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Comments
I was afraid that you would remember that habit.
Well, I do have the driver's window down when I smoke. Also, I use my left hand to keep the cig near the open window. I empty and clean out the ashtray each day. The car doesn't smell bad, according to my nephew's wife who is a nurse. I had it detailed when my wife took some girl friends to the beach. One of the girls remarked that it smelled so fresh inside. The detail guy told me that doing the roof liner was the key to a fresh smelling car.
As for the convertible, it still smells new after a year and a half. If I have to smoke while driving it, I pull over and exit the car.
I'll call the service department Tuesday and see if Explorers have a cabin filter.
Richard
coolant is fine (preventive), just pricey. also reasonable to just wait until 60K as per mazda.. and that tranny service is for sure the AT price. changing the fluid in the transaxle is a quick and easy service, and should be cheap, and certainly not needed at 30K.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I kind of hope Isell is more concerned about the smoking aspect, rather that the cabin filter. Reminding him that we both have convertibles might put him over the edge.
The air doesn't any more unfiltered that that
Not sure where you get your info, but TV Guide is still available as a magazine. I have no idea of their circulation numbers, but the magazine is still being published.
I did replace the air filters in my Accord, ody and TL recently. what a bear that was. Was going to to the TL cabin filter, but couldn't figure otu if it actually had one, and how to drop the glovebox! Might have to look into that.
as to markets changing, well, that is the way the world goes. Mom and pop shops put door to door vendors out of business. Big box might put M&P out of business. the internet might put big box out. Who knows about car sales, but the market adapts, and there are always winners and losers. It just sucks to be a loser!
I have a theory that everyone wants the world to be just like it was when they were a teenager. It is what they grew up knowing, and how they want things to stay. Of course, different generations have different views on what that should be.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
You're right about that and my generation is the only one that had it right.
If you doubt that, there are several here that can prove it to you.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
You are right again verdugo. TV Guide once sold over 20 million copies a week, but now is down to about 3 million. I see, you can get a subscription. It has been basically unprofitable for awhile now, as there are too many channels to report on, and TV listings are shown on your screen.
I think the last thing I heard was TV Guide was going to be available on the internet, but they didn't say it would still be available in printed form.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
He is.
"The air doesn't (get) any more unfiltered that [sic] that."
He'll love that remark.
Thanks for checking on the cabin filter.
Richard
Wonder what will put the internet out?
Richard
Another reason that I have my MS3 serviced at Kings Mazda in Cincy. I've had the same adviser since 2007. He knows both me and my car. No BS pushing of unneeded service either.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Our parents were the ones who had it right. We just tried to keep it going. The next generation slowed it down. The current generation brought it to a stop. :P
Richard
Wonder what will put the internet out?
That is a very profound thought. It reminds me of the guy who turns off his computer and says to his wife, "I have nothing more to do, I have read everything there is to read on the internet".
Another thing is a few weeks ago someone sent pictures of an incredible computer that rolls up, and you can carry it around like a small mat....rolled up.
This week i saw a computer that looks like a pen. A light comes out of the top and shines down to make a screen, the other side has a light that shines down and is a keyboard that is basically a light beam.
The thing is, new inventions are becoming obsolete as fast as they are being made.
Hard to picture something replacing the internet, but I think they will be able to beam the information directly to your brain.....test a GLK....test a GLK....test a GLK.....test a GLK.....
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
You get a gold star for persistence.
Richard
I think will have take a' 'whuppin' from Del for that post.
Not cars (but analogous), I was reading an article today about the changing nature of college text book sales (having a kid at an ivy league engineering school, something near and dear to my heart). The old model is changing rapidly. Internet sales, and now the big thing is renting text books! although that sounds like buying used and having a guaranteed buy back price. Or like a car lease!
and, it seems like some schools (I am sure only in the wealthier districts at this point) are doing away with textbooks in elementary school, and on up. Being replaced with stuff loaded on PCs, and in some cases, book readers.
so , at some point, there will be a generation in college where at least some % have never really used a paper text book, so they really won't miss them if they have gone away!
this group just might be able to handle the internet model of car buying.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Hey, I didn't mention anything about a free buffet lunch and we will just lock you up in a room for 4 hours with 20 salesmaen circling like sharks, and we will let you go only when we sign you up for a new model.
