Stories from the Sales Frontlines

driver100

teacher that taught English.

Read the post above yours 59942.

I am not being critical, I am the last person to correct someone's grammar, but it was amusing that you wrote that right after the post before yours.

Youz should go back and read that post.

lemko

Ugh! The 1970 Riviera looked like a 1968-69 Skylark on steroids! It was even worse when they slapped that vinyl sweepspear trim on the sides! The 1970 Olds Toronado was pretty junked-up compared to previous versions as well.

lemko

Starting in 1973, they muted the boattail rear on the Riviera. By 1974-76, it was gone. You can blame those clunky bumpers on the government meddling with the auto industry on behalf of the insurance companies! :mad: (mad emotorcon goes here)

lemko

Dark days indeed! My Dad bought a new 1981 Ford Thunderbird Town Landau. It was (ahem) "powered" by a wheezy 255 V-8 that produced more squeal than thunder. I had to floor the accelerator pedal to get that thing to go up a modest incline.

Don't even get me started on the Cadillac diesels and the HT4100! I looked at a used 1981 Cadillac Sedan DeVille with a diesel being sold by a private owner. It was a beautiful white car with a plush luxurious blue interior. I couldn't just turn the ignition key and start the car like I was accustomed to with gasoline-powered cars. I had to turn the key one click, allow the glow plugs to get warm, and then start it. As soon as I did, the car fired-up and sounded like a city bus...and was about as fast as one too!

The HT4100 was even more of a dog. I test-drove a used 1983 Cadillac Fleetwood with the 4100 and...it.......was...........S-----L----O----W! Zero-to-sixty could be measured with a calendar.

lemko

My first new car was a black 1987 Chevrolet Caprice Classic with a gray cloth interior. Mine was something of an oddball as it came with a 4.3 V-6 versus a 305 V-8. My Grandpop's last car was a 1989 Chevrolet Caprice Classic Brougham. That car had just about every option on it. It was a two-tone maroon and burgundy with a plush burgundy interior.

houdini1

That is funny snake, at least I got it.

jmonroe

Are you tracking these young ladies? How many ladies at work drive Hondas?

No, I’m not “tracking” them but it’s got to the point around here that when someone mentions one of those girls, it’s followed by, “what color BMW does she drive”? There are plenty of Hondas and other cars in the parking lot but it seems like there is a club involving the young ladies and the 3 Series.

At least they are getting noticed, which is probably what they want.

It’s funny, a young male that has a 3 Series that worked at another building is now where I am (at). When he was asked if he was in their “club” he said, “I see that and if I knew that before I got here, I would have bought a 5”.

Does she drive fast because she has a bmw, or does she have a bmw because she drives fast?

That’s a trick question and I don’t have an answer for that.

If she can go 120 mph and hasn't lost her license yet, I think she probably does know how to drive that thing - and she probably appreciates the handling, not to mention the hp.

“YET” is the operative word although she has admitted to getting a few tickets for speeding. She’s a nice kid and it would be a shame if she loses her skill and it’s not always the fault of the speeder. When you're moving too fast and someone decides to pull out to pass they might not see you in time.

FWIW, I like having more HP than I need. I liken it to having money in the bank. I don't plan to go after it everyday but when I need it, I like the idea that it's there.

jmonroe

tidester

How did you come up with that one?

See http://www.gocurrency.com/countries/laos.htm

"The Lao Kip, denoted by the ISO code LAK, is the official currency of Laos. One kip is subdivided into 100 At. A currency reform took place in 1979, with the exchange rate of 100 old kip being replaced by one new kip. One EUR is equal to 13,636 LAK and 1 USD is equal to 10,500 LAK. The country only uses banknotes. No coins are in circulation in Laos. In the late 1990's Laos's economy had experienced over 100% inflation and 500% depreciation."

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

jayrider

Just bought a 73 inch dlp tv. Only $1299 -- free shipping and no tax. The 82 inch was over 3k. Have to draw the line somewhere. Installed a seatbelt on my Lazyboy.

mako1a

JM, try this site for an in depth look at local word usage in SW Pa.

