Stories from the Sales Frontlines

explorerx4

Fez, whatcha doing in Hartford? Not fueling up, I'm sure.
Visiting the Children's Science Center?

driver100

explorerx4, when are you going to tell us about the name change. Seems you can legally change your name easier than you can on Edmunds.

Will it be Escapeboy? Or Elantraguy? Or Cruzer?

sterlingdog

If you put the Fusion on the dealer's lot, didn't you trade for something? Perhaps I'm missing a piece of the puzzle here. I thought that we were due a sales story when you tried to change your name. :confuse:

Richard

sterlingdog

Or F150?

Richard

driver100

Or F150?

Or Priusman
Jukester
Durangoguy
Voltman
Outbackfeller
Roguey
Fargomeister
Fiatman

explorerx4

I was only teasing everyone by providing one side of the transaction.
I guess I am now explorerx4+1.
It's an AWD XLT with package 202A(myford touch, leather seats(heated in the front) upgraded sound system, rear view camera, etc), plus dual panel moonroof and power tailgate.
Color is hoity toity 'Bordeax Red Reserve' with black interior.
I think it's going to be a nice vehicle.

driver100

It's an AWD XLT with package 202A

Sounds very nice. So, let me see if I have this right, you trade in the Fusion for an Explorer, and now you have 2 Explorers.

If right you could be dualexplorers, or explorerdejavu

isellhondas

Except, it's not an ALL wheel drive.

No such thing. Perhaps a four wheel drive but never an ALL wheel drive.

The spare tire is on a wheel, right?

Enjoy your new ride!

sterlingdog

You cheated me! :mad: I wanted one of those nice, long sales stories where the salesman said this and you said that, plus pricing, F&I, family opinions, etc. Seriously, I am so happy that you got the XLT Explorer with those nice options. You may remember that it was a close choice for me over the SRX. I love the new design, and your color choice sounds beautiful. I hope that you enjoy it and have many miles of pleasure and fun.

Richard

sterlingdog

"...probably the reason a lot of us are here on earth!!"

When I misbehaved as a child, my father would say, "You do realize that you were an accident, and that the orphanage still has a vacancy sign in its window."

Richard

driver100

and that the orphanage still has a vacancy sign in its window."

My parents phoned an imaginary guy called Sam to come and pick me up and take me away.

I am amazed that I turned out to be so normal. :sick:

sterlingdog

"I am amazed that I turned out to be so normal."

Well, you do have that "BMW Fixation".

Richard

houdini1

Mine always told me that they found me in an old hollow stump !!

snakeweasel

Mine always told me that one in four children born were Chinese and since I was the fourth kid I was Chinese.

driver100

Mine always told me that they found me in an old hollow stump !!

Geez.........I doubt if todays parents would do this to their kids. It is a miracle we didn't become knife weilding lunatics.

You seem fairly normal too, even after that hollow stump story.

driver100

one in four children born were Chinese and since I was the fourth kid I was Chinese.

Looks like yhou were lucky to make it through and be fairly normal, though I can see why you developed an interest in mathematics.

driver100

"I am amazed that I turned out to be so normal."
Well, you do have that "BMW Fixation".

Maybe it relates to childhood and the letters BM! :P :P

snakeweasel

Maybe it relates to childhood and the letters BM

And what does your childhood have to do with Boatswains Mates?

mac24

No such thing. Perhaps a four wheel drive but never an ALL wheel drive.

LOL....you had me going there until I read the third line! :P

explorerx4

We had a big family party today. so I didn't have much time to post.
More details to follow tomorrow, when I will have more time.
The sales process did take 2 months.
Isell is probably groaning already.

roadburner

I drove the Mazda up to Indy for the 100th running of the 500. My son and a couple of our friends came along for the ride. We found decent parking and tickets for less than face value. The Mazda averaged 28 mpg despite the fact that we were stuck in stop-and-go traffic around the Speedway. I did keep it under 80 on the interstate, however... :P

kyfdx

That's great! I haven't been since '89 or '90.. What a wild finish!

