Stories from the Sales Frontlines

sterlingdog

Those older British shows are still being broadcast, but late at night---or I should say early morning. For us, it's between 1 and 3 AM. Being a night owl myself, it isn't a problem. Therefore, they could be recorded for free.

Richard

sterlingdog

Murphy's Law at work--- :P

Richard

explorerx4

He was also in the remake of Fight of the Phoenix.

explorerx4

I'm pretty sure you were looking at the Cliff Notes of the month.

imidazol97

Sometimes I get confused with our variety of topics. Are we saying that there's a Cliff's Notes for How to Fix Your BMW?

snakeweasel

You should have seen some of those comedians in nightclubs where they didn't have to make sure their material would pass the censers.

snakeweasel

I have used those yellow and black books myself. But I used them as they were supposed to be used, while reading the book itself and using the yellow and black book to better understand what you just read.

snakeweasel

I am surprised that with all this talk about British shows no one mentioned "The two Ronnies" and "Dave Allen at Large".

mac24

I am surprised that with all this talk about British shows no one mentioned "The two Ronnies" and "Dave Allen at Large".

Not only were the Two Ronnies very funny, but very clever too. So much talent between those two.

Afraid I could never really get into Dave Allen though.

roadburner

Great cars, to be sure but always a PITA!

I think you run that risk with any older car that hasn't been maintained properly. My wife's X3 has never thrown a CEL and the only time my 1995 3er threw one was when an idiot at a tire shop removed the oil filler cap(and the moron wasn't supposed to be anywhere near the engine).

isellhondas

Well, yeah to an extent but NOTHING like a European car!

Like I said earlier, in all of the BMW's we took as trades almost EVERY ONE of them had some kind of a warning light on!

roadburner

Like I said earlier, in all of the BMW's we took as trades almost EVERY ONE of them had some kind of a warning light on!

Again, I think the cars had to be either neglected or abused- probably both. I've owned three OBD II BMWs and even my 1997 528i -for all its first year issues- only threw two lights- a CEL for the emissions air pump(replaced under warranty with a redesigned unit) and the burned-out bulb warning light(fixed with the previously mentioned OSRAM bulbs and cleaned sockets).
Oh yeah, my 1995 did throw an SRS light 3 days after delivery- a reset cured the issue.

nyccarguy

Ok, so all of you remember the mishap when the ditzy girl from Ohio started to drive off when the door of my then 2 month old Pilot was open.

In my short 35 years on this earth, 1 thing I've learned is to always try to look at the bright side & whatever happened it could always be worse.

Yes my (then) 2 month old Pilot now had some body damage that I was going to have to pay for. On the other hand, my wife & younger son were not injured. With the Pilot in the body shop, my wife gets the TSX, & I get to take my Prelude to work for the week:)

I picked up the Pilot today. The body shop I used (Pray Automotive Restorations in Stamford, CT) did an absolutely magnificent job. It came out PERFECT!

roadburner

I'm glad to hear that your Pilot was fixed properly; bodywork done right is an all too rare occurrence these days...

nyccarguy

So after picking up the Pilot, the sun came out, & I got home before my wife. I kicked the soccer ball around the front yard with my younger (almost) 2 1/2 year old son.

Then my wife pulls in the driveway & I notice a scrape that covers 2/3rds of the back bumper of the TSX. I kept my expletives to myself.

"Hi sunshine! HOw are you feeling? How'd Son #1 do getting his shots at the doctor's? What happened to the car?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The big scratch on the back bumper. You didn't notice it?"

"No.". Looking at the bumper. "How'd that happen?"

"I just can't believe this happened on the day we got the Pilot back."

nyccarguy

Some $%&# off must have been parked next to my wife, pulled out of the parking spot, not pulled back far enough, and swiped the back bumper. AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

nyccarguy

They've been in business since 1955. They were the 1st body shop in the USA to be certified by Audi as an A8 Aluminum Collision Center. They were working on an R8 V10 when I got the estimate. They were recommended to me by an independent European car mechanic. I couldn't be happier with their work.

sterlingdog

You are correct. I saw Rodney Dangerfield at his club in New York. He truly was over the top.

