Stories from the Sales Frontlines

graphicguy

bwia...you don't need an app for that. Have her visit here and over at "Entry Level Luxury Performance Sedans" (ELLPS) thread. We're really good at giving advice that's worth every penny of what she would pay for it.

There are the usual suspects as driver points out.....Audi A4, BMW 328i, Acura TL (opt for the full zoot SH AWD TECH model), Volvo S60 (although that one barely inches in with its unashamed lack of cachet).

If she's the "Buy American" type, the Cadillac CTS (and the newly released ATS) would fit the bill....as would any of the Lincoln models that are car based.

She really should test drive all the above. That will give her a really good idea of what she wants/likes or what she doesn't want/like.

Then, she should go to the ELLPS thread and post her impressions, where we'll rip them apart, word by word.

Then, she should come back here so we can give her step by step instructions on how to flog her dealer.

sterlingdog

"How can you have a hot water heater under the house and still vent it?"

Our house in Pinehurst had the hot water heater under the house and it was vented. We never had a problem with it.

The one place that you don't want a hot water heater is in the attic. Our first house had it that way. One Christmas Eve the heater burst and water came rushing down the walls and the attic stairs like a river. I grabbed a garden hose and ran it from the attic to the kitchen door. Still, the walls had to be painted and the living room carpet replaced. The new one went in the garage. I never understood why some dummy put that thing in the attic!

Our water heaters in our new house are placed in the large furnace room off of the garage.

Richard

sterlingdog

"...how is the diet going?"

I reached my goal of 30 pounds. Test results were great and the doctor was very pleased. Since we've moved and have been so involved in fixing up the house, we've done too much eating out. I have gained back 10 of those pounds. I returned to my diet last evening.

Richard

sterlingdog

"But the house only has two people in it 98% of the time..."

The 80 gallon hot water heater is for the other 2%---when friends or family visit. Besides, my wife can spend over an hour in the shower. :sick: Me? I'm in and out in ten minutes.

Richard

sterlingdog

I-95 goes all of the way to Florida and right pass our door. You must be too far west to follow that route.

Richard

sterlingdog

"We are now anxiously awaiting event #3."

I'll make you feel better. Your disaster with the other car was #1. Therefore, your cycle of three has finally ended.

Richard

sterlingdog

"As for the money, I would much rather have the money involved to keep people working somewhere than have the company collapse."

You always give very logical and thoughtful explanations. One of the nation's problems today is that people form qucik opinions without giving thought to the effects on others.

Jmonroe: I agree with you. I see the banks as a much bigger problem than the auto industry.

Richard

sterlingdog

"...I didn't know if that store should have been clothing or furniture."

Having done modeling when I was young (wore high end clothing) and selling antiques as an older person, I can tell you that either choice would have made you big bucks. In recent years, furniture hasn't produced as big a profit, but clothing has always remained profitable. So many people, men included, now want to look fashionable and look good in their clothes. Those with money, and some without, will pay top dollar for the silk tie and the handmade suit. Unfortunately, the sense of entitlement and vanity has gone too far. At least that perspective has paid off for your local clothier.

Richard

Sandman6472

Hey there Broward County neighbor...got a feeling you are over in Deerfield Beach by the way you describe your community...could it be CV East? We're over by the Sawgrass Expressway and 441 and our development backs up to it. Since you are so knowledgeable with the car biz, I might need your advice in a few months when we shop for the wife's next new ride. She already knows what she wants, or thinks she does, so I might want to ask you some things.

Hope you are feeling better...not in here to often anymore. Take care and stay well. I'm still catching up on posts in here and just finished up with May posts!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

sterlingdog

Mrs. Jip must be kin to my wife. You do remember all of the times that my wife has tried to destroy my convertible. It's strange. She's done nothing to the Cadillac---YET!

Richard

sterlingdog

"Not to get into politics,..."

Watch out. Remember the last time? You know that part of my job is to keep you nice and friendly.

Richard

oldfarmer50

"...just imagine a 70 or 80 year old retiree trying to figure it out..."

I don't see much benefit of a lot of this new technology especially some of the nanny stuff like back-up cameras and fancy nav systems. The first time I fought with technology was in 1974 when some dope thought it would be a good idea to interlock your seat belts with you ignition. If you put a six pack on the passengers seat the car wouldn't start.

Took me 5 minutes to find the sensor wires and rip them out. :mad:

I might be persuaded to embraces some of the electronic performance enhancers like stability control and some of those electronic suspension gizmos like Caddy has installed.

oldfarmer50

"...Corvette..."

Ha ha love it!

oldfarmer50

"...you hit the "Agree" button on the touch screen to accept the NAV wavier thing..."

I refuse to drive a car that I have to hire a lawyer to negotiate with before I can use it. :sick:

driver100

You know that part of my job is to keep you nice and friendly.

