Stories from the Sales Frontlines

sterlingdog

A little gold jewelry does go a long way. :P Perhaps it is a Southern thing, but dealers down here allow you to take the car home for two or three days. I've never done it. It doesn't take that long for me to decide on a purchase.

Ruchard

sterlingdog

You guys will NEVER believe this! I was sitting here posting and happened to look out my window. My neighbor across the street had both hands on the rear bumper of his car with his legs stretched out and wide apart. He was doing push-ups. Now, he is over at his wife's van. He has his hands on the luggage rack and is pulling himself up and down. This has to be a first---using your car as exercise equipment! The guy is a retired basketball coach from N.C. State. He is such a character. About a year ago, he came up behind me in a shopping center parking lot. He stuck his finger in my back and said, "Don't turn around. Put your wallet and watch on the hood of the car." For a second or two, I thought that I was going to need a change of underwear. When we first moved here and were remodeling the house, he would stand in his driveway for hours watching the workmen. I finally took a folding chair over to him and told him to make himself comfortable. He still has my chair. :mad: :P

Richard

houdini1

Same thing in KC, at least Johnson County. I think the feeling is you will fall in love with the car and keep it. They practically force you to take it home. I never keep one that long either. I either buy it or not.

jipster

I bet you rich guys like jipster, richard and yourself get that kind of treatment..

LOL. That reminds me of a comment I made to my brother a few weeks ago as I was helping him move into his new house . His move up was to a high end neighborhood. They won't even let you park your car on the street... has to be in the driveway, :sick:

I tell him it must be nice being rich. He replies,"I'm not rich... just stupid." ... meaning the loan amount being a bit high. :P

My dealership did offer to let me test drive my Buick Regal for the weekend 6 years ago, before I bought it. I must have had the "he pays cash" look about me, as I don't recall being dressed in anything more than just casual conservative. :surprise:

fushigi

If you buy a car and sell it a few years later you are not being fiscally prudent so the argument of a TCO estiments is inherently flawed.

Now if you are really interested in being fiscally prudent ..

Edmunds only listed TCO numbers for 5 years. I agree if you can keep a vehicle for longer you are very likely to have decreased costs (assuming maintenance isn't astronomical). My prior car was bough new in Feb '99 and was sold in Dec 09. Nearly 11 years old it had 152K miles on the odometer. While I do buy new I also hold onto my cars until well after they've earned their keep.

So what would the difference be in maintenance on a Smart v. a Civic over 10 years/150K miles? I'd put my money on the Honda being cheaper to maintain, especially since the Smart comes with a depressingly short 2 year/24K warranty. A single powertrain repair is going to cancel out an awful lot of gas savings.

And talking about gas, the Civic goes about 80 miles further on a tank of gas so there's less stopping for fill-ups. And the Smart wants premium, erasing much of the savings from higher mileage by wanting more expensive fuel. (Yeah, it's optional, but cars that recommend premium tend to perform a little worse without it and the Smart's little 3-banger needs all the oomph it can get.)

Anyway, let's be honest, car ownership is rarely purely about the cost. Comfort, performance, style, and other factors are important as well and with the exception of being able to park virtually anywhere, other compact sedans will best the Smart in most measures. Is it any wonder the sales folks are mentioning Smarts that were traded in after a scant 60 days of ownership?

houdini1

No way that crappy little Smart car would last 10 years and 150,000 miles ! You, it, or both would be done in long before that ! Plus it would be like spending 10 years in solitary confinement, with someone randomly taking pot shots at you. If, by some miracle, you were still alive after that, you would be quite insane.

murphydog

I think a more reasonable comparison is to the Fit - which nearly equals the smart and offer much more room and safety.

If I were looking only city with tiny parking spaces, smaller that a fit, but good for a smart, I would just go to the scooter.

driver100

This has to be a first---using your car as exercise equipment!

