Stories from the Sales Frontlines

isellhondas

When I was about ten, I really had a big time crush on Connie Stevens.

If you click on your link then click on "16 reasons" on the right side, you'll see why. I also listened to a couple of the differrent versions of "Tammy" by Debbie Reynolds. Quite a classy lady who still performs.

sterlingdog

"Really...the worst part is: He didn't catch the ball."

Really...the worst part is: He wasn't sterilized at a young age. :mad:

Richard

sterlingdog

I'm surprised that the helicopter could lift him off the ground. To add insult to injury, he couldn't walk the 100 yards to the stadium? I'm actually delighted that he did this. It allowed a large group of constituents to see him for what he is---a real slime bag. Not to worry. We'll just continue to raise the national debt ceiling and let the national budget deficit soar. As for Christie, he really should lay off more teachers and police officers---those helicopter trips are vital to his push for family values.

Richard

fezo

Yeah, and they were calculating $1,300 an hour for the helicopter when McGreevey used it and Christie is twice the governor (based only on weight) that McGreevey was so we're at $2,600 even before inflation. Then add the car......

cdnpinhead

I also listened to a couple of the differrent versions of "Tammy" by Debbie Reynolds.

Now you're talkin'. I'll reinstate your old fart card, after having had to confiscate it for that Route 66 debacle.

As I recall "Tammy" was a huge hit in '56, and I very much enjoyed that song -- was 8 years old at the time & lived in Grand Junction, CO. That turned out to be about as good as it ever got for me, in terms of places to live (well except for Vancouver (B.C.)).

cdnpinhead

. . .the worst part is: He wasn't sterilized at a young age.

Richard . . . from downtown!!

Excellent!

28firefighter

We arrived at the Volvo dealer, and saw a beautiful 2011 Volvo C30 T5 on the front line. I walked up to it, looked at the sticker and almost immediately dismissed it. It was pushing $30k, and did not have the Satellite Radio module that I would want in it.

The sales guy came out and encouraged us to take it for a spin. First, right off the bat, the car just feels solidly built. Compared to the GTI, it does not have as much space behind the rear seats, and as stickguy pointed out, the rear seats are bucket seats rather than a bench. However, the front part of the passenger compartment surrounding driver and passenger, is very spacious while maintaining the sports hatchback feeling. On the outside the styling is unusual, but not unattractive. Inside, the car I test drove had a two tone black/blonde interior which was awesome looking.

On the road, it was an unusual experience. The car has plenty of pep and virtually no turbo lag (of note, I was driving an automatic). However, relative to the BMW I have been driving and the GTI, the suspension is not tuned as stiffly. It still handled the curves I put it through well, but the ride was much softer and more pleasant given the commute I have on bad roads. The flip side to that, is I found it very easy to lose track of my speed since you don't realize how fast you're going.

I was very impressed by this car, but again, I thought for sure it was out of my price range. It had some packages on it that I didn't really want (the sunroof, the climate package, metallic paint etc) - I would have been perfectly content with a base automatic with satellite radio. While the sales guy was appraising the BMW, I looked up the car on edmunds as well as some other sites. The initial offer for the BMW was $9100 and 500 over invoice on the C30. This was not enough. I suggested a trade value of $11k based on the AutoTrader Value. They agreed without flinching - I was shocked. On the C30, based on my research, I offered 2000 under invoice which supposedly reflected some manufacturer to dealer money. There was also $1000 in volvo owner loyalty money, as well as some other loyalty cash through the dealer we were eligible for. Lastly, Volvo is offering 2.9% financing for up to 60months or so.

This part was interesting. The manager came out and asked me how I had come up with that number. I showed him my research , and then came famous question - "if I say yes, will you buy today?" My Dad and I did the math quickly - given the trade value being strong, a strong buying price and low financing, I could put down some of the money I had set aside for what I was anticipating in maintenance on the bimmer, and have a payment in the low 200s for a few years with completely worry free ownership (the safe and secure package includes 5/60 bumper to bumper, 5/60 scheduled maintenance, and 5/60 wear and tear). Not to mention, I would be driving a brand new car vs. a car with pushing 90k miles.