I know, I know! You have done a good job of it too, I haven't gotten into trouble for over a year now.

Thanks for keeping me on the straight and narrow........

driver100

, we've done too much eating out.

If your eating out it is almost impossible to lose weight. Almost everything will have potatoes or rice, butter and bread and to enhance the flavor lots of salt.

Good luck, losing 30 pounds is a tremendous achievement. Even losing 20 pounds is really good. Hope you can lose that 10 again, maybe they'll call you for some more modelling jobs.....hopefully not for Metamucil though. :P

abacomike

Hey there Broward County neighbor

I'm in Coconut Creek. South end at Lyons and Coconut Creek Parkway, adjacent to the Turnpike. So we are not very far from each other. I'm at your disposal for your wife's car. Just let me know which car it is.

explorerx4

A lot of people don't realize that if any of the Big 3 were allowed to fail, it would have taken down the whole domestic industry, which means anyone building vehicles in the US.
They all use the same sub contractors for a percentage of parts.
If one or more of the big 3 could not pay their bills, the sub couldn't pay their bills, then the parts they supply to BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota, etc... would not have been available.
Also, there was no way to make up the lost product volume if any one of them failed.
In other words, we would all have a tough time trying to buy a new car.

driver100

Big 3 were allowed to fail, it would have taken down the whole domestic industry, which means anyone building vehicles in the US.

Probably an excellent point. It sounds logical, but I find it hard to believe that the Honda and Toyota factories would still keep buying parts, and the suppliers would downsize. The Big 3 would be bought up by new investors who would make them more efficient and make them stronger than they are now.

Just saying, there is no real answer, but, I think what you said could make sense. I am just presenting the other arguement.

explorerx4

A few years ago, I bought an upgraded rear view mirror from one of those suppliers.
When I went to their website, you could get a mirror for a dozen or so manufacturers.
If that company went out of business, where are you going to get an OEM replacement in a reasonable amount of time?
You can't sell a new car without a rear view mirror.
Not only that, Chrysler sold about 125k vehicles in July.
If they went down, how is that volume replaced in the short term?
The industry can't just flip a switch to make more vehicles.

abacomike

I went to the mall this afternoon at about 12:30 PM to get a little shopping done and to have a quick bite at Chick-Fil-A. As I entered through Bloomingdales on my way to the food court, I saw hundreds (could be as many as a thousand) of people running toward the food court too. I was totally unaware of the support action spearheaded by Mike Huckabee to have lunch at CFA. Must have been sleeping or something.

The lines were 8 deep and went from Bloomindales to the food court - about 200 feet or so. I've never seen the mall so crowded before - not even during Christmas shopping times. Obviously, I did not wait on line, but when I exited the mall, there must have been 200 buses surrounding the mall. Never seen anything like it before , especially in Boca Raton.

Was sure looking forward to chicken strip value meal. But from what I have heard, the support action was highly successful. If I had known about the onslaught, I would have stayed home.

imidazol97

>If you're eating out it is almost impossible to lose weight. Almost everything will have potatoes or rice, butter and bread.

I just ate this even at Brio (regional upscale group Italian in Columbus) with our son after he was off work. I had a grilled salmon salad which includes my favorite asparagas in the salad, which were supposed to be grilled lightly and added to the salad hot like the salmon. Great meal. They do serve a sourdough bread and flatbread slices for the table with a 2x2 inch slab of _real_ butter. Tempting and tasty, so just go easy on the bread. Water to drink. No dessert.

It is possible to find nice meals for calorie saving.

driver100

I-95 goes all of the way to Florida and right pass our door.

I-77 goes through Savannah and Charlotte. Is that close? I see I-95 but we would have to go East to Washington and then head South. That could make for an interesting trip, one day when we have more time.

We can make good use of your 80 gallon tank when we get to your house.

driver100

Tempting and tasty, so just go easy on the bread. Water to drink. No dessert

Sounds good and I have grown to appreciate drinking low calorie water, that can save 100 to 200 calories right there, or almost 10% of your daily quota.

Yes, you can eat at restaurants and keep under calorie budget, but you have to choose very carefully. It's just easier to control your intake by eating at home....chicken, fish or small portion of beef, and a salad or vegetable.

If you are travelling that is hard to do, sometimes you don't have those choices or the time to stop for real food. Most fast food comes in sandwich form.

driver100

If that company went out of business, where are you going to get an OEM replacement in a reasonable amount of time?

Where there is an opportunity to make a profit someone will find it....that is the beauty of your wonderful country, and the capitalist system.