Geez, my wife just bought a new treadmill for $2200. It made me think I could probably buy a used car for that much. It might be cheaper using your car for a workout, instead of buying gym equipment. I wish you told me this idea a few weeks ago.

driver100

smaller that a fit, but good for a smart, I would just go to the scooter.

Just wondering, do people who drive Smart cars get snow tires?

snakeweasel

One of the issues that caused our current economic problems is that people did keep on spending. Now they have no money.

The flaw in your logic is that people have to have their cars. If there are fewer used cars available (due to people keeping cars much longer) the the price would go up and people would move to new cars.

In theory if everyone kept the cars until they were junked the number of cars n the road will go down slightly (as some who absolutely could not buy new would find alternative modes of transportation) . That being said those people who now buy used would move to new as an alternative to used. They will need a car, they may have to compromise in what they get but they will buy.

snakeweasel

Some small diesels get close to that now.

Which ones?

snakeweasel

I think that that car could very well hit those numbers. Plus many people I have talked to that actually own the car and drive one really like it.

houdini1

A standard Puegeot 308 hdi averaged 75.8 mpg U.S. last year on a 9000 mile trip so yes, it can be done.

Supposedly there is a diesel Smart car sold in Europe that is rated at a combined 85.6 mpg.

houdini1

Great, you should get one. I'll pass.

exb0

"Toyota in your household? Doesn't have to be yours, don't have to trade it, but we will give you an EXTRA $1,250 off your new Nissan!
All trades up to $2,500 OVER KBB VALUE!*"

Some prices:
2010 Rogue S AWD MSRP $22,650 NOW ONLY $16,780
2010 Altima 2.5 S MSRP $22,735 NOW $15,797
2010 Maxima 3.5 S MSRP $31,530 Now $21,891
2010 Sentra 2.0 MSRP $17,610 NOW $11,205
2010 370Z Sport Package, 6 Speed, Platinum Graphite, HOT HOT HOT MSRP $34,045 NOW $28,405

Disclaimer
*May not be combined with other offers/pre-negotiated deals/KBB Fair Trade Value minus reconditioning and excluding cars with previous heavy damage.
all prices include all applicable incentives and are before your fees.

Does the highlighted part of the disclaimer mean that if I buy a car at the advertised price I don't qualify for the Toyota discount and 2500 over kbb?

I own an 04 Acura TL and 06 Carola. KBB fair trade in on Acura is $9825. If I purchase the Rogue for $16,780 - 9825 - 2500 - 1250 = 3205 + tax and fees; that would be a deal of the century. How much can they possibly charge me for reconditioning on a car that has no dings or scratches?

boomchek

Reconditioning could mean any of the following:

Inspection, tires, brakes, detail, oil change, tuneup, and more!

Keep in mind the Rogue model they're advertising is base model with cloth and hubcaps and it does not say that it's NEW. Most likely a used model or a demo.

isellhondas

I'm sure there is a gimmick attached somewhere.

exb0

Oh, I am aware that it is base model, I prefer cloth and steel wheels on an SUV. Now, new vs. used is a good point. Over two hours ago I replied to the ad asking for stock numbers of Rogues available at this price. I haven't heard yet.

boomchek

Probably because on Saturdays most dealerships are busy with walk in traffic which is the dealership's priority over email leads or phone ups.

exb0

So what are you doing online, get back to work!

cdnpinhead

. . .misguided tree huggers.

Redundancy alert!!!

boomchek

My job is to be online :P

I do all of our dealership's online inventory, auto trader/craigslist listings, photo taking, online marketing, etc....

snakeweasel

I would like to see a link for that Puegeot. Also the European diesel smart isn't up to US emission standards, bring it up to US emission standards and lets take another look.

snakeweasel

I would love to get one as a second car for commuting and running errands.

mac24

If I purchase the Rogue for $16,780 - 9825 - 2500 - 1250 = 3205 + tax and fees; that would be a deal of the century. How much can they possibly charge me for reconditioning on a car that has no dings or scratches?

