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Comments
After this trip, I'll be lucky to buy groceries. I always get nervous when I spend a big junk of money. Before we left, my wife said, "I don't want to hear any complaints about spending on this trip. We're going to do what we want and go where we want." Though we have the money to enjoy ourselves, I can't help but think about the expense. I guess it comes from all of those years of having to be careful with our funds.
As for your "cushion", your health is the main thing. The funding situation will take care of itself. Medical centers can be helpful in helping you to make payments over a long period of time. You just need to concentrate on feeling better when the time comes. As for your youngest daughter, children are much more resilient than we know. She'll be fine because she knows that her father is going to feel much better.
Richard
These tend to bring pretty close to Galves at the auctions... personally on one with a shady past I'd be $3k back of Galves assuming the accident shows on Carfax.
We sent an 09 to the sale, Black, Nav, auto.. 28k.. think we ended up netting about $27,500 out of it. It was very nice, and that was right around book.
As far as paintwork, any appraiser who can't spot it has only himself to blame, to be honest, I try and train my salespeople to ask and there's a space on the appraisal form for it but about half the time people lie anyway.
"Has any bodywork been done on the car?" No.
"Has the car ever been in an accident?" No.
Pull carfax, 3 accident reports, paintwork all over, DOT-R front fenders...etc..
While I'm at it, we had a pig of a rat 01 Galant come in yesterday... EIGHT accident reports on the Carfax, think it's a new record.
Aging is inevitable; growing old is optional. Good to see that you understand that.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
"Has the car ever been in an accident?" No.
I suppose someone could forget about a minor accident or fender bender. But, to actually lie about your car being in an accident! Don't people know it is fairly easy to check on these things.
What would you do if someone said "NO" to these questions but you could easily tell the car was in a major accident?
I wonder if you would have legal recourse once the car was taken in, and then fell apart because of previous damage? Probably not worth it at that point I guess.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I saw that and that made me think maybe I didn't just dream GG was going to pick up the exact car he wanted and drive it home that evening.
There has been no reference made to that car since, so I still thought maybe I was dreaming all this....although there are probably better things I could dream about.
I am planning on seeing the BMW salesman who was going to give me 10% off on a new 3 Series convertible next week. He found a car 600 miles away and he talked about if he could get it. I figure if the car is still there and not sold I should now try for 15% off. I think these dealers are giving a lowball price on a car they think they can get at a bargain price if they can move it for a dealer who wants to unload it.
Sometimes this can work and sometimes it won't. It might happen if the car is on the lot or at another dealer's lot. But, probably won't happen if you special order.
I am interested in GG's experience because that will help me with my meeting next week.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Fact is, there were a couple of used managers that did little more than start it up and do a walk around.
As I mentioned, there was only one guy who knew it was in an accident. And, he had to use a paint gauge to find out.
The range for trade was $27,500-$33K. CARMAX was lowest. A Cadillac and Lexus dealer were highest. Both BMW dealers came in at $31.5K (more on that later).
Lexus dealer claimed because of the Tsunami, they didn't have any cars. Frankly, looking at their lot, they had plenty of cars (LSs, RXs, ISs, ESs). I think what they meant to say, they didn't have any cars I was interested in (GS350 AWD or IS350 AWD). I do believe they made a straight buy offer on my my car that was high so I would stick around their store in the hopes that I'd land on something I liked outside of what I wanted.
The Cadillac dealer was fairly similar. He was very aggressive. He came in high on my trade, and also below invoice on his new car (CTS AWD Coupe). If only I had not had such a bad experience with Cadillac.....
But, the look of the car got me into their store. Lots of engineering compromises on that car, though. As I mentioned, probably the nicest interior I've seen on any car at any price. But, they overlooked some things. You can't open the sunroof, only tilt it up and down. The seats were hard as bricks (the seats in the CTS-V were wonderful, though).
Are the new Cadillacs having the same kind of problems as your Mother's earlier car? The culture of GM has changed; reading Lutz's book convinced me of that. The culture of dealer service also should have changed. Is this dealer the same one with which you dealt on your Mother's STS?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
So, in separating the two, I told all of them up front I had a trade (against the grain of advice from most car buying sites). I told them to put a number on it while we perused their lot and their inventory for something I might like. Not the usual way I do these things but I was more curious about the value of my TL. If all the dealers came in on the light side, I would just keep it.
