Stories from the Sales Frontlines

driver100

It gives new life to netflix.

Isn't that an oxymoron? If you watch too much netflix you probably need to get a life.

jmonroe

Many years ago with one of my old girlfriends 92 Grand Am, she had her ABS light come on. I told her I'd look at it before we find out what the dealer wanted. Well I started at the all the wheels and found a left front sensor connector corroded with electrolysis.

Gee , that must be a Pontiac thingy.

I had a ’95 Bonneville but I didn’t have the problem. However, Son #1 bought a ’94 Bonneville SSEI from my cousin in ’97 after he destroyed his ’91 Grand Prix (engine and tranny) doing auto cross. Anyway, about 4 years after he has the car he gets a light so he takes it to the dealer and is told that his left front sensor went out and he is given an unbelievably high quote so he says to me, “will you take a look at this and tell me what you think”?. I look and I see a bad connector. He calls the dealer and the price is high even for the connector and it would take days to get the part. I said, “I’d cut off the connector and solder the wires and use heat shrink to seal the solder connections if it was my car”. So he says, “go for it”. About an hour later the job is done and if I had to guess the cost of the material to make the repair, I’d guess about 17 cents and even that is probably high.

He never had a problem with that repair and he got rid of the car in about 2005 with almost everything else still working.

jmonroe

driver100

you could look into getting a BMW CPO warranty.
it extends coverage out to 6 years.

I would definitely consider that...depending on price of course.

CPO has been used a lot lately around here, what does it stand for? I get the feeling it is original equipment but not sure.

I wrote my sales guy asking about extended warranties and he says the director or someone will get back to me about warranty information. I think MB and BMW do their own extended warranties.

gogiboy

I'm still confused as to why Kirstie's car has dropped so much in value. Is it really all about the mileage? It doesn't seem like it should net approximately the same insurance value as our 8 year old--now-deceased--Rav4 with 70K miles. It's not like 108K is that high a mileage for a car built in the last decade. The window sticker for the Rav was in the glove box when we bought it used and I think the list price new was something like $25K. A new G must be considerably higher, right?

Gogiboy

28firefighter

driver-

CPO = Certified Pre-Owned

When BMW takes used cars on trade, purchases them at auction, or purchases them off lease and they meet certain qualifications, they are CPOed and given an extra warranty out to 6 years/100,000 miles.

They also offer a program that gives you more or less identical coverage to the CPO warranty if you currently own a BMW and want to extend the coverage to 6 years/100,000 miles without having to trade the car and re-buy it. The name escapes me at the moment and it has to be done before the 4 year/50,000 mile warranty is up.

Kirstie_H

I can't explain exactly why, but what I can tell you is that I bought it USED, after it had taken a huge depreciation hit. So, at least I didn't suffer that big a hit.

roadburner

There is at least one word to describe BMW's idrive, but it can't be printed because of the forum rules.

The original version introduced in the E65 Seven was horrible, but each successive generation has improved to the point that it's now borderline tolerable. That said, iDrive is just another "feature" that I can easily do without- just like Nav, sunroofs, and power seats.

crkyolfrt

That's good that he had good luck with it for that long. They use a pile of salt here, and I've found that shrink tube (especially down that close to road) allows the moisture to creep with capillary action. Since I started using silicone well up to fresh new wire shield I've had good luck with it. The little flaps of GM's connector appeared to be in good shape, but obviously had a flaw somewhere. In fact tho, the other wire beside it looked fine at the connector and it was inside under cover from the same flaps...go figure..cars can be a mystery.

A friend had a 91 SSE. Those were nice cars, great roomy seats...excellent 3800 V6, good go, easy on gas, good visibility, ride, handling, cold A/C and fast heater...fine cars for a GM.

oldfarmer50

"...they price them accordingly..."

Which car had the least expensive EW?

driver100

CPO = Certified Pre-Owned

Thanks firefighter. I am glad I asked the business manager to send along details about the extended warranty. I don't know if they would mention it if I hadn't asked.

It could be very worthwhile because both of us do about 10k miles a year, so the cars could be good well past the warranty period.

And thanks for the definition of CPO. There's been a few other short forms used lately that I didn't think to ask at the time. Wish I had.

oldfarmer50

"...someone should make low tech cars..."

They do, they're called Tatas.

oldfarmer50

"...Uplander? Mitsubishi I guess..."

You're thinkinking of the Mitsu Outlander. Pretty good little SUV.

