Stories from the Sales Frontlines

nyccarguy

I'm terribly sorry to hear about your friend from the club. I'm sure if he's a club member & a friend of yours that he raced. Take comfort in knowing that he lived his life to the fullest. Tell us a little about him. What kind of car he tracked & drove daily (or were they one in the same?).

driver100

I was scheduled for a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean in February, but cancelled because they added a stop in Mexico at the last minute. That's how anti-Mexico I have become.

I say something a lot milder than that and all hell breaks loose :sick:

I really enjoyed our trip to Mexico several years ago. There have just been too many incidents lately for me to go again. That would be pushing my luck!

graphicguy

End of year work stuff, so not able to get through all the posts as I only stop by briefly from time-to-time.

Since traveling over the weekend and next week consumes a lot of my agenda, I did want to stop by and tell all of my Edmunds friends that I wish you a blessed Holiday Season, and the Happiest of New Years. I appreciate and cherish each and every one of you.

For those who have lost someone they cherish, my sincerest condolences. Know that you have more that needs to be done here....for yourself and for those around you.

May 2013 bring joy to you and to those you care about.

May we be fortunate enough to share each other's virtual company, and that all of our automotive treasures bear at least a smidgeon of joy in the coming year.

robr2

On thing I discovered with the Kindle Fire as a music device is that it only plays music you've uploaded to the Amazon Cloud. So every time music is purchased on iTunes or another service, it has to be uploaded.

Of course, it's easier to buy music from Amazon as it gets added to your cloud automatically. Then again, the true purpose of the Kindle is to tie you to their website. It truly is a portal to Amazon.

driver100

May 2013 bring joy to you and to those you care about.

May we be fortunate enough to share each other's virtual company, and that all of our automotive treasures bear at least a smidgeon of joy in the coming year.

GG, your post was so good, I can't do better than that, so I'll say the same.

I'll be around today, we will have our family dinner tonight, I guess we are bi, we celebrate Hannukah and Christmas....actually kind of a nice thing.

We hit the road to Florida early Sunday morning, so I won't be reporting in for a few days.

To my few fans and many detractors, I wish you a Merry Christmas and/or very best for the season, and to all of you a successful, peaceful and happy 2013.

verdugo

His name is Jon Jammar. Poor guy. Totally screwed up situation. He shouldn't have been arrested. Instead, he should've been given the option of discarding the firearm or refused entry into Mexico.

I hope he makes it home ASAP.

Mike,

Good news. He was released on Friday. He should be home for Christmas!

verdugo

I say something a lot milder than that and all hell breaks loose

There's a difference driver. Mike cancelled his trip because he was making a political statement. Agree or disagree with him, but you have to respect that.

nyccarguy

That's a crazy story. Imagine if that had happened somewhere in the Mid East.

driver100

Mike cancelled his trip because he was making a political statement.

It's OK to cancel your trip to make a political statement but, not ok to cancel because you fear for your life?

Just having some of my fun again. I think I know what you are saying verdugo, my point was more a criticism. However, I did back it up with facts, so to me it is true. I think both reasons, political statement or fear are good enough reasons not to go to a particular country. You won't enjoy the trip, if you are bothered by either of those factors.

bwia

To my few fans and many detractors, I wish you a Merry Christmas and/or very best for the season, and to all of you a successful, peaceful and happy 2013.

I just wanted to take a moment to wish all a Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year. The tradition at this time of year is to spend time with family and friends. But please do not forget those who are less fortunate than we are. If you can volunteer at a soup kitchen, donate to your local food pantry or give to your favorite charity that would be a most generous gesture.

abacomike

Good news. He was released on Friday. He should be home for Christmas!

That is good news, of course, but I just hope he does not end up in a hospital for many months due to a relapse of his condition from Iraq. It took him many months to recover before this due to PTSS and depression. If being chained to a bed in a filthy prison for 3 months doesn't cause this poor guy to regress, I don't know what will.

Thanks again - bit I still won't step foot in Mexico. They did this to get back at the US for Fast and Furious. That was the gun business with ATF and the border patrol agent who was shot with those guns.

