Stories from the Sales Frontlines

fezo

OK Cancel the Nissan. I was beginning to think you'd left the big 3.

One of the Acadia - Enclave - Traverse SUVs?

houdini1

UHOH, I am thinking Acadia.

thinker01

a lurker here - I think Richard's car has to be a Cadillac SRX

sterlingdog

To you and Fezo: Wrong answer

Richard

fezo

He found a dealer that still had a new Pontiac Torrent.... :P

tjc78

#58437 of 58437 Re: My Guess.. [richard64] by fezo Sep 15, 2010 (6:44 pm)
Replying to: richard64 (Sep 15, 2010 6:36 pm)

He found a dealer that still had a new Pontiac Torrent

Nah....too close in size the Equinox

tjc78

We then decided that cargo space was limited in it. Overall, the Terrain was a little too small for us

I thought I had it!

jayrider

If he didn't want the equinox he won't want the srx. If it's a sedan then the dts but an suv would encompass the gm trio -- traverse-enclave or gmc whatever. By the way Richard, the dramatic tension you have created has been seriously muted by my anti anxiety meds. good for me but pity the poor fools with normal nervous systems. :P

chikoo

ah shiznit.....Jim....so sorry

Did you buy that table yet?

chikoo

Here is what happened.....

45 days ago.
My current daily driver, a 2003 Mazda6 v6 with 110k miles.
I was going to work and on the highway I pressed the gas pedal to go a bit faster. I felt a little bump as the engine picked up speed. huh! I thought. What was that?

Evening comes. Coming back from work.I am on the highway and feel the need to pass a slow mover. Push the gas pedal and I feel a slight bump again as the car picks up speed. Interesting. My mind races trying to wonder what is going on.

Now this behavior continues for a week. So I take it to my trusted service adviser. He looks at it and tells me it could be anything at this mileage, but the chances are high that this is a misfire that you are experiencing due to either a bad coil or bad spark plug. Now I know that to change the spark plug and the coils, the effort is the same so I decide to change both the spark plugs and the coils. I go back home, order a set of 6 spark plugs and 6 ignition coils online. 4 days later I get them delivered and I go back to my service adviser. He hooks me up to one of his mechanics who agrees to change everything for $75, on the side. Wonderful. I agree and 35 minutes later I am driving off a very happy car. $375 well spent.

However, this started a process in my head. The car has 110k. Worth around 3.5k-5k trade-in. Will be worth even less in the next couple of years. So I go online and start to research the type of problem this car can have at higher mileage. Find out that it is possible to blow this engine up at high mileage due to the way Ford designed the Pre-cats on this duratec engine. If that happens, I will need to invest 5k to get it running. What should I do? trade the car in, get what I can get or roll the dice and keep driving the car?

to be continued.....

jmonroe

By the way Richard, the dramatic tension you have created has been seriously muted by my anti anxiety meds. good for me but pity the poor fools with normal nervous systems.

After what all of us have been put through with Richard's purchase, do you really think any of our nervous systems are normal anymore?

I wonder if it's legal for you to post up some of your spare meds for the crew here. :confuse:

jmonroe

jmonroe

Did you buy that table yet?

Nah, I'm way to clever to have fallen for that.

After I bought a Genesis in March of '09 I got smacked with redoing a kitchen this past January. I still came out ahead with what I got but it's the total of those two purchases that keeps me awake some nights.

jmonroe

verdugo

A left over lot queen Pontiac Aztek? :lemon:

explorerx4

The Explorer i am referring to is the soon to be released generation.
It is about the same size as the Flex.

sterlingdog

Oh, of course. I see what you were saying. The 2011 Explorer will be about the size of the Flex. I was still in my '03 mode when I answered your post. Thanks.

Richard

sterlingdog

"...do you really think any of our nervous systems are normal anymore?"