I said yes, and we shook on the deal. The entire process took 15 minutes with another 10 for the credit application. I'm man enough to admit that the bimmer was not the smartest decision at this point in my life. Luckily I was in a position when I bought that car to be able to pay cash, and I'm now able to get out of it and into a new car without a major financial hit. My years of working through high school and college has paid off, and I did not have to touch any savings. The monthly maintenance budget is more than enough to cover the 36 months of payments on the Volvo, so nothing changes for me financially.

I will be going back to the Philly area on Saturday to pick it up!

driver100

Luckily I was in a position when I bought that car to be able to pay cash, and I'm now able to get out of it and into a new car without a major financial hit.

You have weighed this decision over very carefully, and I think because you did your homework, you really got a good deal. It seems the dealer was desparate to move a car, so that worked in your favor.

All the reviews have praised the C30s, and you found it's strengths and weaknesses, but overall you liked the car and the dependability of a new car with a warranty and a lot of carefree miles of driving.

One thing I find is cars with 80 to 90k need quite a few things done to them, so it might have been a really good time to trade.

Good luck and hope you enjoy the new car.

driver100

As I recall, he also had a beautiful daughter who did a little bit of acting.

His daughter was Stephanie Zimbalist's and she had a 1980s television detective series, Remington Steele.

You have a pretty good memory for an old guy.

mako1a

Now that's the way to do a car swap.

Be sure you're ready to let go of the trade

and don't hesitate when the numbers click on what you really want.

If I remember correctly you're from around Pittsburgh.

That's a 6 hour drive to Philly. Fun drive home. Enjoy.

stickguy

congratulations. nice car.

I like your logic. Look at the big picture (total cost,including maintenance, etc.) and make sure the payment does not scare you, and don't go more than 3 years. If you stick with that, it is hard to get yourself into trouble.

stickguy

Forgot to ask, which dealer? Keystone?

snakeweasel

The C30 is a nice car. I got to drive one just before they went on sale a few years ago at a drive event volvo was having. I was really impressed with the car. Enjoy the car.

nyccarguy

Congrats on the new ride! I hope you get years of enjoyment & troublefree ownership!

roadburner

Nice car!

roadburner

The Mazdaspeed is still on its best behavior- no problems and pulling down 26-30 mpg depending on driving conditions. Combine that with the fact that I enjoy not having a car payment and it means I'm putting car hunting on the back burner. So now I'm thinking of selling my Triumph Speed Triple and buying a bike that is more comfortable to ride; the S3's combination of a relatively tall seat height, sportbike riding position, and a top-heavy configuration make the scoot a bear to handle around town. Today I went bike shopping. I first dropped by the Ducati/Triumph dealer two. I checked out two bikes in the "Streetfighter" class- the Triumph Street Triple:



and the Ducati Monster 696:



Nice bikes, and not all that expensive either. Then I made a critical error; I stopped by the BMW dealership. Lo and behold, they had a 2008 F 800 ST:



I wasn't really looking for a sport tourer but this bike is really nice. It has the semi-gloss Graphitan Metallic paint,, ABS, TPMS, and heated grips. The bike has only 868 miles on it and is priced in line with the new 2010 Street Triple and Monster. Kind of an "old man's bike" but still...

sterlingdog

Wow! You made out like a bandit....$11K for the trade and $2K under invoice. That deal would be hard to beat. You also looked at the big picture---payments, maintenance, pros and cons, etc. Congratulations. This just goes to show that a little research really pays off at times. Hope you really enjoy the new ride.

Richard

sterlingdog

#3 looks sleek, sophisticated, and futuristic---beautiful bike!

Richard

driver100

#3 looks sleek, sophisticated, and futuristic---beautiful bike!

