Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Stories from the Sales Frontlines
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"...but the General Manager speaks to me and gives me the keys to his personal demo and his business card with cell number if I had any questions while driving it"
"Hello Mr. General Manager, this is tjc78 driving your demo Buick LaCrosse. I think they're something wrong with your car."
"What seems to be the problem? Maybe I can walk you through it over the phone."
"I can't seem to get this car above 124 mph..."
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Thanks Mako, I appreciate it.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
I've had a Town Car and a Grand Marquis.... a Buick is a step in the right direction.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
Edit: oops, forgot the "s". Too late now.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
You figured me out! Its a pretty quick car, since its so quiet you don't even notice it. On the demo I had I stomped on it at around 60 and much to my surprise 90 came up pretty fast.
I think my V6 Genesis was slightly quicker off the line, but on the highway it would be pretty even.
Thanks, everyone for the congrats!
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
LOL... had one of those too!
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
Sorry, not saying leasing or buying is better. My apologies.
I'm just old and you're obviously young so whatever method of putting a new(er) car in the driveway works for you is what to do.
Congrats on achieving your objective and not having to deal with a trade-in.
ps I think Buick is a wonderful car. The leasing Co probably wouldn't like me drilling holes in the dash to mount my HAM radio gear, not to mention the hole in the roof for the antenna.
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
You didn't even know it was there until you turned it on. :surprise:
You didn't even know it was there until you turned it on.
Cool, can you watch it while you are on the john?
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
And did he keep the receipt?
Or at least get a copy of the surveillance tape of him making the purchase?
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
There was a land line phone in the 'stall' though.
I have seen that before.
No wifi so you could not post to edmunds while on the throne unless you paid for it.
Just don't accidentally turn on the web-cam.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I knew a guy in Orlando who rented Caddys, got some crazy deal on em through, I think, Alamo. About $700 a month with insurance included.
He figured it would be $550+ a month to lease one and he had some tickets on his record, so this way he was paying about the same, plus unlimited miles, plus he never drove more than a year old car. Not all that crazy when you think about it.
Not a bad idea. All the maintenance done and maybe he could get a deal where he gets a different car each month.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
tjc....congrats on the new car. It's sweet.
For the record, one of my favorite cities in the world is Vancouver, BC!
When I was traveling to Brazil for work, the point was made to me that they were Americans, too.
I guess folks tend to get more sensitive about the whole "I'm an American" thing than those of us who are citizens of the U.S. IMHO, anyone who lives in North or South America can call themselves Americans. Makes no never mind to me (as I assume it doesn't for most U.S. citizens).
You didn't even know it was there until you turned it on.
Don’t start with that stuff, OK. :mad: I’ve heard of those but that seems way over the top as far as I’m concerned.
I’m still trying to catch my breath from the quote without that thingy.
I will put a land line in that new space (if we do it) since the phone in the bedroom would be a real schlep from the new space. :sick:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Agree, and don't forget about Central Americans.....they can call themselves Americans too :P
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I don’t agree with any of that at all. Until the people in all of the so called Americas stand side by side with our soldiers in battle, they are not Americans. People may live in North, Central and South America but they are not Americans as the world or I view them. When the world rips on America I’m sure they are not talking about the continents. Note that I did not say that they were not good people.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Technically, they are Americans, to clarify South Americans, North Americans, and Central Americans. However, you kind of win the rights to the name "Americans" because what else could we possibly call you?
We can't call you USAers or USicans, nothing else works. So, you win the right to be called "Americans".
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I wasn’t looking to “win” anything. I know what I am and I know what the world calls me. I’m proud of it and won’t deny it EVER.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
There are a few companies that make those - they are pretty cool.
Not a problem. Didn't mean to forget the Central Americans. Then there are the native Americans (North, Central and South America's original inhabitants).
How about a person from Norway, who's transplanted to Brazil and became a citizen. Does that make them a Norwegian-Brazilian American?
I do think it gets to be a bit silly. If you're a citizen of an American continent (North, Central, South) then technically, you're American.