BTW, My son's Buick has the same ABS problem. My indie mechanic said it was the ABS controller ($1100). I wonder if it's what you said.

Do you make house calls?

crkyolfrt

Well if you trust him, then it shouldn't be too hard to test for continuity at each sensor terminal. You know a lot of these electronic things are techincally serviceable, altho many are molded into ceramic or plastic type sealants. And hard to get the moisture protection back in place after you dig it apart. Often it is a bad solder joint. If it's a multileg chip, it can be way harder to troubleshoot. But if some of the circuits are standup resistores, capacitors and diodes and 3 pin transistors, then on the back of the board, you just use a scratch owl or very fine tipped screwdriver with a magnifying glass (if your eyes are going like mine) and put a very distinct pressure in a side to side or circular motion and if you get lucky u might find a pin move in its hole. The bingo! You resolder that pin and hope for the best. That very type of failure is common with intermittent and what you suspect are temperature oriented issues, cuz the board and pins contract and expand with temp change, and of course sometimes it 'does it' and sometimes it doesn't. As every one knows, it is hard to get it to 'do it' when at the dlr. But most of these items they just charge you the 1100 bucks when really it might have only been a tiny 20 cent resistor or even a no cost at all fix by a resolder. I have gotten lucky that way more than not if the vehicle u are working on u are sure has never been boosted with the polarity mixed up by a well meaning good samaritan. Just one of those, and it can spike and injure electric parts down the road that makes it hard to find what and where sometimes. Chips are especially prone and really you should wear a grd strap to your wrist before working on a board, to give static shock a place to go rather than spike your chip. Static shocks can have thousands of volts, even tho there is very little amps to go along with it. Just mentioning in case he is tight for funds and feels enterprising enough (and has the time) to take it apart. An auto wrecker should be able to sell u one for half of new cost. At least that's what they do up here.

edit - i should mention..i have never had one apart so have no idea if they are indeed serviceable or not. The newer the car, the more Bic lighter they make 'em.

stickguy

must be, you see a lot of people saying they want to save them!

sterlingdog

Thanks for asking. I'm still getting used to the new toy. The newly installed software is different from my seven year old versions, along with my updated email system. The monitor is very nice though some sites don't go full screen. That is a little disappointing. Just like all new things, I have to get used to it. So far I am very pleased and the total price was a good bargain.

Richard

sterlingdog

I'm glad that you like the black car for a color choice. Though some posters here don't like them, our SRX looks terrific in black. They do take a bit more care in terms of washing, but it is well worth the effort.

I felt so flattered today. I left my car keys on the counter in a jewelry store. The key fob has the Cadillac emblem on it. When I returned to get them, the lady asked, "Do these fit that SRX out there?" When I told her that they did, she said, "That is one beautiful car." It rather made my day.

Richard

graphicguy

gogi....I'm thinking that new G35s, 8 model years old (2003, right?), with over 100K clicks on the odo. Probably mid $30K new. Buy price new in the low $30s....say $32K would be my guess.

Roughly 50% depreciation after 4 model years (not unusual for any car). That brings it to $15,500. Lost another $3,500 over the next 4 model years. That sounds about right.

As far as medical, it shouldn't matter who's insurance pays for it. Although Kirstie's insurance will fight tooth and nail with the other person's insurance company to get a check from them (if he has insurance). Kirstie may not have been hurt. A check up would confirm it. However, just like negotiating for a car, medical payments could be a negotiation tool for Kirstie.

"Make the check for $15K and I'll sign your waiver forms. If not, I don't need a car as I have another I can use. I'm going to get 3 different medical opinions, complete with blood work and x-rays to make certain I'm OK."

We pay (through the nose) for insurance. I know I've made one claim....a big one (my son totaled my car, his fault) in the last several years. But, even with my insurance company paying out over $20K for that accident. they raised my rates astronomically, and made up the payout in less than 4 years (gotta have insurance, so you gotta pay the quoted premium).

I'm not asking them to take a loss. It's just that they've made an awful lot of money on me over the years. As soon as I make a claim on them, they acted like they didn't want me as a customer any more.

driver....good call on the value of the G. We were along the same lines in our thinking.

imidazol97

> they raised my rates astronomically, and made up the payout in less than 4 years

What insurance company is that?

mako1a

I got my final notice in the mail...finally.
It's for an extended warranty on the Ford Explorer I bought in October.