Guess which one I would buy???? :confuse:

snakeweasel

Guess which one I would buy????

Over 25 years ago I was doing EMS work in the service. The few motorcycle wrecks that I responded to to this day keeps me off bikes.

stickguy

I remember when motorcycles had tall, skinny tires and wire wheels. And you sat upright.

just looking at people hunched over on sport bikes makes my back ache.

kyfdx

That's when you need one of these:

28firefighter

Thanks for the well wishes everyone!

No it was not Keystone. They are too much of a hike from where I was. We were out near Jenkintown for the day.

driver100

The few motorcycle wrecks that I responded to to this day keeps me off bikes

Me too! They look like they would be fun on a quiet country road where there is no traffic. When I see them they look so unsafe and you are so exposed. And, I don't like the thought of hitting something that's on the road....at 60 or 70 mph.
Plus, no heat or air conditioning!

However, some of them are really cool designs though, compared to the way they used to be.


I have seen a few of these lately too. Can Am Spyders with the 3 wheels. Seems to be selling well in Florida.

robr2

I have seen a few of these lately too. Can Am Spyders with the 3 wheels. Seems to be selling well in Florida.

Easier for the seniors to ride I guess!!

fezo

Congratulations! I nice, new car that you like and an amazingly well thought out strategy that it sound like you were really ready to stick with. We may have to ask you to leave..... We like stories with at least one minor disaster in them.

Roadburner's MS3 had been providing high entertainment value but has now gone all dependable on us....

Speaking of roadburner - an old man bike. Well, you ARE retired....

driver100

Easier for the seniors to ride I guess!!

That's what I think....3 wheels are better than 2. At least they didn't put wheels on the back like a training bike.

driver100

Went to the Gas station today and a young friendly kid asked me if he could show me some easy to use car wax. He put it on a fender and a window and it looked pretty good, and since I haven't had any wax around I asked what the price was. Seems it is normally $34 but if I bought it then and there I would get 2 cans and they were twice as big. Well, the kid was entertaining and very nice...even petted the dog and asked how old she was etc. I asked him to clean the windows where the dogs smudge marks were and he did that and it worked. He said you can use it on glass, on appliances and lots of things, just don't use it on toilet seats or you could slide right off.

Well, I thought the kid was so polite, and was out making a buck so I bought the stuff. At least it gave me an incentive to wax the car.....in 4 years it has only been done once before.

The stuff is OK but probably not the best...I should have listenned to JMonroe. :sick:

isellhondas

Yesterday, I had breakfast with a guy I worked with for many years at Honda.

In fact, we were hired the same day. He left four years ago, moved to Hawaii and returned last year. Is now selling BMW's at a local store.

One day recently a testy young lady arrived looking for a salesperson she had worked with before. It happened to be his day off so my buddy "Jerry" got the pleasure of working with her.

She wanted to drive an X-3 for the second time to compare it to a new Volvo whe was thinkig of buying. She actually had the gall to drive that Volvo to the BMW store WITH the Volvo salesperson along!

" Jerry" with his 20 plus years of experence couldn't believe it but he agreed to let her drive the X-3. Off they went...

The whole time, the Volvo guy kept complementing the BMW and told her "this is the car you should buy and not the Volvo". It was more than obvious that he wanted to rid himself of her.

The ride ended. The woman was nasty about everything and "Jerry" finally got rid of her.

So, she get's on Yelp and THRASHES him mentioning him by name!

Somehow, he learned that she go's into high line stores and pulls things like this all fot he time.

It was really the Volvo guys fault for allowing her to do this.

Can anyone believe such gall?

tjc78

Can anyone believe such gall?

Unbelievable! Not only the gall, but who in the heck has time to do these things?

For the guys who don't read the other forums here @ Edmunds:

CCBA Post 20198

Kirstie_H

Hey, I see the article you provided comments for got published!