Pittsburghese

It includes such words as babushka and sketti (spaghetti).

I'd like to know how my Toyota has a 3.4 engine that has
about a hundred more HP than the 4.0 in the Explorer.
And the 3.4 gets 30MPG. Curious to me, but the Ford has 4WD
which explains some of it. Toyota/Honda are highly efficient.

oldfarmer50

"...Maybe she and the guy from NY should get together..."

Is she cute? Does she like older men? Will she tell my wife?....oh heck, she has a BMW, it's a date! :shades:

jayrider

They missed pupcorn and hutdog. List was compiled by a bunch of younzers. Please note that you don't have to use the term younz to be a younzer -- JM seems to have more than his share at work.

jmonroe

Apparently, your teacher didn't send you to the board for using "that" instead of "who"...

I’ve already acknowledged that my grammar is not the greatest. Plus, if our teacher sent everyone to the “board” for all of her student’s lapses, there wouldn’t have been enough of those things. As it was, 5th grade was the worst 4 years of my life. :P

jmonroe

jmonroe

Pittsburghese

Dahntahn - downtown

We do have a diction problem here, don’t we?

Sliberty - East Liberty (town in Pittsburgh)

Hey, I grew up there until 9th grade. Garfield section to be exact.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

"...it came with a 4.3 V-6..."

Same motor that's in my 1988 hooptie van. rated at 150hp but seems faster when you run it up in 2nd gear. Is that the motor they called the "Iron Duke"?

tjc78

I have the 4.3 in my S10. Rough as all heck when you rev it, but solid.

The "Iron Duke" refers to the 2.5L 4 cyl GM had from the late 70s to the early 90s.

stickguy

no, the iron duke was the 2.5l 4 cyl lump. Believe it started in the Nova, and in the 70's could be found in the Monza, and probably some of the other samller/mid sized FWD GMs.

oldfarmer50

Well, it seems we hicks in upstate NY have finally got some recognition from the automotive world. This week MB has chosen Albany International Airport (international because we have one flight a day to Canada) as the location to introduce their new models to the automotive press. All the big names from the car press will be given a new vehicle to drive around the Catskill mountains for a few days. I'm sure many of our Edmunds hosts will be there fighting to get their set of keys.

Maybe I'll swing over there and try to get Kirstie's or Tidster's autograph. Who knows, I might just get to tag along on their road trip.

verdugo

Is she cute? Does she like older men? Will she tell my wife?....oh heck, she has a BMW, it's a date!

Oldfarmer,

I don't want to cause any trouble between you and your wife (smiley). I was referring to the idiot with the BMW X5, not you.

jipster

Oldfarmer,

I don't want to cause any trouble between you and your wife (smiley). I was referring to the idiot with the BMW X5, not you.

LOL, oldfarmer is a player... doesn't like putting all his eggs (tomatoes) in one basket. Set the guy up, I'll mail his wife one of those super titanium husband bashing frying pans that my wife has laying around... then we'll wait for a good story. :P(pblt)

bronsonb

Him jmonroe - We didn't have to pay a royalty fee. Just $77 up front for the whole year. You can bet when the year is up, I'll renew for another $77 or we'll let it cancel and see what they come back with.

Similar sales story...but home based. We switched to Uverse recently through AT&T for phone, Internet, and TV. When Uverse made me the offer, I called our current provider, DirecTV and asked them to beat it. They said they couldn't, so I let them know I'd be canceling. After Uverse was up and running, I called DirecTV to cancel. At that time, they offered me four free HD DVRs, free install on all said DVRs, and discounted premium service. Since I'd already had Uverse installed, and since DirecTV had already been given one shot at keeping my business, I passed.

We'd been DirecTV customers for about 7 years, and they lost us because they were cheap and must have thought we wouldn't bail. So far, they've called me six times asking me to come back. I told them I am staying with Uverse for at least a year. We're happy with the Uverse service, but when I got the first real bill, I was upset with some of the charges...taxes and such....that the rep had way underestimated when telling me my new bill. So I called and said I might just cancel, and they gave me $20 off a month for six months to keep me happy.

