Stories from the Sales Frontlines

abacomike

When I got to the dealership this morning, they had my car sitting right out front. They had detailed it and filled it up with gas for me. So we drove up here to Ponte Vedra in the Mercedes. I would never have found his house without the GPS.

It took us 5 hours including a quick pit stop.

They replaced all 6 injectors and both the high pressure and slave fuel pumps. Car is running great and isn't stalling anymore. Averaged 32.7 mpg, which was great for a 302 hp V6.

Will check in when we get back to south Florida.

dino001

Congrats, if that's the right way to say good for you. They came through, didn't they? Hope that's the last update you have on the injectors. Keep bringing the other stuff. BTW, when you were in charge back then, did your dealership robocalled people with whom theyt came in contact with in last two years (you might or might not have a chance to read my post above)? Man, I was so ticked off today when this dealer called again and not even a person, but some recording. You would expect better manners from normal people, let alone "upscale" store.

33 mpg seems almost unreal. I get 29-30 mpg highway on my E92 328i, smaller boh car and engine. Are you an old lady?

dino001

I got immediate response from GM with an apology, promise to remove me and free oil change offer (don't need one and wouldn't even want one). Will see in couple of months, if they keep the promise.

dino001

What if you got those phone calls a year from now? That's how I feel. But yes, six calls from same place seems they don't have an "up" system and everybody can grab the name from the list. Awful.

Your 2012 vs 2013 thing doesn't suprise me at all. People in places like that are conditioned NOT to listen or read anything you tell them. They are told they have to sell metal and here is the body, do not come back until the body doesn't match the metal. Sad, but more than just few people still think that's how this business should look like.

driver100

When I got to the dealership this morning, they had my car sitting right out front.

Very impessive...that dealer is as good as it gets. Very nice, have a good trip.
btw....33mpg is excellent, the Passat is getting 30 in mixed driving...but, with a lot fewer horses.

nyccarguy

Hey Mike! I'm glad you got your car back & were able to take it in the road trip. Sounds like the car did phenomenal on the road trip. That's what Mercedes' are built for, point it down the highway & drive for hours and hours! Have a fantastic trip.

abacomike

You would expect better manners from normal people, let alone "upscale" store.

No, we didn't use that approach. We used direct mail and salespeople would make personal calls, not robocalls.

We tried to stay on contact with customers personally, not indirectly!

abacomike

33 mpg seems almost unreal. I get 29-30 mpg highway on my E92 328i, smaller boh car and engine. Are you an old lady?

Actually, I was averaging 70 mph most of the way up here, so I am going to assume I'd get a little more at 55 or 60 mph. I will admit that the A/C was not on because it was so cool - 70 degrees F. Much cooler up here in Ponte Vedra Beach. It's located just between St. Augustine and Jacksonville.

Got to drive my brother's brand new Mercedes CL550 - 496 horsepower - it was like riding on a cloud. Much too rich for my blood - MSRP was $131,650. He got a good deal using his USAA below invoice price plus incentives. Same Diamond White exterior, but 2-tone beige/saddle interior. What a set of wheels!

Cold up here tonight - 48 degrees. Too cold for my blood - prefer southern Florida with our 75 degree days and 70 degree nights.

His new home is in a country club. He is about 3 miles south of TPC Sawgrass - that tournament golf course - which is where he plays golf.

He took us to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for dinner. Much better than Morton's, IMHO. His fiancée joined us. She has a home right on the breach.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

oldfarmer50

Here's the most expensive car I've ever seen in the private sale section of Craigslist. The listing location is not known as a very wealthy place so I wonder who has the money to buy a $160,000 car there in the first place. How would you even arrange the payment, a brown bag under the bridge at midnight?

http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/3426600674.html

tjc78

Same to you! Have a great day everyone, be safe if you are traveling!

bwia

Happy Thanksgiving to all and stay safe as you drive on these busy highways at this time of the year. While we are on the subject, I wanted to share this story from the Boston Globe.

Sheila Burgess director of the Massachusetts Highway Safety Division driving record.

"Her driving record includes seven accidents, four speeding violations, two failures to stop for a police officer, one failure to stay in her lane, one driving without registration or license in possession, and one driving without wearing a seat belt.