However, the term "American" is widely used to designate the citizens of The United States of America. I don't think many (if any) would think of a Canadian, or a Brazilian, or a Mexican, as an American. That seems to be the designation of those of us who live in one of the 50 states.
Matter of fact, I've spoken to many Hawaians who don't necessarily designate themselves as Americans, but do as Hawaians.
Long and short of this, it's more about semantics than anything else.
How's that for a tangent? And, I've been gone for awhile, too. :P
No need to talk about Americans at all.
That's fine, but a little bit awkward. Easier to call people from the USA Americans, every one knows what you mean. And it is short for United States of America.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Unfortunately, not every one would agree.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I am in the market for a Wrangler Unlimited 2012. For those who don't know, the interior between the 11's and 12's are the same. However, the engine has been HUGELY improved. It went from crappy to very good. Through work, I have a Jeep control number, which gives me 1% below invoice without haggling.
On Wednesday afternoon I went over to my local dealership where I take my current Grand Cherokee for service. A salesman approaches me and asks me what I'm looking for. I knew they didn't have a 2012 from their website, so I asked him to testdrive a 2011 to see the interior. The salesman went to get a key.
The salesman didn't know anything about the Jeeps. He has been selling cars for 18 years, but he's only been at this dealership 1 week. He didn't ask me for my license, which has never happened to me, but it was a nice change. We get in and off we go. The interior was very nice, but the engine s.., err, was bad, and I didn't like how it drove.
We get back and I asked to drive a Grand Cherokee since it has the new V6 that the Wrangler has (with small differences.) The salesman told me he would get somebody more knowledgable. It wasn't until that point that he asked for my name and introduced himself. I thought it was weird that he waited that long to introduce himself, but whatever.
The new salesperson comes and he actually introduced himself. So that was an improvement. He knew Jeeps better, but still made some very basic mistakes. We get into the Grand Cherokee and off we go. The new engine was much nicer, so I was ready to get a 2012 Wrangler.
To be continued in next post.
They couldn't find exactly what I wanted anywhere in the country. There's one in New Jersey that was close to what I wanted. I thought for a second about asking Fezo to drive it to California for me, but I decided to go with a special order.
The guy who does the special orders was gone for the day. So they took my information and they said he would call me Thursday. Thursday came and went without a call. Friday came and went. Still no call.
Friday afternoon I go to another local dealer. They actually had 2012's in stock. The salesperson introduced himself :-) We went on a the testdrive and it drove so much better. I decided that I did want a 2012.
We went back to the dealership. As I expected they couldn't find what I wanted so they asked me if I wanted to do a special order. I told them about the control number. He gave me a line about how they usually not accept control numbers for special orders, but they would make an exception this time.
They placed the order and they didn't ask for a deposit saying that if I didn't want it, it'd be easy for them to sell. Very easy transaction and it took about 20 mins from the time we finished the test drive to when I was walking out the door.
I couldn't believe how bad the first dealership acted. Bad initial contact with me and they never called me as promised. If they ever call back, I can't wait to tell them that I have already bought from somebody else because they had never called me back.
To be continued in 8 to 10 weeks :-)
I know people in California are more laid back but that dealership was really laid back....do they have an unlisted phone number too?.
It sounds like their staff are not experienced, and your request probably fell through the cracks....got misplaced.
I don't know if you were around when I had my experience with 2 dealers, but, the 2 BMW dealers I went to were like night and day. One was user friendly and we worked together, the other was insulting and arrogant.
Sounds like the 2nd dealer was a good dealer to buy a car from. Hope you enjoy the Wrangler. Is it a 4 door or 2 door? Why did you go from a Grand Cherokee to a Wrangler? Did you go to the dealer where you bought before? Do you want a Wrangler for off road driving?
Congratulations and good luck. We have been selling a few cars around here lately.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Central America is part of North America.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Thank you Driver.
Yes, I was around for that. You gave the manager a funny name, right?
I got the 4 door. We're trading the Grand Cherokee for the Wrangler because we wanted something for more serious off roading. We got the Rubicon.
The 2nd dealer is not one we usually go to b/c it's about a 45 min drive versus 10 min drive for the 1st one.
