add about 50 workers for the production of the Accord Hybrid."
2014 Honda Accord Hybrid To Have Made-in-U.S.A. Label
The regular sedan is attractive, in a conservative way, but the hybrid is uuuuuu-GLEE!
Looks like a dog with its tongue sticking out.
Funny how different a few subtle tweaks make it look.
I didn't backtrack at all but I probably should have been more clear. I meant to say we insisted on an application and credit check before we ROLLED the car. That way we didn't have to chase our money if the check bounced or the "pre approved" loan didn't work out for some reason.
Since you haven't been in the business for a long time, you will quickly learn that cars that haven't been delivered aren't actually sold and quite often, buyer's remorse or a change of heart will kill your deal.
Some helpful friend or neighbor will tell your customer that they paid too much or that they should have chosen a different car etc.
Then you will have to schedule a time to deliver the car, maybe come in on your day off and wait two hours for the customer to show up etc.
That's why any smart store will make EVERY effort to get the car delivered on the spot.
I do wish you well. This is not an easy business!
http://www.google.com/search?q=2014%20Honda%20accord%20hybrid%20picture
The volume model is subtle and looks sooo much better.
I see the Limited Hybrid also bases at 42K, gettin up there.
Still, there will always be a few who like that look.
I remember when Audi first went to the much vertically taller grille, people thought it also looked fishface. Now they think it looks good.
In have yet to see a single one on the road, and I've probably seen 100 normal Accords, easy.
Rear looks like the Genesis, a car I like, and the front in inoffensive, even a tad handsome. But not the PHEV.
Should challenge the Camry, especially with the recent crash tests.
At ~42K for the top model, looks like it is chasing the ES too...I'd pick the latter.
and this
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Nobody can call that a nice piece of design. It's just loud for the sake of loud. 1958, indeed.
Makes the original seem almost subtle:
On the Fusion, I can see they wanted it to have the aura of the Mustang from some years. But the Mustang wears the look well, to my own eye, the new Fusion does not. I suppose I wouldn't kick it out of my garage if I won a new Fusion, but I don't know if I could buy one without guilt.
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I was talking about the Accord PHEV BTW not a Toyota. We sort of shifted gears there.
Don't know if I'd go that far!
Too funny!
Agreed. I'm not liking the Fusion's looks in pictures, but I haven't seen one in real life yet. Perhaps I'll get religion when one drives by.
I have. I kept looking at the rich red one the local store put at the end of the driveway (finally sold the bile green Mustang they kept there). I cruised the lot, chased by 2 salesmen, and parked in front of the showroom. I got inside but had a salesman duct taped to me by that time. The car inside was black and the nose did not look as out of proportion.
I do not know if it was because of the inability to get 25 feet away and look at it or if it was the color. Inside the Fusion, it was all black. The driver space feels like there should be an ejection handle somewhere nearby. Laterally it's tight. Sort of like the F-16 cockpit at the Air Force Museum here in Dayton.
Rear seat legroom is very large. Not quite LaCrosse, but more than adequate. Trunk room a little shy. Car appears long. I looked at the Focus behind it and it seemed better in length.
On the cruise through the lot, color makes a difference on the appearance of the snout.
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The only dealers I have come across that are semi aggressive around here are Toyota. I walked all over the MB, BMW and VW lots without seeing anyone. I had to go inside and find a salesman. The MB receptionist asked if I had an appointment. The BMW sales person was most knowledgeable. The kid selling VW did not know the Touareg was available with a diesel engine. I would give most car salesmen I have encountered in my lifetime walking onto a lot a "D". Most of the Fleet and Internet sales force were more business like. Though I have found only a handful of dealers that have an Internet Sales person. I asked a salesmen last week to email me the information on the ML350 Bluetec he had in stock. He did not know how to do that. He said it is on their website, which it was not. After several minutes of back and forth it came out he did not have an ML but a GL Bluetec. I don't deal well with incompetence.
+ 1!!!
I liked it pictures when they first started leaking them, but I dunno...I'm getting a bit tired of it now. Sensory overload, maybe? I know they want you to think of Aston Martin when you look at it, but that front-end makes me think of the old '57-59 Chrysler 300 Letter Series cars...so for me at least, that's a few points in Its favor.