What about MY nervous system?! In 43 years of marriage, we've never taken this long to decide on a car. At dinner tonight, she asked me if I was still considering the Flex. Well---no, I thought that we had cleared that one away. I tell her that I am trying to find the mystery car in her requested color combination. She tells me not to worry about it. If I can't find the color combination, she's willing to live with the Flex! I tell her that she wouldn't be happy with the Flex, and that I want her to be satisfied with the choice. She says that I'm the one that is crazy about cars and that I know better than she does what we should purchase. Listen. I wasn't born yesterday. I don't want to hear for the next ten years, "You should have never bought that Flex." I love her dearly, but I'm the one who is going to need some serious meds. Jayrider, I'll send you a check. Make sure that they are high dosage.

Richard

snakeweasel

Find out that it is possible to blow this engine up at high mileage due to the way Ford designed the Pre-cats on this duratec engine.

While it might be possible I would have to ask what are the odds of blowing the engine? The lower the odds the more incline I would be to keep it.

stickguy

my house might be safe.

I am doubling down on a Caddy with the titles to all 3 of my cars. I would throw in the dog, but I like him too much (my favorite child, as I like to tell my other children!)

sterlingdog

LOL!! I wish that I could put you and Verdugo on stage. You would make a fortune. As your manager, I would get 10%.

Richard

stickguy

I really, really like the new edge. If we were actually in position to replace the odyssey (and the wife would like something smaller), it would be high no the list.

but, while the new explorer will be bigger, it is still a bit shorter than the flex at ~197". Is the flex more like 205"?

sterlingdog

With all of those bets, you're going to be either very, very poor or very, very rich.

Richard

stickguy

you gotta be in it to win it!

sterlingdog

The Flex is 201"---four inches longer. Width of the Flex is 83.5". BTW, I made an error in my pricing post yesterday. I said that sticker was $43,185. It is $41,385. Still, at $32,995 that's $8,390 off sticker including the $4,000 rebate. With all of those options, it really seems to be a great deal. Also, they offered top dollar for the Explorer at $6,000. That's $26,995 OTD plus tax and tags.

I love the Flex. It's not "floaty" like a Town Car, yet it has a very comfortable ride. To be 201" long, it takes corners well and curves well. Acceleration is quick and responsive. It seems to brake well and pretty quickly considering its size. Driver would be happy. I can feel a little of the road in the steering. It's not mushy. It has a great sound system and the instrument panel is a little techno but easy to figure out. I'm not good with the Nav or Bluetooth, but I can learn how to operate them. Though I love square lines, I realize that the Flex is over the top. Still, I like the big box. As Fezo and Tic have said, it's either a love or hate relationship.

Richard

stickguy

same size then as my odyssey. too big for my taste, unless you really need to carry 6-7 people on a regular basis, or are running a small moving business on the side.

Or, like my wife, you have no concept on how to pack reasonably.

stickguy

cars (and especially "trucks" such as CUVs) just keeping getting wider. And of the 3 dimensions, this is the one that is the worst to expand.

Plenty of room to go up (and it reaps tremendous benefits in interior room and flexibility). Length you do need to be careful with, but usually a few inches won't matter.

But, when you have a single door garage, width is a big issue. The odyssey barely fits (mirror tip to tip). If they make them a couple inches wider, it won't fit at all. And no, I am not folding my mirrors just to get in and out of the garage (major hassle, and how do you use them to back out?).

plus parking spots aren't getting any wider as cars do!

driver100

I can feel a little of the road in the steering. It's not mushy.

You're getting there. With a GLK you get the full feel of the road, and your wife would love it. However, since that is not going to happen, I think it is an Escape.

No, not really. You have kind of told the Chrysler guy you aren't buying from him, the Flex is out and you weren't interested in an Edge, and you pretty well told the Ford dealer you weren't buying from him. That makes it a GM. We know it won't be a Caddie, though quite a few people here think it will be, but they don't know about your Caddilac experience....if you don't know the detail, look it up, it is a Sales Frontlines Classic story. Find out when Richard first posted and go back to his first posts.

