Stories from the Sales Frontlines

snakeweasel

A few years ago when I had my 2000 Elantra Station Wagon there was some guy going around the area dealerships looking for an Elantra Station wagon (8 years out of production to boot) and he went to every dealership I went to just before I got there.

I am serious because at every dealership they told me some guy was just there looking to buy a car just like my trade in.

tallman1

I get those letters for my 06 Accord all the time. I bought the car out of state and get them from that dealer and I also get them from the dealer where I take my car for service.

jmonroe

You make it sound like we are going from a Rolls Royce to a Yugo.

Everything is relative.

Have you seen the new Sonata? Its a nice car and can be had new with a turbo for about the same price as a 3-4 year old used C class Benz.

Have you forgotten that I mentioned that Mrs. jmonroe saw the new Sonata back in the Spring and liked it’s looks enough to say that it would be a good idea to get one since I traded her ’06 Sonata with bun warmers for the ’09 Genny and passed on my ’05 XG350 to her that didn’t have them? I was almost sure we would have the new Sonata by now but when she heard me saying that if we got one it would have to be the turbo version. She has absolutely no idea what a turbo is but since I was considering getting one, she backed off.

Son #1 said to me just last night that he’s read some pretty nice reviews about the turbo. The XG350 still has less than 40K miles on it but by next winter it wouldn’t be impossible for the tubo version to be in the garage.

And most likely far more reliable.

That part doesn’t hurt my thinking either. From everything I’ve heard about the German cars, unless they are under warranty most people don’t want them. I know there are exceptions to this but even ‘driver’ doesn’t like the idea of a car that’s out of warranty. I guess that’s because when it’s on the rack there is no “feel of the road”. To me, the real mark of a car is its reliability. If you have to hold your breath when the car is out of warranty, just how good of a car is it?

jmonroe

fezo

Gee, if you are getting rid of that XG350 you are only a day's drive away. Could be a nice deal. I'd insist on the holdback.

explorerx4

Driver,
That color is Tuxedo Black. I think it looks great.
Is you car a 4 or a 6? You can easily tell by looking at the exhaust.
Exit on one side is a 4.

driver100

I know there are exceptions to this but even ‘driver’ doesn’t like the idea of a car that’s out of warranty

I have conflicting feelings about all that. I only do about 10,000 miles a year so my car should easily last 10 years, and even with a few repairs now and then it would still work out to a pretty good value.

But, repairs are annoying, and fi I had a lot of down time I think I would have to go with a more reliable car next time. That would probably have meant a Lexus, but I am not so sure about that idea any more.

Maybe I'll see how Richard does with his Caddie. And the other option is to trade it in in October when it is 4 years old and the warranty is up, and I will have a sales story to report.

explorerx4

With the low miles per year you drive, how about leasing?
Not sure if it works the same in Canada as the US.
Don't put any money down, just make the monthly payments.

driver100

That color is Tuxedo Black. I think it looks great.
Is you car a 4 or a 6?

Explorer, I really like the color, and although I am not a big fan of black on black it looks good with the leather interior and white stitching.

I'll check the exhaust tomorrow, but I would say, judging by the pick up it has to be a 4. If it is a 6 it is the most anemic 6 I have ever seen. What it really needs is a turbo booster. I do miss the horses in the bimmer, even when leaving a toll booth or for merging onto a highway. It would be nice to have some extra horses to merge and get up to speed on these highways.

However, the car is smooth, quiet, comfortable, has lots of room especially in the trunk, and I filled up and it got 30 miles to the gallon (no gas cap which is a bit weird but seems to work fine). I would opt for the 6 because I think the car is a bit heavy for a 4, and I have this belief that a stronger engine will hold up better over time.

jmonroe

Gee, if you are getting rid of that XG350 you are only a day's drive away. Could be a nice deal. I'd insist on the holdback.

'fez'...I can meet you half way with the driving part but I get to keep ALL of the holdback. It ain't called "holdback" for no reason. If it was intended to be shared with the buyer it would be a "buyer sharing markup".

You must think I'm a greenpea about selling cars, huh? :surprise:

jmonroe

driver100

With the low miles per year you drive, how about leasing?

I used to lease because it was easier to write off for business reasons. Leasing isn't good if you do really low mileage. You are paying for miles you won't be using. If you go over you also pay a premium, so leasing works best if you are close to the mileage in your lease contract.

But, our cars are used mostly for personal use and now I prefer to own my car for several reasons. If I like the car I will keep it for 10 or 20 years. If my situation changes and I need say, an SUV instead of a convertible, i can trade it in without any problems, similarly, if I get tired of it I can do what I like, no contract to get out of.

I think leasing works if you use your car for work and you know you will need a new car every 3 years or whatever the term is.

If you need a new car but just don't have a significant down payment.

\\if you need an expensive car to impress people but don't make enough to actually buy one.

But, in all these cases, you won't need pride of ownership, leasing is like renting as opposed to owning.

explorerx4

Driver, just push a bit quicker/harder on the gas pedal to get up to speed.
If it is anything like my newer Fords, you need to let the computer know you have 'need for speed', otherwise the acceleration feels kind of lazy.
My wife's 09 Escape has that capless fuel filler, too.

sterlingdog

"...I'll see how Richard does with his Caddie."

We got back this afternoon after spending three hard days at the cousin's house in Charlotte. The SRX got quite a work out---hauling boxes of silver, china, glassware, etc. to appraisers and dealers. Without the second row of seats down, I was able to get 10 bankers boxes in the cargo space at a time. It really amazed me. I got an additional six boxes on the second row seats. We returned home with 10 other bankers boxes plus our luggage and six bags of towels and sheets.

It rained a lot during our three days there. The Caddie handled really well in the city traffic and on the interstate. I felt completely in touch with the slick roads, but the suspension made for a comfortable ride. I was so thankful for the clear plastic mats that I installed last month over the tan carpeted mats. Getting in and out so much in the rain really got leaves, mud, and grass on the mats.

The only negative so far is the 16 MPG. The V8 is responsible for that I imagine. The best that I've done is 16.8 thus far. Though I'm paying right much for gas, the SRX is such a great experience. I've eaten crow several times by admitting to my wife that I love this vehicle.

The cousin's house was to be burned down in 120 days. Sixty of those days have now passed. We're really under the clock. There's so much to do. Now that the china, silver, glassware, etc. has been inventoried and packed, we have to begin on the 12 rooms of furniture. Each piece has to be appraised and tagged for sale or storage. After that, the 57 paintings and 32 clcoks have to be appraised and packed for shipment. Our plans are for the moving van to arrive in 45 days. That will give us about two weeks to clear up loose ends before the house is destroyed. Though the law firm and two housekeepers provided packing materials and labor, it is still a hard task. i told my wife not to even look at photographs and correspondence. We just put it in boxes to sort later. The cousin never discarded even a Christmas card. Desks and drawers were full of "stuff". Man, what a job.

To Houdini: You were right. A security company went through the house to search for money...under sofa cushions, in closets, in boxes, drawers, etc. Total amount found was $1.67. The cousin never carried money. He just signed for what he wanted. His live-in secretary just wrote checks each month for the charges. If he was out and wanted a hamburger or a pack of gum, his driver paid for it. Such a life style is hard for me to comprehend. Still, there are some who live that way.

We head back next week to work a couple of more days. It's a good thing that we are both retired. I don't know what we would have done otherwise.

Richard

driver100

just push a bit quicker/harder on the gas pedal to get up to speed.

I am going to try that, I think you are right, the computer keeps it in lazy mode unless power is needed. I don't like to be too hard on any car...try to avoid fast starts and stops, but it did move out a few times when needed.

I think this car is really worth every penny it would cost to own, for a good medium priced car. When i think of cars from the 90s in this price range, this car is so superior....beautiful interior, well appointed.

I would be quite happy to own one of these....but, if I can manage a bimmer I still do prefer it just a bit more.

Maybe I should buy a Fusion and put a bimmer badge on my forehead.

driver100

. Each piece has to be appraised and tagged for sale or storage

I really feel for you, what could be worse than going through somebodies old stuff, and trying to sort it.

I had to promise my mother we would take her furniture and things when she goes. I promised to take them.....what I didn't say was.....to the Salvation Army.

Glad you are enjoying the Caddie. It is nice to see the Detroit Big 3 making it. We rented this Fusion and some friends have a Dodge Challenger and they said it was an excellent car, and they have a Lexus SUV at home.

driver100

This might be of interest. A state of the art VW assembly line in Germany. All glass building right in the downtown area. See how customers can watch their car being made, and then drive it away.
VW Assembly Line

jmonroe

This might be of interest.

Thanks 'driver' that is an amazing place. The part that got my attention is the cleanliness of that factory?

jmonroe

fezo

I can meet you half way with the driving part but I get to keep ALL of the holdback. It ain't called "holdback" for no reason. If it was intended to be shared with the buyer it would be a "buyer sharing markup".

Boy, you drive a hard bargain!

fezo

I don't like to be too hard on any car...try to avoid fast starts and stops

So of course you own a BMW.....

mako1a

Hey, Driver. We were discussing Canadian coins with the new $20 Cad silver coin. Is it true that you have 1 dollar coins called a looney and 2 dollar coins called tooneys? How long have they had this naming system and these coins?

ps I'm a collector of .999 silver coins and see your new 7.96 gram coin to be sort of a bad deal as it is only 1/3 ounce for the price of an American Eagle.

verdugo

I'm not Canadian, but you're correct about the coins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loonie

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toonie

houdini1

1 dollar coins called a looney and 2 dollar coins called tooneys?

Why am I suddenly thinking about Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Mel Blanc?

snakeweasel

The toonie has an outer ban around a center coin. When they first came out supposively some of them seperated and some people tried to get them to seperate from each other.

oldfarmer50

"...Thank goodness for GAP insurance (mandatory in NY State)..."

When did GAP insurance become mandatory in NY? I don't have it on my Mitsu which I bought in Jan. of 2008.

It might be NECESSARY in NY given the idiot drivers but mandatory? That sounds like a lot even for this nanny state.

Glad he wasn't hurt.

tallman1

The cousin never carried money.

I remember reading an article several years ago about the very wealthy. We hear of rich people who have wads of big bills that they wave around. The author was pointing out that there are some people who are so wealthy that they carry no money at all. People around them gladly pay for things.

Uh... I'm neither of those.

oldfarmer50

"...a post card the other day saying they are in "Desperate need!" of my 2004 MPV..."

I got a card from a local dealer who I had never set foot in saying the were prepared to give me "Full Market Value" for my current car. They didn't seem to know which of my "current" cars they wanted because the part of the postcard which specified which car the offer was for only said Make: YOUR, Model: CURRENT, and Year: CAR.

I suspect that they want the 88' Vandura as it is a big hit with the chicks. :lemon:

I also received a letter from Chrysler about the o9' PT Cruiser that I got for Mrs. Farmer 18 months ago and now has 9200 miles on. The letter said I might be almost out of warranty and I better call them for an EW before everything started falling apart.

Nice way to make their customers want to buy another Chrysler.

Finally, I got a letter from Mitsubishi saying that because of my exceptional payment history, I was pre approved for $29K in loans on a new Mitsu.

I guess these days, actually paying your bills on time is considered exceptional. :confuse:

driver100

Is it true that you have 1 dollar coins called a looney and 2 dollar coins called tooneys?

Mako, not sure about a $20 coin. We are in Florida and we were talking about how nice it is to have a $1 coin and more recently a $2 coin. They are handy for vending machines and parking etc. The one dollar was called a Looney because it has a picture of Canadian Looneys on it. The tooney just naturally followed with the name because it is worth $2. You could pay the $1 tolls with exact change by throwing a looney in, instead of handing over a $1 bill.

Whenever you get change in your great country you always get a stack of $1 bills because there is nothing larger or smaller. At least before the Tooney we had a $2 paper bill. And, our money comes in different colors (colours).........$5 bills are blue $10 are purple, $20 light green, $50 orange.
Less chance of errors.

We have had Looneys for maybe 20 years and Tooneys for about 10 years. There is some talk of doing away with pennies, as they are almost useless.

I don't think I answered everything, but let me know if you need more info. Do it yourself car washes are usually $3, so you need a Looney and a Tooney and you are all set.

driver100

I suspect that they want the 88' Vandura as it is a big hit with the chicks.

Can you also carry baby ducks?

driver100

Those wikipedia sites about the Loonie and Toonie were interesting. I thought this was good to know;

It costs 16 cents to mint a Toonie, which is estimated to last 20 years. The discontinued two-dollar bill cost six cents to print and, on average, each bill lasted only one year

Paper money only lasts a year!

jmonroe

Paper money only lasts a year!