Maybe now they'll leave me alone. I only wish there was a reply space.
So I could tell them, Try better to keep up. That was 2 cars ago.

I now have a 2007 Ford Escape and still like it a lot.

Kirstie, if you select an Escape be sure to get XLT with 3.0 engine.
Also, the 4WD is a nice feature, especially in the latest weather.

driver100

...someone should make low tech cars..."
They do, they're called Tatas.

Where can I buy one? If I get any more warning problems I might consider one. Maybe a Lada too, if you want a car like they used to build them.

driver100

Though some posters here don't like them, our SRX looks terrific in black.

I like the Cabriolet in black. Unfortunately the dealer didn't have any swatches available when I ordered the car - interior or exterior. If I had known the red interior with black trim was available I would have chosen black at that time.

My wife doesn't want black because she said you will have to wash it all the time, otherwise it doesn't look good. I only wash the car about 2 or 3 times a month at the do it yourself, so I have to think about that...white is 2nd choice.

"Do these fit that SRX out there?" When I told her that they did, she said, "That is one beautiful car."

I think this is a new sales technique being used these days. Like the lady at the show who said I looked too young to get seniors pricing. My wife at the grocery store had the grandchildren with her and the clerk said "Are these your children, you must be the mother.

Be careful!

graphicguy

imid...for years I had my insurance with Cincinnati Financial. Make a claim and my rates went up like a geyser. I'm no longer with them.

isellhondas

The least expensive extended warranty would probably be on a Civic or a Corolla.

We once sold some fancy Jaguar that had, I think a V-8 with twin turbos.

A warranty was available but I think it was over 8000.00 for a 3 year, 75 K.

They aren't dumb and they don't like getting burned.

Selling a warranty on that Jaguar or a Land rover would be like selling a life insurance policy to a 75 year old man who smoked two packs a day.

oldfarmer50

"...Where can I buy one?(Tata)..."

As far as I know, India. Maybe you can expand on that trip to Europe and make it a world tour.

Or...

You could just come south and buy my old van. It meets all your requirements: Std. shift, no AC, crank down windows, no Nav system and a basic AM/FM radio without even a cassette. No high tech gizmos to break down.

It will even pass inspection with the "check engine" light on because it has no computer interface.

Yep, just about perfect! (insert winky face here)

Kirstie_H

Let me guess the catch - you have to use regular, leaded gas, right?

stickguy

well, you can certainly find an older car without all of the gizmos and sensors.

Also without ABS, traction control, airbags, auto climate (heck, go all the way and no AC).

You get the drift.

If nothing else, you actually have to understand (and be able to perform) real car control without all the electronic nannies doing the real work for you! And you stay aware, from the fear of hitting something with nothing but sheet metal and a seatbelt to protect you!

nyccarguy

Option structure? Specifically I'm gathering some information on a RAV4. What's the deal with the 3rd row seat? Can you get it with the 4cyl & the V6? Across all trim lines? Is it possible to get a RAV4 Sport 4 wheel drive with the V6 & 3rd row seat? Limited?

crkyolfrt

Am I the only one here that realizes that driver's, comment:

"Where can I buy one? If I get any more warning problems I might consider one."

simply couldn't have been more tongue-in-cheek?

Geez, you guys can be more gullible than me at times...and I can be pretty gullible. :shades:

fezo

Where can I buy one? If I get any more warning problems I might consider one. Maybe a Lada too, if you want a car like they used to build them.

You'd like them. You'd certainly have that feel of the road!

stickguy

actually a very simple process. Get a brochure. Look where they list about 10 different option packages. Pick the perfect one for you.

then, go to the dealer, and find out that although the brochure says they exist, Toyota never actually made any. Or, they would not ship any to your region of the country.

If you want to know which packages they have deemed you are allowed to choose from, go to toyota.com and build your own. It will get you radio buttons for the couple of models you can pick from.

This process drove me insane when looking at Toyotas. It usually meant that if you wanted a certain option that wasn't on the base tripper care, you had to buy an overloaded limited.

cdnpinhead

. . .would be like selling a life insurance policy to a 75 year old man who smoked two packs a day.

Now, be nice. I'm sure Richard has life insurance.

I rarely use the emotorcons, but would have this time, if I thought there was a remote chance that it would work.

jayrider

The extended warranty on my prius was $650 for 7 years 75k miles --zero deductible. If it wasn't a new model, I would have passed. In addition, around here, the only place to get repairs on a hybrid is the dealer.

jmonroe

They use a pile of salt here, and I've found that shrink tube (especially down that close to road) allows the moisture to creep with capillary action.

A little more about the heat shrink tubing I used.

I was in no way concerned that the shrink would allow the migration of moisture to the solder joints. I work in an industry that uses a very high quality heat shrink with a glue substance on the inside of the shrink that provides an almost perfect seal against moisture intrusion. According to the manufacture of this stuff it has a shelf life because of this glue and they are very conservative about its shelf life. However, once it’s used prior to its expiration date it is good for an unlimited time. We have performed several tests just days prior to its expiration date to conditions of 320 degrees F at 300 PSIG steam pressure, for a month. In fact, we have done a few tests when the shrink is 2 years beyond the manufactures expiration date with no degradation in performance.

As I said, there is a recommended shelf life to this shrink. Years ago, the technician that noticed this said to me, “hey jmonroe, I can’t use this stuff on your product, per your direction, because what we have in stock has expired and has to discarded”. I said “OK, tag it for discard but I want what you have and I’ll have someone place an order for more of it”. This is the shrink I used to make the repair on the left front wheel speed sensor on my sons ’94 Bonny. I still have about 20 feet of various sizes each of this stuff and I have all the confidence in the world that it is good enough for under the car and engine compartment electrical repairs. It has come in very handy several times.

Just in case you or anyone else is wondering...NO, I’m not going to give any of it away. We have people around here standing in line waiting for the next batch to come to the end of its shelf life and I doubt that I will be able to get anymore.

jmonroe

jmonroe

I felt so flattered today. I left my car keys on the counter in a jewelry store. The key fob has the Cadillac emblem on it. When I returned to get them, the lady asked, "Do these fit that SRX out there?" When I told her that they did, she said, "That is one beautiful car." It rather made my day.

Not so fast. You should take that with a grain of salt.

If I were trying to sell jewelry to a rich old man with a nice car, I’d say the same thing. (emotorcon here but which one, that is the question)

jmonroe

mako1a

This process drove me insane when looking at Toyotas

The thing that drove me crazy with Toyota, even the Avalon Limited, was no matter how loaded a car you bought there was always at least one dead button somewhere. A button that didn't move or actuate something. Just sitting there saying "why didn't you get this option?" so this button would work.

nyccarguy

Thanks - Ive heard that about Toyota before. Accoding to their "build your own," I think I can only get the 3rd row seat with the base model & the 4cyl engine. The Nav is only optional on the Limited, & the cool wheels only come on the "Sport" model. Now "Sport" & Limited models come only with Run Flat Tires while the base comes with Get Flat Tires & a Spare on the back. Very confusing.

That is one thing I LOVE about Acura. 4cyl, stick or automatic, with or without nav. 6 cyl with or without nav.

explorerx4

Richard,
If you get the itch again
come on up to Connecticut!

crkyolfrt

Wow, that stuff does sound like gold. And yes you successfully read my mind only i wasn't going to expect a free-bee, lol

sterlingdog

"I'm sure Richard has life insurance."

That was too funny. I thought of myself when Isell said that. It's a good thing that i got my life insurance many years ago. I also have long term care insurance. They HAVE to take me whether they want to or not. (Wink and Grin) Also, they can't bug my wife about paying $5,000 a month to keep me.

To stay on topic: My mother took her car to the nursing home. Though she couldn't drive it, we parked it outside of her window. She and I would sit in it and talk when i went to visit her each day. I think that it actually gave her a certain amount of comfort---a connection to home and familiar things.

Richard

driver100

Geez, you guys can be more gullible than me at times...and I can be pretty gullible.

You have good insight gimme. The bmw dealer gives me a Nissan Sentra loaner car. I told the service guy you gave me this car so I will never stray from bmw again.

I did go through in my mind what I would consider if the car does develop too many more problems, and if the extended warranty is too costly, and I would probably try an Audi, VW, Infinity, cand Caddie CTS but I might be jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

Nothing else appeals to me very much.......and I don't think I would actually buy a Lada, though I saw a lot of them in Egypt and I kind of like that boxy styling.

driver100

Maybe a Lada too, if you want a car like they used to build them.
You'd like them. You'd certainly have that feel of the road!

LOL Yeh, it would feel like my bum was getting the feel of the road. I imagine Ladas are pretty minimal. If I didn't like the Sentra, I don't know if I would actually like a Lada. My 2000 Jeep Cherokee however, probably came pretty close as far as being bumpy and noisy. There is a certain charm to going back in time and having a car...that is like a real car. It's like roughing it, camping out compaqred to being in your own comfortable bed (come to think of it I have never camped out and never hope to).

crkyolfrt

I'm ok with boxy styling too. I checked them out when we had them. I even took a ...whatever that 4x4 was called for a drive. But after sitting quietly in one for a few hours while i combed over its tech (or lack of) I ruled the car out. Even had it been another 2 grand less than an already low POA, I still decided against it. The engine itself was the ultimate deal breaker. It reminded me of an old GM 4 banger only as raspy as they were, they were like a sewing machine (slight exaggeration) compared to Lada's mill.

Oh... Niva? might be what they called that thing..hey..the old guy's memory isn't too buggered afterall.. hee

sterlingdog

sterlingdog

As for you and Driver, you cannot rain on my parade. I remain convinced that she thought that our SRX was a beautiful car. She was also greatly impressed with my good looks and masterful charm. I am sure that the purchase of that emerald and diamond ring for my wife's Christmas gift had nothing to do with her positive attitude regarding the car or me. (Guess what emotorcon goes here.)

Richard

sterlingdog

I saw one like that the other day. I still like those cars. Did you notice the Flex sitting in the background? I still love those SUV's. The Caddy is great, but I would have been just as happy with a Flex.

Keep your eyes open. The new Explorers will be on the lots next month. I can't wait to actually see one.

Richard

imidazol97

>purchase of that emerald and diamond ring for my wife's Christmas gift

At last, a buying story for the sales frontlines! What was the list price? How much of a discount did they give you? Did you shop the price around? Did they try to add on documentation fees and handling charges?

Actually, that sounds like a very thoughtful gift for a lovely lady.

driver100

At last, a buying story for the sales frontlines!

Well, I bought a nice watch for my wife at the Jewellry store a few weeks ago. She saw a watch at one very fine store and the watch had a tag with the full MSRP on it. They did have up to 40% off on many other watches. The sales lady slyly looked at us and said she could talk to the manager and maybe get us a discount. I said we would walk around the mall and think about it.

We went to another store and most of the watches were 1/3rd off. We found a nice watch that she liked and decided on it quickly, it was about half the price of the first one. The saleslady called the manager over who had to call the owner to see if he could sell it at 1/3 off because this watch wasn't really part of the sale. The manager said, Yes, I can do it and we'll include the sales tax which was substantial - 13%

We probably got taken somewhere along the line with all this hocus pocus stuff. Buying a watch is getting worse than buying a car. I was turned off from the first store because the price wasn't marked down at this time of year and the sly...maybe we can do better remark.

Of course we bought some cleaner which is equivalent to Mop n Glo.

But, my wife loves her new watch, and it is still ticking.

One lesson about ladies watches...better to get a battery than perpetual motion for women, they tend to not wear their watches every day, according to the salesman.

driver100

Good memory Gimme. I am glad you remembered because I would have stayed awake at night trying to think of it.

They were cute little SUVs....too bad they are technically prehistoric vehicles.

graphicguy

driver....imid....jewelry probably has the largest mark-up, along with furniture from what I've heard. Someone has to pay for all those 50% off sales they have.

Interesting, when I was still married, lo those many years ago, my then wife had a Tiffany charge card (against my protestations). Now, in fairness, she never bought much with the card. But, every once in awhile an invoice from them would show up on my "to be paid" pile.

I remember asking her why there was such a strong allure to Tiffany. She said they carried the best of everything she liked. For our 5th wedding anniversary we went shopping at Tiffany where she had spied a diamond tennis bracelet. I don't remember the particulars any more, but I know at Tiffany a similar tennis bracelet was encroaching on mid 4 figures.

At another jewelry store, where I knew the owner, I got what I considered an even nicer tennis bracelet for about 1/3 the price of the one at Tiffany. While I'd never do such a thing, if I had put that tennis bracelet in a Tiffany box, she would have been ecstatic. As it was, she was very pleased. But, there's something about that Tiffany box that causes a woman to almost get a pelvic twitch. :P

Talk about good marketing and building a brand. Tiffany has been a master of that for a very long time.

fezo

Yeah, I figure the Lada had feel of the road in much the same way Fred Flintsone's car did.

richard - I certainly hope you negotiated on the holdback on the jewelry!....