That leaves GM but I think everything has been mentioned at one time or another. Maybe a Buick, you are almost old enough to qualify (ha ha).
The Tohoe, Enclave and Traverse are to big, Equinox and Terrain too small, that leaves an HHR, but that doesn't seem likely.
I give up, I think you have become very environmentally conscious and you will surprise us with a Smart Car.

I won't be on too much after this afternoon, I want to find out what the mystery car is but I don't know if it is worth $2 a minute.

Off to see more ruins. It is unique here, the roads are packed with cars and there are few rules, just drive as fast as you can. Sidewalks are narrow and are crowded. They park anywhere and part on the curb, and streets are narrow, most cars squeeze through with just a few inches on each side.

Typical street scene from Rome;

tjc78

Though I love square lines, I realize that the Flex is over the top. Still, I like the big box. As Fezo and Tic have said, it's either a love or hate relationship.

I love the Flex. I am really not an SUV type person as I love sedans, however, I had a brief moment when my Avalon came off lease that I thought I would sell my truck and lease a new Flex. I researched it, and went to the lots (on Sundays) to check them out in person when they first came out.

Then came my (live-in) girlfriend to the picture. While driving past Echelon Ford I pulled in to show her...... it was priceless! She said if you buy that, we can take my car everywhere, It looks like a hearse.

I never did drive it, because deep down, I know I wouldn't be happy driving an SUV everyday, maybe I should of? Also, I feel your pain with the "female" influence, we aren't married but are heading down that path.

graphicguy

richard.....OK....I'm thinking the Acadia. Still don't understand why the dealer doesn't have your color if it's one of th big 3. But, I'm on the edge of my seat, now.

verdugo, isell....not a bad idea regarding the all inclusive resort Christmas. I'll have to check those out. Thanks for the condolences. My Father's been gone for about 7 years. My Mother just passed last New Year's Eve. Seems like a week ago, she had asked me to sell her Grand Marquis for her (now I wished I had kept it). So, this is kind of a holiday where we're trying to break from the norm and to do something that at least is a little more upbeat than what we were all going through last year at the same time.

Craig, thanks for the suggestion on the cruise lines. Found a bunch of cruise WEB sites, most with forums. Just like in the car biz, people are fiecely loyal to their particular cruise line, and disdainful of the others. Kind of funny. We figure they all go to the same ports. If Carnival is the fun one, that's probably the one we'll choose (didn't realize they were so big....they own Princess, Holland America, Costa and Cunard, too).

driver....that's why there are a lot of different manufacturers, with a lot of different brands, making a lot of different models. We can all find something we really like (just ask Richard about the wealth of choices). Your love of German iron (and yes, it's obvious), others love of American iron, and me...who is more in love with the "car du jour", depending on what I need/want in any given year.....there's something for all of us. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

RIchard.....if it really is an Acadia, I know a dealer near me that has probably 50 of them......in EVERY color.

tjc78

GG, check out Cruise Critic they are a wealth of information. I feel for you too. My GF and I had booked a cruise on NCL, I really liked the idea of freestyle. We researched it to death, on CC and everywhere else. There was even a member who offered her scanned in daily sheets from the same cruise earlier in the season. We had it all booked for the last week of August and had to cancel due to her father's cancer returning and his (quick) passing. We are actually dreading the holidays this year, and if it wasn't for my family I think we (and her Mother/Sistes) would find a way to get away too.

isellhondas

Last cruise was on NCL and although it was just fine, Royal Caribbean and Holland America were far better.

tjc78

I'll keep that in mind, thanks. I know from reading here you are a fan of cruising. I may send you a message before we book one for next year. We have never cruised before and NCL had an itinerary leaving out of NYC which was a money saver since we didn't have to fly to a port.

imidazol97

>Richard, if it really is the Acadia

Beautiful:

fezo

The Flex does NOT look like a hearse. More like an old Country Squire....

driver100

The Flex does NOT look like a hearse. More like an old Country Squire....

Nah, more like a mini wagon on steroids;

tjc78

The Flex does NOT look like a hearse. More like an old Country Squire

I agree, especially in this treatment!

sterlingdog

Tic! Where did you find that picture? Don't tell me that they actually make that with wood trim? I would force the issue and buy it in a skinny minute!

