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Stories from the Sales Frontlines
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We recently moved into a 10 year old condo on Lake Ontario (just west of Toronto) and will be undertaking some serious bathroom and kitchen renovations. For three weeks, our home will be basically uninhabitable, so Florida here we come (in our Subaru Outback).
We will be in three areas...Venice, St.Augustine and then up to Hilton Head to see our oldest son and his family of two teenage boys. Then back home to see what has transpired with the renovations. We are really comfortable with the company that is doing the work. They are doing work in the suite next to ours right now and we are really impressed with their professionalism.
Down sizing fron a large bungalow into a apartment high rise has been quite traumatic, but my wife is an amazing organizer and we got rid of all our excess stuff...to the kids, neighbours, garage sales, Kijiji, and the Salvation Army, who were thrilled with our donations (particularly wth the antiques and jewellery that they auction off for money they do so much good with).
Thanks again for your thoughts.
Doug
P.S. to Fezo....keep up your wonderful attitude. You are a role model for all of us!
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Not sure about those figures on Jetta sales. I found this info:
The Volkswagen Jetta and Passat helped VW reach 27,209 sales in January of 2012, making it the best selling German automaker in the United States, and giving it its best January since 1974.
Read more VW sales; Jetta Sales
Although Jetta sales were down a fraction (less than 2%, Passat sales skyrocketed and I think many potential Jetta buyers went with the Passat, a lot more car for just a bit more.
Another good article:One of the biggest gainers was Tiguan, the small crossover SUV that VW says will become a pillar of its U.S. growth plan. The Tiguan is still a small-numbers seller, but did enjoy a 50% gain in January, to 2,308 vehicles.
Tiguan is not one of the models that VW has "Americanized." It remains a German-based import with a few tweaks and updates for the 2012 model now on sale.
The completely overhauled and aimed at the U.S. models are the Jetta sedan and Passat. Jetta sedan's booming success appears to have run its course. Sales were off 1.8%.VW figures Jetta sales now will settle in at a solid level, rising or fallung a bit each month.
Passat, though, was up a ridiculous 5,750% because it is compared with the model that was discontinued and almost gone from dealer lots a year ago. Still, its sales tally of 6,318 in January made it the second-best-selling VW, behind Jetta.
Passat is made at Chattanooga, Tenn. As was Jetta, Passat was enlarged and priced lower to appeal to more U.S. buyers.
Read more at:U.S.A. Today Jetta Sales
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Great picture and cute kid. If he has outgrown the bmw then Fezo will be asking for it.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I agree with the others, the heck with the gas milage. If you can afford it enjoy it.
I drive a 66 passenger SUV that is 35 feet long and it's diesel gets between 8 and 11 miles to the gallon.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
His question was always, Is that a good number or a bad number?
Thanks for doing some homework on the numbers.
I'm thinking part of the success Hyundai and VW are having is that when you buy a new one, it's easy to tell it's a new one.
Buy a new Honda or Toyota, people are not so sure.
Yes, at first glance it looks like the Jetta had lower sales in January. They did, but only 2% lower and the reason was many buyers probably upgraded to the new Passat for just a few dollars more. The real fact is that VW is having a tremendous year, so the Jetta is far from a failure.
Your CEO was a wise man...........let's really look at what those numbers really mean.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Doug - condo on Lake Ontario? Sweet - especially when you can haul down to Florida at the peak of winter - such as winter has been this time out, Will take it over last year's any day.
:surprise:
We have half that with 6 people living here! Can we move in?
I'm thinking shirt collars were starched a little too much for Richard's liking.
The completely overhauled and aimed at the U.S. models are the Jetta sedan and Passat. Jetta sedan's booming success appears to have run its course. Sales were off 1.8%. VW figures Jetta sales now will settle in at a solid level, rising or fallung a bit each month.
Sales are usually compared with 12 months before. So while the Jetta's sale were very good, they were down. Even VW said it. It looks like Jetta's sales have peaked.
Sales were down a fraction but I am sure VW is very happy. It is the overall sales that count and VW sold more cars in January than any other German car company. Audi sales were up almost 20%.
The thing is, though Jetta sales were down about 2% overall sales are tremendous and some customers may have upgraded to Passats or Audis, so it isn't the downfall of the Jetta. Keep in mind there are fluctuations that we may not know about, such as supply, if there were incentives in December that cut into January sales, etc etc.