I don't trust our Government after that mess any more either. It has gotten to the point where there isn't anything I wouldn't put past them!

roadburner

Thank you Bradd. His name was JR Schneider; here is his obituary. He was a great guy; I served on the CCA National Board from 1990 to 1999 so I got to know him really well. I had just seen him at O'fest in September...

abacomike

We were at the mall this morning and saw an Aston Martin RAPIDE on display. Very, very low in stance with a monster engine. I could probably get "into" it like I can most cars, but, like a Porsce or a SLS Mercedes, I'd never be able to get out of it. Same with the Fisker they have on display. But that White Rolls Ghost, I wouldn't ever "want" to get out of it.

The mall seems more like an upscale import car show this last week. I guess that is the place to show those cars - Boca Raton.

stickguy

better mall than the one I went to today, though that was in a wealthy Jersey suburb. they had a nice looking black on black BMW 382 (4 cyl). Moderately equipped with premium and climate, and a couple of other minor stuff (fancy bluetooth and back up sensors). Still had an MSRP of 44k+ Yowza.

abacomike

...Still had an MSRP of 44k+ Yowza.

When I was in the car business, we always had one of our upscale models at the Boca Town Center Mall. When I hired new sales people, I would give them bonuses to be at the mall to show the car. It was an excellent opportunity for them to gain product knowledge which would help them in their careers. I would spend some time up at the mall this time of year because of the tremendous crowds who would shop.

We were not allowed to sell a car at the mall, but we would refer them to the dealership and a salesperson. Boca Raton does not allow car dealerships in its environs. I could never understand that - even now there isn't one car dealership, new or used, in the city boundaries. Of course, if you traveled one city away to the south, you have Broward county which is loaded with dealerships. One city north and you are in Delray where there are many, many dealerships including the one where I buy my cars.

But not one dealership in Boca Raton. It's like a "dry" town, but instead of no booze, the have no cars. Can you imagine the sales tax dollars they could be collecting off those cars of they sold them in the city? Coconut Creek and Margate (the area in which I live) have the largest Lexus, VW, BMW, Infiniti, and Audi dealerships in the country. This is because Boca Raton residents have to go south to Coconut Creek, Margate and Deerfield Beach to buy their cars.

In my dealership, more than 50% of the cars we sold were to Boca Raton residents. The same was true at the dealership where I first started in the business.

jmonroe

Still made at them for rolling over for the cowgirls, but pulling out a win against the Giants. If the steelers had just done it correctly, the Giants would still be making the playoffs and cowboys home where they belong.

Don’t hold it against the Steelers for not helping the team you root for. They have found it difficult to help themselves this year. This year the Steelers are playing above their competition when they play the good teams like the Giants and the Ravens, while playing without their starting quarterback, and are playing below their competition when they play teams like Kansas City, Tennessee, Cleveland, San Diego and, yes, even the Cryboys. A team belongs where their record puts them and this year the Steelers are right where they should be for the way they are playing. As bad as that is they control their own destiny, as the saying goes, and if they win out they are in the playoffs, which is where the Giants are too if I’ve heard the reports right.

So, we each root for teams that can make it to the playoffs, although I don’t give the Steelers much of a chance to go far in the playoffs if they don’t get better FAST.

I am rooting for the Steelers to go down in flames.

People in Hell want ice water but they don’t get it. :confuse:

jmonroe

nyccarguy

I think a fitting tribute to JR would be to have O'fest 2013 in Oklahoma City. I'm sure 2013 is already planned though. Maybe 2014 then?

tjc78

Hi all, just wanted to extend well wishes for a happy holiday.

We just returned from doing our shopping for our Italian 7 fish Christmas Eve dinner. The local Wegmans was already a madhouse at 8 AM this morning.

Our menu so far includes Fried shrimp, clams oreganato, Salmon in lemon dill sauce, prosciutto wrapped scallops, fried Calamari, shrimp scampi, crab cakes and we kinda cheat our seventh fish by having anchovies (which most of us love) on our Antipasto platter.

Then we have all kinds of Italian meats, and cheeses, sausage balls, and my mother is picking up pastries for dessert.

