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Let's see... I think I left off where I received the email from the excited young woman?
I call the number, she picks up and immediately asks, "Is this about the Z?" Needless to say, she is just as excited on the phone as in the email. Wants to come down immediately with her father. "No problem. I'm here."
I figure I should go out and brush the week's pine needles off the car and make sure the battery hasn't died sitting out there the past couple of weeks. Just as I thought, stone dead. I put the charger on, but I don't start the car. I want to wait for them and let them start it up just to demonstrate how well it does start even after a couple of weeks.
They arrive, I explain the charger. No complaints. They look it over and are very impressed and fauning over it. Time for a test drive. But the girl confesses to being scared of the car. Hmmmm.... Ok, so dad wants to take it for a spin with me riding shotgun. No problem. Out on the road, he falls in love within the first half mile.
Get back, he gets out, and the girl asks, "so how was it?" His response, and I kid you not nor do I exagerrate, "You'd be a fool not to buy it!" I file that away in my brain for use at negotiations. :P
Time for daughter to drive it. Dad says it is not scary. Drives far better and easier than they thought it would, etc. She doesn't want to back it out though, so I get in and turn it around and point it in the right direction. I let dad ride shotgun with her, though. They go off down the road. 5 mins later they are back. Mom asks how it was and daughter is glowing. "I love it." Lemme file that away, too.
So now dad comes back and says the magic words, "So how low can you go?" Well, now, let's see here ..... "you'd be a fool not to buy it" and "I love it."
Answer: "I'm at my rock bottom price already. I can't take any less." Dad says, "Ok. Its a fair price. You got it."
Left $200 that day and delivered the rest the next day. I handed them the key and the title and said they could come back when they are ready to take it home. The car was gone 3 days later. I keep thinking I should email her and find out how its doing. It is one of those cars I'd really like to keep tabs on.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Congrats!
Congrats on the sale and a good sales tale at that but do you really want to do that? I don’t think that is a good idea and I know I wouldn’t do it. The first time something goes wrong with the car you’d hear about it. The car is sold. Leave it that way. If it meant so much to you why didn't you keep it?
I guess you can tell I’m not sentimental about things that I have sold. Like when we sold our first house after having it built and living in it for about 20 years. One day, after about 3 years, Mrs. jmonroe wanted to go see it. I didn’t want to but relented and we drove by. Her jaw dropped and she said, “how could they let the house go like that. That’s awful; don’t you feel bad after seeing it and all the work you put into that house to keep it looking new? Now look at it”. I said, “I don’t feel a thing because it isn’t my house anymore. I don’t care what they do with it”. What I do feel bad about is our old next door neighbors that have to live next to it. Me, I don’t care if they burn it down”.
I felt the same way when I traded a near perfect ’06 Sonata LX with just over 12K miles on it when I bought the Genny in March of ’09. She said, “I hope the next owners take as good care of it as you did”. I said, “I don’t care what they do with it, it’s not my car anymore. If I was so attached to it I'd have kept it".
I know you didn’t ask for any opinions about this but you have heard my thoughts about this.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
I have had offers for my Mustang, which I have had longer than I have been a parent for one of my college age kids.
The Mustang is like an old family dog, but if I sold it, I would have no regrets.
Probably would buy a new Mustang a few months later.
That is the best way to look at it.
That is why some people are good at the stock market. They don't become emotionally attached. I know a guy that does well, he buys and stocks go up, he sells them when he thinks they will go down. Most people don't want to lose their winners.
You definitely have the right atitude. Also, there is a very importaant rule of sales. Once the item is sold, don't say any more. You may unwind the sale, or say something that makes the buyer change their mind. As you pointed out, you may get a call whenever something goes wrong.
Well done JM.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Excellent story, nicely told, with a very happy ending.
Out of curiosity, how much less would you have taken?
Like JM and Explorer said, it is really best not to call. I know you want to, but there can be nothing good come from it.....it can only become a negative if anything.
It seems everyone came out a winner.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
That explains sooooo much. :sick: :lemon:
Richard
But they spent $2-3K to save that $600.00.
cars are more sophisticated with computers and as I said I reccomend them.
Yes cars are more sophisticated these days but with that sophistication does come greater reliability.