Capitalism and competition are grand. I can only figure that less than 1% of customers call to complain about the bill or threaten to leave, and that's why they're so loose with the discounts. The rep even said if I called back at the end of the six months, they'd likely extend the discount. On top of that, we're very happy with the service. We have 405 channels, which is about 385 more than we watch, even with the kids recording 25 hours of Sponge Bob Square Pants and Scooby Doo.

tidester

I'll swing over there and try to get Kirstie's or Tid[e]ster's autograph.

We'll be easy to spot with our edmunds tee-shirts.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

sterlingdog

Only YOU could come with that!!!

Richard

fezo

I think everyone here knows I ain’t the best with grammar

At least you used ain't properly!

fezo

I float between three cars

No. You could float between two cars but you would have to float among three cars.

sterlingdog

To Jipster and Verdugo: We won't have to worry about Oldfarmer getting in to trouble, When the girl sees him drive up in that old van loaded with tomatoes, she'll floor that BMW to 140 MPH before Oldfarmer can put the van in park.

Richard

sterlingdog

I have to admit that it was a pretty good smart [non-permissible content removed] remark. I totally missed it because I was thinking that the fool had actually learned something.

Richard

houdini1

LOL, I thought you had missed it !!

fezo

I was afraid he had missed it as well. It was very well played by snake. Twice.

sterlingdog

You may have a point about diagraming sentences. For many years, I made my students learn how to diagram. With the advent of Holistic English in the '80's (Now called Wholistic English), I was often criticized for using "an archaic method". With Holisitc English, it was thought that the children would learn how to write correctly through their reading and self-expression. As teachers, we weren't supposed to stifle their creativity or confuse them with spelling and grammar rules. What a joke. Around that time, I had two job offers; one was from a military academy in Virginia and the other was from an exclusive private school near Washington. I told my superintendent that if I had to teach the Holisitc Method, I would resign. He just smiled and suggested that I continue to do what I had been doing. In later years, I can't tell you how many of my former students thanked me for making them learn how to diagram sentences.

Most of the posters here would have been excellent candidates for learning how to diagram sentences. These posters are the ones who can repair and do maintenance on their automobiles. They know the "road maps" to the interior parts of their cars. That is what I used to tell my students. Diagraming is like reading a map. You learn which way to go with your words and how to return home. The visual map shows a person why you can't just do something because it "sounds or looks better". A regular road map may show a shorter route, but it could be filled with pot holes, dirt roads, construction, mountain passes, etc. Shorter may not be better. See my point Driver?

I understand your irritation with the use of the word "that". Two things irritate me more than some others. One is using "at" to end a sentence. The other is using the possessive "your" in place of the contraction "you're". This is the most common error seen today.

Though all of this may seem unimportant to this forum, I just want people to understand the written posts. It's difficult enough not to communicate in person. That's why I love the emotorcons. They help to convey the correct feeling associated with a specific post.

Richard

tjc78

but you would have to float among three cars

Math was always my strong suit...good catch!

fezo

In the day I could diagram sentences with the best of them.

stickguy

I was never big on the rules of the road (English wise), but always was succesful as a writer. And spell check helps, since I actually spell better than my posts make it seem. I just can't type worth a darn, and am too lazy to proof read!

I like to fall back on the old concept of what you say being more important than getting all the grammar rules correct!

sterlingdog

The only real problem that I ever noticed from students who transferred in from Northern states was "Youz guys." If they remained with us, they usually dropped it after the first year.

Yes, I do get carried away at times. Old habits are hard to break (brake--- :P )

Richard

sterlingdog

Absolutely. What you say is definitely more important. I never intentionally look for errors in the posts. I read yours for the good advice and common sense that you have to offer. (Now put the extra "s" on "succesful" and keep posting. :P )

Richard

sterlingdog

I can tell that you are from the older generation. You left out the word "Back".

Richard

jmonroe

We didn't have to pay a royalty fee. Just $77 up front for the whole year. You can bet when the year is up, I'll renew for another $77 or we'll let it cancel and see what they come back with.