Richard

sterlingdog

Sorry to hear about the bumper. When it rains, it pours. Hopefully, the repair cost won't be too bad. At least your Pilot is back to perfect. As Martha says, "That's a good thing."

I keep crossing my fingers that the SRX will stay in good shape. It's been eleven months and not a scratch. I don't park near other cars, and it goes right into the garage when we get home. Can you believe that we drove 6,000 miles on our trip and not even a rock flew up to scratch it? Hope my luck holds.

Richard

sterlingdog

I thought of you today. At our local Ford dealer, they have a 2008 yellow and white Mini. It has 44K miles and they are asking $19,900. The price seemed a little high to me, but I really don't know their resale value. Good luck with your possible purchase. They are such cute cars.

Richard

sterlingdog

I would have been very surprised to discover that you had not read the original work. You are a detail person and it shows.

Richard

roadburner

The 2008 is a 2nd Generation Mini; I suspect the price is about average.

nyccarguy

I'm completely desensitized to profanity & foul language. Here are a few of my favorite comedians (in no particular order):

Rodney Dangerfield
George Carlin
Richard Pryor
Chris Rock
Eddie Murphy
Bill Cosby
Jerry Seinfeld

mac24

I don't park near other cars.......................

Neither do I. I always find it amusing to watch people fight to squeeze in at the front of a parking lot, even to the extent of holding up the line to wait for someone to load up their car so that they can grab that spot.

I'm happy to take a slot at the back, well away from other cars and shopping carts. The exercise involved in getting to and from the store is just an added bonus.

bolivar

"You are correct. I saw Rodney Dangerfield at his club in New York. "

I was in his club in about 1970. For an untravelled, and still untravelled, person from the mid/southwest, that was one of the creepiest places I've been in. I thought I would see a nice 'theatre', but it was a long narrow hole in the wall. To my unfamliar eye, all the workers looked like Mafia mob guys. They wouldn't take my travelers check from Republic National Bank of Dallas (something like that) and if the two of us hadn't been able to come up with enough cash, I thought we would end up in the alley with a bullet in the brain.

Saw Buddy Hackett in Vegas about the same time. Outstanding! Laughed until my head and jaw hurt. He streched one joke for at least 15 minutes. It was about the guy with the ugly 'member' (trying to clean it up).

Lonesome George Gobel, best line ever, on the Carson show when Sinatra, Martin, and someone else wandered into his set. "Do you sometimes feel like a pair of brown shoes, and the whole world is a tuxedo?"

bolivar

"a car I saw listed in the SundayTulsa World classifieds: 1972 Ford Pinto. 10,200 original miles. Good condition and drives well. Best of all it's yellow. $3800."

Unbelievable you would post this. My somewhat flacky friend, who seems to think he always knows exactly what other people need in their life, found that ad. And has brought it up to me about three times as something that I should really own. Only thing of interest in that to me would be the colour yellow.

No, he's not 'somewhat flacky', he' downright weird at times.

My ex-FIL owned a Pinto. I remember that car had more steering wheel shake than a 1950's car being driven on a dirt road in Arkansas.

oldfarmer50

Especially the first part.

http://www.autonews.com/article/20110812/VIDEO/308129810/1219

mako1a

I guess gogi missed the post where Yellow was

dismissed as a possible Mustang color(colour).

It's a sort of gold-yellow for 2011-12. Think mustard.

Not the bright yellow of 2007-08 which I liked.

mako1a

However I am getting close to pulling the trigger

on a 2012 GT. White, plain jane base stereo A/T.

Dealer is a little short on the trade and holds firm on MSRP.

I'm going to show these figures to 2 other dealers today

and see if they can better the numbers or options list on theirs.

