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Even I don't have a subscription any longer - to Manheim that is. When I go to my dealership to buy a car, he is more than happy to show me Manheim. He usually gives me 2 -3 thousand more for my trades than Manheim because he puts my cars on his lot to sell. They usually only have about 6000 miles on them and no dings, scratches or dents.
Usually, if you know a dealership and/or they are the type of dealership who is up front with its customers, they are more than happy to provide you with the Manheim auction values, however they may only give you that number for your trade. If they want the car for their lot, they should give you a few thousand over Manheim.
Remember, it costs money to wholesale a car. First, you have to transport the car to the main holding area for the auction. Then, you have to detail it and clean it up nicely. Then, if you don't sell it at the auction, you have to transport it back. It's usually about $300.00 each way, depending upon which auction they send it to. Then there is the cost of detailing to make it look presentable, not to mention removing any blemishes, etc.
So a dealership would prefer taking in a clean trade so he can put it on his lot. For the same money it would cost him to transport the car there and possibly back, he can put it on his lot and perhaps make a 3 or 4 thousand on it. Wholesale is wholesale. You will get around what Blackbook and Manheim publish as its value, not much more and probably a little less.
It's always to the dealer's advantage when appraising a super clean trade to give more for the trade than wholesale because he is going to make more on his own lot.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
I just went to that site "real world trade values" and asked him to give me an idea of what my car is worth. My dealers gave me a figure of about $51,000 on or about May 1st trade date. I think my dealer is pretty close, but I wanted to get his opinion.
I've read through his postings and he seems to know what he is talking about.
At least, it's worth a shot.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Excellent point!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Ask a Chicago politician. There are many of them about these days.
Politicians? Dead People? Both?
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
I was thinking more in terms of people coming back from the dead to vote in alphabetical order. It's been said that that's what happened in 1960 when Kennedy won the election, thanks to Chicago.
Some things never change.
It is common to see people misquoting ads because they did not read the fine print, but making a fake ad to try to get a better deal is something I haven't heard of before.
Now you know why the fine print was missing too. Usually that's where the model code is listed, something that very few consumers can decipher, hence he'd have to have access to the manufacturer order lists in order to fake that part of the ad.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Some things never change.
I remember the newspaper accounts of that election. Mayor Richard Daley supposedly got more democrats to vote in some precincts (they call them Wards in Chicago) than there were registered voters. He had a knack for doing things like that. I lived in Chicago in 1966-1968, and remember the Democratic National Convention vividly when it was held there. Daley ordered his police department to "shoot to kill" protesters but later that night rescinded that order.
I lived in the Chicago suburbs until 1989. That city runs like an oiled machine. Whatever the machine wants, it gets. Now you have Emanuel there who is no better than the Daley machine politics of the 1960's. Illinois is in the same financial crisis as California, if not worse. The unions have tremendous power there as do the democrats.
My pension system (Teachers Retirement System) is solvent only through the early 2020's. I put 8-1/2% of my total salary into that system for 25 years. It's not like the State paid for my pension - I did, yet it is in big trouble. The State is supposed to contribute an equal amount to the fund each year, but hasn't for many, many years. Now my pension is in jeopardy as well as other pensions. The State fully funds the other pension funds, but not teachers.
Yes, Illinois is a truly interesting State, and Chicago is even more interesting.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
So either way each company would still have to pay for those expenses even if he'd be employed with only one of them. Yes it seems unethical but each company would end up paying for that anyways.
For example:
I work at Company A and in order to make a sale in Territory B I have to take a flight there and then rent a car and get a hotel. Let's say a total $2000 that the company had to pay to get that sale through this salesman.
Now, if I work at Company B and in order to make a sale in Territory B for this company I woul still have to take a flight there and then rent a car and get a hotel. So Company B would have to also pay a total $2000 in order to get that sale through this salesman.