You might be without a mirror for a short time, but not for long. In Russia they lined up to buy toilet paper because companies had to produce it but couldn't make a profit. In the U.S.A. (and Canada) companies can make a profit making it, so there are about 10 brands always in stock.

driver100

I just wanted to write Post # 82000 :shades:

jmonroe

I just wanted to write Post # 82000

That's OK with me as long as I'm the one that gets 100K and the pin that goes with it.

I'm not all that worried, I got the OK from 'kirstie', remember? :P

jmonroe

driver100

I'm not all that worried, I got the OK from 'kirstie', remember?

I haven't forgotten...and you have been working very hard lately to reach your goal. :P :P

driver100

DETROIT (AP) — From the tiny Fiat 500 to the Ram pickup truck, sales of Chrysler vehicles charged higher in June, despite concerns that buyers would be turned off by slower hiring.

Chrysler U.S. sales rose 20 percent — its best June in five years — thanks to demand across its lineup.

The industry overall is expecting growth of 20 percent over June of last year. While the pace of sales is expected to cool somewhat from the start of the year, underlying demand remains strong. New models like the Ford Escape and Dodge Dart — which both arrived in dealerships last month — should draw out buyers.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen's sales rose 34 percent on strong demand for two recently redesigned cars: the Beetle and the Passat. Volkswagen is on track to have its best year in the U.S. since 1973 thanks to a cheaper, revamped lineup.

Demand for Chrysler's Ram pickup — its best-seller — increased 12 percent over a year earlier as home building perked up. Cars saw even bigger increases. Sales of the Fiat 500 and the Chrysler 300 large sedan more than doubled from a year ago. And Chrysler sold 200 compact Darts last month.

sterlingdog

"Too bad you didn't put the speaker phone on and maybe you could have heard what she was saying about you."

A friend of mine warned me the other day that I needed to push the "End Call" button on my Smart Phone after a call. He said that twice now he has heard me talking to my wife when I "hung up" the phone. That could prove to be embarrassing at times. Thank goodness I didn't "bad mouth" my friend when I ended the call. :P

Richard

sterlingdog

So where did you get this fabulous TV and how much did it cost?

Richard

sterlingdog

"....hopefully not for Metamucil though."

LOL! At my age and with my looks, they would probably ask me to model for Depends! My nephew and niece now look at my old modeling pictures and say, "It's hard to believe that this is you." My response: It is hard to believe that Wills can be changed so easily. Speaking of, where is Fezo?

Richard

sterlingdog

"...there must have been 200 buses..."

That's how you make a point these days---just bus them in to the site. I bet some of those people had never eaten a chicken sandwich. :sick:

Richard

sterlingdog

"Is that close?"

We're two and a half hours east of Charlotte. Can you not pick up I-95 further north, say New York, from where you are?

Richard

driver100

It is hard to believe that Wills can be changed so easily.

I laughed out loud at that one!!!!!

Speaking of, where is Fezo?

That is a good question....hope he is doing alright.

fezo

Fezo is back in the hospital. I'd been home all of 10 days and went back for checkup and the toxoplasmosis I've had all my life had reactivated. They had changed the preventive meda they had me on to one that proved ineffective. Normally this shows up in a retina This time it's a lesion on my brain. I'm stuck here for some time and not happy about it at all.

driver100

Can you not pick up I-95 further north, say New York, from where you are?

The furthest over you would want to go East would probably be Baltimore, to catch I-95. North of that I-95 goes way more East than would be practical.

But, I think there are other ways it can be done. I'll do a Google Map from Niagara Falls to Charlotte, later today.

sterlingdog

I know that imidazol has a good point, but i do better controlling my weight at home. I can even prepare some very good low fat, low sugar desserts. Also, many places do not have a fat free dressing for the salad, nor the right kind of bread. Naturally, I drink mostly water---no sodas, tea, or coffee. Those three are bad for kidney stones and I hope never to repeat that experience!

Richard

Kirstie_H

Very sorry to hear that, Fezo. You deserve a freakin' BREAK at some point, and I hope that is soon.

sterlingdog

I'm so sorry to hear your news. Hope you don't have to stay there too long. I suppose a set back or two is to be expected considering what you have been throuigh and how complicated things were. Keep us posted.

Richard

jipster

It's strange

Gets even stranger. The windshield glass repair person showed up the other day. Said the chip could not be repaired, says the car needs a new windshield.

The actually chip is smaller than a dime, it has 5 "spider legs" coming from the chip. You could put the chips and spider legs underneath a quarter... maybe a nichel. The repairman said he couldn't put any weight on windshield to fix it, as the spider leg would crack further up or down windshield.