Since this dealer is a sticker seller I have no problem dropping

him as he has done nothing for me except hold firm. The car should

be coming in today or tomorrow, so I haven't even seen it yet.

mako1a

Farmer, this is what I would really like>

Red 2011 Vert

Notice it's a 2011 still listed as new. I wonder what he actually would sell for.
I'm guessing he's in the low 40ks. And where the heck is Yorkville, NY?

nyccarguy

From the 315 area code, it is somewhere in the Syracuse vicinity.

mako1a

Syracuse or Schnectady, to me just places far far away.

Just thought it was near you and you could brow beat the

guy on the 2011 to 6k under sticker, then drive it on down

here. I'll pick up the tab as long as it doesn't include tickets.

roadburner

I saw Sam Kinison twice in the '80s. This bit gives you a good idea of his comedic talent. The guy was out there...

driver100

The body shop I used (Pray Automotive Restorations in Stamford, CT)

They do a good job if you pray first!

driver100

Since this dealer is a sticker seller I have no problem dropping
him as he has done nothing for me except hold firm.

I like your thinking. The dealer hasn't done anything for you so you don't feel any obligation to him.

I am not sure isell will approve........let's see what he says, if he isn't too busy trying to keep up with new warning lights today.

driver100

And where the heck is Yorkville, NY?

Car looks nice, probably low $40s and it will be one year old next month.
Yorkville is about an hour east of Syracuse about 2 hours west of Albany close th the Thruway - Hwy 90.

mac24

Since this dealer is a sticker seller I have no problem dropping
him as he has done nothing for me except hold firm.

Just as the dealer is fully entitled to hold firm, you're fully entitled to walk away.

No harm, no foul.

oldfarmer50

Got back from Gloucester last night full of information on all the topics you guys were discussing while I was there.

robr2--We wern't in Magnolia. We were in Bay View. The relative owns one side of Plum Cove. The other side is owned by the president (owner?) of New Balance Shoes and the two of them have a friendly fireworks "battle" across the cove every July 4th. One year, the relative brought out a cannon so his booms would be bigger. :surprise: Quite a show. Not all of Gloucester is so upscale. We went to The Crowsnest which I understand is the actual bar the fishermen portrayed in The Perfect Storm frequented. I was told to not make eye contact with anyone lest a fight break out.

Car sales story--The relative traded his Toyota Camry Hybrid (2007, I think) for a new Mazda CX-9 black on black leather. Car is loaded. Moonroof, Boze stereo, auto-liftgate, Nav, backup camera, blind-spot warning radar, everything. When I drove it the handling was more like a car than a SUV, very tight on corners. Firm but comfortable. He said he looked at similar SUVs by Buick and Lexus but the Buick was too floaty and the Lexus was $12,000 more.

I tried to find out what he paid but all he would say is "you never get a really good deal when you trade". My best guess is about $38K off a $41K MSRP.

BBQ grills--The relative had a grill that cost $2500 when new. It was a `Fire Magic' or something brand. He didn't like it and replaced it with a $150 charcoal burner which he loves. It took two people a day to bust up the old one with hammers to haul it away.

Cats--Wife loves cats. We've had one (sometimes 3) as long as I can remember. All our cats are let out to control mice. The old grey domestic which we currently have is the best. A total killing machine. We used to have a Siamese that was a total acrobat. She would climb a lattice near the deck, leap over to the roof and wait. When a bird flew by the crazy thing would jump off the roof, do a back flip and bat the bird out of the air. She then would land on the deck and scoop up the stunned bird.

You don't control cats but you can reach an understanding with them. Our current cat feels he owns the bedroom but since I refuse to sleep with animals we have gotten to the point where I can give him "the look" and he will run out of the room.

mako1a--Yorkville is just west of Utica about 100 miles from me. I'd be happy to drive that red Mustang over to you. Just say the word.

It's nice to see you have the courage to get an automatic in a GT. I would probably do the same but be prepared to take a ribbing from the enthusists. I'm still trying to see if I can get an auto tranny AND the performance handling package in the V-6 model.

oldfarmer50

"...Where the heck is Yorkville..."

I forgot to mention that the Utica NY area is one of the most economically depressed areas in upstate NY which itself is a basket case. I doubt many people there have the $40 K price of such a car which is why the dealer is selling online.

