Stories from the Sales Frontlines

houdini1

I thought there was a lot of security measures in the Northeast. Doormen, security guards, buzzers, etc. Same concept, limited access.

abacomike

I thought there was a lot of security measures in the Northeast. Doormen, security guards, buzzers, etc. Same concept, limited access.

Good analogy, Houdini, you hit the nail right on the head!

driver100

He said the gaskets are supposed to be replaced when they are disconnected for replacement reasons.

No problem with the mix up in posts...an old boss once told me everyone makes mistakes, if you correct your mistake it isn't a mistake.

I hope that will be the last of your problems with the MB. I know your dealer has been as good as can be expected, but, wouldn't you think that if the gaskets are supposed to be replaced that factory trained technicians should know that?

My other question is, do you think you will hold onto this car after the warranty period is over? Chances are it will be fixed like new, but, what if they forgot to do something else? That would always be in the back of my mind. I tend to think, a car will be put together better at the factory, than it will when it is rebuilt at the dealer.

driver100

Here are two developments in my town to give you an idea of what I'm used to:

I can understand where you got the idea gated communities are elitist, from those links.

Florida is very different. Gated communities can vary from $50K units to $million+ units.

I would decide whether to go gated or not depending on the actual house and area, and what you feel more comfortable with....there is no right or wrong answer for this.

roadburner

He used to go down to the shooting range at least once a month and practiced shooting with his friends who were all cops (he was a 1st Lt. In the New York City Auxilary Police) so he would carry it when in uniform in his belt, but had it concealed when he went to the bank to make night deposits.

When the Sheriff's Office in my county switched to 9mm semi-autos they brought in an FBI agent to train and qualify the officers. I was invited to go along. After we qualified on the 9mm the agent asked if anyone wanted to qualify on a riot gun-a short barrel shotgun firing "double ought" shells or lead slugs. It sounded like fun so I blasted away for about an hour. The next morning my shoulder had a huge bruise in about 20 different shades of blue, yellow and green... :surprise:

abacomike

My other question is, do you think you will hold onto this car after the warranty period is over? Chances are it will be fixed like new, but, what if they forgot to do something else?

First of all, *driver, this is abaco mike - you know him pretty well - well enough to answer your question without my help - I haven't held on to a new car long enough to have the oil changed in the past 9 years - and you want to know if I will keep this one beyond the warranty? You've got to be kidding!

I'm not particularly worried since I trust my dealership to do right by me, and they have never let me down after buying 7 new cars from them.

nyccarguy

I think we did pretty well here on the board as far as Sales Stories go:

My BMW, Mike's Lexus, Mike's Mercedes, Driver's Audi, Driver's VW, Mako1a's 2 Mustangs, Roadburner's 328i, Stickguy's Volvo & Acura, Jipster's Civic (Congrats btw buddy), Explorerx4's Escape. That's 12. Did I miss anybody?

stickguy

jolie bought something. A Focus for hubby. And I think the little Toyota for the daughter was this year. maybe whatever her son got?

I still have a shot at a 3rd ticket punch to tie for the lead. Though I will never count out Mike for another one.

Actually, can I have bonus points for having 2 different RDXs, even though I only technically only ever owned 1 of them?

amazing how many of the gang with 2 or more. Got to keep the economy moving somehow!

28firefighter

My (now) wife bought a 2011 Mazda3 s Sport in January. And my sister just bought a 2013 Focus Titanium Sedan to replace her totalled S40.

driver100

I think we did pretty well here on the board as far as Sales Stories go:

You did great! Either you have a good memory for trivia, or a good record keeping system.

driver100

I haven't held on to a new car long enough to have the oil changed in the past 9 years

(Yes, you did reply to the right party!)

I know you well enough to know that. In the old days people bought new cars when the ash tray was filled. You buy them before they need an oil change.

I thought you might be keeping this one long enough to need an oil change because you have to keep it until the 2015s come out. I did forget though when thinking about that, that is less than 2 years away.