I'll post the link here if you give me permission... pretty please?

canadiantoyota

Congratulations on the new car. Thank you for the entertaining sales story. You made a great deal. This shows that by doing your homework ahead of time, you are prepared to pull the trigger when a deal comes your way.

fezo

Perhaps Richard is planning anothe Atlantic City trip - Atlantic City casino gambles on 'Naked Circus'.

driver100

. She actually had the gall to drive that Volvo to the BMW store WITH the Volvo salesperson along!

That does take a lot of gall. I did wonder what the salesman thought when I drove up in a BMW wanting to try a Grand Marquis.

He probably thought I was going through an old age crisis, or I have had a really bad time with the bimmer, or that I was having a mental breakdown.

Jerry's experience was interesting, but some people don't have a life and all they can do is complain. There should be a way for car dealers to put out an all points bulletin to beware of this lady...errr woman!

gogiboy

28fire...--

Congrats! I really like the C30 Volvo--best looking car that Volvo has made in years in my opinion. I wish it would have been available when I bought my Mazda in 2007. Nah, who am I kidding, it's a bit above my price point, but I can dream!

I like how Volvo designers adopted a similar looking hatch to the classic Volvo P1800ES. I'm still bewitched by the P1800 coupe and respectable condition units typically show up on eBay with regularity in the $9000-$15000.

Best of luck with your new vehicle.

Gogiboy

gogiboy

isell--

Rather than "Yelp" there should be a website called "harangue", which is where anything written by the woman should be posted, This kind of behavior (and websites devoted to such) is de rigueur for almost any profession these days. It's interesting that students can impugn university faculty on websites like rank your professor, but we can't reciprocate for fear of legal action. Students are now more likely to use social media to voice their displeasure than to actually speak with their instructor about perceived problems. I blame it on reality tv and the protective anonymity of the internet where everyone can have a forum to air their real and imagined grievances.

Gogiboy

nyccarguy

Of course you may post it!

I've actually got some automotive credibility now!

verdugo

Can anyone believe such gall?

I feel bad for you having to deal with people like that.

Kirstie_H

Thanks for agreeing to talk to the reporter and pose for the article!

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_AUTO_SALES?SITE=INKEN&SECTION=HOME&TEM- PLATE=DEFAULT

isellhondas

I never had anyone go that far but I did get some real time wasters.

It bothers me that a disgrunted customer (or ex employee?) can go to a number of websites and trash someone and the person thrashed can't even write a rebuttle.

driver100

Thanks for agreeing to talk to the reporter and pose for the article!

Interesting article and I was amazed at these numbers:
As a result, buyers paid $29,817 per vehicle last month, the highest average price ever recorded, according to auto pricing website Truecar.com.

The car companies offered their lowest incentives in six years last month, according to Edmunds, spending an average of $2,094 per vehicle.

I didn't think the average price would be that high, almost $30k, and I didn't think incentives were that high.

Thanks for letting us read that....and nice looking car.

isellhondas

That's what we used to call it.

It's a busy Saturday and getting the "right" customers will determine your success.

Granted, a good salesperson can often turn a "non buyer" into a buyer. That'w what he is paid to do and some are much better than that.

But, grabbing the wrong customer can easily waste a half day or worse. There will always be non buyers whose idea of entertainment is test driving cars that they have no intension of every buying. They may not be financially qualified, buried in their current ride or just out to waste time.

One busy Saturday I had a woman that I figured was a "stroke" and I was right. I tried to make the best of a bad situation and I did my job well. She was a "test driver"

The 4th car she wanted to drive was a nice used red Prelude.

After a long, scary and creative demo drive we reurned to the lot.

" Well, what do you think?"

" Oh, I would NEVER buy this car! I hate red cars and the back seat is too small"

" Well, I'm surprised you would want to drive it since you knew it was red and you knew the back seat wasn't going to grow"

" Well, I've never driven a Prelude before"

4 wasted hours. Ambushed!

