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Comments
Richard, while you can't deal directly with the factory, some brands do have attractive European Delivery programs. I probably sold a couple of dozen ED's through the years, and everyone really enjoyed the trip as well as the discount.
Our program was 7% off MSRP (which was basically invoice), plus they waived the $795 destination fee. They also gave you a free night and breakfast at a luxury hotel, cab tokens from the airport or train station, 2 weeks insurance, a plant tour, and tickets for the museum. The only downside, was once you dropped your car off for shipping to the US, it was 4 to 6 weeks before your car arrived at your local dealership.
Everyone I dealt with had a great time, and highly recommended the program.
Here are the details....
Shopped for the truck at my local dealer (purchased one there in 2008). They gave me a price. I visited two other dealers and priced the truck with the exact options but never revealed the pricing from any of the other dealers. Two of the dealers were within $5 of each other. One dealer was WAY below ($1000) but all he did was print his computer screen and I could not read it to confirm that he had all the options that I wanted. Anyway, in 2008, I had negotiated the deal with my local dealer. All the paperwork was ready, but on the last day of the sale, I was caught in another city and could not get back in time to sign the deal. I told the dealer that my wife was going to stop by and to have everything ready. She stops at the dealership, signs, and drives away. Since this was our first Ford product, we opted for the extended warranty. Unbeknownst to me, the sales manager changed the paperwork from a 6 year warranty to a 3 year warranty. Low and behold, this past December, the dealer calls and I inform him that I was not interested in a new truck as I had lots of warranty left and I love my truck. He phones back about 45 minutes later to tell me that I was wrong, the warranty would expire in a couple of months. I pulled out my warranty brochure and the 6 year warranty was circled and the manager had left the mileage part as discussed, but changed the years to 3 from 6 and charged the same price. I am totally at fault for not catching it, but decided to play the part of the "wronged customer". The new sales manager apologizes and states that the old manager is gone and they want to make things right. Within the hour, the owner calls and states that they want to keep my business and they need to purge the skeletons in the closet. I tell him that OK, things happen, what are you going to do? That is where the first pricing came from and the pricing I used to compare the other offers.
Once I had the other offers, I phoned up the salesperson and informed him that another dealer had beat him by $1000 and if they wanted to keep my business, they had better start to get serious about taking care of my as a customer.
They phoned back and matched the offer without seeing the other price and they threw in a 5 year extended warranty at no charge. I only purchase an extended warranty when I switch brands ( my first Toyota had the extended warranty, but after discovering how bullet proof they are, I did not purchase one for the last 8 or 10 vehicles).
I will be the first to admit that not catching the switch in 2008 was my mistake and I am of the mind, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.
I am happy with the pricing for the truck (a shade over $35,000) and it has all the options and amenities I wanted. It is on order and I should receive it in 8 weeks or so.
Realistically, staying with my local dealer is the best option as they wash the truck for no charge with each service and they really do treat me OK. Obviously they had a loose cannon as a sales manager and they are doing their best to correct any problems.
I am happy with the price although it is up considerably from the 2008 model year (Ford has had a great year in trucks for 2010 in Canada and they are not offering deals like they did in the past).
I did not test drive the truck as I know what they are all about. I did not opt for Sync as I do not trust anything made by Microsoft (I have their Windows products on the last computers I will ever purchase with the Windows system, it will only be Apple going forward), but more importantly, I looked at what it could offer and for $500, it seemed an expensive option for not doing much. I have a friend who just purchased a 2010 with Sync, and it took him a month to figure it out. I figure it is just another option that can go wrong and be expensive to repair.
Options on the truck are many..
4 X 4
20 inch chrome wheels
limited slip rear end
5.0 litre
6 speed
air
power windows (including rear slider), locks, seats
remote entry
fog lamps
chrome bumpers
towing package
crew cab
6.5 foot box
running boards
cd and satellite radio
heated and dimming mirrors
captain chairs with center console
rear parking sensors
There are probably a few things that I am forgetting, but in all, I think that it is a good truck and a good price and I should have many years of happy motoring with it.
The dealer has done enough to restore my faith in him and perhaps next time I can use the Jipst method to grind him a little more, but for the next three to 5 years, I will live with the deal.
Next up is a new car for my wife. Looking at several options including Ford, Subaru and Hyundai.
Have a good weekend everyone.
Randy
Hint: The next time you write a long post, do it as a Word document so that you can paste it into the box here. That way if the system hiccups and lately it has, you won't have to start over again. I'm not pointing a finger at you but I've learned from my mistakes.
Here are the details....
Now that is what we were looking for.
BTW, you don't have to do this now but when you get your Ford truck you have to change your handle to "canadianford". It's in the bylaws that you have to be honest. Otherwise you couldn't afford the dues increase.
Thanks for the real car tale. I think it's the first we've had this year. :sick:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
In most cases, when a store clerk asks for my phone numbers, I say "no thanks" as that often means more junk mail, but BBB can have it as long as they keep sending those discounts my way.
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2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
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Richard
Richard
Thanks for your post outlining the program in real terms. I like the idea about it, the downside in my case is BMW Canada doesn't give you any additional discount and the one you mentioned, the wait time of 4 to 6 weeks...actually longer for some models. I guess you drive your old car until the new one comes in, but the other factor that I don't like is that you are probably losing two months of your warranty while the car is on a ship in the Atlantic.
One fellow I mentioned thought it might be easy for thieves to steal your brand new car or it would be easier to be in an accident. That's not a big concern, but without the savings, and the lack of warranty, and then to not have your new car for 2 months, it doesn't sound as good as it did in the beginning.
They did say in Road and Track that it will be an experience you will always remember.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
The Kegerator is another thing, altogether... That's the mini-fridge with tap, that can hold a full half-barrel.. A friend of mine has Newcastle in his... yum..
You can find me in the Stories from the Beer Frontlines forum...
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JM has a good way of writing long posts. There is a small chance if you use the < arrow at the top and go back a page your post might still be there.
I am glad you did post the complete story because it was a really good one. I think you played it perfectly, and you did really well.
I don't think you should blame yourself for missing the difference in warranty time. It is a bit of an overwhelming experience buying a car, being on guard, trying not to forget something, and you have some trust in the salesman or you wouldn't be buying from him, and you wouldn't expect him to try to scam you on something so simple and meaningless.
I tend to think he did it but it was just sloppy work. I doubt if he could have made much more on a 3 year over a 6 year warranty.
But, that isn't a big deal in the whole scheme of things. It sounds like a great truck and at a very fair price. JM is right, you should change your name but maybe to canadianf-150.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I've long used Notepad for just that reason.
But remember, he just said that he refused to buy "Sync" because it was a Microsoft product so he's unlikely to use "Word", "Excel, "Powerpoint", Entourage"--maybe even those other pesky demons like their media player and the like.
Meanwhile, I'm spending all of my money on a sick dog; it's not glamorous like the juicers or Kirbys, but I feel compelled to do it nonetheless.
Gogiboy
I have had every operating system they make except for the latest one and I have yet to have any complaints.
And, heck, I barely know what I'm doing.
Our son tells me we need a new router and I'm trying to figure out which one of the things on my desk is the router and why he thinks it's causing trouble...wait...I think it's that blue thing that says "LINKSYS" on it!
It sits on top of a black box made by RCA that has four lights. Two stay on solid and two blink. I have NO IDEA what that black box is or what it does!
The sudden crashes are also not fun. The memory dumps, the random, "I don't want to do this right now". It is only the past 3 years that I have been disappointed with the Microsoft products. They continue to tell me that they have changed, but I do not see any improvement, only change for the worse.
I am fairly computer literate, but am unable to continue to support a company and product that does not enhance my life. I watch my in-laws with envy as they both have Apple products and love them. I am willing to move to an Apple computer to try out the system. If I am happy, then all of my offices and laptops will make the change.
That reminded me of the very old story about the guy that left the factory with a loaded wheelbarrow of dirt every day, for months. They checked that dirt with strainers but could never find anything. They knew he had to be stealing SOMETHING but they couldn't figure it out. Finally they said to him, "please tell us what you're stealing you're driving us nuts. We aren't going to prosecute but we just gotta know what it is". The guy said "OK, WHEELBARROWS".
Car related one:
Similar story about the guy that worked for GM when they finally figured it out and demanded that he return all the individual parts that he had been stealing for many months. The guy said, "OK, you don't have to get all upset about it, just give me a key for the damn thing and I'll drive it back tomorrow morning".
OK, I'm done. Aren't you glad.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Maybe I've just been lucky?
The only real problem I have ever encountered was with some on my anti-viral software that would automatically update at various times, often when I was on the computer, and would slow it down greatly. But I never had that with a windows update.
I think I have told the story of how my mom got a Mac and as she was showing it to me the first time she said something to the effect that macs never crash. And as on que her brand new Mac locked down and had to be rebooted.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Then I noticed my system had recently installed updates at 3AM this morning by itself. I checked the history log and was surprised to see, literally dozens and dozens of updates that have happened.
I'm still using Vista too and have never had a problem at all.
Moses is coming down from the mountain holding 3 tablets.
He says, 'I bring you the 15...' one tablet falls and smashes to pieces on the ground... 'no, the TEN COMMANDMENTS'.