Richard

isellhondas

Sure, send me an email and I'll give you my thoughts.

isellhondas

No...that Flex just came off the transport truck and the shop hasn't had the time to uncrate it!

tjc78

Where did you find that picture?

I just did a Google Image search for "Flex woody" When Fezo mentioned a Country Squire it made me curious if anyone had done the woodgrain treatment to a Flex. Its not a factory option, but obviously can be done.

tjc78

Thanks!

sterlingdog

Bet it cost a pretty penny to customize that one.

Richard

jayrider

I was in P-burgh over labor day. Could have hooked you up from my private stash. First taste is free. After that you will need an Rx and have to pay $7 for a 90 day supply at Walmart.
Richard, unfortunately my dosage is the lowest offered. You could, I suppose, take 3 or 4 doses at once. Just make sure you have a drool bib to catch the slobber as you sit in peaceful oblivion. Have your wife post a photo.
For the rest of you anxious posters, a 2 pound bag of peanut m&m's and a half gallon of Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey coupled with a pair of stretch shorts should work almost as well as the meds.
Once Richard's deal is done I'll relate my latest trade. No suspense -- but interesting.

driver100

Bet it cost a pretty penny to customize that one.

There seem to be a few after market companies that will do this. A few remarks about the name, a Flex Woody. Reminds me of a friend who had a Ford Probe, we all liked to ask him how his Probe was.

imidazol97

The Flex reminds me of the early Plymouth Caravans.

fezo

Bet it cost a pretty penny to customize that one.

That's all right. You can take it out of my inheritance. :P

The detailing people would make a fortune off of you with such a car!

Maybe you could find a guy who would do that with real wood! You'd have the only one!

graphicguy

tjc....thanks for that link. WOW! Lots of interesting info over there. Found one that's a big more sedate....cruisemates.com.

Anyway, my sisters kind of threw the planning into my lap. I spent my entire lunch hour calling the different cruise lines I might be interested in. Man.....the car sales vertical should recruit from the cruise sales people. They give you a couple of choices and immediately close for a deposit. They don't like to email prices (supposedly because the price could change by tomorrow),

From the looks of it, all the ships are pretty opulent. They all seem to go to similar ports. They all emphasize their great service and food. Depending on which one you choose, they either are fun, relaxing, stressfree, upbeat, any of a bunch of other descriptors.

Picking the cheapest one and running with it. Does trip insurance make sense on these? The flights I'm looking at leave my home airport on the day of sailing, direct flight getting to FLL about 4 hours before the ship sails. Does that work?

tjc78

That site is like the Edmunds of cruising!

All my research has led me to believe that it is wise to fly out the night before the sailing. If a flight gets cancelled or something, you are in trouble.

As for trip insurance, I declined it and got burned for $500 for cancelling my cruise, so depending on the cost might be worth it.

thinker01

I never saw a denial on the Cadiallac SRX. I read the Cadillac story from his past, but part of me believes that is why it is remaining a secret - he is going there again.

fezo

I'm beginning to think you are right.

I don't think I want to be around here if richard buys a Caddy and it ends up troublesome! :surprise:

driver100

leave my home airport on the day of sailing, direct flight getting to FLL about 4 hours before the ship sails. Does that work?

GG, once again I am not an expert but I think 4 hours is cutting it a bit close. I would really prefer to arrive the day before, because airplanes can be very unreliable. If you miss your cruise, it is almost impossible to catch up.

You have some time to do this. The cruise ships do not fill up fast and you can actually get good deals closer to the date. That cruise critic sight was really something.

Something you and others might like is www.travelzoo.com Each week they send their 20 top deals for all kinds of travel or entertainment deals. Even if you don't go they are fun to read. They never hassle you, they just send the top 20 trips each week, the cruises are excellent prices and they do go fast. Just have to give your email address to get started.

Did you decide where you want to go?