I can see there could be some legal implications if both companies write off those same expenses when they do their taxes but in the end they would have to pay those benefits regardless to get their respective deals. The guy just worked twice as hard, and got paid for it.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
We decided to return there once each week for our weekly Chick-Fil-A fix instead of going to the food court. Much better in our opinion.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
So now to fix the system there will be no cost of living increases until the system is structurally sound. At very least under Governor Christie at least the state is now paying what they were supposed to all along.
You nailed it! Hey, haven't heard from you in a long time. How's life out there in the western US? Keep us posted by posting more!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
And that's what happened. He submitted the expenses to both companies and I'm sure both companies wrote those expenses off. By double dipping on expenses, he put the companies in a position of filing fraudulent tax returns. IMHO, that is grounds for termination.
The real issue is that when one is an employee and responsible for 7 figure sales territories, the expectation is that that person puts all their efforts to grow that business. Imagine if this guy had focused his energies on just one company.
He wanted the income of a rep agency with the security and benefits of a empoyer
I believe when you are an employee the company more or less owns your soul......you are supposed to work your 40 hours and do what you can to maximize your employers interests. It would be impossible to do that if you are working for two companies, no matter how good you are.
Most companies would insist the employee can only work for them exclusively...no matter how good he is. If he wants to have a second job he should get permission and tell his employer what he is doing. I suppose he planned on collecting from 2 pension plans too? And who does he claim medical expenses from?
If he is a free agent then he can represent as many companies as he wishes.
I suppose if he was a car salesman working two jobs he would never have time to sleep. :sick:
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
They had three FJ's---two black and whites and one solid white called "Iceberg White". I preferred it the most. I did the usual walk around and examined the interior. She wanted me to do a test drive. I gave her my license and she disappeared to get tags for the vehicle. After a few moments, we were on the road. She wanted to stop down the street for gas, so we did that. Here are my observations on the 2013 FJ Cruiser:
1. Sticker price---$36,369 (It's loaded with all the bells and whistles)
2. I was amazed at the power---up to 60 mph and 80 mph before you could turn around.
3. Suspension was fantastic---such a comfortable ride for a vehicle of this type.
4. Excellent braking system---stops on a time
5. Steering was a little soft but not bad
6. Rear visibility had been the major criticism of the FJ. I didn't see it as a problem because the outside door mirrors are very large---like truck mirrors. Also, there are small windows in the rear that seem to work well. Even though the rear tire is mounted on the rear door, there is still good visibility through the main rear window.
7. Interior appointments looked good, not cheap materials. I liked the extra sun visors mounted above each door. You don't have to pull the main sun visors to the side to block the sun.
8. The sound system was good but nothing to write home about, though it did have nice, large speakers in the front and rear.
9. The vehicle had 4W drive and could be engaged if needed.
10. The cargo area was adequate for the car's size and could be made larger with the rear seats folded.
11. Rear seat passengers would be uncomfortable for a trip of any length. There's not a lot of leg room, but head room is no problem.
12. The compass and direction features mounted on the dash gave the car a cool look.
13. Gas mileage is nothing to brag about---21 Hwy and 17 city.
14. The seats are very comfortable and have nice adjustments.
My conclusion? I would be interested in making a purchase at some point. I like the design very much and I thought that it drove well.