As another datapoint, I saw one for sale on a lot not far from me....used, equipped identically, except different color. It had similar miles, too. They listed it at $38.9K Now, that's close to retail, new. But, I figured they had low $30s into it. A week later, I called them just out of curiosity. They said it was sold. So, I'm figuring that even if they were way off base on the asking price, someone still bought it....probably for mid $30s.
I now had a good range of what I thought my car was worth.
1/2 the battle's done. Trade is established. Now,I had to find a car, and a deal on that car, that I wanted.
Interesting side note....it's amazing how dealers reacted when you have a number already established from someone else for your trade. I only had one dealership tell me (local Infiniti dealer) that he couldn't hit my number on a trade. He wanted to negotiate more on it. But, that's not me.
The local CARMAX is a funny place. They low-balled the trade and even though I didn't want any of their cars, while they were evaluating my trade (which took them an hour), they showed me some cars THEY THOUGHT I might want. They wanted full boat for their car. Nice business model if you can sustain it.
Interesting, the owner of the dealer (you know which one I'm talking about if you see any local commercials) actually came over and introduced himself. We chatted for a few minutes. He said if I liked his car, we WOULD make a deal. They threw strong numbers out to make the deal.
My Mother's Caddy came from Thompson, closer to the city.
"Drive for the Olympics" promotion sealed the deal for me as to what I wanted. While I've been critical of BMW in the past, I've always liked their cars. I just thought they were overpriced. Well, once the promotions and incentives start hitting, they're still on the high side, but more palatable. $1,840 BMW incentive from the factory in addition to the $1,000 Olympic incentive, we're off to the races.
As mentioned, after putting out feelers to 3 different dealers via Trucar, all of them came back with "we don't have the car you're looking for, but we'll get it for you."
The first dealer to find the car was one about 50 miles from me in Dayton, OH. In retrospect, this dealer, while nice, was probably not going to do a deal with me. First, after telling them I had a trade, what it was, and the kind of offers I was getting on it, said they'd match whatever anyone would do on my trade....sight unseen. They also said they'd have the exact car I wanted trucked to them from New Jersey as it was at port, unsold, if I'd make a deposit. I asked them to honor the TruCar price, and then deduct my $1,000 Olympic incentive. We also agreed that this would be contingent upon me seeing, driving and approving the car once it arrived. Done deal! $500 sent. Dealer said "car secured...we're putting it on a truck."
Well, after much "hmmmming----hawwwwwing" days later, while I was inquiring about when the car would arrive, they could not get the car. They said it was one of only two in the entire country. And, it was still at port, but was sold to someone else. Kind of curious, why tell me you can get a car that's at the port, sold to someone else. I'm not exactly what happened there. I'm still expecting my deposit back. The dealer (Evens) said it would take a week to get my deposit to me. They have until Friday, then I get upset. I can get a refund from Best Buy or Costco within minutes. There is absolutely no reason it would take days or a week to get a deposit back from a car dealer.
Also, as previously mentioned, one of the dealers that participates with TruCar was the one closest to me (Jake S.). They wanted to order a car for me (but, the incentive would have expired by the time it arrived). The other BMW Store (that's their actual name) didn't seem interested in ordering or finding a car for me. They pushed me to buy something they had in stock. Unfortunately, they didn't have anything on the lot I liked.
I was ready to just accept that a BMW was not to be, so I decided to sleep on it and at least wait until after the 4th to maybe (or maybe not) look more. No sacrifices to the car gods. If it was meant to be, it was meant to be.
(nod to Mack)......to be continued......
Enjoy the rest of your trip!
Called a "Buy Bid". Usually from the dealer that sold you the TL.
Any major dealer can give one, usually same brand (Honda/Acura).
Call to arrange, bring title, keys and signing parties on the title.
They give you a check in a few minutes. Remember my Avalon?
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
Very few people have had a worse experience with Cadillac than yours truly. I swore that I would never, ever own another one. Because my wife wanted the SRX, I finally caved in to the idea. I had fully planned to buy the Flex or the newly redesigned Explorer. I had even found the Flex that I wanted---color, options, etc. I walked into the SRX deal with very cautious feelings. I have learned that the Cadillac is a very different vehicle now. I still have to pinch myself to believe that the Cadillac is so good. It now appears that this car may turn out to be one of my all time favorites. It is strange how things work out at times. Best wishes on your choice.
Richard
Enjoying your narrative -- no anxiety since it's not my money on the line.