Well, that settles it. I was snookered into that fee by XM but at least they told me up front that the Music Royalty Fee would be charged, so I wasn’t shocked when I got the bill.

When it’s time for renewal, I think I’ll play hard ball and demand that they waive that fee or they can waive goodbye to me. Oh, who am I kidding? I like satellite radio and like I’ve said before I’ll even pay MSRP if I have to.

jmonroe

crkeehn

Younz or you'ns is also somewhat common in Western North Carolina. Perhaps it travelled down the Appalachian mountain chain.

driver100

FWIW, I like having more HP than I need. I liken it to having money in the bank. I don't plan to go after it everyday but when I need it, I like the idea that it's there

Well said, better to err on the side of too much compared to too little HPs.

Thanks for all the good answers about the lady in the 3 Series.

driver100

"...Maybe she and the guy from NY should get together..."
Is she cute? Does she like older men? Will she tell my wife?....oh heck, she has a BMW, it's a date!

I don't think a bmw and a vandura are exactly a match made in heaven.

driver100

". A regular road map may show a shorter route, but it could be filled with pot holes, dirt roads, construction, mountain passes, etc. Shorter may not be better. See my point Driver?

Yes!
Most of the posters here would have been excellent candidates for learning how to diagram sentences.

I thought that was directed at me.

. These posters are the ones who can repair and do maintenance on their automobiles.

Nope, that doesn't sound like me.

The visual map shows a person why you can't just do something because it "sounds or looks better".

Map reading I can do, maybe it is me!

I think if you were my teacher I would have done much better.

In Grade 3 we had a teacher who said this during the reading of the bible for that day. Dear Miss Langton, said, and the Jews crossed the desert and it took them 40 years to walk across the desert. These days they would just drive their Cadillacs and Lincolns. My mother wasn't too happy when I told her what the teacher told us that day.

driver100

I never intentionally look for errors in the posts. I read yours for the good advice and common sense that you have to offer

I had the same excuses and you didn't say I have good advice and common sense.

jmonroe

Younz or you'ns is also somewhat common in Western North Carolina. Perhaps it travelled down the Appalachian mountain chain.

Bad news travels fast and bad grammar even faster. :surprise:

jmonroe

sterlingdog

"I had the same excuses and you didn't say I have good advice and common sense."

There's a reason why I didn't. (JOKE :P )

Richard

sterlingdog

"Bad news travels fast and bad grammar even faster."

That is a very profound statement coming from a very intelligent guy.

I once had an English professor who told the class, "The manner in which you communicate should never speak louder than the intelligence that you possess."

Richard

sterlingdog

Thanks for the kind words. You would have been a very good student.

"These days they would just drive their Cadillacs and Lincolns."

I can understand your mother not being a happy camper about that remark. Talk about a prejudiced statement. Today, it wouldn't be an issue since Bible readings aren't allowed in public schools. (Sick :sick: )

Richard

roadburner

My lightly modded Mazdaspeed can do the 1/4 mile in a tick under 14 seconds, but my 1975 '02 and 1995 318ti are just as much -if not more- fun to drive. I think that 75 hp per 1,000 pounds is just about right for a sports car or sports sedan. More horsepower is fine, but it won't make the car an exponentially better drive.

driver100

Hey Mako, does this one affect you (Oct. 21 2010)

TOKYO — Toyota is recalling 1.53 million Lexus, Avalon and other models, mostly in the U.S. and Japan, for brake fluid and fuel pump problems, the latest in a string of quality problems for the world's No. 1 automaker.

snakeweasel

some want a $4000 bicycle and some a $150 3 speed is fine

Goo analogy. If you are spending 4 grand on a bicycle you are either a serious competitive bicyclist or spending way to much on a bike. Its like buying a formula one car for commuting to work.

If you want it fine, just don't say it's needed.

driver100

More horsepower is fine, but it won't make the car an exponentially better drive

I would probably agree that 300 hp may not be twice as enjoyable to drive as say 150 hp in most cases. But, I would say the 300 hp bmw is about 25% more enjoyable to drive than the 265 hp engine, and we are only talking about an actual 12% difference..