Stories from the Sales Frontlines

tjc78

....that's a nice looking Genesis.

Thanks, It had been awhile since I had the burgundy color. I seem to always goto that or white. I believe Jmonroe and I have the same color combo.

tjc78

As for the orange and black, I put that in the category with the Element colors and cladding

That cladding was not just an Aztec problem. The 90s/early 2000s Pontiacs suffered from too much of the stuff in general.

As for the Element, IMO its almost as bad as the Aztec.

imidazol97

It's my opinion that color makes a big difference in my own perception of a car.

I'm glad to see a few agree that Aztek may be among the worse, but that's not true in all colors and not true in all cases.

I also recall someone said if you want to see a car's styling, look at one in white.

tjc78

It's my opinion that color makes a big difference in my own perception of a car

No doubt. There are some color combos that just don't work or you simply don't like. I was just talking in the project cars forum about my dislike for anything with red interior. Its just not my thing.

also recall someone said if you want to see a car's styling, look at one in white.

I can certainly agree with that. I love white cars.

fezo

Now I don't like white cars much at all but there's a woman at our church who has a white Aztek and it doesn't look at all bad in that color. She loves the thing.

michaellno

Some of you may want to cover your eyes ....



Coming soon to a Nissan showroom near you.

gogiboy

"Surely, the owner had to be close by in order to keep an eye on it. "

Richard--

I think she had just gone in briefly to buy a pie at a bakery in the strip mall. If it is really $310K + I wouldn't have left it in the parking lot either. Then again, if you can afford to spend that kind of money on a car...

Now I can see why she had the personalized plate lest it be mistaken for hisnonoble.

Driver--

You have shown yourself willing to spend an additional $12K to enjoy the pleasure of BMW. Would you be willing to kick in an additional $250K for the Noble? :shades:

Gogiboy

driver100

Driver-- You have shown yourself willing to spend an additional $12K to enjoy the pleasure of BMW. Would you be willing to kick in an additional $250K for the Noble?

Unfortunately, no matter how much I liked it, it is out of my price range I am sorry to let you know.

Now, if I was Tony Haywood, and was getting a payout of $20 million and $1 million a year pension, I would consider it....if it handles better than a BMW!

gogiboy

My 2007 Mazda3 has to pay yet another visit to the body shop. It has been extremely reliable in every mechanical way requiring nothing but scheduled maintenance, however in three years of ownership the following have occurred:

Incident #1: Tire blow out on interstate caused by idiot parked in left lane. Tire/wheel damaged. $800. I pay entire amount because of my high deductible

Incident #2: Woman parked next to car at party cannot negotiate backing out and damages both driver side doors. Her insurance covers repairs of approx $650.

Incident #3: Hail storm causes $2200 worth of damage to roof and hood. My insurance covers minus deductible.

Incident #4: This happened the day before I left town on vacation in June. I taught the first week of a summer session course. I teach in a building on the periphery of campus that had, perhaps 20 or so students taking courses. We have a substantial gravel lot that faculty share with students although faculty have some designated spots adjacent to the building. Some yahoo (probably a student) backed into my car destroying the hatch (it can't be opened) and rear bumper cover. Of course, not one of the students has contacted me. $2500 worth of damage, which my insurance will cover minus the deductible.

I seldom drive, but it was my last day and I had to transfer the portfolios from my building to another building across campus so my colleague would be able to return them the following week. By the way, I hadn't even submitted grades so I hope it wasn't an intentional jab.

So, do I have a cursed car? Is it simply the law of averages (in the previous 35 years I had maybe two minor fender benders that were the other person's fault)? Don't forget I had the accident on the interstate back in January that totaled my wife's car and sent my dog on a two-week "vacation" in the MI wilderness. Maybe I'm cursed. Should I only travel by bicycle now no matter what the weather?

Gogiboy

fezo

Now, if I was Tony Haywood, and was getting a payout of $20 million and $1 million a year pension, I would consider it....if it handles better than a BMW!

Ain't that something? Boy, that'll teach him....

driver100

Should I only travel by bicycle now no matter what the weather?

I think that would be a good idea. You are way over your quota of actual "accidents". The spirits are acting against you. Your next car should be bright flourescent green or orange.

You can try parking in the farthest place on the lot all by yourself. But, you know what will happen. There could be 5000 empty spots but the odds are someone will park in the space next to you.

The other thing I noticed is that when you go to get into your car at the mall where there are 4000 parking spots, the passenger in the car next to you will be trying to open his door at the same time you are trying to open your door.

Another thing I noticed was we used to live out in the country on a road with little traffic. When we came up to the deserted 4 way stop, and could never see any other cars around us, there would always be another car coming up to the intersection at exactly the same time.

There must be some law in play, but I don't know what it is. :sick:

nyccarguy

hmmmm - you've got a 2001 330i 5spd stick & sport pkg, right? How many miles? You live not too far from me, maybe you could sell it to me, then I'll drive it & keep it until your grandson is old enough to drive, then sell it to him:) :P

roadburner

As I've mentioned before, the Mazdaspeed has been running problem-free over the
past 16,000 miles so my plan has been to hang onto it for 3-4 more years. Only
now my BMW dealer has a nice 2007 328i stick sitting on the CPO lot. It's white
with a black interior, a one(local) owner, and only 22,750 miles on the clock. It has just about every option except for navigation and Comfort Access. New tires. And they just dropped the price to $23,950. It still has a year of free maintenance and B2B warranty, after which CPO will kick in until July 2013 or 100,000 miles. I really hate the idea of going into debt, but the 3er does seem like a borderline practical way to bridge the gap until my son heads off to college in 2013- at which point I can hunt down a nice used Cayman S/M Coupe/Evora/ or similar. So I'm having a bit of a tough time deciding.
I'm about to the point of flipping a coin...

jmonroe

Some people buy it for the "badge", but not very many, and it may surprise many, but many women know the difference in how cars handle.......and they want the best they can afford.

We've been down this road before and I disagree again.

As for the "many women" that know the difference in how a car handles..., I disagree even more. I'm sure there are SOME. Dana Kilpatrick for sure is one of those but don't say MANY just to try to prove your point. You'll lose what little credibility you still have left on this subject. :surprise:

jmonroe

jmonroe

Also, we are talking about pretty sharp women who might even be engineers and be university educated, so we shouldn't assume they are buying the cars because of the badge.

I know these young ladies so I don't have to assume anything about their car knowledge. While they are pretty savvy in their field of engineering, like I've said before, "once they can find their way to and from the girls room without getting lost, that's when we can help them to hone their driving skills and knowledge of cars".

FWIW, I saw a 6 year experienced female engineer getting into her car in the parking lot the other day. It was a MB SLS AMG. I'm positive she knows why she bought that car and it ain't for the feel of the road. You should hear the old timers talk about how they were cheated in their salary when they had 6 years of experience. I say good for her and maybe this is what you can do today because of lease programs. If there is such a thing on that car.

Anyone looking for a job? I can even help you get in here with my recommendation.

jmonroe

driver100

As for the "many women" that know the difference in how a car handles..., I disagree even more

H E L P!
Where are Kirstie and Biancar?

Geez, these days there are women doctors, lawyers, news announcers, corporate presidents, even engineers and racing car drivers.....what would make you think they can't handle a car every bit as well as any man can? What makes you think they don't appreciate handling and performance....in their cars that is?

jimbres

Go ahead & toss out a number.

Yeah, it's a 2001 330i with a 5-speed stick. Steel grey, red leather (for which I caught mucho sh*t at the time), sport & premium packages, heated front seats, Xenon headlights. Tires are Bridgestone Potenzas with about 6K miles on them.

Car was originally equipped with a dealer-installed 6-disc CD changer that jammed a couple of years ago. After a fruitless search for someone who could fix it for a reasonable amount of money, I replaced the head unit with a Kenwood CD player with iPod USB interface. Excellent sound quality, & the Kenwood also plays MP3/WMA discs, but the volume controls on the steering wheel no longer work.

Good news: car has less than 37K on the clock. Never used for commuting (I've always used the LIRR for that), never driven in winter (I have a Honda CR-V for that).

Bad news: in 2008, a young moron backed Mommy's new Audi A4 out of a driveway & into the passenger side of my car as I drove by, doing $7800 worth of damage to it in the process. The best body shop in the area fixed my BMW, & I think it looks as good as new. But I'm sure that anyone who knows where to look will find evidence of the crime, so I can't pretend that this never happened.

I have absolutely no idea what the private sale value of this car is. If & when I decide to sell, I'll head over to Real World Trade-in Values for some guidance.

The only reason why I'm considering cutting it loose is because I'm a 61-year-old guy who recently underwent major surgery & who's feeling the need for something with a softer ride. (Lord, I never thought I'd say that.) Even so, this is the best car that I'll ever own, so I'm in no rush.

mako1a

tifighter

I seriously doubt that most novice cyclists would recognize a name brand in the $2K pond.

Actually, most new stuff in the $2k price range is pretty unimpressive...

roadburner

"As for the "many women" that know the difference in how a car handles..."

My wife is not a car enthusiast by any measure- she had driven Buicks as well as a Scorpio and a Volvo 740 Turbo when she finally bought a 3 Series in 1998. She drove it on a couple of long trips and remarked that she had never felt so secure and comfortable when driving a car. At this point the only car she'd consider over a Bimmer would be a new/CPO Mini.

deltheking

Probably some folks may not agree with what I do, but I have no sympathy for folks who park next to your car and then open their doors with a huge swing and then the doors hit your car. Most of these incidents happen at shopping mall parking lots. Well , be respectful that there is some other guy`s car that can be damaged if you open your door with a full swing. :sick:

I always take up 2 parking spots at shopping mall lots-- I park right in between 2 car park slots so that there is virtually no chance of any jerk parking next to me. Probably some folks may not agree with me in taking up 2 spots -- but what can I do ?? Cant help a jerk parking next to me and damaging my car. I park far away from the store when I use the 2 spots so as to cause the least inconvenience to others.. Probably you can try this !! :shades:

fushigi

I figure if someone parks so close to me that they give my car a door ding when they get out, I'm obligated to put my foot on their door panel & make room for my door to open without giving them a ding. Any resulting dents from my pressurized foot will, I'm sure, provide constructive feedback to the owner.

explorerx4

driver, great idea for the color.
how about this?

sterlingdog

It's not you; it's the car. If you'll get rid of it, your luck will change. Backs in the '80's, I had a white Chevy Blazer with red pin stripe and red leather interior. I just loved it. The problem was that I couldn't go any place without a lug nut hitting it. After several accidents, an incident happened that finally ended my relationship with it. During a homecoming parade, one of my cheerleaders fell from the tail gate and was run over by the float behind us. The miracle was that the float went right over her without touching a hair on her head. I nearly had a stroke. I decided then and there to get rid of it. I swear that the Blazer must have been Christine's brother. I traded it for my beloved Lincoln TC. I kept the Lincoln for six years---not one accident or one incident. Get rid of that car.

Richard

tifighter

I always take up 2 parking spots at shopping mall lots-- I park right in between 2 car park slots so that there is virtually no chance of any jerk parking next to me.

If you do this, then you may find yourself on this list someday...

sterlingdog

"...women doctors, lawyers, news announcers, ..."

Yeah, and Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of the House. :sick: She probably drives an orange Aztec. It would suit her. :mad:

Richard

sterlingdog

I love the one beneath that where they try to load a Honda Civic into a U-Haul truck. What a hoot! I wonder how some people walk on two legs.

Richard

sterlingdog

Stickguy wanted to know when the 2011 Explorers will arrive at the dealerships. I called the local Ford dealer this morning. The SM said that it would be between mid-October and mid-November.

Richard

snakeweasel

but all these comments sound like sour grapes to me, unless you experience the difference. There is a difference,

I think that you are missing the point here. We know that there is a difference. We just don't think the difference is worth $10-15K.