Kirstie_H

It isn't all bad.

We have dealership ratings & reviews on this site, and overall we get more positive than negative reviews. We have seen many cases where the negative review actually prompted communication between the customer & the dealer, and the issue or misunderstanding was resolved. The customer can then come back and revise/update the review text and revise the star rating. I would be MORE likely to visit a dealership that I saw actively responding to negative reviews and resolving issues - to me, it just shows that they are really interested in their reputation and customer satisfaction.

Then there are the dealerships that respond to every negative review by blaming the customer and making it personal even if the customer's complaint wasn't personal... not a good impression for other readers.

Ah! This reminds me of a little story. We once had a dealership ask us to remove a negative review posted by a consumer that was quite a detailed story of a service experience gone wrong. The dealership did not dispute the events in the consumer's review. The reason we should remove it? The title of the review was something like "The Worst Dealership." They stated that the claim that they are " the worst" is unsubstantiated and not proven. "Yeah, we are REALLY bad, but there might be one that's worse."

Kirstie_H

We offer and ENCOURAGE dealerships to respond to any and all reviews. Some of them do a great job of responding to each review, whether it's positive or negative. Some don't respond at all, and others only respond to the positive ones and ignore the negative ones.

There's a real art to responding to a negative review when the customer clearly had unrealistic expectations, but some are very good at it.

I do think it's lousy to have review sites, particularly for individuals (like ratemyprofessor) where the person being slammed can't respond. I will say that if I were choosing a professor, there would have to be a LOT of lousy reviews for me to believe that it was the teacher rather than the student... and they'd have to be specific, like, "he just reads his entire PowerPoint presentation aloud to the class, every class."

isellhondas

One sometimes wonders if some of the bad reviews come from the competition or disgruntled ex employees. I'm sure that happens.

The service reviews can be the worst. Nobody enjoys spending money on car repairs and these customers can be the most difficult to please.

When I ran a shop, I learned the hard way that trying to do a customer a favor by cutting corners to save money will always backfire.

They tend to forget that they came in with a sob story and asking if we could just do the bare minimum to get their cars back on the road.

When a part we should have replaced failed the next month, they always seemed to "forget" how we took a chance to save them money.

roadburner

Me too! They look like they would be fun on a quiet country road where there is no traffic. When I see them they look so unsafe and you are so exposed. And, I don't like the thought of hitting something that's on the road....at 60 or 70 mph.
Plus, no heat or air conditioning!

It all depends on your level of risk acceptance. I've read David Hough's classic book Proficient Motorcycling several times and one point Hough makes is that the lion's share of motorcycle accidents and fatalities involve riders who are either untrained, unlicensed, riding under the influence of alcohol/drugs, riding too fast for the road conditions, or all of the above. Yes, motorcycles are more dangerous than cars, but the rider has a huge effect on the risk level.
For example, when I ride I assume that I'm invisible to other traffic- and that anyone who can see me will definitely try to kill me. I cover my brakes whenever I approach any intersection or road where a car may pull out or turn in front of me, and I try to maintain a 12 second sight distance at all times. In my opinion, if you aren't 100% committed to safe riding you should stay on four wheels.

isellhondas

When I had my motorcycles I rode in the same fashion but after several scares I figured it just wasn't any fun anymore.

A nervous rider shouldn't ride and I don't.

houdini1

Anyone ever ridden one of those things ?? Looks like you would have to re learn about everything you knew about riding a bike, starting with no leaning into corners, etc.

Does the rear wheel do the steering?

sterlingdog

"...so I bought the stuff."

You're such a baby seal!

Richard

sterlingdog

OMG! Gall doesn't begin to describe this event. The Volvo guy should have never allowed her to do this---regardless of her rants or pleas. He had as much gall as she did. Jerry had to have the patience of a patron saint. The Bi*** should be legally banned from any dealership within 100 miles of her home. Some human beings are just too disgusting to describe.

Richard