Stories from the Sales Frontlines

snakeweasel

We live in a city of 45,000 with ample parking and big parking spaces yet we have had more fender benders in the last 4 years than in the previous near 35 years of driving including big cities.

Quick, take your car to a shop and get it demagnetized.

jmonroe

I think a combination of factors are all coming together, selfishness, too many cars, people in a hurry, the poor economy, disrespect for laws. I would have thought small towns would be better, but I am not sure it makes a difference...it is all relative.

Usually you’re all wet when you make statements like that but this time I tend to agree with you.

On the way home from work, about an 1/8 of a mile after I get off the PA Turnpike I come to a MAJOR intersection where I make a left turn. This intersection has left turn lanes for all four left turns. On the road that I’m on there are 2 lanes for the left turn. Because of this that light is 3 minutes and 15 seconds for a full cycle (I’ve timed it at least a dozen times). It’s more of a rest stop than a light. Anyway, because of this the people that come this way daily are well aware of the long cycle time and I’ve always noticed that a car or 2 go through on a clear RED. Lately, (the last two weeks I’d say) I’ve seen 4 or 5 cars running that light on a fairly regular basis. Sometimes after they make the left turn a car or two is backed up into the intersection because of heavy traffic on that road and oncoming traffic can’t move. So, the whole intersection becomes a mess.

Just last week (if I was a guy who ran lights), I would have been the third car to run it. As I was preparing to stop, for a second, I thought the guy behind me was going to tale end me. Fortunately he stopped but he laid on the horn and when I looked in my rear view mirror I see him throw his arms in the air then he was yelling at the person in the passenger seat. The funny part of this is that I could see the passenger pointing repeatedly to the red light as if to say, “hey a-hole the light is RED”.

Sometimes your observations are correct, not often but sometimes. :P

jmonroe

stickguy

red light cheaters drive me nuts. It seems to be an epidemic out in the jersey burbs. And not even at lights where you are going to sit a long time if you miss it.

I generally am pretty paranoid, and tend to actually try and stop when it goes yellow. But occasionally when I get caught in between, and decide to go vs. slamming on the brakes, and am real borderline, sure as heck I look back and another 1-2 cars behind me run dead read!

I also have almost been rear ended a couple times, so make sure to check in case I am hitting the brakes. And if I ever get caught, I plan to use the fear of rearending as my defense.

cdnpinhead

Last year she was backed into by a college age boy who immediately fled the scene.

So that makes two parking lot incidents in a year or so. Sadly, I'm not surpirised. I go to great pains to park at the edge of lots so as to avoid the mahem that often goes on in the middle or, worse yet, in front of the store's entrance/exit. To top it off, when there is an "incident" on private property the police are much less interested.

Hope it works out okay for you & your wife.

Park on the edge where it's empty and walk.

driver100

Sometimes your observations are correct, not often but sometimes.

Thanks, 1 out of 10 isn't too bad.

driver100

sure as heck I look back and another 1-2 cars behind me run dead read!

That is really true. I have really been rying to stop if I can on a yellow light, because I think it is getting out of control. But, when I do have to go through a yellow light, there are always cars way behind me, who go through the yellow light and quite often red light.

oldbearcat

I drive a lot for business and the stupidity of some drivers scares me. A few years back, my Mom and Dad were pulling out of a parking place at a busy mall and a young woman hit them so hard that she almost totalled their big Chrysler. After she hit Dad's car, she continued on and hit a bank teller machine on the lot dead center and she dismounted the entire engine and drivetrain of her car. The cops calculated that she had been driving at least 70 Mph through the mall lot when she hit my parent's car. My parents weren't hurt other than some irritation to their faces from the airbag deployment in the Chrysler. Turns out she had a fight with her boyfriend and was all pissed off.

Regards:
Oldbearcat

kyfdx

Just the other day, I got one of those in-between situation.... probably should have stopped, but I was relatively aware of my surroundings.. and, no other cars in immediate proximity, ahead or behind, or waiting at the cross street... (there was one car, about 75 yds behind.)