VW deserves a lot of credit reading the U.S. market so well, and building cars people are buying.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
On Friday that week we were there for lunch and the waitress said to come back Tuesday night, for the rib special.
So, the 4 of us went on the next Tuesday. They decided to to drop the rib special and the waitress said that evenings special braised beef on confetti rice was a great replacement.
It was awful...small amount of so-so beef on a large pile of dried out rice.
We told the waitress and she said she would talk to the cook. Big deal!!!!!
I decided to email the manager/owner. Nicely told him how we were disappointed and thought it was better to let him know how we felt about the meal.
He offered to give us two free rib dinners when we wanted to come to the restaurant. The 4 of us went last night...figured if we paid for 2 that would be fine.
The ribs were excellent, the service was as good as it could be, the owner/manager wasn't there but the assistant manager had a long nice talk to us. He happened to be a Canadian/American because his parents were from U.S. but he was born and raised in Montreal.
When the bill came they gave us all our meals for free. The bill came to $8 for 4 beers...it was buy one get one free night.
We left a tip of $20 since the tip should be based on the real price of the food (who says Canadians are cheap tippers?).
We left, after a great evening. I am glad I complained.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Test Drive 2012 BMW 328/335
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Yeh, and I thought the 2011 328 and 335 looked good. This one looks even sleeker, longer hood, wider and longer with larger windows.
I am thinking of a Fusion for Florida. Now my wife is thinking of bringing her 335 down and getting a 2012 for herself. hmmmmmmm
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
This is what happened, at 4:40 pm est;
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Nope....I found a way to trick the gremlins. I made my post while they were fixing it, then I went on a 2nd internet exploerer and kept checking the site until it came on again.
Then when I saw it came back on I went to my original post and actually posted it.
You got to try to outsmart them!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Despite what the reviewer wrote, this is BMW sort of going back to it's roots, at least far as it's North American history is concerned.
True, but BMW perfected the 6 cyl engine, and the 6 just has better balance and efficiency. Personally, I like the economy of a turbo along with the turbo boost you get when you need it, so I would probably have no problem with a 4 cyl bmw turbo engine, especially if it has more ponies than the 6 cyl model.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Yes, I learned the first day that we're part of the important underground movement. :P
The final offer on the Georgian home was accepted today. This one goes on the market tomorrow. We'll see how long the ride takes.
Richard
Retro! We're on our way back to the '50s!
Richard
driver - you tricky dog....
That's a common misconception; the S14 motor was a naturally aspirated four cylinder version of the four valve DOHC S38 motor found in the E28 M5 and E24 M6. Prior to the N54 twin turbo BMW had only sold two turbo gasoline cars- the 2002 Turbo back in 1974 and the E23 745i back in the '80s.
That said, BMW is returning to it's roots. When the Neue Klasse 1500 was introduced in 1962 it was only available with an I4. BMW didn't sell a modern I6 until 1968 when the E3 sedans d were introduced. That original M10 four stock block even served as the basis for the 1,500 bhp turbo engines BMW used to win the F1 Manufacturers Championship in 1983.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Congratulations! Did you put any conditions on the house you were buying. Several times we didn't put conditions on our offers and they got accepted, sometimes over higher offers.
With the Florida home we did put conditions on the home. Too many unknowns when buying in Florida or in another area all together.
How will the market be for selling your home? I guess you have done this enough times to make it all work....and I don't suppose you have a deadline where yours must be sold. Wouldn't it be nice if house values go up when you are holding two houses?
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Congratulations.
Just curious, how many places did you have to look at before the two of you decided this was the one you guys wanted?
Isn’t it about time you let ‘fez’ know that the reason you needed this size of a home is because you are thinking of leaving half of it to him some day along with the side of the garage that the Sebring uses.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
In related news, Impreza sales are up 175% despite limited quantities available and waiting lists, and almost tripled January 2011 numbers for January 2012. Looks like the new model is a hit, but I'm sure that will plateau like the Jetta.