If anyone has a minute drop a line on any traditions or get togethers that you traditionally do for the holidays.

Attn: Stickguy look up Il Fiore in Collingswood for a great reasonable Italian dinner, its BYOB. Went there last night with a group, it was great. You will need reservations.

RB and Richard. Very sorry for your loss always harder during the holiday seaso.

roadburner

Maybe 2014 then?

That is a great idea! I'll pass it on.

nyccarguy

Hey Mike. I'm curious if you ever sold a car & arranged to ship it overseas (given you were a Lexus & Infiniti guy in South Florida). How much was it to ship? How much was the marine insurance?

Lets say it was a customer of yours here that wanted to buy the car & ship it, not sell a car to some random person.

robr2

Can you imagine the sales tax dollars they could be collecting off those cars of they sold them in the city?

Does Boca had a city sales tax that could be applied? Further, isn't sales tax based on registration point - not sales point?

abacomike

Hey Mike. I'm curious if you ever sold a car & arranged to ship it overseas (given you were a Lexus & Infiniti guy in South Florida). How much was it to ship? How much was the marine insurance?

nyccarguy, I never sold a car for export to Europe or Asia. The closest out of country sale was to the Dominican Republic. It's not something dealerships handle in their normal day-to-day business. Usually, the buyer has dealings with an exporter. All we would do is deliver the car to the exporter who handled all the paperwork like customs clearances, export/import duties, removing all but 2 gallons of gasoline from the tank, insurance, etc. all we did was sell the car to the buyer - no sales tax of course.

We also did business with the local casino whereby we agreed to sell a car to them for our invoice + dealer fees (to recoup our costs of delivering the new car to the winner of the car(s). We also had an agreement with Wheel of Fortune to deliver a new car to the studio in Miami where they taped 10 shows. If no one won the car, we just picked it up. If a contestant won one of the cars, we would sell the car for our invoice, but no fees since we received free advertising nationally.

We also would loan cars to film producers in Broward or Miami-Dade counties if they were filming in the area and needed a few cars to shoot some scenes. They would pay us a daily fee for the use of the cars plus wear and tear, if there was any.

I know I MORE THAN ANSWERED your question, but thought you might be interested on the relationships we had with TV and Motion Picture producers.

abacomike

Does Boca had a city sales tax that could be applied? Further, isn't sales tax based on registration point - not sales point?

Each county in Florida has a sales tax which can vary by as much as 2% from county to county. The state gets 75% of the sales tax while the county and cities get a percentage of the remainder. So cities in the county do get a kind of kickback of some of those taxes.

Yes, the point of COUNTY registration is where the sales tax applies, but if Boca Raton sold cars inside their city limits, the would get more income. The county gets the tax and then redistributes a portion of that tax to the city. But the advantage is still in favor of the sales point.

Let's say a Boca Raton resident buys a car in Broward County. The county portion of the tax is sent to Palm Beach County - but not the full amount. The state requires us to charge a maximum of $50 on each sale, since the difference in tax rates from Broward and Palm Beach Counties is 1/2 percent. Miami is 1 1/2 percent higher. The county would make more money if the car was sold in the county of registration.

This can get very technical - but the county that sells the car makes a little more than the county of registration.

stickguy

Thanks for the referral. We have heard of that place but not been there. Might have to try it someday.

and you could not pay me to go to that shopping center today (I assume you are talking about the old racetrack). We went there a week ago Friday and thought I would never get out of the parking lot.

Traditions? Polish meatballs at my wife's family. Good stuff. and drinking a lot.

verdugo

It's OK to cancel your trip to make a political statement but, not ok to cancel because you fear for your life?

I have no problem with canceling your trip for whatever reason.

I objected and still object to your incorrect, inflamatory, and troll-ish comments about **all** of Mexico being a war zone and being lucky to get alive if you do decide to go there.

But I'll heed my own advice and stop arguing with you.

verdugo

Some of you might remember my post about the stupid ignition system of a Honda Civic I rented in Israel. Well, I'm back with another one.

A few months ago, we went to Malta for a family vacation with my parents and my brother's family. So we rented a Mercedes Benz Vito. It's an 8 person van.