After the test drive, it's time for a bag of popcorn and a Pepsi provided by the dealership. While I am enjoying that, the sales lady disappears and returns with 5 gold one dollar coins---my reward for doing a test drive. We then get down to brass tacks on the deal. They are offering me $11k for the convertible (which is now only worth $8K and I knew that myself). They just pulled $3K off the price of the FJ. I asked about rebates, loyalty discounts, etc. There aren't any because Toyota makes so few of the FJ Cruisers, or so I was told. Naturally, the sales lady is sitting there with the old 4-square sheet of paper. I explained to her that we were way off base on a deal, but that I appreciated her time and courtesy. Well, you know what happened next. She excuses herself and returns with one of the two sales managers. It turns out that he is a former student of mine, and a nice one I might add. I loved his approach, though I knew that it was BS. He looks at the sales lady and says,"Dee, do you realize who you've been working with here? This gentleman could write a check for the FJ and not bat an eye. You should see his beautiful home since he and his wife have moved back here." He then proceeds to point out how nice the FJ is and how sorry he is that he can't discount it more. That part may be true because invoice on that particular model is around $34,500. He doesn't have a lot of room to stretch. He also points out how well they hold their value. Again, it could be true. I saw a couple of '08s running at about $23,500. I thanked him for his time and told him that I would take everything into consideration. He then offers me an additional $1K for the convertible, which is actually now $4K off the price of the FJ. It might not be a bad deal. I'm just not sure. At any rate, I thank them both again and tell the sales manager to say hello to his wife---I taught her as well.
I return to the service department to pay for my oil change. The coupon was for $19.95 and I used my $5 in gold coins. Therefore, I got a $15 oil change and a fun morning testing a new car. It was a nice experience.
Richard
Richard, even though the heading on your post was "Car Story Teaser", by the length of it (and i read every word) I expected it to be a car story anyway. But, alas, it was not to be.
Keep us "posted" should there be a story here!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
If it makes you feel any better, we had two FJ's traded in that had less than 1000 miles on them. In both cases, the people had traded them because of horrible rear visability. One person tod be he had nearly caused two accidents because of this.
Very poor sellers in any event.
I get irritated with the salespeople who don't take "Not buying today " as "Not buying today." Then there are those who keep trying to pry into my qualification to buy even though I'm just checking out the cars on the lot. I am always tempted to ask the salesman how long they've been at this store, how much do they make, where did they work before, does their wife work, etc.. The second time I told them I'm just looking should turn all that off, even if they still want to hang close to me to see that I don't scratch one of their cars or something...
I'm surprised the saleslady wasn't fazed by your rejections. However, I bought one car from a female salesperson. She was excellent; Jetta Lou was her name she went by. She knew the cars better than the men.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Great story, and excellent review of the FJ.
Out of curiousity, is there any price point that you would have bought the FJ at?
I think that lady must have just graduated from a very aggressive car selling course.
Seems to me I have seen ads where you can go to a school to learn how to sell cars....kind of like Dealership U.
Thanks...a very enjoyable read for a Saturday morning, high today expected to be 76.
Heading back home on Wednesday
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
Buyers are liars!
and if not lying per se, certainly can be swayed!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
The sales lady was kind of pushy, but you were there anyway, so no harm.
Regarding the view out the back, the 2013's have a rear view camera standard, not sure about the 2012's.
Mike--
I think many states are in the same bind as IL. My state teacher's retirement system is roughly 40% funded so that as baby boomers like me retire over the next 15 years there will be tremendous difficulty in maintaining solvency. Protective service systems (i.e. fire/police) are around 80% funded.
My state (OK) is flush with money, but is making no overtures towards, or even mentioning, fixing the shortfall in any of their retirement systems.
From my perspective it really makes no difference which party is in power, as pretty much all levels of my state government (not to mention all of our US senators and congressmen) are, and have been for some time, republicans. Instead of paying down obligations our state legislature and governor are looking for new places to spend the surplus, while concurrently cutting our state income taxes. Let the good times roll...
Gogiboy
I'd say "and" is the word that says Feb. 28th is the last day to get in on any part of the deal. However, I agree that it is poorly written. I'm surprised that Richard and Mike haven't chimed in on this.
As for the title of your post, do you want to relinquish you judgeship in here or what? :confuse:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
How's the funding on whichever system the state legislators and judges fall into?