I told him I wanted to get a second opinion. Any experts on "spider leg windshield cracks" out there?

stickguy

a few years ago, my accord caught a rock out in jMonroe land (PA turnpike). Not a huge dent in diameter. So, I tried the fill it option. Not even close to acceptable, and ended up having them back out to replace the windshield.

andres3

You had to bring that up, huh? That’s what I dropped last night at HH Gregg for a Samsung 7100 Series 55”, 3D LED TV with 240 HZ refresh rate. I could have bought something a little less expensive and probably gotten the same picture quality but I went with that model.

I'm confused, did you get that set for $800 or $2000? If you got that set for 800 you got a steal of a deal because that's one of Samsungs best sets.

STill, did they remember to include analog/RCA audio output jacks? In their smaller (32") sets, you can't find a simple basic connection like that anymore!

jmonroe

So where did you get this fabulous TV and how much did it cost?

I don’t know how “fabulous” it is yet because it’s still in the box, although the picture looked pretty good at the store. The $2000 price should make it at least pretty good. The MSRP funny price was $3150 . I can’t install it until I get the stand. We got the TV at hhgregg, a Samsung 55” LED. They moved into our area about 8 months ago so I decided to give them a shot at matching a package price from Best Buy (Blu-ray player and 10 pairs of CD glasses) because I don’t like Best Buy, never did. I liked Circuit City better although most people didn’t which is why they are not around anymore but they were fine for a few things that we needed over the years. I usually dealt with the same sales guy there and he was pretty knowledgeable. The sales guy I had at hhgregg was a very nice guy and was also knowledgeable of their products.

Mrs. j liked a stand that she saw at hhgregg but it was a little too large for the corner where the TV is and they did not have the same style that is about 10 inches smaller so I have to get that stand online somewhere which will probably take a week. As I said before I bought a more upscale TV than I originally thought I was going to get (3D and 240 HZ refresh rate) but this model has a very thin chrome edge which gives the allusion that the picture is floating in space. This package thing reminds me of cars where you usually have to get some things you don’t want to get one or two that you do. Will my eyes be able to detect the advantage of the 240 HZ refresh rate, probably not when viewing TV but I’ve been told that when you use the TV for video games that is where you can see a difference. Since I’m not going to be doing any gaming that feature is wasted on me.

Right now I’m looking into prices for some HDMI cables and some of those prices are ridiculous. One in particular, believe it or not, is an upscale 6 foot HDMI Monster Cable that costs $120 at hhgregg. :surprise: How many of those do you think I’m going to get? I know this is full MSRP and you can get it for less when you shop around but that gives you an idea of what Monster Cable charges for their products. I think it was ‘rb’ who said where he got cables for his home theater system at a reasonable price so if he sees this post maybe he’ll say it again. Anyone else is free to jump in too. I see what I want at cablewholesale.com; a 6 foot HDMI cable for $7.68 but I have to pay shipping. That price may be too low but I’m almost willing to take the chance. I’m still trying to get a count on how many of these I need but I think I’ll need 5. So, the less than $10 shipping cost for the 5 doesn’t add much to the total cost for each cable. If any of you guys need any of these cables, I’ll be a nice guy and let you piggyback on my order.

Richard, for some reason I don't think you'll be one of my poster buddies that will take me up on my cable offer.

jmonroe

andres3

I'm with you on not liking Best Buy, though I didn't like Circuit City either except to buy music CD's.

Honestly, I order my electronics from online retailers (just like your getting your stand and cables) because they are generally cheaper online, and CA has an oppressively high sales tax that I like to dodge like my name is Mitt Romney.

Just make sure the HDMI cables you buy are version 1.3 or newer, or they are ancient technology and may not work with every feature (like 3D).

jipster

So, I tried the fill it option. Not even close to acceptable

Insurance pays for everything. So, if repair looks like some time warp type of thing, will have new windshield put in. Hate the idea of them pulling out that nice clean oem windshield though.

Safelite is suppose to come and repair tomorrow. They make their own glass, considered aftermarket. So, if car needs new windshield will go with the auto glass company that uses better glass.

sterlingdog

"...that will take me up on my cable offer."

You know better than to use that dirty word around me. :mad:

Richard

imidazol97

>. They had changed the preventive meda they had me on to one that proved ineffective.

I'm really sorry to hear you're back in for care. Hopefully they know what's there and what they should be doing for taking care of it. Best wishes on this rerun.

imidazol97

>Also, many places do not have a fat free dressing for the salad, nor the right kind of bread.

Take your own salad dressing. My wife did that for years. Now she is so controlled she does salad by just dipping her fork into dressing occasionally with the dressing on the side.

sterlingdog

Jipster, please be careful and use a good company to replace that windshield. The same thing happened to me some years ago and the insurance company selected a cheap [non-permissible content removed] glass company to replace the windshield. The darn thing leaked during the first hard rain. I contacted my insurance company at the time, but they wouldn't have it redone. :mad: I ended up having it done out of pocket. :sick:

Richard