In order to open the little door to the gas tank, you MUST open the driver's side door. So if you live in a country with full service gas stations, you have to open the door so that the attendant can open the door to the gas tank.



I think that's stupid. However, in Malta, they drive on the other side of the road. So, in order to put in gas, you *have* to open the passenger's side door. Stupid design if you ask me (and I do realize that nobody did.) :P

robr2

Let's say a Boca Raton resident buys a car in Broward County. The county portion of the tax is sent to Palm Beach County - but not the full amount. The state requires us to charge a maximum of $50 on each sale, since the difference in tax rates from Broward and Palm Beach Counties is 1/2 percent. Miami is 1 1/2 percent higher. The county would make more money if the car was sold in the county of registration.

I'm not quite following this but suffice it to say that Boca for some reason doesn't want car dealers and if cities in the same county sell cars, then Boca get the same income.

tjc78

We got there at 745 and the place was already very busy. When we left at 915 it was officially a mad house!

abacomike

I'm not quite following this but suffice it to say that Boca for some reason doesn't want car dealers and if cities in the same county sell cars, then Boca get the same income.

But if Boca sold cars on Boca, they would gain more sales tax revenue. A Boca resident buys a $70,000 car in Broward County. He pays 6 % tax + $50.00, or $4250 in sales tax. If Boca sold the car, they would collect $4550 on sales tax, or $300 more. Multiply that by 10,000 cars a year and the result is significant.

I told you this would be confusing - it's the way the tax code is written. Buy out of county, and you would save money in sales tax because of the $50 limit over and above 6% in Broward.

BTW, most Boca residents buy their cars in Broward county because of the tax advantage. On a leased vehicle, there is no advantage.

abacomike

If anyone has a minute drop a line on any traditions or get togethers that you traditionally do for the holidays.

One of our most cherished Christmas Eve rituals was making hundreds of pirogues. Beginning at noon, we would make the fillings and then wrap the fillings in the dough. My favorites were sauerkraut w/mushrooms and onions; potato with onions; and polish sausage with mushrooms and onions. I sure miss that. All the neighbors would start arriving at about 9:00 PM and we would serve over 400 of those delicious morsels. We also made stuffed cabbages and Kielbasa! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

We also served cheeses, ham, all kinds of wine a liquors, champagne, beer, etc. I would estimate that we had about 200 people come through the house (neighbors and friends and family). I miss those Christmas Eve gatherings do much.

My wife would make many varieties of tortes cakes and Christmas cookies. Most nostalgic!

Merry CHristmas all. May you all have true peace, love and harmony during the holiday and for years and years to come!

abacomike

Some of you might remember my post about the stupid ignition system of a Honda Civic I rented in Israel. Well, I'm back with another one.

*verdugo, I agree - definitely a nuisance, to say the least. I experienced an interesting quirk with my Mercedes the other day. I had just washed the car and was buckling up, put the car into drive, and began to pull out of the dealership when the GM came out to wish us a merry Christmas. Since the car had just been washed and I didn't want to smear the driver's window by dropping it, I cracked the door a little to speak with him when all of a sudden, the transmission shifts into park. Luckily I was not moving very fast or I could have damaged the transmission. One of the techs was standing nearby and said "...once you open the door and the car is in drive or reverse or neutral, it automatically shifts into park as a safety feature. Sure would have been nice if I knew about that beforehand. Not something I would feel is necessary in a car - could be a detractor - but if your valet doesn't know about it or you take your car to an automatic carwash and the workers don't know about this so called safety feature, they could ruin the transmission - you know how they like to drive with the door ajar and their left foot dangling out the side of the car.

stickguy

we host the family at Thanksgiving, and Saturday morning before everyone leaves is pirogi. making day. Not sure how many they do, but there are a lot of them in the freezer after they are done!

We take them with us at Christmas to eat.

abacomike

We take them with us at Christmas to eat.

Oh, yes! Nothing like pirogues frying on bitter until they are golden brown. They have to be boiled first, of course.