It doesn't matter how they assign the various amounts, even if they decide to charge $25 for the air in each tire.

The final 'out the door' (OTD) price is all that matters, no matter how it's arrived at.
If it's acceptable to you then that's all that matters.

isellhondas

You would?

I've owner two diesel Peugeots and I sure wouldn't want another one!

Most comfortable seats of any car I've ever sat in though,

snakeweasel

Yes I would. I have actually driven them in the crowded cramped roads we have here. I was able to get around situations that would have stopped most other cars. They are nible enough and had more than enough room for my 6 foot 2 frame.

isellhondas

I actually liked the ones I had but they were troublesome quirky cars that few shops would work on. The shops just hated them!

The dealer in our town dropped the line saying they did not feel comfortable selling cars that they couldn't be proud to sell. Shortly thereafter, they pulled out of the U.S. market all together.

And were they ever STRANGE! Turning on the headlights was about a four step process as I recall.

oregonboy

I have also owned a couple of French cars and to call them quirky would be too kind. The designers seemed to take perverse pleasure in doing things differently out of pure contrariness. :sick:

exb0

So far so good, this is the reply I got:

Any of them at that MSRP that I have. I believe I have every color right now, so really anything to choose from. When are you planning to visit?

We are talking about 2010 AWD Rogue S for $16780, MSRP $$22650.

Now I will ask him if I can get $2500 over KBB fair value for my Acura, plus another $1250 for owning a Toyota.

Stay tuned.

cdn_tch

Here is a link to a guy who gets near 100 mpg in his Smart.

100mpg.ca In Boom's neck of the woods

nyccarguy

I agree with your "own it for 10 years or 150K miles" philosophy. My current 2001 Honda Prelude Type SH is aproaching the 8 year old mark (bought it as a leftover on 4/27/02) and has over 119,000 miles on it. While it shows no signs of mechanicaly aging & works perfectly as a commuter car, I may have to purchase another vehicle to supplement it (I won't get rid of it) - I'm curious as to when the Pathfinder is getting a makeover.

My wife's 2010 Acura TSX will definitely last us for the long haul.

However as a car guy, there are too many cars I want to own and approaching the tender age of 34 - the 10 year for each car might not work. Once I have the financial rescources - a Corvette, a Porsche 911...

roadburner

We bought a pretty decent Sears treadmill from my co-worker for $100. She got if for free. When she went to buy it her sales guy told her she'd get something like 10% off if she opened a Sears charge account and charged the purchase. She did, and when she gets her first statement her balance is zero. She calls the number on the card and they tell her her balance is zero. She asks them to double-check. Nope, still zero. She got three more monthly statements with a zero balance, and each time she called and explained what happened. After the fourth call she gave up and let them bask in their ignorance and incompetence. And we got a real nice treadmill for pennies on the dollar...

graphicguy

One of the local BMW stores near me used to carry Peugots. The dealer dropped them as quickly as he signed up to sell them. As everyone said, they were quirky.

I actually rented one about 10 years ago when my former spouse and I went to Mexico. The seats were quite comfortable. But, that was all that was memorable about it. It didn't handle particularly well. Nor, was it a great performer. Rode nice with nice seats. That's about all I could say positive about it.

driver100

Sears charge account and charged the purchase. She did, and when she gets her first statement her balance is zero.

Hope it isn't one of those deals where you don't pay for 3 years, but if you don't pay on the due date after 36 months you pay all the accululated interest for the 3 years at 28% interest rate.

We once bought a refridgerator from Sears with no pay for 3 years. We made sure we had it paid off before the 3 years, or our $1500 refrigerator would have cost about $3500.

grandtotal

I have owned three Diesel Peugeots in Europe and would buy another in a heartbeat. They are different and often in a good way. For example, when my daughter was a toddler she threw up all over the back (cloth) seat. As I was pondering how best to clean the seat I noticed what appeared to be zippers. Thirty seconds later I had the seat covers removed and after a wash in the washing machine they were as good as new. Their estate cars (wagons to you) are extremely family friendly; capacious, comfortable and inexpensive to run, at least in Europe. Why they and other European cars did not make a successful transition across the Atlantic, I`m not sure.

qbrozen

I think you are missing something, exbo. Here is a line from what you posted:
all prices include all applicable incentives and are before your fees.

So that $16k+ on the rogue already takes the $3750 incentives into account.

houdini1

Isell, I think you are talking about the Peugeot and snake is talking about the Smart.

houdini1

snake, I'm not computer savvy enough to post a link here. Just google that particular car and you should be able to find it. They drove around the coast of Australia and I am sure they were using every trick in the book.

I am curious about the new diesel/hybrid technology that is supposed to get 70 mpg routinely under normal driving conditions. Slap that in the Smart and you could drive forever if you could stand it.

The Smart also looks like a good candidate for all electric to me. You could just drive right onto the golf course. Also make a quick get-a-way, if necessary, when settling up the bets !!

snakeweasel

Oops I think we are talking about two different cars I was talking about the Smart. I think you are talking about the Peugeots.

snakeweasel

However as a car guy, there are too many cars I want to own and approaching the tender age of 34 - the 10 year for each car might not work. Once I have the financial rescources - a Corvette, a Porsche 911...

Same here but the reality of things is that financial resources or not I can find better things to do with the funds. I think that I would enjoy a couple of weeks in Tahiti and owning a 25K sedan more than just owning a Vette (and so would the wife).

graphicguy

Oldfarmer.....you bought a Mitsu Eclipse recently, right? Or, am I thinking of someone else?

My son is thinking of one (base 4 cyl). Any pros? cons?

Thanks!

exb0

You could be right, those prices are too good to be true.

However, in defense of this dealer, they do have incredible deals. Last weekend I test drove their base Altima SR. MSRP $25585, they gave me the OTD quote of $22000. I live in a 3% tax state, so their quote was over $1k under invoice including Edmunds published incentives. that is assuming that my definition of OTD is same as theirs. However, now they are advertising Maxima S MSRP $31,530 for $21,891, and that is just ridiculous.

roadburner

Hope it isn't one of those deals where you don't pay for 3 years, but if you don't pay on the due date after 36 months you pay all the accumulated interest for the 3 years at 28% interest rate.

Every deferred interest card I've ever used still shows the balance on the card, so I don't think that was it.

Kirstie_H

Those deals can be ultra-dangerous. Almost got hooked by one of those "no interest, no payment" deals many moons ago on some furniture. Back in that pre-historic era, they weren't required to disclose the terms in as much glaring detail. Fortunately, I figured it out before the balance was due.

roadburner

I use them but I always pay them off completely a few months before the balance comes due. I have a friend in the credit card industry and if I recall correctly he told me that less than 20% of the 0% interest loans are paid off before the high interest kicks in(and is calculated from the date of the original transaction.

explorerx4

one of my credit cards just changed to an average daily balance method of charging interest, so even if i pay off your bill every month, i will get charged some interest if you use it.
i switching to another card for now, and will use the other one only near the end of the billing cycle.
probably won't the first card i mentioned to charge part of a new car, unless i buy near the end of the month.

sterlingdog

"...so even if i pay off your bill every month, i will get charged some interest if you use it."

Goodness. I didn't know that you did this for posters. :surprise: I'll send you my bill at the end of this month. :P

Richard

sterlingdog

"You could just drive right onto the golf course."

Or right onto your burial plot! :P

Richard

houdini1

Lol. Richard is gonna love this one. Now let me get this straight. Even if YOU pay off MY bill every month, YOU will be charged some interest if I use it ?

Sorry XP, couldn't help myself ! I hope you are in a good mood today.