I did spot one in Hershey PA back in October...white one, I think. It really didn't grab my attention at first, but then the more I looked at it, I realized that it was something I didn't instantly recognize. Then I figured out it was a Fusion.
I'm still curious to try one out, though. According to the specs I've seen, it looks like it should be roomy enough for my tastes.
Reminds me of when I went in, ready to order a new Celebrity Eurosport at Timmers Chevrolet in Norcross, GA in early March '85. I was not quite 27 years old, jeans, T-shirt, and several salesmen were actually playing cards in the showroom and nobody approached me. I don't want to be jumped, but come on! Then, a middle-aged guy walked by me and I said, "Can you help me?" and he said, "those guys haven't?" and I said "no" (although he wouldn't have either had I not stopped him). Now, I'd have walked out of the place but I wanted a new car.
I left after ordering a new Celebrity Eurosport Coupe, MFI V6, monotone dark plum color, aluminum wheels, Eagle tires, PW, AM/FM cassette with extended range speakers, extra instrumentation. It was a $12.6K sticker car.
Took twelve weeks to come in, after they had said eight. I called every Mon. a.m. to see what the status was (my salesman, Carl, had told me they got a status report every Monday). He was glad to get rid of me by the time I picked the car up on June 3--without its factory floor mats. I had to track him down about that before I even left the place.
There's no way to insult 1958. Whatever you say about will be better than the reality.
That sounds about how I was dressed the day I bought my Intrepid. Originally, I was just driving my uncle to the Chevy/Dodge/Isuzu dealer to pick up his '97 Silverado, which had been in for something-or-other. I was also planning on doing some yardwork at my grandmother's, so I was dressed pretty shabby.
Well, while we were at the dealer, my uncle suggested we go over and look at the new trucks. This was the fall of '99, just before gas prices started shooting up, so fuel economy wasn't that much of a concern. Not to mention just about any truck on the lot would probably get better economy than the '89 Gran Fury ex copcar I was driving at the time.
Well, I was a bit concerned, about the way we were both dressed...at the point I had just started posting on Edmund's, and I remembered a lot of the salesguys here saying that they could spot the time wasters a mile away by the way they were dressed. But, a salesman approached us right away, and was nice, friendly, down-to-earth, and no pressure.
My uncle thought I should get a small pickup, so we looked at an Isuzu-badged S-10 (Hombre?). I knew I wouldn't be interested, but the salesman said, take it for a spin anyway. Didn't like it one bit. Next, tried a 2000 Ram pickup, but it was a stripper with the 3.9 V-6 (sawed-off 318), and it was pretty lame. And, I wasn't in the mood for a truck anyway, at the time. But, then I tried this silver 2000 Intrepid they had on the lot, ended up talking myself into it!
The service department in that dealer was pretty bad, but I was always impressed by the low-pressure salespeople. We bought my Dad's used '03 Regal from the same salesman. He let us take it home on a Saturday night, and go back on Sunday to do the deal.
Alas, that dealership closed down soon after the auto bailouts. They weren't forced to close by Chrysler or the gov't, but it was a corporate decision. Isuzu pretty much went away, so they had dropped that line. And then, oddly, they dropped Chevy, and added Chrysler/Jeep, so they became Mopar-only. But after the Benz-Cerberus handoff, and then the Fiat takeover, and Chrysler's seeming inability to come up with a competitive, fuel-efficient small car, they made a decision to drop Mopar completely, and to this day, that dealership sits empty.
Kind of a shame, as we bought a few vehicles there. In addition to my Intrepid and Dad's Regal, my uncle bought his '97 Silverado there, as well as a used '94 GMC Sierra 3/4 ton Diesel extended cab. And, my Mom's '86 Monte Carlo even came from that dealer.
I'd like to get to Dayton one of these days to see that museum.
I wonder if the Fusion's less stellar sales are due to the new looks, the general economy, or the recent electronics issues in Fords?
The Presidential exhibit on base is going to take up some of your time getting on base and walking those exhibits. So plan to register as soon as you get there for the onbase part. If someone plans to walk all of the 3 hangars and the Presidential exhibit, I recommend more than one day. They also have the missile silo added in the last few years.
Everything's free except food, IMovie, and the memorabilia/book shop.
