Stories from the Sales Frontlines

kiawah

"I've always wanted to be able to send someone to jail"

isellhondas

Oh, I'll aways get dismissed as a juror. This is Seattle and I'm a (gasp) Republican!

And an ex-Californian to boot!

fezo

When you retire you will ask out because you are too old....

I've had a couple of reasonably dull jury experiences. One was a civil case where I turned out to be an alternate. This was done by having 7 of us sit through the trial (which was only a one day affair) and just before sending the jury off they draw my name out of the bingo machine and say "you were the alternate." They called me back from the pool to catch the verdict which wouldn't have changed a bit if I'd been in deliberations.

The other kind of ticked me off. A slip and fall at the local Wal Mart. Now I am as inclined to give some of Wal Mart's money to a deserving person as much as the next guy but it seemed to me these people had no case. While I had jurors who more or less agreed they ended up deciding that giing away $10K to these people would be nice and Wal Mart wouldn't miss it. In a civil trial it only had to be a majority of the jury for a verdict. We ended up 5 to 1 with me requesting that the judge note that I did not agree.

As it turned out no one was happy with the verdict. The plaintiffs were looking for a jackpot and Wal Mart was looking to be cleared.

I guess the judge was happy and the lawyers got paid....

fezo

I like that! I'll use it next time.

tallman1

Yes, Moly it is. I knew it started with an M.

tallman1

There used to be an exempt box to check off on Washington state's jury duty form if you were a teacher. I used that until they got rid of it. Then you had to write an excuse. Now you have to have your boss write an excuse for you.

When I was an administrator, a colleague and my secretary laid a guilt trip on me one year so I finally decided to go. I got there and found out it was for a murder trial that was supposed to last for months. That wasn't going to work because of my schedule so I got out of that.

Right after I retired, I didn't have any excuse so I went but never got on a jury. Just sat and read for a day and a half. :sick:

sterlingdog

It finally happened. We are the proud owners of a new car. It went down like this: I received a call at 8:30 AM this morning from the local Cadillac dealer. A local banker traded in his 2008 SRX V8 North Star yesterday afternoon with 15,454 miles on it and the Premium Luxury Package. The salesman said that it was the cleanest and most beautifully cared for automobile that he had ever seen. I asked about the color---Black Raven exterior and Camel interior. Then I asked about the price---$34,500. Though not overly thrilled, I promised to mention it to my wife. She was excited to hear about it and wanted to see it. I called the salesman and told him that we would meet him at 1 PM. Since I had only researched the V6, I got busy and investigated prices of the V8 fully loaded. In round numbers, Edmunds valued it at $34K, NADA at $37K, and KBB at $33K.

I took a folder and put my title to the Explorer in it, along with my checkbook and my research information. Not being too excited, I wore a pair of jean shorts, a knit shirt, and a pair of dock shoes. At the last minute, I put on my good watch and gold bracelet. I could tell that my wife wasn't overly pleased with my attire, but the jewelry seemed to appease her. After all, this is Pinehurst as my wife likes to say. Off we went to the meeting. I had the Explorer detailed last Friday by chance, so it looked really nice.

At 1 PM, we did the test drive. My wife loved every thing about it. I began to feel better because it was absolutely flawless both in and out---not a knick, scratch, or dent on the exterior and the interior didn't even have a finger print that I could find. Believe me, I was looking so as to have an excuse not to buy. I was on my hands and knees in both the sun and the shade. The Carfax was a perfectly clean sweep one owner. Averaging 7,500 miles each of the two years, he had driven to the bank each day and on a couple of trips. I got his number and called him. He trades every two years and purchased the newly designed SRX. He had only glowing remarks for his 2008. I figured that I would lose the deal because I made up my mind to pull a GG with a ridiculous one time offer. My wife decided to wait in the reception area while I negotiated. By now it was about 2:30 PM.