Wave as you drive through Castle Rock on I-25 ... you'll head right past me.
Are you planning to drive to the top of Pikes Peak?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
the buyer is really in control. It's actually fun.
Getting all the car details worked out...then talking
price without those annoying variables (like trade-in).
Happy shopping, GG
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
He also said he liked warranty work as he made money on that, too.
He was very forthcoming. Truth told, I was quite surprised at the attitude. This store isn't part of a dealer group. It's standalone, the only one that's owned by the principal. It's in a small town. The owner wants to expand his reach both North (Dayton) and South (Cincinnati) as he's situated right in the middle between two relatively affluent areas. It was just as Craig had said about his former dealership.
Too bad I didn't like his car more, and that I'm still smarting by how my Mother and I were treated by Cadillac. I would have enjoyed doing business with him.
That store had a cruise in last year for GM vehicles only.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Since the long July 4th weekend was approaching and we were planning to fly out last Friday, I didn't even think of buying, trading, doing anything with a car.
Until....I got a phone call from my local BMW dealer (understand that I've done business with this dealer before, and with the principal's other stores). While we aren't friend's, I am acquaintances with the dealer's principal as we used to go to the same Church. The BMW sales person (who's been at this same store for 20+ years) knows this.
He was the one who wanted me to order a car from Germany.
Tuesday, he calls me with this...
"Hey GG...guess what? I found exactly what you're looking for."
GG-"Let me guess....it's at the port on the East Coast"
Sales-"Yeah, how'd you know?"
GG-"Lucky guess....you sure it isn't sold?"
Sales-"I don't see how it could be. It's being prepped and ready for delivery to another dealership. If you're interested, I'll do a dealertrade with the dealership it's supposed to headed to, and have them deliver it here."
GG-"Well, we need to make sure we're OK on the numbers, and I'd want to have final say whether it's acceptable upon delivery. I'm headed out of town over the weekend. Why don't we wait until I return to do this?"
Sales-"I'll do whatever you want, But, the incentive expires on June 30. And, I'd like to get this sold by the end of the month, as I'm trying to get it delivered before then. I think I can get it to the dealership by Friday."
GG-"I'll be gone by then."
Sales-"What if we do the numbers, agree on them, fill out the paperwork. Then, by the time you return, we'll have it ready for you to take delivery. If it isn't what you want, I'll have no problem selling it to someone else."
GG-"Not sure you can actually get this car. But.....OK, I'll be by later tonight."
Not going to bore you with the banter except to say that I told them I had an offer of $33K for my TL from the Caddy dealer. And, that he was under invoice on his car.
Sales--"You really want that Cadillac?"
GG-"no, not really".
Bottom line of the deal.....they were at $31,500 on my car, which I rejected. They came up to $32K before I agreed to head out my front door to hit their store. I agreed (still via phone) to $32K if they threw in the iPhone adapter and winter floor mats (they did).
TruCar had their new car pegged a few hundred above invoice. Less the incentives, we were well under invoice on those figures.
Side note, the current 3 series is in its last year. So, that fosters this kind of deal (and the reason for the incentives).
We had a deal.....ON PAPER. I still had not seen the car, yet.
We took our trip. Returned home on Monday, the 4th.
Bright and early Tuesday a.m. (well, not early but 9:00 a.m.) I get a call from BMW sales....
"Guess what's here in the showroom?"
GG-"You pulled it off? Nice job. I'll be by tonight."
It was indeed exactly what I wanted. And, since all the numbers and paperwork was done, all I had to do was inspect the car, get the "this is how the car works" tutorial. It had 18 miles on it. I turned my beloved TL over to them, and drove away.
I don't know why the first and furthest away dealership first committed, and then wouldn't follow up on securing the car after they said they would. But, the nearest dealership did just that.
There you have it.
Meanwhile, I'm not worried about my medical bills - I have nice insurance for that. It's keeping the household running smoothly which is enough of a deal when I'm all OK. I'm the guy with the checkbook. My wife has enough craziness but that will change for a while. If I had more put aside I'd be comfy with paying a few mortgage payments ahead of time. We'll see. I will likely put one of my brothers and watch this thing duty. Because this will take longer than I have paid days to cover I'll have to be on temporary disability which the state pays but that ain't the same as salary. This will all work out - assuming things work on the medical front.
To say this takes up your whole mind would be a bit of an understatement. I've even stopped looking for cars at the moment.