Air Force Museum
This page has 360 views of 80+ areas of the Museum's holdings. Takes a while to load each one. Enjoy.
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/virtualtour/panoramas.asp
You can also visit the Wright Brother's exhibit west of the river in Dayton. There's a parking lot behind the building.
Wright Bros.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I ordered aluminum wheels, which the salesman told me were on backorder. (They were the Citation X-11 wheels.) I told the guy if it came in with those stupid steel wheels, I wasn't buying! It came in with the aluminum wheels.
Celebritys were built in Oklahoma City, so I was surprised that when mine came in, it was from Oshawa, Ontario...especially to a dealer in Atlanta. I don't know if that was because it was a two-door or what, or if Oshawa was picking up the demand backlog from Oklahoma City.
Those cars were junk based on what I remember. My last experience with those was a co workers Pontiac 6000 STE. We went out to lunch and it quit on the highway. So it ended up being a long walk instead of a nice lunch;) Also drove a Celebrity with an Iron Duke in drivers ED. I still remember our instructor making me drive with a full car and having to merge onto I94 in northern Indiana while in a construction zone. I remember flooring it and not much happening but a lot of noise and my white knuckles. I think the instructor was holding his breath. I was determined to merge while having a head start. We might still be there if I had to merge into 60+ MPH traffic from a dead stop in that dog.
Had a friend in HS who's mom had a Ciera. I remember the power steering having an issue where it didn't have assist while turning the wheel one direction, I can't remember if it was left or right, I wanna say left.
Anyway, while in Chicago over the weekend got to ride in a few taxis. Ironically, I didn't see one GM car used as a taxi. Mostly Camry Hybrids, Scion Xbs, and of course Crown Vics.
Our Hotel gave us our first ride in an Expedition. It was a few years newer than mine but had about the same mileage at 115k. I was stunned at how solid it was over the rough Chicago roads, it was by far the most comfortable ride of the day. Our next Taxi was a Scion Xb. What a pile of crap. Road rough, rattled, and was loud. Couldn't see the mileage, but not a vehicle I'm interested in knowing more about.
Last ride was in the tried and true Crown Vic. Another pile of crap. It wasn't to old and I couldn't see the mileage, but what a lousy car by today's standards. It was uncomfortable, the ride wasn't all that great, it had electrical issues as the dash lights would blink of and on and then the gauges would go haywire for a second after they came back on. But who knows, it might have had 400k miles on it.
The Expedition was by far the most comfortable and surprisingly most solid vehicle we rode in. For having 100k+ of city driving on it, it felt solid as new, more so than mine. Rode better too despite being a lower trim model. So even though Ford really hasn't changed the Expedition much since my 07, maybe they've tweaked a few things.
It does look like an Aston Martin, sort of...
Tim Timmers Chevrolet...are they still there, or did they go by the wayside like Tom Jumper Chevy and Bill Heard Chevy?
There was another, smaller Chevy dealer north of Jumper. I had put a deposit on an '85 Monte Carlo SS and decided I really didn't want a third Monte Carlo, but something different. He gave me crap about not giving me my deposit back, but did. I said "It's not like I'm sticking you with a Citation or Chevette!". That's when SS's were in high demand. On top of that, they had actually sold the car I put a deposit on and went to AL to pick up a similar car, so I used the old "That's not the car I put a deposit on" line! A few months afterwards, I ordered my Celebrity from Timmers, which was in Norcross where I lived.
My Eurosport had the most livable back seat of any two-door I've owned--except the '77 Impala, probably. The doors weren't real long though. It was a solid handler. The 6000STE was absolutely the darling of the magazines then. I remember driving my friend's '84 Monte Carlo V6, softly sprung, and going around a corner I almost felt like it would roll over....took it too fast compared to my Celebrity. In hindsight, I'd much rather have a Monte Carlo of that era now, than a Celebrity. It's when cars started to become toasters, I think, even though I think mine looked nice. I hated the plum color over silver like so many were...mine was solid dark plum (whatever they called it), with blackout trim and red emblems. Drove it for 60K miles and traded on a bright red Beretta GT, which was too small for me, really.
Must not have been too junky. I just saw one this morning in the metallic medium brown color that was as common as a silver toyota or lexus today. Didn't look too bad for being around 30-33 years old.
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