The salesman and I closed the door and started. I let him go first because I read in that recent article that he who goes first loses. He started by bragging on our Explorer---so clean and well maintained for 111,000 miles. I asked what that meant in dollars. He said $6K. I didn't act excited but I knew that his figure was top dollar for the Explorer. He shoved a piece of paper toward me that had $34,500 minus $6,000 equals $28,500. This is a salesman with 43 years experience. He smiles and says that this is a great offer for such a fine car. I took the piece of paper and wrote $25K and drew a circle around it and initialed it. I told him that this was the best that I could do. He said that he was sorry but they just had too much tied up in the SRX to be able to meet that figure. I stood up and thanked him for his time. He asked me to wait just a minute and that he would be right back.

About five minutes passed. He came back with a new sheet of paper which read $34,500 minus $7k equals $27,500. Once again I wrote, circled, and initialed $25K. He asked me to understand their position. I told him that I did and that there were no hard feelings. Once again I rose from the chair and thanked him. He quickly asked if I could wait just a few moments because he wanted to make a phone call. I said fine. At that point, I walked out to the reception area to see my wife. She asked how bleak things looked. I told her pretty bleak. About that time, an unknown voice called to me. It was the general manager. We did the necessary introductions and walked into his office to chat.

He reminded me that it was near the end of the month and the boss wanted some cars sold because the first two weeks in September were not good. I gave him my sincere sympathy and told him that my friends on Edmunds had had a rough two years. His eyes lit up, but he made no comment. He pulls out a pad and writes $34,500 minus $8,500 equals $26K. This time, I took the pad and wrote $25,500, circled it and initialed it. There was a brief silence. He reached out his hand and congratulated me on purchasing a great car. BTW, the doc fee was $250 which I thought was reasonable It's now about 3;30 PM.

As I walked out to see my wife, I could tell that she thought we were going home without the car. I told her to get her things out of the Explorer. She was thrilled beyond words. It was worth $25,500 to see her so happy. They prepped the Cadillac and we left about 4:30 PM. She does love the car. As I drove it home, it really did seem so comfortable and handled really well. As some of you may remember, I once wanted a black Grand Marquis with Camel interior. Well, I now have the color combination. I told my wife that the new car would never stay clean. She claimed that she is going to wash it once a week. We'll see who ends up doing that. She's very happy and, to tell you the truth, I'm not unhappy at all. The only bad part was writing the check, but I am so blessed to be able to write one. I'm reminded of the days when I couldn't have done that. The car has all of the bells and whistles---heated and cooled seats, nav, back up camera, power lift gate, wood/leather every thing, satellite radio, On Star, two sun/moon roofs, genuine Eagle Ottawa leather seats, etc. The original window sticker was in the glove box. It was listed at $55,960 new. It smells wonderful. No smoking in this car!

Well, that's my story. Right or wrong, it's done now. As so many of you have said before, if I think that it is a good deal, then it's a good deal. I'm happy; she's happy; and the dealership seemed happy. My thanks to all of you for living through this saga. Your advice, input, and encouragement have meant a great deal. It was great not going through the experience alone.

Richard

verdugo

Holy Cow! It took a lot less than I thought it would. Let me be the first (literally) to congratulate you on the new car.

deltheking

End of a saga !! :shades: Congrats on your new car !!!
Glad that you liked the deal and the car and that`s all that matters. So have fun in that Caddy. And must say-- you got to maintain that black color very well. Clean black looks gorgeous, dirty black not so much. Maybe you can ask Jmonroe about waxing and clay bar.. :P

imidazol97

Congratulations. I understand after yesterday why your wife likes the carmel interior. I parked next to a similar SRX in crimson pearl metallic red with the lighter interior at the post office yesterday. I see the darker interior as a big plus over the lighter interior.

On the humor side..., you could have told that story in 3 parts and we would have all been waiting for the next installment eagerly.

qbrozen

Congrats!

My only thought is: I can't believe they gave you that much for the Explorer!

graphicguy

Richard....that's great. Congrats. You did a wonderful job and got what sounds to be a wonderful vehicle. Again, congrats!

kiawah

what year was the explorer?

graphicguy

tallman and everyone else....thanks for chiming in regarding "oil change". I've been so used to hearing the old "3 months/3,000 miles" marketing speak, especially from the quickie change places and dealers that I thought my Acura dealer would say the same. I've got about 5,500 miles on the TL now. Have an appointment set up for tomorrow. Oil life indicator says 20%. So, probably would have been somewhere in that 7,500 mile range if the oil life indicator hit 0%.