I am seeing a friend today (a doctor) who trades in his Mercedes every 4 years when the warranty is over. I calculated he pays about $8K a year because of depreciation. Depreciation is probably double what it would be for say driving a Fusion, but, $4K a year is not a lot extra if he can afford it. He doesn't want to use his valuable time going to the local garage to get his car fixed, so, for some people trading frequesntly really makes sense.

driver100

And my sister just bought a 2013 Focus Titanium Sedan to replace her totalled S40

My memory isn't great these days but wasn't that the S40 you bought about a year or two ago, and you just sold to your sister? What happened, I must have missed that? And, how does she find driving a Focus compared to a Volvo?

I will say one thing, if I go from the 535 to the Passat it isn't a huge shock to the system. It is slightly different, in almost every respect, power, comfort, handling, convenience, etc., but I find I adjust and adapt very quickly. It still gets you there in relative comfort so not a big deal.

jipster

Jipster's Civic (Congrats btw buddy)

Thanks nyccarguy.

Did I miss anybody?

Well, to expand on that a bit, I have submitted 3 sales stories in the last 5 months. That has to be a "Stories from the Sales Frontline" record!! Free membership dues for a week? A new unstained Edmunds t-shirt? A free steak dinner bought by, and served on a silver platter, by our lovely hostess Kirstie? :P

I bought the 2011 Hyundai Veracruz in early July, the 2007 Kia Optima in late July and now the 2012 Honda Civic. No new or old cars for 8 years, now 3 cars in 5 months. Friends and family alike are ready to have me psychologically evaluated. :sick:

oldfarmer50

"...what I'm used to..."

Boy, you rich guys have it nice. That's why I want to go to Florida where I don't have to sell my blood to pay the mortgage. :P

I saw a listing in my BIL's development (55+ no gate) for a 1250sq.ft. 2 bedroom for $42,000.

And all those rust free cars to drool over.

oldfarmer50

"...did I miss anybody?..."

I inherited the 93 Deville from my son this summer. Maybe that should only count 1/2 because I was paying for repairs even when he owned it. :lemon:

mako1a

And all those rust free cars to drool over.

Growing up in Pittsburgh I saw rust. Lots of rust on every type of vehicle.

But you don't have to go all the way to FL for rust free. Here in VA, rust is not much of a problem. Hunting trucks mostly because they stay muddy all winter.

Most cars here are rust free or nearly so.

fezo

Friends and family alike are ready to have me psychologically evaluated.

We've felt that way for years. Guess the cat's out of the bag.....

robr2

I thought there was a lot of security measures in the Northeast. Doormen, security guards, buzzers, etc. Same concept, limited access.

Perhaps in NYC and only in the fancier buildings where it costs an arm and a leg to live. Your standard apartment building doesn't have a doorman.

28firefighter

I realized after I posted this that it might be confusing. With the relocation to Seattle, I did not think I was going to need my Volvo C30 out there so I was going to sell it to her. However, shortly after getting here, I realized that was not the case because of local travel for work as well as runs to the airport.

The S40 was a 2007 2.4i that formerly belonged to my Mom and was passed down to my sister when she moved to Berkeley for school. It was totaled this summer. Since I needed my C30 we started doing shopping for something to replace the S40. We test drove a bunch of cars - VW Jetta, Golf, Tiguan; Honda Civic and Accord; Hyundai Elantra, Sonata, Tuscon; Volvo C30; Ford Focus and Escape. The only cars she came out of that experience liking were the C30 (because it was so similar to her S40) and the Focus.

As far as transition, the Focus Titanium is rather similar to the S40 2.4i in terms of size and substantialness because it is built on the European Focus platform. I drove it twice and felt it was just as well built and well appointed as the S40/C30. The difference is, for $20k + tax, we were able to get a Titanium with Nav which would not have even put you into a C30 Base with Manual transmission.