That might be a great new sales technique though-and I skillfully brought it around to the topic!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Depending on what course the student is taking I could help with some of those text books. However, if the couse is Electrical Engineering, my text books say Ohms Theory, so they might not help. :sick:
On second thought never mind. The kids today probably don't want books since they like to do everything with their phone. :confuse:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
The method of going in and buying a car hasn't changed much in about 60 years. The biggest changes are probably the internet, the way salesman work with you more (as the public has become smarter), and cars being sold in retail stores.
But, most other things have changed dramatically, from the way they were used or sold, real estate, yellow pages, music, renting DVDs, taking pictures, communicating, buying everything from clothes to furniture.
I think someone is going to come up with a whole new way to sell cars.
One thing I could envision, is that some manufacturer will sell all their cars on the internet. Maybe a new Chinese car company will do this. You will test the car at Costco or Walmart. When you need service you will take it to their garage. The overhead will be greatly reduced, the cars will be a tremendous value. You will pick up the car at the store where you bought it.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
You're showing your age....make that an iphone, or Blackberry or ipad
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Car sales is much more interactive, and involves haggling. But, there are lots of (moslty younger) people that are really getting used to buying online (all kinds fo stuff), so they are more likely to not have the experience, or desire, to actually negotiate on something face to face. Searching on line for coupon codes? That they will do!
like you described, you could essentially turn a dealership into a combo rental car booth, and Carmax.
The rental piece covers going in to look at cars (showroom) and test drives (no charge if you want). The carmax component is there for trade ins. And I guess the order taking on the new car.
And yes, this would have to be a 1-price, no negotiation model I think to work.
I know all about failed attempts at saturn like delaerships. The key is, these were still traditional dealerships. And I don't think any existing maker would ever be able to (or try to) pull this off.
But, doing this as a newcomer (Geely?) to the country, that would be interesting.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
For a second there, I thought that you were going to say, "since they can't read". :P
Richard
And there's a good reason for that. Have you seen the price of textbooks lately? I have students who are paying $200 for a welding textbook. They are paying $170 a pop for a basic math textbook. Depending a the field, a full course load could set you back over $1,000 on textbooks for a single semester.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
It seems the local VW dealer had let them out on their own on a solo test drive. They didn't even bother to put on a dealer plate.
Instead of returning it, the couple had the low class to drive it to our store so they could drive an Accord.
Two hours later, a deal was struck and they drove off in their new Accord.
We had to call the VW dealer to tell them to pick up their car!
To add insult to injury "someone" installed a set of our Honda license plate frames on the Jetta!
Richard
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
The internet has both hurt and helped the car business.
People don't ask as many questions since they have already researched to death.
They read the "expert" opinions of others. Some of the information they have is accurate and other times it's not.
They "know" what their trade in is worth which often causes problems.
They feel empowered and in a sense, they are.
Thee determine what a "fair" profit is and they often have little or zero loyality.
Overall, the business has certainly changed and not in a good way.
As quality salespeople find it increasingly difficult to make a decent living, ti will be harder to attract and retain good people.
I was at a great store. I was lucky.
You are so right. School textbook publishing is one of the largest profit making transactions in this country. Having served on a state textbook commission, I was shocked to discover unethical lobbying by these publishing companies. In some cases, sheer graft was at play. Much profit is at stake. Example: If a school system has 500 ninth graders who are required to take Algebra I, and if each book is $85.00, I have the potential to make $42,500 on this one text. If I can manage a state contract, and the state has 100 school systems, then I might make a half million dollars. If my contract includes all high school math courses in all state school systems, then I'm looking at $5 million easily---perhaps $10 million. Just think. We're only talking about math. English and history books cost more---over a $100 each.