I know in my previous Tahoe, 7,500 was the mile marker I used to change the oil. It never used, nor leaked any oil. Checking it every 2-3 fill ups (as I do the TL), it looked like that was just about right for changing intervals, too.

verdugo, regarding those drunk/stoned Chryco employees. Don't understand why it took so long for action to be taken. Those offenses should net immediate dismissal, on the spot. No debate, no mitigating circumstances.

I hope for Chrysler/Jeep's sake that their reputation can be restored, both on the quality and the unique engineering end. Mercedes didn't do them any favors in either of those regards when they were steering the ship, that's for certain.

tjc78

One more congrats over here! Enjoy the car, you worked hard to get something your wife really likes. Now, get out the wax and start buffing! (smile)

bronsonb

Congrats on the new car Richard. I do like the the SRX. I was once able to test drive an SRX and several competitors all in a short period. I felt the SRX drove the best of them and even beat the Lexus SUV. I tried to convince my wife to consider one when we were shopping last year, but she really wanted a sedan and not a wagon nor SUV. I do like the older SRX body style over the new style too.

I really enjoyed reading all of the articles leading up to the decision. Interesting you brought the Flex into the discussion. I pointed one of those out to my SIL, who wants something with three rows that's not an SUV nor a minivan. She and my wife both said, "That's hideous. It looks like a hearse." I kind of liked it. And suddenly I am seeing them ALL over the place in Marietta, GA.

I'm not in the market for a new car though and won't be for many years. I am curious if a Flex can haul a sheet of plywood in the back. My Expedition fits in a sheet of plywood width wide quite nicely though about 1 foot of it still hangs out the back. If a Flex can hold a sheet, even hanging out the back, I'll keep that on my radar for my next car. I checked the Ford site, but I couldn't locate the cargo opening dimensions.

Take care and enjoy the drive.

sterlingdog

It was an '03. Research gave $6K as top dollar for trade. Though very pleased, I was surprised that they offered that figure from the start. Perhaps the salesman thought that I wouldn't negotiate any off the remaining price on the SRX if he gave me that for the trade. If so, he made a $3K error.

Richard

mako1a

Well played, Richard. I too have picked up a lot of negotiating tips from this site.

On a personal favorite note, I think the Caddy is a much longer lasting value than the temporary novelty of the Flex. And the usefulness of a truck bed is great.

sterlingdog

Thanks. I will share one thing with you. The Flex drove every bit as well as the SRX and had just as many options with quality materials. Regardless of exterior looks, Ford did a nice job building that car. I drove two Limiteds during our long search. They handled beautifully and were very comfortable. I'm not sure about cargo length, but overall length is 102". With all seats down, it just might hold that sheet of plywood. Width would be no problem. I could have had a brand new Flex Limited for $33K---well below invoice. They stickered between $43K+ and $47K+. The one that I had my eye on sold last Friday. It had been the only one offered at that price within 500 miles. Some customer got a great deal and a great car. Still, we're happy campers. I'm confident that this time, I will enjoy the Cadillac. After my other experience, who would have dreamed that we would own another one? It certainly proves the old adage that you should never say never.

Richard

jayrider

I have to say ---WELL DONE !! Did you have it cpo'd or just sticking with the remaining warranty ? You bought at the right time --- bet that srx would have been gone in a few days.

michaellno

Richard, congratulations on your new car and for sticking to your guns on the price.

If I read your post correctly, you were able to get another $3K knocked off the deal .. whether that was a decrease in the sales price on the SRX or an increase in trade value on the Explorer, it doesn't matter.

Hope you and your wife have many years of joy driving the new car.

sterlingdog

I actually started to do the story in installments. Once I began, I just kept going. I figured that I had caused enough suspense during the last couple of months.

As for the darker interior color, you are correct. I couldn't see my wife's view point earlier, but I did yesterday. That Camel, over the lighter shade, really does look so good with all of the wood trim. I can't believe the chances of finding a Black Raven with the Camel interior. Nearly all that I had seen had the light gray or black interior. We really lucked up on the color combination.