Subie Sales
Good, keep up the good work!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Is larsb still fighting that old guy gracie after all these years? I got to respect both of them for sticking to their guns although I think larsb is as wrong as anyone could be.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Way to spoil our plans Richard.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Yes he did and being an old eco-hippie from the 70s I supported some of his positions. Where we differed was in the economics of his alternative energy solutions. When I built my passive solar house I researched everything from solar panels to windmills and found that none of them had a payback period worth the investment (at least up here in the cloudy northeast). I choose instead to invest in super insulation which has since been adopted by energy efficient construction nation-wide.
I still can't see spending the same money as I would pay for a Mustang GT on a Chevy Volt. I'm earth friendly but I'm not nuts.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120203/RETAIL06/120209928/1- 379
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Yeah, lars didn't have any concept of economics at all - and the fact that he drove a Camry hybrid could make him insufferable at times.
I'm with you on the Mustang GT vs. Volt as well. I'd be willing to pay a bit for a nice hybrid or some such thing but I'm not crazy.
gagrice - who I tend to disagree on a lot of things has some things just right - like if he's going to go high milage for a car it'd be a diesel.
I think you missed the point of my original post. I was just saying how it was a German-VW that outsold the US-VW.
First, thanks to all for the good wishes. Still, it is far from a done deal. The only condition in the contract is a contingency that our house must sell within 90 days. With the new due diligence regulations, the owner must remove his house from the market for a specified amount of time. He chose 90 days. I don't blame him. Under the old rules, an owner could continue to show his property to prospective buyers. This no longer holds true. The new rule actually benefits the buyer, but handicaps the seller to a degree. If our house doesn't sell in 90 days, we could ask the owner for an extension. To do that, we would have to prove that our house was actively being seen. Even then, the owner might not grant the extension.
After buying 14 houses over the years, I outlined my strategy for this deal very carefully. First, I negotiated a great deal on the new property. I wanted to do this because I'm planning to take a $42K loss on the current house. I'm doing this in order to meet the 90 day target. The money lost will be made up by the deal that I got on the new property. I managed to negotiate the owner's price downward by $110K. Even his listing agent was amazed.
As to your inquiry regarding the market here: It's better than the national average and much better than New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Arizona---the four states with the worst market conditions presently. Our resort market here has always depended on New York and Pennsylvania first. Another factor here is the amount of inventory out there and the price competition. The U.S. is also preparing for the final flood of foreclosures to hit the market within the next three to six months. That will also impact the market. I'm trying to beat the arrival of that flood. I'm saying all of this to simply put it this way: I don't know what my chances are. Our listing agent spent four hours here this morning. She liked the staging of the house, the lighting, the layout, the rear garden area and the front landscaping. Also, the lake across the street helps. She thinks that it will show exceptionally well. Still, there are other homes in the area which also show exceptionally well. Our home has two advantages over some: (1) We are 45 minutes from the rear entrance to Ft. Bragg---a key component in the market just now. (2) Our house is turn key---it's all been done by us with $80K in renovations. It's a crap shoot---the right buyer in the right place at the right time. We'll see.
As for "holding two houses"? Not me. My wife suggested that we move forward and leave ours behind rented. Been there, done that---a disaster. Renters don't take care of houses the same way as I, the owner, would. They also skip out on you, and they often complain about this and that. I'm too old to deal with all of that crap.
To answer Jmonroe's question: This was the only house that we considered or were interested in buying. We've known about this house for years and had been in it at times for parties and meetings. We always agreed that if it ever came on the market and we could afford it, we would try to buy it. Until 5 years ago, we could never have afforded it. It finally came on the market at the right point in our lives. Though it is a dream home, I try to remember that it is only a house. If it's meant to be, it will happen. If not, I have a nice house now. We'll let the Guy upstairs help us along this road.
To Fezo: What will I do with 4,200 sq.ft.? We'll fill it with all of this furniture that we don't want to sell, left to us by people that we loved. Though it's only material objects, each one does have a memory attached for us. The convertible? I'll leave it parked in the garage for you.
Richard
Maybe oldfarmer will come along for the ride.
Now that you describe everything - like how you;ve had your eye on this house all that time - this all makes sense. Besides, of course, it's your money. Do what makes you happy. Oh, and leave it to me when you are gone.....
Right now with the transplant looming sooner and all these things to fill out many of which are "in case...." type things I should make sure I leave you something "in case." How about the car loan on my Solara?
Richard