The last 5 or 6 cars I have had I have taken to well over 100K miles. With all those cars combine I spent about a grand in repairs before they hit 150K miles, and that was one event that happened at about 120K. miles. So on each of those cars an extended warranty would have been useless.
This is not the 60's or 70's where it was unusual for a car to hit 100K without having to do a few repairs. These days a well maintained car should go 150K or more without needing repairs (routine maintenance yes but thats not covered by extended warranties).
As I said before an extended warranty covers a car during the most reliable time in a cars lifetime. Thats why I don't recommend them.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Depending on my mood and the time of year really determines whether I'll sell a car myself or trade. If I'm replacing the car I'm selling with another car, then I'll do the cost analysis of the tax savings by doing a trade.
Straight out sale........I'll shop the car at a couple of dealers to get an idea of their number. I'll look at NADA, Blue Book, and even get a loan value from my bank. From that I'll derive a "floor" on the price I'll take.
Congrats on the sale.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
So, to her, the Z probably seemed like an exotic of come kind, that may have been to much for her to handle. Once her father told her it drove/shifted/clutched just like an Accord, it put her mind to ease.
And some people actually are phobic about backing up. Every time I back into a parking spot (especially the minivan) it about freaks out my wife that I can do it! So if the Z was parked in a tight area or near other cars, I could see her reluctance to do it in an unfamiliar car.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
At what angle would that be in relation to the cars original position?
The car was gone 3 days later. I keep thinking I should email her and find out how its doing. It is one of those cars I'd really like to keep tabs on.
I've often wondered how older cars that I sold were doing. Mostly curiosity. I sold them as being "reliable", which they were. Hopefully they all did well... never had anybody coming back knocking on my door and asking for their money back. Still I'd probably wait about 6 months or so if you want to check up on the Z. That would be best for all parties involved.
Richard
the other was my still favorite car (1991 Mazda 626LX 5 door). Had it on the driveway with a FS sign, and my mailman stopped to ask about it, and ended up buying it. He kept it a long time (6-8 years maybe) and took it from 90K to ~180K with no issues of note. He got his moneys worth out of that car.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
That explains sooooo much.
Not sure quite what it explains, but what I can tell you is; There was a time when being wrong would have bothered me. Now, I know, you learn more from being wrong than you do from being right. Being wrong, or making a grammatical error, or a spelling mistake is not a big deal....so I am not sure what my comments explained. There is nothing wrong with being wrong, unless you are intentionally lying or misleading people, or if you never admit you were wrong.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
At work, we were requred to call our "old owners" twice a year. this was to keep our name in front of them. We called twice a year just to say hello and remind them we are always available to help in any automative way e could.
A lot of customers welcomed these calls, others could have cared less and a few, very few acted like our calls were a bother.
Personally, I saw little value in making these calls but I did.
On the used cars that I sold, I would NEVER, EVER call a customer I had sold a VW product to or any kind of a European call. I learned quickly.
" Oh, Craig, how funny you would be calling me...That POS Volvo/Audi that you sold me is back in the shop AGAIN!! "
I wouldn't call my domestic customers either.
I can't remember a used Honda or Toyota customer ever complaining.
I once sold our next door neighbor a Mazda Millenea that turned out to be total JUNK! Thank God he bought en extended warranty! They paid out thousands to keep it running. He bailed after two years.
I think there is a time and place for extended warranties. I think you did the right thing, for $650 to have that peace of mind.
I bought an extended warranty for my run flat tires. It cost $500, but the tires were worth about $600 each at the time of buying the car. We weren't told about that until we signed the papers. I just had a nail hole in the tire and it had to be replaced. The tires are cheaper now, so the whole thing cost $300....but I was glad to get a new tire at no cost to me. And, if I get another flat that will be fixed.
The main reason for getting the insurance is if you are out of town and get a flat, they will ship you a tire and make sure it isw installed. I wouldn't want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere without the chance of getting a new tire installed.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Last week, they took a four day trip using their MB. They left the Subaru parked in their driveway because his Ford F150 and his golf cart were parked in the garage. During the four days away from home, acorns from their trees kept hitting their new car. We went over for dinner last night. Jerry was showing me all of the little dings and dents on the hood, top, and trunk of his new car. He and his wife are so upset about it. They just never thought about the trees and the acorns. My wife and I felt so sorry for these nice friends. Jerry is going to try and find a specialist who can repair the damage. It is pretty sad to have a brand new car that is messed up within the first month of ownership.