You might be able to slip in a low-ball bid and win.

driver100

Utica NY area is one of the most economically depressed areas in upstate NY which itself is a basket case.

We went for our Ellicottville NY tennis weekend a few weeks ago and that area is also pretty deprssed. It is a skiing area, but they are trying to make it more of a summer destination. Thus Sky High Mountain Park was just openned this year. The area seems like it is struggling, but we went to the casino near Syracuse for our Saturday night dinner........and there was barely a slot machine, or seat available at the Black Jack table or the Crap tables, and the parking lot which has about 8 levels was almost filled to the top. You wouldn't know there was a recession going on!

New roller coaster ride:

robr2

Not all of Gloucester is so upscale.

I'd say that would apply to most of Gloucester.

BTW, did you get to Woodman's in Essex??

nyccarguy

How could I forget Sam! Sam was hysterical! Howard Stern refers to him as "The best guest I've ever had on the show."

His role in "Back to School" with Rodney Dangerfield was classic.

roadburner

His role in "Back to School" with Rodney Dangerfield was classic.

I could swear he was channeling one of my law school profs in that role. They looked and acted the same- except that my prof really cared about his students. He passed in 2009, a true friend and co-conspirator(it's a long story).

oldfarmer50

"...did you get to Woodman's in Essex?..."

No, the only other place we went to in Glocester was down the block from The Crowsnest. I can't remember the name but it was right on the water. It was basicly a big open room with a bar on one side and rows of long picnic tables in the middle. Big windows faced the harbor so you could look at the boats.

We went to this place to get chicken wings for my nephew. Like most 19 year olds he was acting lazy and entitled and ordered his father (my BIL) to "go get me some wings". We suggested to dad that we could teach the son a lesson if we brought back some wings that were so hot that he would have to hold the top of his head on. This place by the harbor had the hottest wings in town.

We got the "ghost" wings and were warned that the establishment was not responsible for any damages to the finish of your car should you spill them.

When we got them home, the nephew gobbled down a bunch without so much as a thank you. a few seconds later he remarked "these are kinda hot" followed by "AHHHHHH sombody give me water! AHHHHHHHH!!!!"

No one was listening because they were busy looking at the three old men rolling on the floor laughing. :P

mako1a

I'm still trying to see if I can get an auto tranny AND the performance handling package in the V-6 model.

I've become quite familiar with Mustangs lately and their wierd ordering system.

Your V6 will be around $1k less than the V8 stripper I'm looking at $31,300.

Adding a stereo to a GT is easier than adding more power to a V6.

oldfarmer50

"...Your V-6 will be around $1K less than the GT stripper..."

Yikes! How do you figure? $23K for base model V-6, $1K for auto and $2K for the performance package. Seems like $26K should do it plus dest. and TTL.

Don't tell me you need to order a bunch of other garbage to get what you want. :mad: The performance package for the V-6 is just the better brakes and handling parts off the GT. Doesn't change the hp.

nyccarguy

Thumbs up on a base Mustang GT in white. I don't particularly care what Ford or any reviewer says about how good the V6 with Track Package is, I'll take a V8. My mere average driving skills wouldn't be able to extract the best of the sportier suspension tuning. A Mustang for me is a car about WANTS, not NEEDS. And I'd WANT a V8.

roadburner

And I'd WANT a V8

Agreed; I'd spec a GT Premium with the Brembo Package as well as xenons and heated seats. for me that would be the perfect Mustang- short of a Boss 302...

oldfarmer50

"...about WANTS, not NEEDS..."

I WANTS a GT but I NEEDS to figure out how to pay for the gas, hence the V-6.

js06gv

Been reading your posts and hard to believe dealers won't budge off MSRP on a 2012 GT. I bought a heavily loaded 2011 GT Premium in Dec 2010 for just over 5K off list inclusive of the $2,000 rebate at the time. Not sure if there is a current rebate. I posted the details in Prices Paid if you're interested. Good luck. By the way the car is incredible.