I still love my C30, but the Focus in upper trim level is a strong competitor. If it had existed in its current form in 2011 when I bought my C30, I'd probably have ended up with one.

graphicguy

NYC....My $1,000 Accord....GF's S4 could be included.

Jipster....big congrats on the new Civic. I like the new ones, regardless of the trade rags.

Mike....glad to hear the dealership is taking good care of you. I think that's 90% of the "satisfaction" equation when something goes sideways with a new car.

Headed to Orlando for a conference next week. However, given that it's 60 degrees in the 'Nati, not really in a hurry to head to FLA.

[Deleted User]

Did I miss anybody?

2012 Subaru Impreza here. Love it!

abacomike

Today I leased a new 2012 Honda Civic LX from Bob Montgomery Honda. I got what I think to be a really good deal. It's crimson red...

Good luck with it, jipster! There is little doubt that the Honda Civic is a terrific economical car. They know how to produce cars that Americans have fallen in love with. A truly great quality set of wheels.

abacomike

Well, I got a call this morning from the Service Director who told me it (my E 350) started fine this morning and showed no signs of roughness. I could have picked it up this afternoon, but didn't want to miss any football - so I will pick it up tomorrow morning.

Like I mentioned in yesterday's post, he accepted responsibility for the problem in that the gaskets were not replaced correctly for the air intakes this causing the intake leak and the error codes on the car's computer. If I have another recurrence of engine problems, I told him I would deliver the car back to them to return to Mercedes. He assured me that the car is running perfectly now and I would not have any problems from here on with air intake, fuel pumps or fuel injectors.

According to him, they have gone over the car with a fine toothed comb and found it to be performing perfectly. Let's hope, for my sake as well as their's that it is in perfect condition!

oldfarmer50

"...here in VA..."

That's what I hear. My son's friend who is a car scrapper recently moved back from there and says the same thing. He's doing great here in NY. Lots of cars with struts popping through the hood due to rust.

Real estate in some areas, like around DC are waaaaaayyyy expensive. My BIL lives in Springfield and in his area I'd have to win the lottery to buy a house.

explorerx4

In the northeast, gated access seems to be left to the individual.
Parking lots and tool booths are about the only time I encounter a gate.

houdini1

2010 Lexus LS 460 back in Sept.

How could you possibly forget!!

driver100

The only cars she came out of that experience liking were the C30 (because it was so similar to her S40) and the Focus

Thanks for explaining....it wasn't my memory after all. Could the Focus and C30 be the same basic car....does Ford still own Volvo? Could they share parts etc., and that is why they are similar?

I have read some reviews for the Focus and they do seem to be a real contender in that entry level category.

abacomike

In the northeast, gated access seems to be left to the individual.
Parking lots and toll booths are about the only time I encounter a gate.

In our gated community, we have almost 4000 people living in a huge complex of 2 and 4 story condominiums. Most, not all, of the residents are retired. We have a road on the center of the complex that makes a complete circle, joining all side roads and all sub-communities to the full acreage. We have an 18 hole golf course, a large community center where all the clubs and organizations meet, a 500 seat theater for movies and stage shows, 20 passenger buses that circle the community every 10 minutes so you can get from one part of the complex to another without having to drive, a large pool complex with walking pools and an Olympic pool, 50 passenger buses that take residents to food shopping, shopping malls, vacation trips to Orlando, Naples, etc, and each sub-community has its own Olympic pool, picnic grounds, etc (sub-communities are made up of 6-7 condo buildings) and we have several restaurants on the premises. We also have a physician and 3 nurses on call 24 hours a day at the clinic.

We have our own TV station and ham radio tower. We have tons of clubs for woodworking, Bridge, ceramics, billiards, etc. our buses also take residents to the large casino in our city every day for a 7 hour stay. We have live shows, dances, first run movies and guest speakers on just about every topic. We pay $400 per month for our maintenance which includes cable TV and Internet service, beautification (we have tons of trees, flowers everywhere, and the streets and roads are immaculate.