Richard
Don't let Richard hear you saying that.
Richard
Richard
Fezo: Don't let Richard hear you saying that.
Richard: I heard him, and I'm not a happy camper.
Well, what I mean is, in the big scheme of things. I mean, it is important, but not that important. It isn't like life or death. It does allow us to communicate better, but, the world will still spin just because you use "there" instead of "their". I know some peoples livlihood depends on teaching proper grammar, but, let's face it, you can use "write" instead of "right", and the sun will still come up the next day.
Have I dug myself out yet???????
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
That sentence has an extra "or" in it.
"Being wrong, making a grammatical error, or a having a spelling mistake is not a big deal."
Now it has correct structure including three gerunds in parallel format for the multiple part subject.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Richard, go to usnews.rankingsandreviewscom Click on cadillac srx and the year 2008. Nice info and a good reliability rating.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Another one picking on me!!!!!!!!!! :mad: (MAD)
Not really, I am always amazed at your (and a few others) knowledge of the English language.
If I hadn't made that mistake, I wouldn't have learned something today.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Thanks, don't remind me. There have been a few times I hit rock bottom here, but, the good news is, I am really learning how to shovel faster and faster.
Like I always say, if you make bad things turn into good things, you will come out ahead. Like after getting fired for the third time in 4 years, and the only way to get a job was to start my own company. I was in shock each time I lost a job (really due to downsizing or bankrupcy), but since working for myself I have had way more fun, more income, and no silly bosses. I love it when bad things turn out good!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
At least I got my three gerunds parallel. What the heck is a gerund? I once knew what they were, in Grade 4, about 55 years ago.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
A gerund is the "ing" version of a verb used as a noun. For example:
Reading is my favorite pastime.
Actually I had to insert a third gerund to make all three of the phrases similar in structure.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Richard, you need to tell Jerry the upside of all those little dings/dents.
Think golf ball dimples and how they make the ball fly straight and true.
Gee, living in a golf community I thought you'd see the benefit right away.
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
Richard
Richard
Reading is my favorite pastime.
If my teachers had explained it that well to me in Grade 4, I might still remember it.
Once again, I am truly amazed at the knowledge of the English language on this site. There may not always be a sales story, but at least the grammar is impeccable.
To imidazol: Thanks for adding a 3rd gerund.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Richard
Steve enjoys driving. (Gerund)
Steve and his wife were driving to New York. (Present Participle---part of the verb phrase "were driving")
The easiest way to recognize the difference is to remember your third grade rules:
A noun is a person, place, or thing. A verb shows some type of action or state of being.
You love driving. (Noun) You were driving. (Verb)
To stay on topic: Grammar is similar to cars. They both have parts that make them work. A good mechanic knows his parts. A good writer also knows his parts.
Richard
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Steve and his wife were driving to New York. (Present Participle---part of the verb phrase "were driving")
I think I've got it! Grammar can actually be quite interesting when you see how and why words are formed. The examples make it easy to understand.......it is too bad it wasn't made fun and interesting in school. To be fair, I skipped grade 4 so some points might have been lost.
I am truly impressed with the knowledge imparted. My wife will know these rules, so I am going to discuss gerunds and present participes with her at breakfast tomorrow. (it is a holiday in Canada tomorrow - our Thanksgiving). I am thankful to have such nice friends who care enough to teach some valuable lessons about our language.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I have heard that if you leave the car out in the hot sun those dents will sometimes pop out.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Yes, you did start something...and I always thought gerunds were those little animals that look like hamsters.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
"Excuse me sir, could you tell me where the library is at"?
The other guy replied, "Here at Harvard we don't end our sentences in dangling participles".
The farm kid ended the conversation with, "Sorry, could you tell me where the library is at, [non-permissible content removed] h#Le".
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
A guy is on a business trip in Boston. He asks the taxi driver "Where can I get scrod?" The driver replies, "I’ve never heard it in the pluperfect subjunctive before.”
Richard
Richard
Richard
Richard