So, naturally, I look up at the light as I go through, and just before it disappears from my field of vision, it goes red.. Okay, not happy with myself, but no harm done..

Then, I glance up to the rear-view mirror, and here comes that car, that was a good three seconds behind me..... through the light!!

Amazing..

604doc

I'm actually a fan of red light cameras for all the reasons posted here.

Speed cameras? Not so much... :sick:

driver100

I glance up to the rear-view mirror, and here comes that car, that was a good three seconds behind me..... through the light!!

I always try to stop now for yellow lights....because it is getting out of control with drivers trying to get through the light any way possible, so I always look back when I have to go through on a yellow....and there will always be cars way behind me that still go through. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had tried to stop!

driver100

'm actually a fan of red light cameras for all the reasons posted here.
Speed cameras? Not so much...

I agree. In my case my last ticket, which was 15 years ago was because of a speed camera....and I don't think it was fair.

I was on an on ramp to a major highway, and the ramp was under construction so was shorter...not much room to get onto the highway.

There was a small break in the traffic so I speeded up to get ahead of the traffic and to merge in front of the big trucks and fast moving cars. There was no time to look at the speedometer and it would have slowed down traffic if I slowed down or stopped on the ramp. That's when they got me...trying to get onto the highway.

That is one time the extra horsepower probably wasn't a good thing. If the police saw me they would have known what I was doing, or I think an explanation would have got me off. By the time the ticket came a month later in the mail, it is just easier to pay it...it wasn't that much...but it is the principle.

snakeweasel

I always try to stop now for yellow lights....because it is getting out of control with drivers trying to get through the light any way possible,

Same here and I also try to check cross traffic when I get a green light just to make sure no idiot is running a light.

gogiboy

"Hope it works out okay for you & your wife.

Park on the edge where it's empty and walk."

CD--

Actually, that's what we usually do. I often park as far out in the lot as can get. My wife's first encounter with the college student was at a Convenience store, not much room to park there period. The most recent one was just beyond the emergency room entrance as my wife had taken her friend to the hospital for some much needed medical care. What's the old axiom: No good deed goes unpunished?

Speaking of ignoring the law. When I leave my building to head home (when I drive) I have a two-mile stretch of straight road before making a turn. The road has a 45 MPH speed limit and has a double yellow no passing line for the entire length because of obstructed views. I can't tell you how many times I've been passed in the last 5 years even though I'm doing the limit or even 5-7 MPH over. How much time can possibly be saved in such a short distance?

There is a corner near my neighborhood that is considered the outskirts of town. Further south and west is outside the city limits. Traffic speed on both roads is 45 MPH. Almost no one ever actually stops at the corner. There are plenty who do a rolling stop, but I'm stunned by the number who simply slow down a bit and then jet through the intersection, even those who are turning. I guess the feeling is that since the intersection is never policed the stop sign is merely "advisory". I'm sure this intersection s no different from dozens of others in my town and thousands of others across the US. Everybody's in a rush.

Gogiboy

driver100

There are plenty who do a rolling stop, but I'm stunned by the number who simply slow down a bit and then jet through the intersection

We have a T intersection just down from our house, and the street that doesn't go through has a stop sign. It is a residential area so most traffic moves slowly, but I would say 80% of the people treat that stop sign as if it wasn't there....they slow down enough to turn the corner, but don't stop at all.

I really think most people are in a hurry, they don't have patience.

Same with the people who would pass when they can't even see what is coming in the opposite direction.

jmonroe

…they slow down enough to turn the corner, but don't stop at all.

I really think most people are in a hurry, they don't have patience.

There is a fix for that…more police presence and the issuing of fines.

Same with the people who would pass when they can't even see what is coming in the opposite direction.

And the fix for that is to yank their license immediately. Fines won't help people that are too dumb to drive.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

"...I sometime wonder what would have happened if I had tried to stop..."

A few years back I was driving my bus and (per school policy) stopped for a yellow light. A woman driving a Chrysler minivan went right under my rear bumper.