In order to keep it that way, the security of our community is essential. They ticket speeders and people who don't stop at stop signs ($50.00 per ticket) and must be paid within 10 days or the association can issue a $1000 summon and prohibit the offender from using any facilities and the cut off cable TV service. They are very strict, but that is good for our community. If we were not gated, we could not maintain the streets or the traffic.

But I still don't like living here because of where we are located - northeast Broward County just west of the Turnpike. Lots of crime and poverty around us and a huge county prison just a few blocks away. As soon as dad passes, I'm moving out of the area and going up north of Melbourne, FL or to the central west coast of Florida where I don't have to deal with all this traffic and my auto insurance will be 1/3 of what I am now paying because I live in Broward County.

driver100

He assured me that the car is running perfectly now and I would not have any problems from here on with air intake, fuel pumps or fuel injectors.

It would have been nice if he just left it at "I would not have any problems from here on". But, I guess he can't guaranty everything else.

Good luck, I would be very surprised if there is another problem with the air intake, fuel pumps or fuel injectors because they are not going to want to be eating (taking back) a brand new car.

explorerx4

Focus is not entry level, anymore.
Fiesta, Spark and Yaris are examples.

driver100

We have our own TV station and ham radio tower. We have tons of clubs for woodworking, Bridge, ceramics, billiards, etc.

That sounds incredible....not exactly my cup of tea, but it is amazing the facilities these gated communities can have. It sounds similar to Kings Point which is in Sun City just down the road from us.
90 sec video Kings Point
Homes there can start at under $30K and go up to around $600K

I think of it as camp for adults.

driver100

Focus is not entry level, anymore.
Fiesta, Spark and Yaris are examples.

I don't consider them as entry levels, I think of them as skateboards with a bit of metal on them.

explorerx4

Now that you described your community. there is one like that not too far from me.
It was through the golf course that I made the local connection.
Maybe in the few years, I'll be able to appreciate all that stuff you detailed.
It's great that you are taking care of your Dad full time.
Not sure My wife could do the same for her Dad or me for my Mom.
Not without giving up a lot.

abacomike

That sounds incredible....not exactly my cup of tea, but it is amazing the facilities these gated communities can have. It sounds similar to Kings Point which is in Sun City just down the road from us.

We have a King's Point here, as well, in far western Broward, near Tamarac, FL (adjacent to Invarary Country Club where Jackie Gleason used to live). Our community is more spread out. In our sub-community, we have 5 buildings placed in a large circle with about 12 acres of green areas, trees, and a huge pool and shower facility - the back of our condo has a terrace that overlooks the green area.

I don't use any of our facilities. I joined the Bridge Club one year as I am a very good Bridge player. After a few weeks, I quit playing. They are all in their 80's and 90's, most can't hear and most can't see their cards, and you could read the Bible in the time it takes them to play a card or bid their hands. And then there were the arguments and fights over errors made in the play of the cards or the bidding. I would leave the game every day wanting so badly to commit murder!

Nope, not for me!!!

explorerx4

My Mom's Candy Red Fiesta would probably get more looks that those refrigerator white cars you have. :P

robr2

That sounds like a mini Villages.

abacomike

That sounds like a mini Villages.

That's exactly right! Mine is called Abaco Village (i.e. "abacomike"). They have Bahama Village, Martinique Village, etc. I think we have 24 villages +/- 1 or 2. The buses service all villages, internally and externally. We have mini buses that go through all the villages and take you anywhere you want to go inside the complex. All this is included in the maintenance fees.

mako1a

skateboards

In case you guys missed the news...there is a recall on the 1.6 EcoBoost in the 2013 Escape and another one (focus or fiesta I forget) due to possible fires.
Large number of cars like 60,000 or 90,000. I'm guessing turbo can't spin that fast.

mako1a

Mine is called Abaco Village (i.e. "abacomike

Finally...the world makes sense once again.

abacomike

In case you guys missed the news...there is a recall on the 1.6 EcoBoost in the 2013 Escape and another one (focus or fiesta I forget) due to possible fires.