Hope you're trip is going well.
That's a great story. I think I have given up on wondering why some dealers act so diferently from others. Congrats. Great deal and a great car! Sweet.
Because Lucas builds their refrigerators.
Randy
Randy
The 3 series coupe (current E92) is by far (IMHO) the best looking and SEXIEST car in BMW's lineup today. In particular the 335i Coupe. The Cutout in the back bumper for the exhaust, the angel eye Swiveling Xenon Headlights, the Sport Package & M Sport Package wheels, not to mention the 300 hp/300 lb ft of torque twin scroll turbo (N55) Inline 6 that pulls like a small block V8 off the line. Please post some pics if you can & congratulations once again!
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
I knew I wanted an automatic, and I wanted the premium and cold weather packages. Convenience package I could take or leave. I also wanted iPhone integration (seems as if all iPhone integration cars come with Nav, too).
I would take any exterior color except silver or grey, but preferred sapphire metallic. I would take any interior color with the exception of black, but preferred a tan or beige.
I'll have to snap some pics and post them.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
From reading here and other car forums, it is certainly obvious that BMWs have a very loyal following and for some (quoting another auto maker's slogan) there is no substitute.
Richard, glad to see you are enjoying your trip.
Stickguy, how did you make out w/ the bathroom fixtures? Did Bellmawr have what you needed?
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
I'll have to snap some pics and post them.
Great, in the meantime why not just tell us what color you got?
Actually, that was an amazing story and the car sounds like it is incredible.
You handled it all like a pro...got the car you wanted for the price you wanted to pay, and got rid of the car you weren't comfortable driving any more.
Now you can help me try to explain what "the feel of the road" means.
Happy driving......
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
LOL!
Color is Sapphire Metallic exterior with Cream Beige interior and light burled walnut trim.
I've only put 40 miles on it. But, it does ride better than the TL the SH AWD could get harsh over rough pavement). It handles better. It's faster.
That about covers what I needed from it..... :P
You deserve a medal.
Well bought!
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
The first time I heard that one, I laughed so hard I kicked the slats out of my cradle!
It is a 2011 model, correct?
I ask only 'cuz I don't see the Sapphire Metallic as a color choice for the 335xi Coupe in the configurator on bmwusa.com.
Oh, wait.
You meant to say Black Sapphire, right?
OK, got it.
Nice color combo. Over in CCBA, I found an E92 coupe, 2007 vintage - silver with black interior. 328i, RWD and stick, with 40K on the clock for $22K. Not CPO.
Sharp, sharp looking car.
You are the perfect gentleman to own and drive a BMW. I hope that you really enjoy it. Just promise me that you won't use the phrase "feel of the road" when you describe your experiences. :P BTW, your story was well told as usual. I assign you an A+.
Richard
Believe me. I can understand that comment. When I had my prostate problem, it was difficult to focus on less important issues. You're going to be fine and feel much better. I talked with the Guy upstairs about it last night.
Richard
Richard, I'm just happy that your prostrate problem is now "behind" you!
BTW, where is jmonroe? I miss my old friend.
Richard
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
Have had the Explorer for about 6 weeks and just hit 1000 miles today.
Filled it up for the 3rd time, MPG average per tank, 19.3, 20.4, and 21.1.
Tomorrow will be about a 450 mile round trip.
Looks like it could be a one tank trip, can't wait to see what the mileage will be.
Good thing you took care of that prostate. The best friend I ever made through work didn't take care of things fast enough and was gone way too soon at 70.
got some ideas there. Got more at a place right where rt 70 and rt 295 meet (kitchen and bath).
turns out, when you want to do a nice job (as in, gut and do it all the right way), bathrooms are darned expensive! the contractor bid also was higher than expected. So at this point, that might be on hold (though the contractor really wants the work, and is looking to squeeze the numbers and get back to me with a revised bid).
We did sign the contract for the kitchen gut and redo, which is expensive enough. Plus it is going to really suck up all our focus.
contractor really wants to do the bath at the same time, since it will eliminate much of his down time (and the subs are already here), but picking out everything on the fly is too much to handle for now.
so, get kitchen done, and a few other smaller things, and someday move onto the bath, when I have the time to get involved and do some DIY.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I promise to wait until you are well enough to fight me for some oddball stickshift orphan wagon before looking again.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
What about me? What am I, chopped liver? :P
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250