Here is the tragic part for students. A teacher finds a book for her class that is perfectly aligned with the state curriculum. It has a great workbook and a wonderful resource manual. Suddenly, she discovers that the book is not on the state adopted textbook list. So much for helping the children. I saw this scenario played out more than once. There is a lot of politics and deal making when it comes to awarding contracts. It was supposed to be an honor to be on the state textbook commission. I resigned. I felt like a lone wolf crying out in the wilderness.
Richard
You make an excellent point. I have researched so many SUV's, and read so many opinions. that I don't even know if I want a new car. The more that I read, the more unsure I am of what to buy. I think that I have overloaded myself to the point that a decision is no longer interesting. I have spent so many hours doing research. In the old days, I visited two or three dealerships, saw something that I liked, and did the deal. It seemed so much easier.
Richard
You make an excellent point. I have researched so many SUV's, and read so many opinions. that I don't even know if I want a new car. The more that I read, the more unsure I am of what to buy. I think that I have overloaded myself to the point that a decision is no longer interesting. I have spent so many hours doing research. In the old days, I visited two or three dealerships, saw something that I liked, and did the deal. It seemed so much easier.
Richard
Madison Avenue is a multi-Billion dollar a year industry based on the concept that people will pay far more for an image. Trust me there are many people out there that will spend thousands more for a name.
Pick any car made pick at random half the cars coming off the assembly line and put a BMW badge on them and the other half a Ford badge. People will pay more for the BMW than the Ford and will proclaim the BMW much better than the Ford even though they are the very same car. Its all perception and as I said before there is a multi-Billion dollar industry feeding off it (or feeding it).
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Your post 58008 has a time stamp of 12:38, but the one I am replying to (58009) has a time stamp of 12:36. I guess it just took the scenic route.
Ready to completely trust the internet?
We have several servers and it's possible Richard happened to catch one on its coffee break. :shades:
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
I know what you mean. I am thinking of leaving the world of van owners in about a year and I already have info overload just looking. By a year from now I may end up keeping the thing!
if the business is such that there is no longer a premium on good sales people, then they will become extaneous, and be out of a job. so entirely possible that there will no longer be a need for professional "real" sales pros, and it will not be a lucrative career. And it won't be the first time (or industry) that it happened to.
It seems that there have always been 2 types of buyers. The smart ones (at least they think so!) that know what they want, and really just needed an order taker. I guess this included the grinders too.
then, you have the clueless boobs, that needed someone to "sell" them a car. Well, in some ways, the info on the internet is taking over that function. You can go to a site that does all the questioning for you, and narrows down to the "best" car for a buyer. Then click on the give me an internet quote, and you are done.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
kyfdx....I'm thinking that's Castrucci? If it's them, they were always a little bit dicey in the way they did business, in my estimation.
If it's Williams (LORMAR?), out in Milford, I like them a lot. Pretty far out for me because that's a pretty far ways on 275 for me.
I was out to both those dealerships a few months ago when I was shopping. I test drove the new SHO at both places. Castrucci is typical of "old school" car sales. Sales guys sticking to a script.....not listening.....trying to move you to something you didn't ask for (since they don't have it in stock).
LORMAR was the opposite...sales guys were knowledgable....easy to deal with.....actually offered to let me take the SHO home for the weekend.
Different location, but went to another Ford dealership at the time who wanted me to give them a deposit to test drive a SHO. That encounter lasted less than 5 minutes...me leaving as the sales person came out to the parking lot after me. He said that they'd "make an exception for me", requiring a deposit for the test drive.
"Ahhhh....thanks, but no thanks!"
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When I bought my last car the F&I guy explained that they were hooked up to the Secretary of States office via the internet and he would be doing all the paperwork right there and then. Less than 30 seconds later he printed out the registration for our new car.