Lets go back to your bike example (which looking at it is a very bad example). The novice biker rides infrequently and not to far while a biking enthusiast will bike almost daily and will go up to 50+ miles a day. Now knowing what I know and my wxperience in biking if I were starting up all over again what would I do. First thing I would do is decide if I will ride like a novice, a few times a month rarely going over 10 miles at a time, or riding 5 or more days a week putting on a hundred miles a week?

Now if I decide to rarely ride I will take the $250 wal mart bike. While my Scanttante is faster, handles much better and has a much smoother ride all that isn't worth the extra money for riding 5 miles every other week.

So back to the car, yes the BMW could accelerate faster (by a couple of seconds) and turn corners a few MPH faster but the very few times I would use or need it doesn't justify $15K more. $2-3K more maybe, very likely, 10K more no, not in my and many others opinions.

snakeweasel

Oh I am going to report you to the inconsiderate drivers forum here on edmunds.

snakeweasel

Actually, most new stuff in the $2k price range is pretty unimpressive..

Your looking at the wrong $2K + bikes. Mine is very light and fast and its not even close to the $2K mark.

explorerx4

i will have to see it in the flesh. my kids found out about it and were whining that you can't get a V8 in it. then they found the SVT Raptor and said i should get one of those. kids. :confuse:

stickguy

thank you sir. My neighbor happens to be a sales manager at the local Ford place. I will have to tell him to bring one home when they arrive.

For you, the JGC sounds like a winner. ALl my car magazines (well, the 4 monthlies) came yesterday (big day in my house), and they all seemed to have some kind of review on it. Very positive stuff.

And for Driver, C&D summed it up that you were getting a MB for about 20K less!

verdugo

And for Driver, C&D summed it up that you were getting a MB for about 20K less!

Pretty please, don't encourage him. You know how he gets when he can't let go of something :sick:

driver100

great idea for the color.

I think that color would scare any one off.

driver100

Stickguy wanted to know when the 2011 Explorers will arrive at the dealerships.

When are the 2011 GLKs coming in?

driver100

the very few times I would use or need it doesn't justify $15K more. $2-3K more maybe, very likely, 10K more no, not in my and many others opinions.

I think we both agree but we are kind of missing each other. I am not trying to talk a person who uses his car to get to work, in heavy traffic, too buy a luxury car they don't need. Using the bike analogy, you said it correctly, no disagreement.

All, I am saying is don't assume that people who own BMWs buy them because of some kind of prestige factor. We buy it and we buy it because it is extremely enjoyable to drive. My car is my one vice I suppose, so I buy it because I like driving it. If I smoked $10 worth of cigarettes a day or drank a bottle of wine a day it would pay for my BMW. We take our own lunch to work so that's $10 a day.
Depends on your priorities and what suits you.

But, I definitely don't recommend a BMW for everyone.

driver100

they all seemed to have some kind of review on it. Very positive stuff.

Richard doesn't believe in reviews.

And for Driver, C&D summed it up that you were getting a MB for about 20K less!

What model is $20,000 less! My problem with Mercedes is they don't have 6 speeds on too many models and the 4 seater hardtop convertible model is almost 2X as much as the BMW model.

driver100

The 2011 Jetta looks like a really good buy. It will cost about $5000 less than the 2010 model and is larger, and is redesigned. Seems to be a lot of car for a starting price of about $16000! Even comes with a simple basic GPS unit.

Cartech blog says We were pleased with the driving experience of the 2011 Jetta. The driving dynamics are solid for a car with a base price of $15,995. And it felt like it would be comfortable for longer drives. Standard navigation is an impressive feature at the SEL trim, even if the system lacks any advanced features

explorerx4

if you have the guts, it's a great color. we saw one the other day driving back home from our vacation.

tifighter

Your looking at the wrong $2K + bikes. Mine is very light and fast and its not even close to the $2K mark.

Trust me, I'm not, but I'm hard to please with bikes. In that price range, I'd be looking at a frame. I'll spare everyone from my reasoning.

tifighter

I love the one beneath that where they try to load a Honda Civic into a U-Haul truck. What a hoot! I wonder how some people walk on two legs.