Oh, for the good old days when the kids were little and my wife was alive. Makes this time of year a bit depressing for me without my love!

kyfdx

You can get pierogies at the concession stand at PNC Park.. almost makes watching the Pirates worth it...

robr2

I thought you said the county of registration got the sales tax. I presume that is the home county of the buyer isn't it?

verdugo

I cracked the door a little to speak with him when all of a sudden, the transmission shifts into park. Luckily I was not moving very fast or I could have damaged the transmission.

Geez, I'm with you. They are trying to protect us too much. I fear that feature you describe could cause more problems than what it was designed to prevent.

abacomike

I thought you said the county of registration got the sales tax. I presume that is the home county of the buyer isn't it?

I'll try to explain this one more time.

I live in Boca Raton. I want to buy a car. I can buy the car in another Palm Beach county city or village OR I can buy a new car in Broward County, a few miles south of Boca Raton.

Palm Beach County sales tax is 6.5%
Broward County sales tax is 6%

If I buy the car in Broward County @ 6% sales tax, I would pay $4200 + $50.00 for the surtax differential. Remember, I only pay 6% + $50.00 which is the most you can charge in sales tax differential to an out of county buyer.

If I buy the car in Palm Beach County, I pay 6.5% of the purchase price of $70,000, or $4550 in tax.

Thus, I save $300 by buying the car on Broward. It's just a fluke down here. Yes, Palm Beach County would receive the $4250, but if purchased in Delray, the county would collect $4550.

If Boca Raton sold cars in its city, they also would collect $4550, thus they would benefit more than if the Boca resident bought the car in Broward County.

If you still don't understand this, perhaps one of our friends who post here can explain it better.

Sandman6472

Boca is a nice place...lived their while I went to FAU in the late '70's and worked my federal government career there for 31 years. Even had breakfast there with a old co-worker this morning. My folks wanted to move there in 1969 while I was still in high school but the area they were looking in, the Yacht and Tennis Club, was "restricted" back then and they naturally got the message and moved us to Ft. Lauderdale. After we got married, I wanted to stay in Boca but the wife wanted the area we're at now, very close to Mike. I guess all's well that ends well! But Boca is a very nice place to be.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

driver100

I objected and still object to your incorrect, inflamatory, and troll-ish comments about **all** of Mexico being a war zone and being lucky to get alive if you do decide to go there.

I don't recall saying any of those things. I corrected the word "most" cities to "many" cities.....I wrote my post very late after a tiring day.

I don't know about war zone, but I quoted a survey and gave the link that said Mexico has 5 out of 10 of the most dangerous cities in the world.

Look up stories about Canadians who ended up in jails in Mexico. I am tired of looking up stories to prove a point and then you ignore them and come back with your comeents that ignore the facts I have given links for.
Talk about a troll!

Here is a guy who was in a hell hole of a mMexican jail for 3 1/2 years because he accidentally started talking to a drug dealer the police were following.
Man spends 3 1/2 year in Mex jail(with 6 other dangerous cell-mates

This woman was allegedly gang raped in a Mexican prison. I am pretty sure she wouldn't make this up;
Woman gang raped in Mex jail

This Canadian was found dead tied to a tree;
Cdn found dead tied to a tree in Mex

Mexico being a war zone and being lucky to get alive if you do decide to go there

I didn't say that. I said I don't like to go to a place where I am taking a big risk. I have been to Egypt before the recent problems, but, I wouldn't go back now.

If someone wants to go to Mexico that is up to them. It is a beautiful and fascinating place to see, and the people are very friendly. It is just that if you do the wrong thing or make a mistake, it could cost you your life or a long sentence in a dirty filthy jail where you have to pay for your own food and you may not get out too easily....very different justice system.

Now, those are all facts, and there are worse stories than those. A Canadian couple were killed in an Acupolco resort...they were robbed, and the police charged two nurses who were on the same trip. The nurses were completely innocent but the police didn't want to spend time investigating, they wanted a quick solution.

Let's not forget the resort that exploded because of faulty gas lines.
Gas explosions Mex resort

I have nothing personal against Mexico or the people who live there.....it's just that I choose not to take unecessary risks.

I could go on, but just look up "canadians killed in mexico" on google and you'll find dozens.