When she was nabbed for speeding in New Hampshire in 1999, she failed to show up at her hearing, records show. Until Nov. 1, her license was on non-renewal status for failure to pay local excise taxes. There are 34 entries on her driving record, dating back to 1982."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2012/11/18/state-highway-safety-c- hief-has-long-driving-record-recent-accident/4HPRt0xv2Bqu3rsonuY3sJ/story.html

oldfarmer50

Hey, when tax cheats can run the treasury anything is possible.

driver100

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Have a great time....sounds like a nice stoppover place to be.

That CL550 sounds beautiful....good thing you didn't arrive in that little C Class, they may not have allowed you through the gates.

Don't eat too much turkey today or you will have to go on a major diet for the rest of the week....Happy Thanksgiving to all.

driver100

most expensive car I've ever seen in the private sale section of Craigslist

Is Craigslist the best place to sell a $160,000 car?

And, what are you doing looking at cars that are that expensive? Have you changed your modus operandi?

driver100

There are 34 entries on her driving record, dating back to 1982."

Unbelievable!

I wonder what she pays for insurance, and if she has insurance? :sick:

tjc78

That CL550 sounds beautiful....good thing you didn't arrive in that little C Class, they may not have allowed you through the gates.

I'll assume you were joking here, because I certainly hope you weren't serious that pulling up in a new 40k Mercedes would ever be a bad thing!

oldfarmer50

"...have you changed..."

My tastes change by the moment. Who knows, the Powerball Lottery is up to something like $325 million for Saturday, I might throw down a buck. Any MB AMG would be something I'd like.

Talk about lucky, now that you're in Florida you get to have a second Thanksgiving Day dinner.

imidazol97

> I might throw down a buck.

I suspect you haven't played Powerball for a while. I played $15 when it was high a few months back. The counter guy looked at me like I had two heads, stumbled to speak, said he couldn't do that, and said it's $2 per ticket now.

tjc78

I didn't know that either.

driver100

I'll assume you were joking here,

Well, yes, I was joking. But, it could be overwhelming to some people...a $160,000 MB and a palatial estate.

I honestly don't know how I would feel, I guess people are just people.

driver100

Talk about lucky, now that you're in Florida you get to have a second Thanksgiving Day dinner.

It would have been great to have Thanksgiving dinner in Florida! We flew back today...it was a cheap day to fly.........we return around Christmas Day for 2 months. It is my wife's fault, I wanted to stay for another 2 weeks.

Good luck in the Powerball, it would be great to hear about your sales story.
If you win the $325 million, will you just settle for an MB from Craigslist....or walk up to the Lamborgini dealer and order one the way you want it?

stickguy

the ad got pulled. what and where was it?

nyccarguy

I hope you all had a spectacular holiday!

oldfarmer50

"...if you win ($325 million)..."

If I won that kind of money I'd buy the dealership not just the car.

oldfarmer50

"...what and where was it?..."

It was a 2012 SLK AMG with 4k miles for $160,000. It was located in Troy NY, an old mill town which is not known for high income households (think Amsterdam).

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/01/13/automobiles/wheels-SLK-Roadster/w- heels-SLK-Roadster-blog480.jpg

I figure the ad was pulled because the car was seized by the DEA. :surprise:

houdini1

Probably paid by taxpayers.

driver100

Probably paid by taxpayers.

Actually, probably by insurance payers. We pay about $300-$400 a year extra for uninsured or underinsured motorists.

Got home yesterday, just spent half an hour doing updates to the computer, and we were only away for 2 1/2 weeks. Had to do Windows, Avast, Adobe.
Why can't the computer just do them, and why does it always have to shut down each time?

houdini1

I think the gov. self insures all their autos, and she is supplied a gov. vehicle, according to the article, so no insurance involved. She gets a "free" car and "free" insurance...paid for by taxpayers.

Taxpayers probably paid for all those tickets too. Gov. expense accts. are a wonderful thing.

graphicguy

We took GF's S4 to Indianapolis to be with family for Thanksgiving. Since we've got some miles on it now, we wanted to see what kind of MPG it gets. Going 70-80 MPH, we got 27 MPG on the way there, and 28 MPG on the way back.

For a car that will do low 13s in the 1/4 and 0-60 in mid-high 4s, that's impressive.

roadburner

For a car that will do low 13s in the 1/4 and 0-60 in mid-high 4s, that's impressive.