When I was young, I used to do the infield thing.... :surprise:

sterlingdog

"The sales process did take two months."

That calls for two or three very long posts.

Richard

oldfarmer50

JD Powers said the that for 3 yo cars the top two most reliable brands were Buick and Jaguer.
GM brands and Jaguar have usually been considered jokes as far as reliability was concerned. It's nice to see such improvement.

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=435214

sterlingdog

"...I doubt if today's parents would do this to their kids."

You are correct. The kids are too busy ordering around the parents and calling THEM names. :sick: Exceptions are the fathers on this thread. They know how to raise children.

Richard

houdini1

Well, since I was number 7 they had probably just about run out of creative stories by then.

My mom was always the disciplinarian of the family. Her weapon of choice was the dreaded peach tree switch. Whenever I got in trouble dad would just look at me and sadly shake his head, but somehow, that was worse than the switch.

sterlingdog

I totally forgot to mention something to you the other day. When you stopped by that Lincoln dealer, that young salesman told you something wrong. He told you that they quit making the Grand Marquis. That's not true. There is a 2011 model. Though Edmunds gives it a bad review, it is still being made. Since 2008, the rumor mill has said that there would be no more Grand Marquis. Well, they haven't stopped yet.

I'm surprised that a Lincoln/Mercury salesman would not know this. I don't think that his boss would be impressed, and I don't think that I would want to purchase a car from this guy. The dealership may not have ordered any for their lot, but it's not good business to claim that they aren't being made any longer.

Richard

sterlingdog

That is an interesting study. I couldn't believe that the Grand Marquis was the leader in the large car division. Then again, they are big tanks with simple options. They do tend to last forever. I was grateful that Cadillac made the top ten list, coming in at #9. The Jag? What a surprise. I have heard nothing but horror stories for years from friends who owned one. It's good to hear that they have improved. Many years ago, they were wonderful automobiles.

Richard

sterlingdog

It was the opposite at my house. My father took care of the discipline. My mother would say, "Just wait until your father gets home." The hours between her remark and his arrival home were filled with dread. I always knew that he would never let me get by, even once. Watching him unbuckle his belt was worse than any horror movie that could be made. Poor Dad. If he were a father today, he would probably be arrested for child abuse. In his defense, I can honestly say that I deserved what I got. For some reason(s), I was a holy terror. My sister, known as "The Little Princess", never got in trouble. I don't even remember her getting corrected verbally. My last session with the belt was in the 9th grade. Though my behavior didn't change, I guess Dad figured that I was getting too big , or he just got tired of doing it. :sick: Though I'm far from normal, I guess that things worked out fine. When I met my future wife, all of the bad behavior stopped. My father always gave her full credit for that change. Perhaps that is why I became a successful teacher. The students could do nothing that I had not done myself. :P

Richard

driver100

that young salesman told you something wrong. He told you that they quit making the Grand Marquis.

There is a wonderful article that covers the entire history of the Grand Marquis on Wikapedia. The car does have quite a glorious history, Mercury's best selling car.

I believe that the GM production did end in January 2011. It seems that in Canada it ended a few years ago and the same car was sold as a Ford Grand Marquis for fleet use.

On June 2, 2010, Ford announced that it would end production of all Mercury vehicles by the end of 2010 as it discontinues the brand after 72 years. The last Grand Marquis rolled off the assembly line on January 4, 2011,

I think the salesman was honest in his remarks, because he did not sell GMs for several years, as they weren't sold in Canada for a few years.
History Grand Marquis

driver100

Perhaps that is why I became a successful teacher. The students could do nothing that I had not done myself.

I think that is very true. I think the best teachers have been through a lot themselves and so they have empathy with their students. They understand why kids behave the way they do, and so they can reach out to them in a more meaningful way.