Before you spend good money on Apple products, try Ubuntu Linux. It's rock solid & - drum roll, please - it's free. Since virus writers haven't targeted it - at least not yet - you won't have to invest in anti-virus software.
I've been running it for almost 5 years. Hasn't crashed yet. (FWIW, I'm also running Windows 7 on another box. No complaints.)
Ubuntu
Give it a shot. Install it on one of your computers.
The left one slides behind the center post and the right one on the outside of it.
I was ready to try to direct you to the log of installed updates to see how many you had.
A dear friend showed me her new netbook while we were visiting at Christmas. It was new. When I ran it through the paces for her, it needed over 20 updates. And it uses XP -- that's good, but as a new name brand netbook, it needed over 20 updates. That's just for the OS.
There is a reason Microsoft wanted to make the update process invisible. It's just parallel to the reason a major car company has worked so hard the last year and more to hide the problems with their vehicles: public perception.
If you want to check on applications running on your computer, a great program for that is Secunia PSI (personal software inspector).
https://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/
It will scan computer and tell you each program that is outdated and has an update available. It also will link you to the website for downloading the updated version. Install it. Run it. And see how many programs you have are actually, possibly, vulnerable to instrusion by a bad guy from the internet.
I have had this program for years. It is safe. It is on all two computers I have here along with the Vista computer I'm resurrecting for the friend with the netbook. The Vista laptop only had malware, spyware, virus problems. And it had lots of out-dated programs needing updates.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I'll have to try the All with a little Rain Fresh added.
Richard
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Anyhoo, as I was wandering through I mentioned to her what a nice car she was driving. She said kind of matter-of-factly "yeah that's the 500. My dad got a new 550 so he gave that one to me. But I don't really like it cause it's so big."
She then pointed to my Eclipse which is garaged in the other part of the basement and said: "I love your Eclipse so much more than my car, would you like to trade?"
First question, what mercedes model is this (I'm thinking a CL, but not sure) and second assuming she was serious would you trade. I know that her car is worth a lot more than mine but this girl's father is richer than jmonroe (in other words he's loaded).
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
As for a juicer, I don't own one. I drink V8, Minute Maid orange juice, Ocean Spray cranberry juice (Doctor's orders), Dr. Pepper, and iced tea with mint and lemon. I'll put the juicer money on the vacuum cleaner.
Richard
I think you missed your chance... she should already have that Eclipse in her garage... You have to close the deal.. you know how it is with be-backs..
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Richard
Congratulations on the purchase of your new truck. It sounds beautiful. You have redeemed yourself. You sales story was excellent, and I enjoyed reading it.
Richard
Richard
Yes from your discription, swoopy 4-door, sounds exactly like it.
"...you know how it is with be-backs..."
Oh, she's been here before, they took the car for a ride around my fields one night looking for a scenic view to look at while they drank beer. Very down to earth girl to bring a Mercedes to a beer blast. :shades:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Not in my town, here the Walgreens is right across the street from another Walgreens. The CVS is way down the street, miles away.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
CVS is in the Mall, almost a mile away. And the closest new car dealer is maybe a half mile from that.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
I am going to have to have someone explain how one vacuum cleaner will do something differently to protect a run or a floor than another vacuum cleaner will do?
The vacuums suck air in and some have a revolving brush to shake the carpet threads to help dirt find its way out of the carpet into the moving air sucked into the vacuum.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Not only that these juices are pasterized which basically kills most of the vitamins.
Walgreens is about a mile away and I have no idea what a CVS is.
She has a 10-11 year old Altima she is passing on to the soon to be licensed driver in the family.
She is looking at Altima, Fusion, and Sonata.
I showed her the partner access we have to Nissan's VPP and Ford's Xplan.
Ford's website has had an additional incentive, assuming you can still get it, so I told her about that, too.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Richard
Richard
Richard
Speaking of age, I had a shock this morning. I attended a meeting of the new church officers. I was the oldest new officer out of 15 people. Not to worry, I can still run circles aroudn the other 14. :shades:
Richard
You provided a nice service for those thinking about juicers. It appears not to be as simple a process as one would think.
Richard
You have a canister model then based on that hint. I like the repairs for life.
A little buying story is that I had started shopping replacement vacuums since the previous upright Hoover was many years old. It needed a new brush and had been dropped several times as my wife moved it in and out of the garage. It had some damage to the pivot part internally.
I expected my wife to look for the image vacuum. Several of her friends have Dysons. I checked CR (don't use it for cars, but I do look for things I feel they can test fairly). The #1 top-rated is a two piece Hoover. Very light because the upright has been stripped of features and is very good at carpet vacuuming and weighs only 13 pounds. The vacuum comes with a shoulder strap portable to use on curtains, stairs, furniture, with all the attachments.
I had preshopped a local Sears which had each of the ones rated on CR in stock, including Sears models. After a doctor visit, my wife decided we could check the ones in stock to see if she liked any.
She did NOT like the extra light model for $400 list by Hoover with the portable. She liked the weight of the $80 list Hoover which did have the attachments and all and rated #4 on CR. She did not like the Sears models also rated well or the other ones the store had.
So after talking about which and what, I was browsing the internet looking at vacuums offered. I found the one my wife liked because of its lower weight than most with the #4 rating was offered by Sears.com at a price way below their store price--for store pickup.
I told my wife and paid for it. No mop and glow. No upsell by a salesperson. No document fees. Sales tax was added. I told my wife we should buy two and keep one in the garage to avoid moving the house unit to the garage for sweeping the carpet there.
Note: I had never heard of Miele. It sounds like a Kirby for longevity. I see them rated high up the chart in CR both for uprights (#3, 6, 8) and canisters (#4, 7, 12). We have a Hoover cannister vacuum from 18 years ago about out in the storage building. My wife hated it.
I was surprised the Dysons rated as far down the chart as they do.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Don't need to have a canister model for that. My Kirby has hardwood floor attachments. You can take off the front part of the vacuum and install a hose.
FWIW you can switch the handles and turn it from an upright to a canister.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Actually, I deleted that message about organic foods and juicers for a reason.
I'll print it again, because some of it makes sense, but I'll explain why I deleted it at the end.
Juicing
Can I mix fruits and vegetables together?
Do your best to separate vegetable from fruit juices. Your body works differently to absorb nutrients from vegetable versus fruit sources. Carrots and apples are the only items that are interchangeable, and can be mixed with either fruit or vegetable juices. You will notice that many of the recipes provided below start with either carrots or apples.
1. Fruits are revitalizers and body cleansers.
2. Whole fruits are more easily digested than vegetables and are a good source of fiber.
3. If you are monitoring your blood sugar intake, fruit juices do contain a high amount of fructose, so go easy on them.
4. Vegetables are harder to digest when eaten whole. They are bulkier and are broken down more slowly by the body than fruit.
5. Vegetables are responsible for strong healthy muscles, tissues, glands and organs. In juice form, you can consume nearly 100% of the available nutrients.
I wrote the info about juicers, then I discussed it with my wife (I don't know if us guys are suppose to discuss what happens on Edmunds, or if what we say on Edmunds is supposed to stay on Edmunds) who reads medical journals and keeps up on all things to do with health issues.
We agree on several things. We don't use organic foods because they are so much more expensive and they don't have any more nutritional value than regular fruits and vegetables. In fact, we think there is a case to be made that non organic food could be better in some cases, such as apples without worm holes.
The article talks about not mixing vegetables and fruit in the blender. We aren't sure if that really makes much difference once the food reaches the digestive system.
They claim that whole fruits retain more nutrients than juices with preservatives and that have been pasteurized. This is probably true, but does it really make that much difference when you consider how much easier it is to just open a carton of juice? If this were true we wouldn't buy milk in containers, we would all keep a cow at home.
The lesson is, although most of the facts the web site offers have some truth to them, you do have to consider the source. Since it is a natural foods web site they are presenting their view of the world.
I have noticed there is a technique that conspiracy theorists, natural paths, and others use to advance their arguements. They use a few facts and then build their case around that to convert you to there way of thinking.
There was some useful information in that article, but I think some information could be more dangerous than no information, and that is why I deleted it. Juicers can decide for themselves, what to believe or not believe.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I posed some of the same questions to him.....why not just drink V8, or orange juice, etc you can buy at the local grocery store?
Again, this is coming from another source, but to get the V8 to taste good, they load it with preservatives, sodium, etc. Definitely not good. OJ I'm not so certain that just getting it from the grocery is a bad idea. But, I am going to try to "juice" my own oranges as soon as a good crop of them get to my grocer.
But, the biggest reason to juice is because fresh fruits and veggies have many more nutrients than the processed variety (which removes nutrients). Plus, there would be no way I'd ever eat things like broccoli, kale, cauliflower, and some other veggies, unless I could juice them in with other, more palatable fruits and veggies.
I will say this, just replacing one meal (breakfast) with a glass of fresh juice, I've lost a pound in two days. I can stand to lose about 10-15 lbs and I think I've found a way to do that.
oldfarmer.....don't know the year of the Mercedes in question is, but I know they depreciate like crazy. I know I was looking a a one year old E350 when I was car shopping last year. I think the one I was looking at lost $15K from its MSRP ($60K) in less than a year.