Yeah, no kidding. That guy takes the cake. The poor driver...

roadburner

Just do a little smart shopping and you can find great Bimmers at a very reasonable price. We bought our CPO 2004 X3 2.5 for @$29,000 in December 2005. Only 16K miles on the clock. The CPO warranty will finally run out when the car hits 100K miles in a month or so. Then there's the CPO 2007 328i that I mentioned earlier; fully optioned with less than 23K miles- and just $24K.

snakeweasel

May I ask what brand of bike are you looking at?

jmonroe

I believe Jmonroe and I have the same color combo.

I do and as I mentioned in a post just the other day I met a guy at the supermarket that has the V6 in that color which makes it a twin to what you have.

The V8 Cabernet Red Pearl with the cashmier interior was the only color combo that I would consider. So I put that as an obstacle in front of Son #1 and damn if he didn't find it in Statesville Ohio. That's the last time I'm going to lob up a softball like that to him again.

His mother once said, " I hope you're still satisfied with that car. It sure did cost enough". To cover myself I said, "that was your choice. I'd have picked the bright silver with black interior if I was going to spend that kind of money". I'm not allowed to say on this form what she said to that. :shades:

jmonroe

driver100

Yeah, and Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of the House. She probably drives an orange Aztec. It would suit her.

How about Sarah Palin with a Reopublican Red Aztec.....with right hand steering?

Friday morning I am off to beautiful Ellicotville NY state....about an hour south of Buffalo. It is usually a ski resort town, but is becoming a summer destination for people like me who is going with about 20 people from our tennis club...for a weekend of tennis and swimming and walking in this beautiful historic town.

We'll enjoy taking the BMW down and maybe have the roof down, and just appreciate the drive and a finely engineered car.

I am not taking the laptop, so I'll be away Friday to Sunday....in case any one is waiting for any replies, or wants to badger me with comments.

jmonroe

'driver 1000' said - Now, if I was Tony Haywood, and was getting a payout of $20 million and $1 million a year pension, I would consider it....if it handles better than a BMW!

'fez' said - Ain't that something? Boy, that'll teach him....

And I have said for a years now to Mrs. jmonroe - "that if some of these CEO's that get that kind of money for making bad decisions and running their companies into the ground, started to wake up dead, that might help that kind of stuff from happening again. She says, "do you really think that is cute"? I say, "no but I'm willing to see if it works because nothing else has". :mad:

jmonroe

gogiboy

"May I ask what brand of bike are you looking at? "

Snake--

I know that you directed this post at tifighter, but, as I'm sure you are aware, there are a plethora of companies, both large and boutique who make very high dollar frames and complete bikes.

I don't even want to calculate what I have spent in the last 20 years. I guess my one saving grace is that all of my bikes and accessories wouldn't add up to even the cheapest BMW driver might consider. My next move should be a twelve-step program. Hello, my name is Gogi and I'm a cycloholic...

My current road bike is made by a company in MA called Seven and it's custom sized and tuned, which makes it extremely comfortable and responsive to the way I ride. From my perspective Scattante offers exceptional value in relation to cost...er, sort of like a Hyundai. I won't bore you or others with the makes models of my four other bikes.

I've spent so much money on bikes that I'm consigned to entry level (sometimes cursed) cars, but all get reasonably good gas mileage. I suppose I'd be better served on a cycling forum, but I do like cars and the members here are more interesting and keep me entertained with their broad life experiences. Now if only someone had a sales story.

Gogiboy

jmonroe

But, I definitely don't recommend a BMW for everyone.

Finally, a little bit of reasoning is thrown in.

I think that is what most everyone was trying to get across to you. As for the women that drive these BMW's and the like, what I was saying, in a way, is that 'MOST don't know a well handling car from an elephant' but there are SOME that do and they should be the ones to buy what gives them the most driving pleasure. Citing exceptions does not prove a point.

jmonroe

nyccarguy

roadburner - you know something won't be perfect and you're gonna pass on the deal. LOL! Either they won't give you what you want for your speed3 or they won't come down off their new asking price. What was the original asking price? When was the original in service date?

That 328i with the sport pkg & six speed stick is a great combination. You won't have the torque of the Speed3, but you already know that & don't care.

Keep us posted!