Hard to believe parents and principals used the belt on kids, and that was just normal teaching procedure. I was supposed to give the belt to a kid my first year of teaching but I couldn't do it. The principal just took over for me and he administered it while I watched. I thought something was wrong about this, but that was the way it was done. He wouldn't be in a classroom if he did that today.

driver100

And what does your childhood have to do with Boatswains Mates?

Don't know, but I was never in the U.S. Navy.

I did belong to the light infantry one summer for a summer job. I wouldn't make a good soldier though. I switched to the radio corps later, my friend and I thought that would be safer and easier...just talk on radios instead of marching and shooting rifles.

imidazol97

>Hard to believe parents and principals used the belt on kids, and that was just normal teaching procedure. I was supposed to give the belt to a kid my first year of teaching but I couldn't do it. The principal just took over for me and he administered it while I watched. I thought something was wrong about this, but that was the way it was done. He wouldn't be in a classroom if he did that today.

It's my steadfast belief that this removing of discipline from the schools (in the US) is responsible for the decline of respect for education and for educators. STate by state they limited the ability of schools and the personel working in them to maintain a learning situation, even when the parents (parent) at home didn't. Then followed the lack of respect for the teachers with degrees as public employees that we now see from some of the governments of certain state (Wisc. and Ohio, to wit).

Having heard stories from teachers about the parents who come in ranting and raving when their child gets in trouble in school and how they tell the personel how they should be teaching and handling things from my wife and her friends is enough to make you realize how poorly handled the education problems have been. The one political party tries to make everything the schools' fault and blame the "school," a place of brick and mortar, which seems innocent enough to have done. But their real goal was to move the actual workers, the teachers, down to the level of daycare providers in salary.

isellhondas

" The infield thing"

Even hang out in the "snake pit?"

sterlingdog

Corporal punishment IN SCHOOLS is not allowed in Canada or most European countries. In the U.S., only 22 states still allow it, North Carolina being one of those. During my first 5 years of teaching, I used a paddle designed by me and made by an industrial arts teacher. I discovered that the physical punishment served only as a temporary measure. I began to use other methods---detention, conferencing, home and work site visits to parents, isolation from other students within the classroom, etc. I found that work site visits to parents were VERY successful. Parents become embarrassed at work and don't like to be bothered on the job. I would always tell the parents that if I didn't see an immediate change, I would return. Usually, they took care of the situation and I didn't ask how. Military parents were the best. They didn't want their commanding officers to find out that they had unruly children. They WILL remove you from base housing if it gets too bad.

In 28 years of teaching, I only took one student to court. I had to because she stabbed me in the right arm with a kitchen knife from her purse. Reason---because I got on her for not doing her homework and laying out of school. The judge asked for my recommendation for punishment. Answer---"I want her back in class tomorrow and everyday until the end of the school year. Otherwise, I recommend reform school." He agreed. She did fine after that. We became good buddies. This was important to me because I was the only Caucasian in the entire school---a really rough assignment that I had requested. I served there for three years and moved on to a better paying position. I might add that I taught all types of children---from the homeless to those of U.S. Senators. They all needed love and attention.

Richard

sterlingdog

Thanks for the insight on the GM. I see now why the young salesman said what he did. It would be neat to have one of the last models produced. After 20 years or so, you would have a real collector's item.

Richard

sterlingdog

I totally agree with your post. It's been a steady decline and, unfortunately, I don't see much hope for the future.

Richard

isellhondas

You are a better person than I am.

I had a goal of teaching H.S. English.

I was sent on a practice assignment to Compton CA.

I knew someone would be hurt and it would probably be me.

It wasn't a happy neighborhood.

roadburner

That's great! I haven't been since '89 or '90.. What a wild finish!

My Dad took me to my first 500 back in 1970; he had a childhood friend who had seats on the front row of Turn 1. I didn't return until last year. Our strategy consists of driving up early on Race Day, parking in somebody's yard for $20-$25, and finding some tickets on the street. This year we cut it a bit closer; we didn't land some tickets until 11:30 so we had to hustle to get to our seats.