I agree; my Mazdaspeed gets 28-30 mpg at 70-80 mph, and it can barely break into the high 13s. It will do 0-60 in the low 5s at best.

roadburner

OK, here's what I'm thinking. I still have 2-2.5 years left on my final work assignment. It involves travel that averages out to 1,400-1,500 miles per month. My employer reimburses me at 48 cents per mile. My Mazda has 112,000 miles on it and is currently worth @$8,500(according to Carmax). If I continue to use it as my work car it will have at least 150,000 on it when I'm done and it will be over seven years old. And of course there is no warranty if anything should break.

So it occurs to me...
What if I sold the Mazda now and found a 2-3 year lease with no down payment and mileage of at least 10,000 miles per year(I'd buy the additional annual miles(6,000-8,000) up front)?
Assuming 1,500 miles/month I would have $720 to work with. If the leased car gets 28 mpg and gas is $4.00/gallon fuel costs would be $215. Assuming I buy extra miles at 10 cents per, that would be an additional $50 on a 12,000 mile/year lease($67 on a 10,000 mile lease). Bottom line is that I would still have at least $438/month left over. A lease payment of less than $300 would let me bank the over $100/month difference(along with the $8,500 from the sale of the Mazda).

Good idea? Bad idea?

Discuss...

isellhondas

It seems like everytime I "upgrade" something on my computer I have nothing but trouble.

Everyone told me how bad Vista was so although it always worked fine for me, I upgraded to Windows 7 and now my computer is so quirky I can hardly use it.

graphicguy

RB....you're asking this crew whether you should get a new vehicle? Of course, the answer is yes.

I'm not a lease fan. But, in your situation, where you have a specific short term goal in mind, I think it makes sense.

graphicguy

Craig....I think the old adage applies here...."if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Operating system updates sometimes breaks older drivers for printers, graphics cards, etc. Peripheral companies catch up, eventually. But, until they do, things can get dicey trying to use your computer.

It's getting to the point where I can use a tablet to do 85% of what I need (using something like Google Docs for spreadsheets, doc writing, email, etc). My goal is by next year, I won't need to haul around a laptop with me and do everything on my iPad.

roadburner

I'm not a lease fan. But, in your situation, where you have a specific short term goal in mind, I think it makes sense.

Exactly; I normally don't consider leases either.

And one other idea...
BMW has a $329/month 39 month lease on the 328i Coupe. I could order an M Sport exactly how I want it(H-K sound, CWP, Coral Red leather) and NOT have a down payment if my dealer would lease the car at invoice. I wouldn't have to worry about additional miles as I'd buy the car at the end of the lease...

graphicguy

RB....that 328i would be mighty tempting. I know there's a bunch of incentives on BMWs right now. Don't exactly know what they are for the 3 series, but I know I got some sort of mailer says that the incentives are up to $3,500 (didn't stipulate which models). Plus, BMW is supposed to be dumping a lot of cars here in the U.S. since Europe is so anemic right now.

I think that would be worth looking into.

If you can wait another 18 months or so, I know a certain someone who is probably going to be selling a very well cared for, cherry, loaded 335ix coupe. :shades:

nyccarguy

Roadburner

it looks like you've thought this through. I would expect NOTHING less from you. The only potential flaw I see in your math is the cost of additional lease miles. I know that BMW charges $.16 per mile over (plus tax) if you buy upfront and roll into the payment, $.17 per mile (plus tax) if you call them up at any point during the lease and add miles, & .$25 per mile if you return the car with more miles on it than it should have.

I think the idea you have of getting the $8500 out of your Mazda while you still can is a good one. I think your idea of cheap leasing (below invoice with incentives & with 10K miles per year) the 328i coupe that YOU want with the plan on buying it out when the lease ends is a good idea. Especially if you are getting reimbursed for your miles anyway.

graphicguy - he WANTS a RWD, stick shift, BMW.

driver100

BMW has a $329/month 39 month lease on the 328i Coupe. I could order an M Sport exactly how I want it

I have to throw in my 2 cents worth on this one.

First though, isn't an M package going to take it over $329 a month?

I am a fan of leasing...in the right situation, and I think this is the right situation. You didn't mention, since you use your car for work the lease cost should be deductible for tax purposes (I would think).

Sounds like you are being reimbursed more than the cost of the car, so why drive the Mazda when you can drive the car you really want. Then, there is the you only live once argument, not to mention, the you aren't getting any younger argument. The Mazda isn't getting younger either.

Yeh, we need another car sale, so go for it.

houdini1

If most of us went through a rational process when buying a car, most of us would be afoot.