* Fezo, enjoy the retirement
* Congrats on the new Buick!
* Regarding NAFTA, I have a unique perspective being from Mexico. I came to the US in 1991 right around the time NAFTA was starting to have an effect.
There were winner and losers on all sides. You'll be surprised to hear that a lot of people in Mexico were/are unhappy with NAFTA. They couldn't compete with US companies. All of a sudden you could find American milk and American toilet paper that was cheaper than the Mexican stuff. Like somebody said, protected/weak industries all of a sudden couldn't compete. Before NAFTA there was only McDonalds. Now you can find *every* brand of fast food in Mexico.
Nothing is black or white. Tons of grey in here.
* Agreed on the stupid extremist rethoric from both sides
Good board, even though it's usually so far off topic that Craig has probably given it up for dead.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Not the most practical car, but it's fun!
We ordered it in Deep Cherry Red Crystal Pearl. I also liked the Sahara Tan, but it's no longer in production.
I wanted it in Flame Red Clear, but my wife is a red head and she refuses to drive a red car.
She wasn't thrilled about the Deep Cherry red, but I told her it wasn't red, it was burgundy. :P
Good memory! Yes, I called him Rocko because that's what his name sounded like when he introduced himself and he slurred his name, and he sounded like a thug.
I'll have to check the dealer website to see if he is still there, not that I'll buy a car there....I'll go there for service though, it's 20 minutes away compared to about 50 minutes away.
Which dealer will you go to for service?
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Hey, driver, remember when we could ride all day in a hard
suspension Jeep and not have to take backache medicine
the next day? Today my discs degenerate just looking at one.
But, Jeeps sure are fun to go explore in.
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
Old Police Cars
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Yup, the body changes in funny ways. I drove over half the country about 2000 miles in a VW bug in 1968. The thought of doing that now just gives me thoughts of excrutiating pain.
I am fine driving the 328 Cabriolet, but the 535 is so much more comfortable, you don't know the difference until you try it. (more room, seats are higher, more comfortable, lumbar support, etc).
It's like finding out you need glasses. The world looks fine until you realize how much better you can see when you get fitted with glasses the first time - welcome to the real world.
Mako, you said something a long time ago that was very important to me. It was something like, "If you worry about the little dollars too much you won't make big dollars". If you remember could you tell me why you said that or believe it?
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
But, we'd ride our bikes to this farm and where they weren't plowing or harvesting, we'd take that Plymouth out and have a ball slinging it through the gravel, dirt and mud....until, we turned 16 and bought our own cars we could drive on the road.
I think he ended up selling that Plymouth for more than he bought it for. Poor person who bought it had no idea the abuse it went through, but it still ran, and ran pretty well.
Just noticing, there are major changes going on in the small car segments. Lots of new models...everybody shooting for 40 MPG. Saw my first Fiat 500 on the road around here last night. Cure little cars (certainly better than "Smart").
It will be interesting to note what will happen with oil demand dropping like a rock over the next several years and how that affects these small (and sometimes electric) cars.
It had to do with car dealing and was more like "Don't lose track of the thousands while worrying about the hundreds"
Kind of like when they quietly raise the price by $2k then boldly spring the $150 doc fee on you. Guess which number most people pay attention to?
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
Got you! And a good point. Like give you a car at cost, so you think you are saving $1000, but give you $2500 less for your trade in.
Sometimes it happens in business. I saw a manager who wouldn't spend $500 to get a new laptop, and sometimes he lost important messages. The profit from one good order would have more than paid for a new laptop, but he wouldn't spend the money to fix it until it broke down completely.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Yes, I saw an ad in the paper for a Kia Optima Hybrid, gets about 40 mpg on the highway, looks good, and is pretty impressive, all equipped for about $28k.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Not the right color, but I think I got the right car:
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I'm planning on doing my own oil changes. But if I need any service or warranty work, I'll probably go to the closer dealer.
I called him Rocko because that's what his name sounded like when he introduced himself and he slurred his name, and he sounded like a thug.
I totally picture a thug with that name. In my mind, he has a pinky ring.
You got it. I also got the hardtop instead of the softop.