When I teach young people how to drive I always recite my three rules of driving:

1) Don't hit anything
2) Watch out for the idiots
3) They're all idiots

oldfarmer50

"...There are plenty who do a rolling stop...even those who are turning..."

There seems to be total misunderstanding (or maybe indifference) to right on red laws. There is one corner in the town where I work where people will pass dozens of cars on the right, on the shoulder to make a right on red without stopping. What makes this particular corner so unusual is that it is right in front of the State Trooper station.

oldfarmer50

So what's going on in the hooptie market these days? I've been looking for cheap cars for my nephew and suddenly, the price of even the most beat up high mile junker is through the roof.

I use to be able to find a nice old Buick or other domestic in fair shape with under 100K miles for less than $2000 (sometimes a lot less) but in the last few weeks all I see in that price range are rusted hulks or mechanical nightmares. A large number have blown headgaskets which the sellers dismiss as "minor" repairs. Most of the cars within his budget are high milage--150K+ for domestics and 200K+ for Japanese.

Could the Japan situation be effecting even the cheap used car market? Or has the ecomomy forced people into this segment?

sterlingdog

"Fines won't help people that are too dumb to drive."

Amen to that one. Also, people who pass on hills with double yellow lines never stop to realize that not only would they kill the people coming over the top of the hill, they may also kill the people that they just passed. IMHO, it's still that entitlement issue that I've mentioned here before---Me, My, and Myself. It's becoming a much too common problem.

I see it in stores where people cut in line. I see it in restaurants when people have to wait for a table. They become so impatient. I see it at the car service centers. People want to know why it is taking so long to fix the car. I see it at children's ball games---ugly remarks to the children. I even see it at church. People complain that someone took their regualr pew. I had that said to me the last time that I was a church usher. I simply said, "God hasn't put name plates on the pews yet." I thought that my fellow usher would split a gut. I do grow weary of these entitlement issues.

Richard

roadburner

First I stopped at Oxmoor Mazda. Yes, that's the place that wanted a signed buyer's order before you could test drive a Mazdaspeed 3. They also charge above MSRP for parts- so much so that some online Mazda dealers can undercut Oxmoor's prices by 40% or more. Anyway, they were having a "Grand Opening" celebration for their newly remodeled showroom and service departments, and they were raffling off a 2 year lease on a Mazda 2- which was the only reason that I darkened their door. And it would be poetic justice if they paid for my son's first car. I will say that the receptionist and the individual that was handling the raffle entries were both polite and friendly, but I guess it's true that a leopard can't change its spots; I checked out a Mazda 2 on the showroom floor. It was fitted with a set of exceptionally ugly aftermarket chrome wheels- and the accessory sticker on the window priced them at $3000...

Next up, I stopped by the Ford dealer up the street to see if they had any Mustangs with the Brembo brake option. While wandering around the lot I was approached by three salesmen. The first guy was kind of pushy, asking if my family was with me, was I ready to buy a car, yada, yada. The other two guys were respectful and low-key. Moot point; all the Mustangs were slushboxes.

I finally stopped at my BMW dealer. One of the salesmen is a fellow driving instructor and he had his 2010 135i parked out front. Alpine white with Coral Red leather. Optioned out just about how I'd order one(Sport, Cold Weather, Premium Sound). His lease expires next April. I'm thinking that I might just hang on to the Mazdaspeed for another year and then buy the 135i.

Needless to say, my dream car is the new 1 Series M Coupe:





The only thing that's stopping me is the M Coupe's $50,000 MSRP...

cdn_tch

I've had 2!

One was a pickup in the late 80s that people loved to tap the back bumper. 4x in 2 years. All were just little taps with no damage.

Now we have a Kia and in the first 14 months that we owned it, I had 7 drivers want to change lanes through it. With a lot of luck, no accidents.

cdn_tch

I generally am pretty paranoid, and tend to actually try and stop when it goes yellow.