Guess they can cut those high Doc fees now.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
That's what the idiots at Oxmoor Mazda in Louisville tried to pull on me. I can see the need to weed out joyriders, but the MS3 and SHO are hardly what you'd call rare exotics.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
For a second there, I thought that you were going to say, "since they can't read".
There's some truth in that too!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Geez, if I had known that I would have bought a Fiesta, put a BMW badge on it, and saved myself a ton of money.
Snake, you have to catch up on your reading, that post was from about 3 weeks ago!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Try a GLK, it will get you interested in driving once again and take the boredom out of looking at all those cookie cutter cars.
I know, I never give up...always lurking for a chance to recommend a fine automobile.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Did I read that correctly.......wanted a deposit for a test drive? How much is the depostit? I wouldn't trust those guys with more than $5, in fact I wouldn't trust them with 1 cent...they would probably say I put down a deposit so the deal was consummated.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Of course, the last 2 years at the car show (philly), the GLK probably took the award as most disappointing interior. Cheesy looking, not comfortable, and overall disappointing.
maybe it drives better? not that the reviews lead me to believe that though!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Why the GLK? You've said yourself that it's clearly & distinctly inferior in every important respect to the Q5.
Did you fall down & hit your head? Why would you want an uglier car with a tackier interior, inferior build quality & less rear legroom that came in last in the same Car & Driver comparison that the Q5 won?
Is this a Canadian thing? On Monday, you say that the Q5 is obviously the better car. Then on Tuesday, you tell Richard to test drive a GLK. Is this your way of saying that Richard wouldn't appreciate a Q5 but he might settle for a GLK? Are you insulting his intelligence?
However I did see a Fiat 500 on I-15 between St. George, UT and Las Vegas NV.
I also saw three sedans all wrapped up driving in a caravan on I-40 in Arizona.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
None of this is going to happen any way. If I switch horses now it will be pointless. At least Richard has acknowledged that the GLK is out there, but the chances of him testing one are about "0", that is "zero", so why confuse the poor guy even further by introducing another car into the mix? He's already confused with his 4 D3 choices.
I still do agree, the Q5 would seem to be the better choice, but if he checked out the GLK, it will still be ride and perform than anything on his list, and the Q5 would be a natural to check from there. As I once learned in business, if you never try something new, you will only get what you already got. In other words, you can't move forward in life. You might be content, but you won't find anything better.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Thanks for the explanation, but, what did you think of my idea of buying a Fiesta and putting a BMW badge on it. I'll save a significant amount of money, and feel just as good about my car, and I won't even notice the difference.
I guess it is like a beer tasting contest, if you put on a blindfold you won't know what brand of beer you are drinking. That would be an interesting test to make in a car (not the blindfold), drive a BMW and Fusion with no markings on the interior and see if you can tell the difference. I don't usually bet, but I'll bet I would know which is which.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Actually, I haven't looked in one either. All I am going by are the reviews I have read, and the fact I know they make a good quality car and there will be a very noticeable difference. I am not trying to change his opinion, I am just trying to broaden someones car driving experience. There is a huge difference in the way the MB will handle and feel, and I mean in a good way. Also, the GLK is square, so it seemed to be the best possibility for Richard to consider, as that was a requirement. I never expected Richard to buy a GLK, or would I try to persuade someone to buy a particular brand of car, or to read a particular book, or to like a particular musician.....I am just saying go for a test drive if you are buying a car any way....there is a whole new and different world out there.
Ever find your favorite restaurant is too busy, so you go somewhere else....and you find out that restaurant is even better. It can happen with cars too!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Again someone is trying to tell you something that happens more than you'd like to admit.
Of course you would have saved a ton of money but you wouldn't have the "feel of the road" that you cherish so much but the feeling wouldn't be as bad as you'd make it out to be. Or would it? :confuse:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl