Stories from the Sales Frontlines

Sandman6472

It's more like Camry's & Accord's and MB's, BMW's & Lexi for the more affluent...most of my customers had the former but so many have the latter now...especially in the Boca area & the residential ares like we live in in Coral Springs. We are as car crazy as California now!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

driver100

We call those folks "snow birds" down here in South Florida.

Then, there are the people who find it too hot for too much of the year. They move part way back north to North Carolina, and they are called "Quarterbacks".

driver100

It's more like Camry's & Accord's and MB's, BMW's & Lexi

When we go in February I see lots of old Cadillacs and Lincolns, they also like Mercury Marquis because they are big but don't cost as much.

When I see a guy driving a 1989 Cadillac, I always think something like....that was probably his last really good year selling real estate, or something like that. :sick:

fezo

When I see a guy driving a 1989 Cadillac, I always think something like....that was probably his last really good year selling real estate, or something like that.

Either that or lemko is taking a little vacation....

driver100

Either that or lemko is taking a little vacation....

Almost busted a gut on that one!

isellhondas

Oh, Steve!

That was excellent and maybe even true! :P

sterlingdog

Your suggestion is well taken. My glove box would be a much better place for car documents than my file cabinet. Thanks.

Richard

sterlingdog

I'll give you a good laugh. We had six inches of snow the day after Christmas, and had to postpone our trip to Key West by one day. The roads were too icy. Though Key West was cool upon arrival, it did warm up during the week. We had a great time at Sloppy Joe's, Jimmy Buffet's, etc. We took a tour of Hemingway's home. He was quite a character---certainly lived life his way.

Richard

sterlingdog

Happy New (Car) Year! I have a friend who just purchased a new Forester. It's a great looking car. Hope you both enjoy it.

Richard

sterlingdog

Considering the color of your BMW, I'm not surprised by the color of your new shirt. I love it myself. I wear very bright colors. They give me a lift. I went crazy in Key West. Talk about bright colors. I bought a bright yellow Jimmy Buffet cap, an orange Polo sweater, and bright green pants with yellow palm trees on the legs. I may look old, but at least you can see me coming.

BTW, I put 2,000 miles on the SRX. It did beautifully on its first really long trip. The various seat positions kept us very comfortable on the long stretches. The car handled like a well trained racing horse. I was so pleased.

Richard

sterlingdog

Not only a fabulous car, but what a great rate at 3%. Hope she/you enjoy the driving experience. That's a nice way to begin the new year.

Richard

sterlingdog

I'm sitting here in shock---jmonroe at a car wash?! I haven't tried the touchless car wash because you shamed me into doing my SRX by hand. Remember all of that talk about "swirls" and "scratches"? I think that I will try it soon. I'm going to have a professional detail done tomorrow. The trip to Key West included some road salt due to the snow and some sea salt due to the ocean. The floor mats also took some rough wear from four people getting in and out so often.

Richard

sterlingdog

"I think I'm allowed to wise up at some point at least about washing a car in the winter?"

Is it the decision to wise up, or is it that old age has finally reached those arms and legs? :P

Richard

sterlingdog

At 40 cents out of every dollar, cat food is still a strong possibility. Hopefully, our new Congress will reverse some elements of our new legislation.

Richard

fezo

Give me a break on the cat food!

There a topic for politics - here. Please keep it out of here.

It makes you sound silly when you pay cash for Caddy and then talk about eating cat food.

Sandman6472

Richard, doubt that will ever happen to you. Your pensions & free health care are better than what I get from Uncle Sam with 30 years on the books...wish I had your pension & perks...mine pale in comparison! Everything is relative I suspect, but I'll agree with Fezo...you do sound silly!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

fezo

Besides, dog food is much tastier.....

jmonroe

I'm sitting here in shock---jmonroe at a car wash?! I haven't tried the touchless car wash because you shamed me into doing my SRX by hand. Remember all of that talk about "swirls" and "scratches"?

Like I said I was surprised myself that I would take my beauty to a car wash. But since it was the “touchless” type I wasn’t too concerned because no brushes would touch the car and harm the finish. It came highly recommended by my car geek son so I tried it. The thing that I am still surprised about is that the wax I have been using since I got the Genny is still in place. Not only does the car still bead when clean and wet, the beads are still very small. That is a good indication that it is doing its job. I noticed this last year too but I used a bucket and warm water only (no suds) in the garage. I was wondering about the “touchless” system thinking it would probably use a very strong detergent to get the car clean along with high water pressure. Maybe I was wrong or maybe that wax is just that good. I’m glad I switched brands.

Nice to hear you enjoyed your trip to the Keys even though it was delayed a day. We dodged a bullet here in the Burgh area. We got no snow to speak of but you guys in the mid South and up the East coast got hammered.

Welcome back.

jmonroe

sterlingdog

"Doctors are in short supply, too."

Under this new plan of ours, we may see that situation as well. My sister and BIL have received their second reduction notice in payments from Medicare and Medicaid. Like everyone else, doctors have to make a living. With malpractice insurance rates climbing, less government payments, larger over head expenses, etc., fewer young people will opt to open a private practice. They will either go into research, or seek employment at large hospitals.

My sister and BIL have their clinic in a large medical complex. In 2010, five doctors have left---two retirements and three who gave up private practice. None of the five practices were replaced. With my sister and BIL's retirement in June, the number will go to seven. They have head hunters looking for their replacements, but no luck yet. My sister says that they may have to just close the doors and walk away. She's 75 and he's 80. They want to go home and relax. It's time.

Richard

sterlingdog

"Where's Richard?"

Here I am. Man! Reading a week's worth of posts is a killer. Neither of my cars has that blue coolant light; and believe me, the SRX has 500 lights. I still can't operate the NAV because I haven't read the manual. I'm still trying to read the main manual. There is just too much "stuff" on the SRX. I'm a visual person. I'm going to get a person to just sit in the car with me and show me how to operate all of the gadgets.

Richard

sterlingdog

Just remember: What ever you do, don't hit your delete button to correct a word. It will trash your entire message. I keep having to back space a whole line to just make a simple correction. It drives me crazy. I know that Edmunds wanted things better, but this is nerve racking. I'm not about to correct a poster's grammar or spelling as long as this continues. That could be a positive thing, right?

Richard

sterlingdog

"...Owner Manual."

Perhaps they didn't do well in English 101.

Richard

fezo

You could do worse than 500 lights in the car. My old Maxima wagon, a vehicle I dearly loved, talked! A nice polite Asian female voice. "Fasten seat belt." "Right door is open." "Your fly is open."

sterlingdog

"Before I got EasyPass..."

I came off the Florida Turnpike at Key Largo to get on U.S. 1 South heading for Key West. I saw the SunPass toll and switched over to the cash booth. The lady took my $1 and then handed me a ticket for $5 to mail to the Turnpike Authority. When I questioned her, she claimed that I still had entered a SunPass booth. Go figure that one. I wonder what they would do if I never mailed in the $5?

Richard

snakeweasel

and believe me, the SRX has 500 lights.

500? Ok, name each one as well as a detailed description on each and their meanings.

oldfarmer50

"...our trip to key west..."

That is a great place to vacation. Did you get to tour the Fisher treasure museum? They had a bar of gold from the Atocha in a glass case that was designed so you could fit your hand in and hold the gold but you couldn't pull the gold bar back out. Of course, somebody figured a way to steal it.

The museum is across the plaza from the Hilton Hotel. We stayed on an island just off shore behind the Hilton during my niece's wedding. We realized just how wealthy her family was when we were greeted by a big yacht at the dock and the captain said "and of course the yacht and I will be at your disposal all night".

Oh, and I learned that every bar in Key West claims that their place was where Hemmingway did his best work.

oldfarmer50

"...Your pension and free health care are better than what I get..."

You should try retiring on the pension farmer's get. That's why we have to have a combined retirement party and wake. :P

BTW, I once caculated my total tax burden relative to my annual net and it came out 40% of the $20,000 I made that year. Cat food was looking mighty tastey.

fezo

You are a different story. I remember the farmer hitting [non-permissible content removed] big in the lottery. Asked what he was going to do he said "keep farming until the money's gone."

sterlingdog

I didn't understand your post, but then I can be on Mars at times. I don't recall you breaking a promise to me. Also, you're not in the dog house, at least not with me. I'm glad that you're here. You know a lot about cars and I read your posts with interest. You got a little excited once in a post to me, but i've been guilty of the same thing. Don't worry about being betrayed by people. For each one that does it to you, there are other nice people that you can trust. I hope that you have a great 2011.

Richard

sterlingdog

I think that some snow birds from the North are missing the boat. North Carolina has lovely beaches and mountains for the warmer months. Also, you're not as far from your roots. I tried Florida at my sister's house for a bit...800 miles south. It just wasn't a good fit for us. Give N.C. a try. You might really like it.

Richard

sterlingdog

"...naming a movie like that is just low class."

Amen! The first time that I noticed it was years ago in Goldfinger. Remember the name of the female character? That was pretty cheap.

Richard

sterlingdog

Yes, I like your adverb. I've looked at some foreclosures. You would not believe how the previous owners trashed them when they stopped making the payments. I wouldn't have one at any low price. Remodeling a good resale would be a better idea.

Richard

driver100

. My sister says that they may have to just close the doors and walk away.

Doctors here used to be able to sell their practice when they retired. Now, they are lucky to be able to hand it over. New doctors can get clients so easily, that a practice is not worth anything.

At one time, selling a client list was part of a doctors retirement.

Another thing that has happened here is that doctors choose ways to make more money and do less work. That means GPs are getting harder to find. Specialists work better hours, do easier work, and can make more money. A new one lots of doctors here like is becoming councillors or family therapists. They are paid at the same rate as a doctor, but it is nice clean work.

This system isn't perfect either.

sterlingdog

Wanted you to know that I got the Orient watch as one of my Christmas gifts. I really like it---navy blue face with large silver numbers and a navy blue band. Navy is a difficult color to find in a watch. It's an automatic wind by movement. Though I have several watches, i have worn this one since Christmas day. My family members really liked it. It keeps perfect time and the second hand doesn't jerk. It moves smoothly around the dial. The company sent a nice T-shirt with the logo on it as an added gift. Thanks for the tip. I'm very pleased.

Richard

driver100

. I remember the farmer hitting [non-permissible content removed] big in the lottery.

I know we are allowing spelling mistakes these days but.............

sterlingdog

I see that the wonderful humor is continuing into 2011. I love it!

Richard

driver100

. Give N.C. a try. You might really like it.

Thinking about it....very seriously. Going to Florida just for 2 weeks this February, but checking out a few things around NC. Lots of Canadians go to Myrtle Beach and I here Charlotte is really nice.....and lots more.

We are trying to figure out something.

By the way, I am glad you enjoyed your trip and the new car. It is nice to take a new car on a nice long trip....it is even better when you know what all of the gadgets are for. I am sure I don't know a lot of things after 3 years....they should make those manuals more interesting!

imidazol97

Besides the method of going back a page using the back arrow on the browser, waiting a few seconds, then hitting the forward arrow to go back to the posting window, one can copy what you've typed so far occasionally by selecting ctrl-A then ctrl-C.

If the window goes crazy, go back a page and do another reply. Paste in what you typed so far, then continue with your post.

I'm surprised Edmunds hasn't fixed this yet for us IE browser users.

sterlingdog

Not me fool! Them! Since when have we not talked a little politics on this thread---along with other topics? Caddy or not, who can tell what the future holds for any of us?

Richard

sterlingdog

I don't think that I sound silly. When there is a health care issue that can change the lives of an entire nation, we then need to look at other countries who have a similar plan. I wasn't looking at it from a personal perspective. I was thinking of the naiton as a whole. As for my pension, that free health care could disappear if the state budget crisis continues. Also, my pension is based on 40 years of work plus two jobs for 30 years. Though it didn't come easy, I'm grateful for it.

Richard

imidazol97

Mr. Shiftright mentioned in another discussion fixing one bug is scheduled for Jan 6. Hopefully that will fix this posting box bug where you click in it and everything changes.

sterlingdog

Didn't see the Fisher Museum, but you are correct about the Hemingway bars. it reminds me of the statement, "Washington slept here."

Richard

houdini1

Welcome back Richard, sounds like a great trip. No matter how good a trip is, I am always glad to get home and sleep in my own bed !!

sterlingdog

My problem has been that when I return to the posting, there is nothing there to paste. Hopefully, the glitch will be corrected soon. Thanks for the tip.

Richard

sterlingdog

Well, I've read the 400+ posts for the week. It did take a few hours. I enjoyed it. I wish for each of you a wonderful 2011 filled with good health and happiness and good fortune.

Richard

venture

"Happy New (Car) Year! I have a friend who just purchased a new Forester. It's a great looking car. Hope you both enjoy it."

Thanks. She has had it a week now and has already put 42 miles on it. :surprise:

mako1a

Yes, thanks for the Orient watch recommendation, GG. Nice watch.

My Orange dial Mako Orient didn't come with a t-shirt like Richards.

Too bad I don't have an extra Edmunds shirt to trade.

roadburner

The first time that I noticed it was years ago in Goldfinger. Remember the name of the female character? That was pretty cheap.

I always get a laugh from this exchange in Diamonds Are Forever:

Buxom Young Lass: Hi, I'm Plenty.

James Bond: But of course you are.

Buxom Young Lass: Plenty O'Toole.

James Bond: Named after your father perhaps?

nyccarguy

Ok, so some technical difficulties prevented me from tell you all the 411.

First and foremost, I want to wish all my friends here on edmunds a HAPPY, HEALTHY, & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR! All good things to you all and your families in 2011.

So my Dad and I ended up fighting some crazy Jersey traffic to go out to the dealership and sign the papers early so our salesman would get credit for the sale in 2010.

My Mom's Cayenne came in about 11:00AM on Friday. We scheduled a delivery time for Saturday afternoon (New Year's Day). I am truly astonished (in a good way) at how well they treat you at Porsche. I'm so impressed at how well the car is put together. There is nothing cheap anywhere. My Mom's Cayenne is drop dead gorgeous, inside and out. This SUV is 100% Porsche through and through. The salesman knew the vehicle inside and out and walked my parents and I through the delivery of the Cayenne. He did such a good job that I think even my technophobe Mom knows how to use the NAV system. This guy will get amazing marks from me on the survey.

Roadburner: I'm a huge BMW fan as you know (not as big as you). As a car guy who knows you track your car and drive it at HPDE, you owe it to yourself to get your rear end in a Cayman. I'm so amazed at how well my Mom's Cayenne drives, rides, and is built that I really can't begin to tell you. Her Cayenne drives as well as a 5 series & is worlds better than the current X5. The Cayman must be truly awesome.

roadburner

The Cayman must be truly awesome.

The local Porsche dealer has a nice CPO Cayman in Speed Yellow:



Tempting...