Around here the yellow light length and road markings are such that if I am at the point in the intersection where they have painted a solid line between lanes, I keep going. Else I will try and stop.

jmonroe

I see it in stores where people cut in line.

Back in to 70’s I heard this on a talk show (I think) and I said to myself, ‘I have to try that when the opportunity presents itself’.

The next time it happens try this:

When a 20 something young lady picked up a pack of cigarettes in the fast lane of a supermarket line where I was the next up at the register, she said to me, “I just got a pack of cigarettes, is it OK if I get ahead of you”? ALRIGHT, now I get to say it so I did, “it’s OK with me if it’s OK with all those people waiting in line behind me (as I turned and pointed to them). Man, did she get all huffy. She threw the pack of cigarettes about two lanes over from where we were and stomped out of the store.

The women behind me said, “I liked that. I’m gonna have to use that one myself”. I said, “go ahead and pass it on. Maybe the would be line jumpers will get the word and stop trying to jump lines”.

You should have heard that line by now since I told that to a woman and that was back in the 70’s.

jmonroe

28firefighter

My Dad recently bought a 2011 Mustang GT Coupe 6spd with Brembo Package...black over saddle. I had the opportunity to drive it when I was home, and man is that a great ride.

Only thing was, because of the brembo package, it did not come with any spare tire of any kind. We looked at one of the enthusiast forums and were able to find an 18" wheel that clears the Brembos, and fits perfectly in the wheel well in the trunk for under 300 bucks. Not too shabby and now if something happens, the car doesn't need to be towed.

It isn't a BMW, but it IS amazingly fun.

jmonroe

Only thing was, because of the brembo package, it did not come with any spare tire of any kind.

That is just plain CHEAP. I thought Ford was on the comeback and to cut corners like that I wonder what else they're cutting that people haven't found yet.

Very disappointed to hear that.

jmonroe

roadburner

That is just plain CHEAP. I thought Ford was on the comeback and to cut corners like that I wonder what else they're cutting that people haven't found yet.

I don't think it has anything to do with cutting corners; rather, the fact is that a 19" tire/wheel(standard with the Brembo Package) won't fit in the spare tire well. It wouldn't stop me from buying one.

bolivar

I doesn't have run-flats?

driver100

1) Don't hit anything
2) Watch out for the idiots
3) They're all idiots

My brother taught me a really good lesson when I was learning to drive;

Think of what the most idiotic thing the other driver could do, and then be prepared, because he will probably do it!

This has saved me from a lot of accidents....because it has been so true.

28firefighter

Exactly, roadburner. It was not to cut corners, but rather the trunk wheel well cannot accomodate a 19" wheel.

And no, it did not come with runflats which is both good and bad. On the upshot it doesn't have the rock hard ride associated with runflats. The downside is that without a spare or runflats you will be getting towed if you get a flat. It came with Pirelli PZero Tires I believe.

driver100

"God hasn't put name plates on the pews yet."

Good answer. So many people feel entitled these days.

Which reminds me, where is my free T-shirt and why haven't I received mine yet?

mako1a

where is my free T-shirt

Sometimes you have to remind them like I did.
I said "usually you ask what size by now"
Gave the size and got it 5 days later.

driver100

where is my free T-shirt

Sometimes you have to remind them like I did.
I said "usually you ask what size by now"
Gave the size and got it 5 days later.

Kirsty....send a size large please, one short sleeves and one long, winters are cold here.

fezo

Yeah. That works! 2 t-shirts in large though I'm working at getting back to medium...

sterlingdog

"...where is my free T-shirt...?"

Mine is on the way---purchased on the black market. (Grin)

Richard

sterlingdog

"I doesn't have run-flats?"

I hopes that you doesn't have no run-flats. Maybe yous just tied them shoes a little tight last time. (Grin)

Richard

jmonroe

I don't think it has anything to do with cutting corners; rather, the fact is that a 19" tire/wheel(standard with the Brembo Package) won't fit in the spare tire well. It wouldn't stop me from buying one.

‘firefighter’ said that they found an 18 inch wheel on the internet that fit into the wheel well so why couldn’t Ford find one?

Because of that I think it has everything to do with being CHEAP or at best sending a buyer out to fend for themselves. My hunch is that most buyers probably wouldn’t even know that their Mustang didn’t have a spare until they had a flat.

FWIW, Hyundai offers (at least in 2009 they did) the Brembo Brake package on their top of the line Genny Coupe but I don’t know if they provided a spare or not. However, since we all know that they are CHEAP cars their owners probably expect that from Hyundai.

jmonroe

tjc78

but I don’t know if they provided a spare or not. However, since we all know that they are CHEAP cars their owners probably expect that from Hyundai.

I probably ranted about this before, but I was not happy at all when I discovered the Gen Sedan came with a (insert 4 letter word here) donut! I have never owned a car without a full size spare. It really sucked while I waited for a special order Dunlop tire and couldn't drive the car.

sterlingdog

I totally agree. As much as I like Ford Motor Company, I find this ridiculous. Why in the world would a person buy a new car that comes with no spare? If you have a flat, you have the personal expense of being towed in for repair. I can't imagine what the designers were thinking when they build this car. It was bad enough years ago when car makers went to the doughnut spares, but to have no spare at all is foolish. As you say, if the buyer purchased a tire on the after market, then Ford could have placed one in the car. Design is one thing; being practical is another.

Richard

sterlingdog

I'm with you there. Both of my cars have regular spares. I just don't want it any other way.

Richard

imidazol97

>Why in the world would a person buy a new car that comes with no spare?

I think we have the EPA to blame for the lack of a spare wheel. It is a mileage increasing technique because the lowered mass due to the donut instead of the spare tire helps increase fuel mileage along with performance (acceleration) numbers.

Some cars even come with just an inflator can with sealant in it. That saves even the mass of the donut spare.

The other end of the argument is the trunk room debate. The spare or donut take up room. IF there's a drop volume in the trunk, those seem to be size-restricted by the other parts under the rear of the car, so the companies went to smaller, donut-sized volumes under the trunk floor.

On the third wing of the discussion, when was the last time you had a flat sitting in the garage or parked? While driving the car?

Now that most cars are equiped with some system to give early warning about dropping tire pressure. E.g., I hadn't checked the tire pressures on the '03 for about 6-8 weeks since I had the tires rotated and balanced. Returning from Plymouth, Mi, about 8 miles down I-275 the warning came on to check tire pressures. Stopped, checked, and drove to the Eureka! exit which had one Shell station with a free air hose! Eureka is what I said about convenience and luck. And Eureka was the name of the road.

But I didn't relish the idea of driving home on a 50-mile spare tire for 200 miles. But the tire only had normal seepage around the alloy/chrome rim. My fault for not checking pressures before the trip.

Do we really need full-sized spares? I feel better with one in the trunk, but I'll settle for a donut. No spare? Not for me.

28firefighter

To each their own. The Mustang GT is a car that my Dad has lusted after for a very long time, and he was finally able to get it. It was inconvenient that it did not come with a Spare, but it was not a "deal breaker" particularly when this was the EXACT car he wanted.

I, too, would not let that dissuade me from purchasing a vehicle I really wanted.

gogiboy

"The women behind me said, “I liked that. I’m gonna have to use that one myself”. I said, “go ahead and pass it on. Maybe the would be line jumpers will get the word and stop trying to jump lines”.

You should have heard that line by now since I told that to a woman and that was back in the 70’s."

J--

That woman stands in stark contrast to the typical Japanese citizen who is calmly enduring 1/2 mile lines at the gas pump and huge crowds outside any open grocery store. Remember the throng rushing into the Walmart (in NJ?) at Christmas a couple of years ago? In the mad rush to save a few bucks the crowd crushed one of the employees. How many of those bargain shoppers even remember what they bought now? I certainly can't remember anything I bought for anyone past this most recent Christmas.

As Richard said, it's all about Me and mine. So what is someone else is injured or inconvenienced--that's just acceptable collateral damage.