Richard

tjc78

I think the Caddy is a much longer lasting value than the temporary novelty of the Flex. And the usefulness of a truck bed is great.

The SRX has no truck bed. Are you thinking of the Escalade EXT?

tjc78

Nearly all that I had seen had the light gray or black interior

I would love to know the percentage of new vehicle with grey or black interiors. I had to pull teeth to get my cashmere colored interior. Even so, its only that color on the seats and headliner, everything else is dark brown/black (carpets, dash, etc). All the streamlining of the assembly lines has taken the choices away.

fezo

Well done! This is a win win for this board. If it works out well and doesn't repeat your previous Cadillac experience we get a happy Richard and we all like that. Of course if it does repeat your previous Cadillac experience we get stories and we like those, too. (does the wink emotorcon work?)

Sounds great though I was all set for flex stories...

Michaelll is right - doesn't matter how they reached the number. The fact is they did. This will leave so much in your pocket that you can spend like a sailor when you come up this way. I'm all set....

fezo

What a shame - you couldn't get your plaid interior....

Everything seems to be black, gray or some sort of tan these days. With a lot of them the exterior color dictates the interior color as well.

lemko

Heck, I got married last year and I was 44!

sterlingdog

Thanks, Michael. I felt the same as you. As long as the price kept falling, I didn't care which side of the paper had the figures. It's difficult to express in a story all that was said. As we were leaving, the general manager thanked me for my concern that both parties be successful in the deal. He said that his last customer told him that he didn't care if the salesmen starved to death or if the dealership went under. I just can't imagine being that callous. Some negotiating is fine, but to do it with such vindictiveness is a poor sign of where we have come in society. He went on to say that, in the last year or two, some customers had become really ugly in their treatment of the sales staff. He said that some people expected give away cars because the economy had been bad. I can tell you that I wouldn't want to be a car salesman ever. My response to the first foul mouth would cost me my job. I didn't tolerate it from students, and I couldn't have as a salesman. Good thing that I stuck to teaching.

Richard

fezo

Yeah, I knew you were a big boy!

Now it's time to tell Richard how much he'll enjoy a black Caddy.....

lemko

Congratulations on your new SRX! I hope you have better luck with it than the DeVille you had a while back. As for me, I'm extremely happy with my 2007 Cadillac DTS Performance.

lemko

Black is a very labor-intensive color to keep looking nice. It's about the only thing I don't like about my car. But, dang! It sure looks awesome after you get done detailing it!

sterlingdog

If she landed you at age 44, she must be quite a lady. At least at that point, you must have been sure that you were ready. Congratulations to a Caddy lover.

Richard

mako1a

Thanks for the correction SRX to EXT. That EXT (or a Ridgeline) in Pearl white is what I would like to move into from the Avalon. I wonder if I could give Richard a blank check along with my requirements and let him do his thing.

All the streamlining of the assembly lines has taken the choices away.
That is so true. I have all but given up on new cars since I can't get one exactly the way I want it.

I plan to jettison the Avalon and GMC van for a new Mustang (6 cyl A/T, Blaze Yellow with Shaker stereo) and a half pickup like EXT or Ridgeline (Red or Pearl white), but so far no one will build one to my specs and finding one may be as tedious as Richards search for the perfect interior.

jwilliams2

Richard,
Thanks for the great sales story. I love it when things fall into place like this and am happy you waited for the perfect car. You got a great trade in value for the Explorer, and a terrific price on the Cadillac. Well played!

tidester

Congrats, Richard! And thanks for the front lines story.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

lemko

Well, I was dating her for 11 years and she drives a Buick!

fezo

I agree entirely on black. As long as you don't mind the constant attention to it it's a great color but it does attract dirt like a magnet. Pretty much any dark color is like that.

fezo

Well, yeah, but she already had you by the time she got the Buick. I know she had an Impala before that. What was before the Impala?

crkyolfrt

A Caddy eh?!! Congrats to both you and Mrs. R!

Black eh? Hmmmm You'll see... haha just kidding, we know you were considering a black car before. And you're retired so you have time to clean and polish.