In some of the large unions in the past, the worker's retirements were poorly funded, but the separate funds which paid the union leaders' retirements were well funded and even at 103% overfunded, at least in one case cited by a knowledgeable person doing the analysis. Funny how that works.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Slight correction; not only did you write some of them you STARTED most of them and conned the rest of us to join in on the propagation of them. :sick: But as you have said, sometimes the sales season is slow in here.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
lol....I think it follows the course of normal conversation with people you know and get along with. You start on one topic which leads to another and then to another. That is the glue that binds us otherwise we would have to wait for a sales story to comment on anything. Especially if people like Richard are only looking...I think he is due to buy another car to stay in the game...his Caddie must be about 2 years old by now.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
And a very enjoyable teaser of a read too. Thanks for sharing.
This is of course a temporary solution. So, I remembered a friend is a fireman, and I emailed him to see what I should do when I get home. The information sounds good, and you may want to keep a copy of what he says, if you have hard wired smoke detectors;
If it is hardwired and there is more than one detector in the house, they should be interconnected. Which means any unit that is activated will cause an alarm. So first check to see how many detectors you have. All the units will have a plug in the backside which is connected to the house wiring (easy to disconnect- just pull the plug) Then check and clean the detector to insure the sensors are not dirty which will give a false signal. Vacuuming works quite well.
So the procedure I would take is as follows :
1) remove all detectors.
2) clean each detector (check the date, life span is about 10 years)
3) once all are clean plug one in and turn the power back on.
4) if no alarm sounds, plug in the next one.
5) continue until all are reconnected.
6) if you get an alarm during this process then i would replace that detector
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I've got the itch to buy a new car, but the fact is I love my C30, its paid off, under warranty/maintenance for another 3 years and been solid as a rock reliability wise. Not to mention, I take the bus to work at least 4 days a week. In short, getting rid of it would make no sense whatsoever!
I'll keep posting where I can - rest assured, I'm always lurking!
We sure could use a car sales story - are you sure you can't manage a quickie story this weekend? Richard had us going for awhile, but then petered out. It's been like a desert here for lack of sales stories.
C'mon, you got what it takes!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
But they won’t give it to you unless they have to.
You weren’t here when I traded Mrs. jmonroe’s ’06 Sonata LX that had just under 13K miles on it when I pulled into the dealers lot when I got the Genny in ’09. I got the Genny from a dealer just outside of Akron. His internet price was very good and I tried to get his car for less but he didn’t move from his number. However, I was willing to drive from the Burgh to get his car at his price because that was the best deal I could have gotten for that car. The price he gave me over the phone for the Sonata was $9K even. I told him before I made the drive that was a good first offer but if he held to the $9K there was not going to be a deal. He said he gave me the most he could but I should make the drive anyway to take a test drive in his car. Long story short, I told him I wanted $9600 when I got there. Sure he moaned that he couldn’t do that. I was willing to take as low as $9300 but I didn’t tell him that. OK, off to the tower he goes with my number. When he came back (less that 2 minutes IIRC) I was expecting him to go lower than $9600 but he said, “will $9600 do the deal”? I said yes and he said, “you just bought yourself a nice car” and he immediately got up from the desk to go get some papers.
Son #1 was with me and so was Mrs. j. They both had surprised looks on their faces at how quickly he took my offer and I remember saying to Son #1, “I guess I left some money on the table, huh” and he said, “yeah, but it couldn’t have been much”. I don’t think it was much either. I knew all along that the money on that deal was going to be made on my trade. I was right. I was given a link to the state of Ohio’s “Online Vehicle/Watercraft Title Inquiry” by our poster buddy ‘imid’. For the fun of it I followed that site until the car sold. It sold in 9 days for $14,045 (odd number but I still have the printout). So I was taken, huh? Not really, I figured that I would have had to sell it for at least $10,500 to recoup the added tax money I’d have paid for not having a trade and I wasn’t so sure, as a private seller, that I could do that. Plus, the dealer could provide a warranty which I couldn't. So I traded it for the high end of what a few sites said a dealer would pay for it as a trade.