Gogiboy

graphicguy

firefighter....gotta say, there's not much else anywhere in the world that can compare to a Mustang. And, having test driven an '11 GT this weekend, it is the best one Ford has made.....EVER! Ford has done a tremendous job with it.

j.....nice comeback on the "line cutter". I'll have to remember to use that the next time someone asks to "cut in front of me".

Looks like I'm going to have to chase down the book..."Lincoln Lawyer" based on everyone's recommendation here.

With regards to Redlight/Speed cameras, I continue my fight (via letter writing and phone calls to legislators) voicing my vehement opposition to them. They have no worth protecting the public. The studies I've seen shows they cause more accidents than they prevent. I'm not a lawyer, but I do believe they're unconstitutional.

I would only withdraw my protests of them under one condition. That is, in addition to cameras being put up at intersections or speed traps, they are also installed in patrol cars, the private offices of municipal council members, and the Sheriff's office....all accessible by the public via internet hookup.

gogiboy

"Why in the world would a person buy a new car that comes with no spare? If you have a flat, you have the personal expense of being towed in for repair."

Richard--

I can't answer your question, but as I was towed to the Mazda dealership after a flat and wheel I couldn't remove because the dealership hadn't included the lug key for the wheel lock, I was forced to ponder that question.

At the dealership, the service area was closed since it was mid-afternoon of the Saturday of the Memorial Day weekend. They scrounged up a fix-a-flat can, which did not work because of the size of the damage. The gentleman that was helping me said they had plenty of the fix-a-flat around because all the (new--this was 2008) Miatas came with the kit instead of a spare (donut).

It must be more common than we would think. As bad as the donuts are I would much prefer a donut to a can of fix-a-flat as my backup.

The full size spare on our Rav4 is something I really miss. Even though we never used it, it was there in a pinch. Maybe we're all supposed to be followed to work and vacation by a pit crew!

Gogiboy

oldfarmer50

"...but to have no spare at all is foolish..."

I'm not sure but here in NY I don't think your car will pass inspection without a spare. I'll have to research that.

stickguy

last time? November of 2009, coming down the PA. turnpike NE extension (aka, the middle of nowhere) on a cold, crappy early evening. Must have caught some shrapnel, because all of a sudden heard a loud whine. Was (thank god) just approaching the only exit with a real town for miles, and managed to get off and pull into a parking lot of a mini mart.

Tire was shredded, and smoking. sidewall totally gone. Did not matter if they were run flats, it was not usable, and no fix a flat can was doing anything!

At that point, most tire stores, etc anywhere near there were closed, closing, or didn't have the right tire anyway.

so, I ended up on the donut, but being 200 miles from home, stuck overnight. But at least I was able to drive to a hotel down the road, and get to a tire store (about 8 miles away) in the morning, in scenic, downtown Scranton (the Office does not do it justice!).

without a donut, what happens? The car gets towed someplace, but where at night?

If I had a real spare, then I would have continued on my way and gotten home that night.

I refuse to have a car that does not have at least a donut, and if I had a chance, would put a real spare in it.

fezo

Remember the throng rushing into the Walmart (in NJ?) at Christmas a couple of years ago? In the mad rush to save a few bucks the crowd crushed one of the employees.

Your point is well taken and I appreciate the question mark after NJ. As our resident NJ native (and, unbelievably still resident) I am pleased to deny that was us. It was in Long Island, NY. of course Long Island is more or less New Jersey turned sideways and placed on the other side of NYC.....

jmonroe

I, too, would not let that dissuade me from purchasing a vehicle I really wanted.

Don’t get me wrong, while I don’t like the idea of no spare and still think it is CHEAP and uncaring on the part of Ford, I wouldn’t let it stop me from buying a car that I “lusted after for a very long time” as your Dad did, or even wanted for a short time, for that matter.

jmonroe

tjc78

As our resident NJ native

Oh there are a few more Jersey guys floating around here...

fezo

Hey, watch the floating talk when you are talking to an Italian Jersey boy. Generally our guy stay down there.