Sounds like you did better than just a respectable deal. Excellent all around. Those Northstars are wonderful engines too. Watch for the local constabulary and their radar gun in those sneaky places.

Also thanks for the advice on the BP meds. I knew that but appreciated your mentioning it. (I still haven't caught up on all the posts in the last month and I'm losing ground even faster now with pre-winter chores).

sterlingdog

No, I decided to get my own extended warranty from GM just before the factory warranty runs out. I have seven months to do it. Like you, I do think that the car would have sold quickly. We were next on a list of four customers who wanted the old style SRX. I would have preferred an '09, but this '08 is so flawless with such low miles. It's good that we acted quickly. Thanks for the kind words.

Richard

Kirstie_H

A couple of years ago I had an older gentleman friend who really wanted a Cadillac with red leather interior. He is a former StL Cardinals player, so he likes as much stuff as possible to be red. Kind of broke his heart when I told him he'd also need to purchase a time machine to find one.

Richard, so glad you got the deal done! Like you, once it's done I don't sweat it and don't look back. Gotta have wheels... might as well drive what makes you happy.

sterlingdog

"I'm all set..."

When I come to see you, it will be a long trip. You'll have to have the garden hose ready so that I can wash this black beast.

Richard

lemko

Uh...before the Impala was this dreadful 1991 Mercury Tracer with a horrid paint job. She had like 107,000 miles on it and it had to be towed away from my place twice for failing to start. Some knucklehead installed an aftermarket alarm system in it for her and hacked-up the wiring harness. For some reason she kept dumping money into this hooptie. For what she was pouring into this ugly little toad she could've had a new car all along.

qbrozen

Just hard to find the time to type this all out.

Anyhoo... this all started back like 2 or 3 months ago. I decided it was wise to cut one of my toys loose since I barely get to drive 1 of them, let alone 2. Since the '85 MR2 is a far better track toy, the '85 300Z would have to be sacrificed.

I started high and I knew it, but the condition really warranted a price above and beyond what most are selling for these days. I run the buffer over it, install my freshly painted sideview mirrors, and ..... d'oh!! radio died! Run to Best Buy and get the cheapest CD player with aux input. A couple of hours later its ready for pics (Ebay and craigslist) and a sign and a spot on the front lawn.

Took all of 4 days of putting it up for sale before the first gentleman came by to test drive it. Pretty young guy in his mid-20s along with his younger brother and brother's friend. All were car guys and all fell in love with the Z immediately. After a test drive, he offers me full asking price. BUT.... had to leave a deposit and it might be a week or so before he could pay it off.

OK. They are really excited and I'm happy to sell it to someone so in love with it... for full price. He gives me $100 cash, I give him a receipt, and I put it back in my garage for safe keeping.

TO BE CONTINUED...

sterlingdog

I love the Pearl white. That was my preference for the SRX, but my wife just fell in love with the Black Raven. I'm going to town today to buy some soft sponges and soft dry rags. I have my work cut out for me. It's raining like crazy. The SRX will stay in the garage until the sun shines.

I love blank checks. Send me one and I'll get to work. As your head hunter, I only charge 10% of negotiated price. (Wink)

Richard

isellhondas

Tallman, the "bosses letter" no longer works in Washington.

Up until a couple of years ago it did work. In our computer, we had a form letter.

It said please excuse " Joe Doakes" form Jury Duty. He is a irreplaceable memebr of management in our orginazation and we could not function without him etc...

We would simply insert the name of the person called and it always worked. Not anymore.You can only postpone it for a year but then they get you.

Now that I'm retired, I wouldn't mind serving at all. It would be interesting.

I just wouldn't make it through the interview process. They will reject anyone who is pro law enforcement and anyone who watches Fox News.

This is Seattle.

isellhondas

Richard, you did a good job and you got a great deal and a great car!

sterlingdog

To you and Kirstie: That's three sales stories in three years---two convertibles and one Caddy. I deserve a year of free dues.

Richard

sterlingdog

Thanks, buddy. I thought of you yesterday. I tried to be very nice, professional, and courteous as I was negotiating. They were super nice in return.

Richard

fezo

That was it! Now I remember the Tracer! Moving up in the world...