When I was young, I used to do the infield thing....

I hit the Derby infield back in the '70s. That was a zoo as well. Luckily, no pictures exist...

verdugo

, along with others, have missed you. Try to return and join in the fun. You were one of the reasons I stayed here---such a great guy to converse with at all times.

Richard,

Give him a break. I'm sure writing his new book is taking a lot more of his time than he thought. :P

driver100

But their real goal was to move the actual workers, the teachers, down to the level of daycare providers in salary.

That was the main reason I had to leave teaching....I felt like a baby sitter.

Some parents cam to an interview and that said, "You do whatever you have to to him, we can't do anything" .

Kids were getting a drink at the fountain and I would tap them lightly on the shoulder to signal the next kid should get a drink (we don't have all day), and the kid turns to me and says "You can't touch me, I am going to get my parents to sue you".

There is no ultimate weapon the teacher has to use. If I had my way the trouble causing students should be put in a room with resource materials, and they could fill out a day working on their own. If they can't get along in civilized society, they should be isolated. Unfortunately, the rest of the class suffers because of a few troublemakers.

But school is only part of the problem. There is a breakdown at home too, a lack of respect for authority, for rules, and for property.

It is unfortunate....but true.

driver100

Give him a break. I'm sure writing his new book is taking a lot more of his time than he thought.

You've been away too! What is your book called?

verdugo

I definitely jumped the gun. Honda is now offering 0.9% financing for 60 months. 1 week cost me $50 a month. That's an extra $3K on the life of the loan.

Be happy with what you have. It could've easily have gone the other way. Plus, your exact car might not have been available.

driver100

I found that work site visits to parents were VERY successful.

What a great idea. That would be the best way to get a parents attention. How embarassing trying to explain to your co-workers why the teacher is paying you a visit.

Just hope the parent doesn't operate a giant crane or something.

I had to because she stabbed me in the right arm with a kitchen knife from her purse

Being in school these days is a lot different than when I went. We had some kids who would bring a pocket knife, but it was never actually used on someone. Now kids take guns to school....if I was walking in the halls at school I was always on my best behavior...I thought if I did anything wrong I would be immediately caught.

verdugo

You've been away too! What is your book called?

Sadly no book. Work has been crazy and I fall behind. I just read 500+ posts.

I'm in your lovely country, but a little east of you (Victoria, BC.) My wife is here M~F for work and I came up to take advantage of the long weekend.

driver100

I definitely jumped the gun. Honda is now offering 0.9% financing for 60 months. 1 week cost me $50 a month. That's an extra $3K on the life of the loan.

I was thinking about that too, but lost my thought because we haven't heard from NYC for awhile. I think the cost of the car is probably a little less without the .9% financing. The money has to come from somewhere? I tend to think, Honda might get some cheap money, or throw in some cheap money to move some cars, but generally, the real cost of the car is going to be about the same.

Maybe isell knows if .9% financing really makes much of a difference....sometimes he is off writing a book too.

driver100

I'm in your lovely country, but a little east of you (Victoria, BC.)

That's actually west of me...about as far west as you can go west and still be in the country. But, that can happen, I think you meant I was a little east of you...about 2500 miles, east.

Victoria is beautiful and we go there every summer to see grandchildren. If you get a chance try to see Vancouver too. The waterfront is really nice and I like taking the sky train...you get a great view of a lot of the city.

Vancouver and Vancouver are the nicest places in Canada, if you don't mind quite a bit of rain. Lots to see, hope you can enjoy it.

driver100

It would be neat to have one of the last models produced.

I saw a magnificent GM today. All black, even the grill, and shiny chrome wheel discs. It looked magnicent, and some day that would make a really nice collectors item.

I think this guy really liked his GM....all shined up. Somehow, I think they look better than they would drive though..............

houdini1

Richard, you are a marvel...

sterlingdog

"Richard, you are a marvel..."

Not a marvel, just a survivor who wouldn't give up hope.

Richard