Just what Ford needed - another recall. Too bad because Ford has made such major strides in fuel economy, styling and profits.

cdnpinhead

I don't consider them as entry levels, I think of them as skateboards with a bit of metal on them.

Well, isn't that just a breath of fresh air. Some of us started at the bottom, or very nearly there. After several decades we, or I at least, became well enough off to buy pretty much whatever we want.

But, being the low-rent types that we are, we prefer to buy and hold a reliable vehicle, since it's far less expensive that way.

You clearly exist in a different world. Much of why I monitor this board is to observe. It's a sociology experiment, I guess.

explorerx4

Driver just likes to post a lot, so don't get too worked up about it.
I used to get upset like you, but just realize, it's one person's perspective, and no malice is intended.

abacomike

but just realize, it's one person's perspective, and no malice is intended

Correct, explorer! Not only one person's perspective, but a perspective that differs from one person to another. It all has to do with the environments we were brought up in as well as the environments in which we have lived as adults.

What one person considers "poison", another person considers "food"! I was a well-educated school teacher who had to work 3 jobs to buy a house in the suburbs and put two cars in the garage. I also had to put two kids through college. So I worked 7 days a week for my first 10 years of marriage. It got easier when I went into school administration.

What *driver may consider an entry level "skateboard" others consider great and even expensive set of wheels. It truly is only a matter of PERSPECTIVE! And you hit the bullseye with your post, explorer.

stickguy

I did not take that comment as anything about money, value, or personal judgement.

He just likes bigger, more substantial cars, and skateboard referred their size.

or, i could be completely clueless. First time for everything and all that.

driver100

Driver just likes to post a lot, so don't get too worked up about it.

Perfect....you know me too well!

Sandman6472

I'm glad that you think so highly of these kind of cars but some folks can only afford so much. My two girls only had a limited amount of funds for their purchases and we decided that a new car was the way to go instead of buying used. And these entry level cars are very good, maybe not as good as your lux brands, but good just the same. Hopefully one day they will be able to afford a better car but even if not, they are still great little cars!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

stickguy

agreed that these days, even the entry level cars are seriously nice. Especially if you can end up in the Elantra class. But even an Accent is quite usable.

abacomike

Not sure My wife could do the same for her Dad or me for my Mom.
Not without giving up a lot.

I have given up whatever life I used to have and am committed to this until I can no longer meet his needs. When that happens, my brother and I will have to decide what arrangements must be made. His memory is getting worse every day. What gets to me, though, is when he insists he paid for something or did something which he never did and then argues with me. Very difficult. Hardly a day goes by where he doesn't fight me about something he insists he did which is not true.

That is the very worst part of my life - trying to ignore him when he does that and when I do, he gets even angrier. I don't think his dimentia is staying stable, but rather spreading to many brain functions. But like I said, I'm in this for the long haul!

driver100

I did not take that comment as anything about money, value, or personal judgement. He just likes bigger, more substantial cars, and skateboard referred their size.

You got it exactly. It never went through my mind about the cost of those cars. I have always said, I like having metal around me, and, the more the better. That's just personal preference. If I had a limited budget, and I have for 80% of my life, I would rather buy a used large car than a tiny car - whatever the cost.

I saw a Lamborgini go by the other day and I said to my wife, even if I could afford a car like that I wouldn't want something that small....all you need is a transport truck smashing into you and you've had it.

Maybe some people read what they want into posts, maybe some people are overly sensitive.

Thanks for posting, I was going to ignore the whole thing, but, your comment motivated me to reply.

stickguy

I'm not sure what is worse. having an older person's body break down while their mind stays sharp, or be healthy as a horse but the mind going like your dad.

I hope to just be healthy enough to be independent to a reasonably old age, and just drop dead the day that I can no longer be!

and for Fintail, I have every intention of being one of those people that will protect my car keys with a shotgun. If you want to take my wheels away, you are going to pay the price!