Not in this country it doesn't but I'm gonna go check my mattress just to be sure. :sick:

jmonroe

jimbres

When did GAP insurance become mandatory in NY?

It's not. AFAIK, no state requires it. This makes sense when you realize that GAP insurance really protects & benefits the lender more than it does the borrower.

It's possible that a lender might force a borrower who can't make a large enough down payment to buy GAP insurance, but I'm not sure that would be legal in most states.

If you're worried that an accident might leave you in a negative equity situation, then you should make a large down payment or, better yet, pay cash for your car.

snakeweasel

Whenever you get change in your great country you always get a stack of $1 bills because there is nothing larger or smaller. At least before the Tooney we had a $2 paper bill.

He in the good ols US of A we do have a dollar coin and a two dollar bill. Admittedly neither is used alot, but they are in circulation.

Packed away somewhere I have a 25 cent bill (now thats old money)

And, our money comes in different colors (colours).........$5 bills are blue $10 are purple, $20 light green, $50 orange.

Is that for replacing lost monopoly money?

Seriously money shouldn't look like it came from Parker brothers.

houdini1

If you're worried that an accident might leave you in a negative equity situation, then you should make a large down payment or, better yet, pay cash for your car.

Then you would just be paying for your loss up front. There is no free lunch when it comes to cars and depreciation. About the only thing you can do is try to pick a car that holds its value better than most.

jimbres

Then you would just be paying for your loss up front. There is no free lunch when it comes to cars and depreciation.

No argument. But I would be saving the amount of the GAP premium. Why should I pay to protect the lender if I don't have to?

I feel the same way about GAP insurance that I do about extended warranties: if you think that you need this "protection", chances are that you haven't paid enough attention to your personal finances. You're suffering from some combination of too much debt & not enough savings.

oldfarmer50

"...If you're worried that an accident might leave you in a negative situation, then you should make a large down payment or, better yet, pay cash for your car..."

Or get 0% financing like I did on the Eclipse. Thanks to that Edmunds TMV says it's now worth more than I owe on it. It will be paid off in Feb. 2013 but I'm hoping to skip the last two payments when the world ends in Dec. 2012.

houdini1

No argument from that standpoint !!

tcp2

Australian bills are both colorful and waterproof. They're made of a polymer and have a clear window with a symbol in it that's difficult to copy. Surf's up.

jipster

Great game. Even better that the Steelers didn't come out of Cowboy stadium with a win. :P

Next football season, if there is one, will have the Dallas Cowboys as Super Bowl champs.

driver100

I watched the game...it was fairly close but not too exciting. I thought the Pepsi commercial where she throws the can at the guy and it hits a poor innocent young woman in the face was really in bad taste.

I did see a Fusion ad on TV today and they said the Fusion will be worth more than a Camry in 3 years.
Explorer, there are twin tailpipes that go to one side of the car. I popped the hood and there is a nice neat 4 cylinder engine in there....transverse I was surprised to see. I could live with the 4...it is adequate, but I like having more horses just for those times when you might need them.

I like that European cars have a place for the light switch that turns the lights on automatically when it gets dark. I don't think there is a setting for that, so I have to remember to turn the headlights on and off.

nyccarguy

I know ALL leasing contracts & am pretty sure ALL Auto Finance Contracts written in NY State INCLUDE GAP Insurance.

What you say makes perfect sense, "why should I pay to protect the lender".

robr2

He in the good ols US of A we do have a dollar coin and a two dollar bill. Admittedly neither is used alot, but they are in circulation.

I'm one that believes the dollar bill should be phased out and let the dollar coin be what's in use. The complaint about that is that dollar coins are too heavy to get back as change for <$1 purchases and that it would be too expensive for the vending industry to change over.

In reality, the biggest complaint against phasing out the $1 bill is from the Crane Paper Company here in MA. Guess who sells the paper to make the bills from?

sterlingdog

Well, here's my view on GAP insurance for what it's worth. To me, it's just like life insurance, home owner's insurance, etc. You're trying to protect yourself against the worst odds. Personally, I could pay off the car from savings but, if I total the car, I'm only out $600 because I have GAP insurance.

Here is another nice benefit of GAP that happened to me. When we purchased the SRX, I paid off the convertible 2.5 years early. Out of the $600 for GAP insurance, I was refunded $450. At least you get a prorated portion if you pay off the car early---more thn half of it came back to me. It doesn't seem like such a bad deal. As an older driver, it makes sense to me to have this protection.

Richard

sterlingdog

That was a very interesting tid bit about the Crane Paper Company. They have always made the finest writing paper. I had thought that perhaps the company was in trouble because so few people now do personal correspondence. With computers, people design their own wedding invitations and stationary using other types of paper. Also, email has replaced a great deal of letter writing. I suppose that if Crane provides the paper for the government's currency, then Crane is still in good shape market wise. Thanks for sharing that information.

Richard

jimbres

Having never leased a car, I'll take your word for it that GAP insurance is written into all lease contracts in NYS.

We've paid cash for our last 4 cars. When we did finance car purchases, we always did so through one of our credit unions (we belong to 2) - never through a dealer.

So I checked with our credit unions. Both of them advise that GAP insurance is optional - not mandatory - with car loans.

jimbres

To me, it's just like life insurance, home owner's insurance, etc.

To me, there's a big difference. For example, I carry the best home owner's policy available in my area because repair & reconstruction costs are prohibitively high around here. (A "minor" electrical fire that our local fire department put out in 5 minutes & that did no damage visible from the street did more than $150,000 worth of damage to our neighbor's house. And that was almost 15 years ago!) So I want as much homeowner's protection as I can get & I'll pay whatever it takes to get it.

There's an old maxim in the casualty insurance business: you should buy insurance to protect yourself from catastrophic losses & self-insure against all other losses. That's why I've never bothered with extended warranties. I keep a substantial amount of money in savings & can easily handle large auto repair bills. What I need help with is the possible multi-hundred thousand dollar reconstruction bill that I might face after a house fire. That could cripple me & that's where I want my insurance dollars to go.

Anyway, we now pay cash for our cars, so GAP insurance isn't an issue.

robr2

But things at Crane could change soon. Since Ted Kennedy died, our new junior senator does not have as much influence over the decision on getting rid of the dollar bill.

[Deleted User]

Regarding the auto headlight feature, that's a standard feature on the Fusion 4-cylinder SE and SEL models, but not available on the more basic S. I agree it's a neat and handy feature, but for whatever reason I still find myself manually turning the headlights on and off despite my Dodge Journey being able to do so automatically. Maybe it's a trust problem.

-Ty

sterlingdog

I totally agree with you as regards home owner's insurance. After suffering a small house fire, I know the cost involved. Thank heavens we had excellent insurance. I think that we differ on one point. Being the tight [non-permissible content removed] that I am, I see the loss of a financed car as catastrophic. Therefore, the need for GAP insurance. This is no longer an issue for us, but it is for some people.

Richard

stickguy

richard, that $600 is not insuraning the value of the car. All you are doing is insuring the difference in what you owe on it at a point in time, and what you would get for it if it was totalled (and that is the only time when GAP would kick in).

So, anytime you are not actually upside down on the loan, the GAP is essentially worthless, right? Unless I am missing something here! And if you put down a reasonable down payment, odds are you are not going to be much, if at all, upside down.

I would not self insure myself on the 20K+ value of the car (hence I have insurance on it!) but I would risk the couple thousand $s in the gap.

of course, I haven't had a loan in years, and hope to not have one ever again, but when I did I always put down at least 1/3 of the purchase price and kept the loan to 3 years, and still paid it off early.

verdugo

Great game. Even better that the Steelers didn't come out of Cowboy stadium with a win

Please cancel my order for your book. :mad: :mad: :mad:

jmonroe

Great game. Even better that the Steelers didn't come out of Cowboy stadium with a win. :P

No doubt about it being a great game but I didn&#146;t like the outcome.

Next football season, if there is one, will have the Dallas Cowboys as Super Bowl champs.

I&#146;m pretty sure there will be an NFL Football season next year but it might get a late start. As for the Cryboys winning the Super Bowl, that won&#146;t happen. If you believe that, you probably whistle as you pass by a grave yard. Although I&#146;d like to see the Cryboy/Steeler match up to prove it to you.

jmonroe