Also, if you read more posts I posted one about a friend who went on a Panama Cruise. They were supposed to tour an area of Mexico in the Baja area, but the tour was cancelled due to violence in the area.

abacomike

Geez, I'm with you. They are trying to protect us too much. I fear that feature you describe could cause more problems than what it was designed to prevent.

Yes, it could conceivably be quite a disadvantage. Once in a while, I take my car into a full service car wash place because they do a better job at cleaning interior windows and I can add wax and sealer to the wash cycle. I have not been to one yet, but now I have to caution the valets not to open the driver's door while the car moving and in gear. If he does, it would cause the car to automatically go into Park which could severely damage the transmission.

I think this is a truly stupid safety feature. When I took delivery of my new car, they never mentioned this to me. I will have to find it in the manual and read up on it.

Does anyone else here have thus safety feature in their car? Remember, must Mercedes Benz cars are equipped with electronic transmissions. The C Class, GLK have the conventional gear selection stick.

verdugo

You can keep posting whatever you want. I'm not going to continue talking with you about this topic.

verdugo

I have not been to one yet, but now I have to caution the valets not to open the driver's door while the car moving and in gear. If he does, it would cause the car to automatically go into Park which could severely damage the transmission.

Or if another car is right behind you and that driver is not paying attention, he could run into your car.

cdnpinhead

. . .making hundreds of pirogues. . . . My favorites were sauerkraut w/mushrooms and onions; potato with onions; and polish sausage with mushrooms and onions.

Sounds really great! A Polish colleague introduced me to pirogues at a very authentic place in CT years ago, and I've been pining for them ever since.

Thanks for sharing, and have a happy holiday season!

nyccarguy

If you buckle your seat belt & then open the door to back up, the car will not slam itself into park. At least that's how it works with BMWs that have the "beer tap shifter." My 328xi has a traditional shifter. I am free to open the door & back up without my seat belt on as I please;)

explorerx4

They wouldn't happen to be from the home of Stanley Tools or would they?

explorerx4

Happy Holidays and I hope you don't run into bad weather.
I'm sure your Xdrive will help you get through it if you happen to need it.

driver100

I'm not going to continue talking with you about this topic.

Yeh, good idea, there's nothing you could say anyway......facts are facts.

Like I say, there are cities in North America Iwould be careful in too. If you do end up in jail or needing the police your chances are much better of a good outcome.

I forgot to mention I have a friend who went to Mazatlan every winter...but, not this year, been a few murders there now too. On the other hand another friend continues to go to Progresso and owns a place there.

Sorry, I can't be a phony and say Mexico doesn't have a problem. I am quite sure (I won't bother looking this up because I don't think you read the links) but thereare probably travel warnings in Canada and the USA for travel to Mexico.

btw....Season's Greetings and Happy New Year verdugo!....nothing personal!

driver100

Happy Holidays and I hope you don't run into bad weather.

Thank you very much....rain late yesterday and predicted today. We may get through before the snow starts. We travelled about 600 miles yesterday, from Toronto to Knoxville.

We'll go through Chatanooga (where the Passat was built), Atlanta, and Macon, and hopefully get to at least Valdosta today.

The 535 got a remarkable 33 mpg on the first tank, but just 28 mpg in the hilly area and with rain. The AWD gave great traction on slick roads. I have about 8 hours of recorded music on a Flash Stick and hardrive and that really makes driving nice.

Hope you have a great Christmas and all the best for 2013 Explorer.

cdnpinhead

. . .to be from the home of Stanley Tools or would they?

No, down in Stratford. As I recall Stanley was big up in Waterbury or somewhere near there. I picked up a load of boats there back in the late '70s & took them down to the Gulf Coast -- saw big Stanley signs all over the place.

Either way, I had some great meals down in Stratford in the mid to late '90s during AlliedSignal's acquisition of Lycoming.

oldfarmer50

"...pirogi..."

Ahh, pirogis. I was introduced to them my first Christmas with my Polish-Ukrainian in-laws. Like eating boat anchors. The only thing that freed them from my stomach were the shots of whiskey handed out by the 90 yo grandma.