Life is short, if a new car would make your life better, and you can afford it, just go and get it.

roadburner

First though, isn't an M package going to take it over $329 a month?

Here are the numbers:
Lease deal MSRP: $43,195
Lease Down Payment: $2750
Lease Deal Capitalized cost: $40,445
MSRP of "my" 328i Coupe : $44,495
Invoice of "my" 328i Coupe: $40960
So if they sell me the coupe at invoice I'd have to come up with $465.
In either case I get BMW "Holiday Cash" and a Loyalty Bonus.

explorerx4

Not sure what you planning on leasing, but BMW's are 20 cents per mile over the base lease mileage, in my area.
There is usually a lease turn in fee, and you will probably have to replace the tires near the end of the lease.
Just things you should factor in.

tjc78

What about taxes? I also wouldn't put that much money down on a lease.

I bet (maybe NYC knows for sure) there is a "bank" fee as well.

So, even without taxes/fees rolling in the DP you are a little over $400/month.

driver100

If most of us went through a rational process when buying a car, most of us would be afoot.
Life is short, if a new car would make your life better, and you can afford it, just go and get it.

Perfect! Very few people need a new car. Even fewer people need a bmw with an M package. But, we buy these things to make our life more enjoyable.

If you want it, and can afford it, why would you not go with it?

roadburner

Not sure what you planning on leasing, but BMW's are 20 cents per mile over the base lease mileage, in my area.
There is usually a lease turn in fee, and you will probably have to replace the tires near the end of the lease.

That's why I'd buy miles upfront on all but the BMW, as I'd be buying it. As for tires, good point.

roadburner

What about taxes? I also wouldn't put that much money down on a lease.

I think taxes would be 6%. And I wouldn't put any money down over $465 anyway. The discount to invoice would eliminate all but that amount...

kyfdx

Get a 15K/yr lease..... the best terms are almost always on the 36 month, 45K lease...

Don't buy the miles upfront.. wait for two years, and then see how many you need to buy.... $0.16/mile at that point.... but, you'll be able to peg it almost exactly....

Base acquisition fee is $725... Disposition is $400, I think..

If you do the math, the lease is a pretty good deal, even if you do 20K miles/yr...

Tax in KY is 6% on the monthly payment...

abacomike

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving with family was a special one! We got home this afternoon at about 2:00 PM. I stopped off to get a professional car wash because the front end of the Benz was loaded with smashed bugs. I didn't think there would be that many bugs after it got so cold last night up in the northern part of the state. It got down to 41 degrees, which is darn cold for those of us who reside in the southern part of the state. There was so much condensation on the car this morning it looked like it had just rained.

After living on the southern tip of the peninsula for these past 12 years, I could never survive the climate in the winter time where my brother lives. It is more beautiful up there - he is surrounded by wooded areas and forests. There were several cardinals in his backyard along with a few territorial woodpeckers. Truly a beautiful and serene area - completely secure and gated. But those cold nights would kill me. I developed a chill the day we got there and didn't warm up until I got home. I'm not exaggerating in the least. I was COLD! The warmer climate down here has certainly spoiled me. It's hard to believe I spent the first 40 years of my life in New York and Chicago with those brutal winters.

I didn't have any problems with the car at all - it looks like they diagnosed the problem correctly and once the injectors and fuel pumps were replaced, the stalling problem ended. I averaged 31.8 mpg on the trip home, so I am certainly not disappointed with the cars performance or fuel efficiency - 32 mpg in a V6, 302 hp vehicle that weighs 3900 lbs. is quite good!

Again, hope everyone's Thanksgiving was great.

tjc78

I think taxes would be 6%. And I wouldn't put any money down over $465 anyway. The discount to invoice would eliminate all but that amount...


I got you. Misread the post thinking the "deal" cap cost didn't include the down payment. The advertised deal really doesn't discount the car much at all.

driver100

I stopped off to get a professional car wash because the front end of the Benz was loaded with smashed bugs.

Happy T-Day to you too, and hope you enjoy your trip.

I had lots of bugs plastered to the front of the Passat, after 2 1/2 weeks and 1000 miles around the Tampa area.

I went over the bugs with Turtle Wax Bug Remover, and then got a good car wash. I think it is an unusually big year for bugs this year in Florida.

imidazol97

>upgraded to Windows 7

"Upgraded" is the key. You needed to save all important data and install Win 7 on a reformatted (F-disked) hard drive IMHO.