Like you said you can get more for a clean trade that a dealer wants for his lot but that doesn’t mean that a dealer won’t try to steal it from you with his first offer.
If I bored the old time regulars with this repeat tale tough. :P This is the closest car talk we’ve had in here for days. Your threat to buy a ’13 MB in May ain’t happened yet but even though I’m not a better, I’ll put my first born on it happening.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
*jmonroe, I already have a 2013 - why would I want another one? I ordered a 2014 Sport scheduled for production on March 20th. The stopped production of the 2013's March 3rd. They are currently producing 2014's.
I was at the dealership this morning for a car wash. I asked the manager if he could change the interior to gray leather. He tried, but it did not change. It may be too late to change the color of the leather. He'll let me know Monday.
Unless there are incentives and loyalty money along with great pricing from USAA, you won't be reading a sales story from me on this forum!
As for a dealer giving the customer "all the money" for a trade he is going to retail on his lot, they are on business to "make" money, not break even of lose money. If you owned a dealership, you would be doing the same thing. We are just on the other side of the table as customers - that's why we see things from a different perspective - OURS!!!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
I could pick up an old Matrix with around 100K on it for $6K or less.....
I have this ridiculous notion that maybe I'll never get rid of it and just add to the fleet. I'm not sure the wife would go for that though.
There is something nice about sleeping in a new car - however if your wife has nixed any idea of buying a new car, best not to upset the old applecart if you know what I mean!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Great write up. You deserve to own some sort of Toyota so you can see what a fine vehicle is like. It would fit right in with your Country Gentleman persona.
Now on to more important things. The only way you could phase her would be to shoot her with one of Captain Kirk's phasers. You could however, faze her by disturbing her equilibrium, etc. in some way !! Gotcha ! Live by the sword...
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
In regards to pensions, NY is one of 5 states which has a fully funded system. Mainly because they require municipalities to pay 100% of what is due. Crushing taxes are the result but the fund is secure.
NYS's system is absurdly generous. I'll get $1200/mo for my part time bus driver's job. Some people I know get $75k a year after retiring at 55. By contrast my BIL who worked 30 years at General Electric and who's salary was probably 3X mine only gets $1800/ mo.
NY has made some changes in the system but it can't sustain these benefits forever. Taxes are chasing people out of state and I'll be gone in a few years too. Eventually there won't be enough left to support things. I hope I'm room temperature by then.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Ours have battery back-up. I assume they all do or they wouldn't work during a power failure.
Using your method, when one starts chirping I think I would replace that battery before assuming the unit is bad. Maybe all of the batteries since you are working on each one.
2025 Forester Limited, 2024 Subaru Legacy Sport
It's always surprising to read about myself. I'd forgotten about giving you that link. Really glad it helped someone. That's what life is about.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
at this point, they are going on 30 YO. I suppose I should replace them all, though I must have at least 7 on that wired system, so it is going to be pricey and time consuming, since odds are, they won't fit on the old brackets!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I know it is wierd, but they don't have batteries. That is why I mentioned how to test them.
I don't know how they work if there is a power outage....I think they must be able to store some power.
You would be right...if you have a battery as backup then just replace the battery. The house is less than 5 years old so maybe these are newer models. All I know is, they don't have batteries in them, I am told by our neighbor and daughter who checked them.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Apparently some don't have a battery....I know, I am surprised too. The fireman didn't question it when I asked.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Apparently some don't have a battery....I know, I am surprised too. The fireman didn't question it when I asked.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Speaking of batteries, here is an introduction to MIT’s Prof. Donald Sadoway’s development of a liquid metal battery to store large amounts energy generated by wind and solar. Most interesting part of this innovation is that it is cheap because it uses dirt (yes dirt) as the main ingredient.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/donald_sadoway_the_missing_link_to_renewable_en- - ergy.html
He's not worried because he has a rich dad who he knows will come through for him if he drops enough hints.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible