Stories from the Sales Frontlines

oldfarmer50

Nice going on your electric. Is it totally electric or like the Volt does it have an ICE back up?

$5k ADM on a Leaf? Can you score some of what that dealer was smoking?

graphicguy

Hmmmmm....is this what we've been asking for?
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2012/10/is-gms-shop-click-drive-a-new-online-sales-i- nitiative/

Kirstie_H

Makes us realize how lucky we are to have Kirstie as part of our family

Yes, Sales Frontlines and Therapy Sessions should be allowed to wander a bit....

Oh, the on-topic reminder was all my fault. I ran off to NYC for a few days and gave Steve a list of discussions that he graciously agreed to monitor while I was on vacation. Gotta have someone watch while I'm out, because you KNOW trolls & spammers have a 6th sense to detect unmonitered discussions. In my haste to flee the scene, I forgot to mention how this discussion has evolved.

Michaell

I'm a frequent visitor and occasional poster to this topic .. and have been since it started all those years ago.

I'm quite aware that the subject matter veers around from cars to houses to home appliances to ... who knows.

We've been very good at keeping politics and religion out (as it should be), but I too was aware of Kirstie's absence last week and was keeping an eye out if things got too far out of hand.

My regular domain is over in the "Prices Paid..." forums and I'm learning that the hosts keep an eye out for one another when they are gone.

gogiboy

"The Miami were relocated to Oklahoma."

Here in OK it's pronounced Miam"uh". We have a city in NE Oklahoma with that name.

My father grew up in Tecumseh, MI. We always pronounced it Tecum see. In OK they also have a Tecumseh and it's Tecum suh.

Gogiboy

kyfdx

Small town, but not really a small school... Don't they have around 20K undergrads enrolled?

[Deleted User]

Congrats Verdugo, and thanks for posting the story. Tesla has really opened my eyes to what electric propulsion can become and I find myself rooting that all the brands will succeed in some way. I believe the Nissan Leaf's large and specialized battery pack is what is driving that high cost. The cost per kWh is dropping, so longer electic-only ranges will become the norm if the technology is given time to mature.

The MAX looks to be a great and practical runabout. Must be nice to drive by the gas stations and fill up so rarely. With my commute it would be very rare to turn on the engine, so I think I'd have to add fuel stabilizer time-to-time, and only add a couple of gallons when I did fill. I'm hoping for an all-electric drivetrain in one of my next two car purchases, and I want a license plate that reads "CYAOPEC". :-)

snakeweasel

Oh, another thing that I just remembered. The Nissan sales manager wanted to convince me to buy the Leaf because I'd save so much money in gas. I stopped him and told him that if I was interested solely in saving money, I wouldn't be buying an electric car.

I am sorry but nobody buys a $41K car to save money. Unless that car runs on free fuel and will run trouble free for 500K miles. $41K would not only pay for the wifes car but enough gas to run it for almost 200K miles.

houdini1

Well, don't keep us in suspense. Will we be seeing you or Broadway or not?

jayrider

Lots of Leaf SV models priced at 24K. Why would you need to pay close to 40K. Checked cars.com.

Kirstie_H

Not a chance. Can't act, can't sing. However, if you had the Today Show on on Friday morning, you might have spotted me in the crowd. Our only brush with fame was seeing Paul Giamatti hanging outside of the NBC studios, unguarded, just 2 NBC pages hanging with him, waiting on his car service. (That lady isn't me.)

snakeweasel

Just going on what the OP wrote, that's all.

jayrider

I know.

explorerx4

You didn't go for a motorcycle ride on Sunday did you?

explorerx4

anyone can buy one?

tjc78

Ugh..... A FWD police car. I'm sure it would outrun a Panther CVPI but I'll take the Panther any day.

I thought you needed some sort of Fleet license or something along those lines.

abacomike

So on Saturday we went back to the Ford dealership.

Congrats on the new Ford! I think your entire approach to selecting a new vehicle and your rationale were right on target. Leasing was a stupendous decision considering your rationale being a first generation.

I am very interested in your experiences with the car since I have always been on the negative side of hybrids and electrics. Keep us posted regarding range, costs for charging, and especially the quality of build.

Good luck to you and your better half!

bwia

Keep us posted regarding range, costs for charging, and especially the quality of build.

With respect to build quality, driving dynamics and ride, here is a good video review. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avPWS_2-83o

robr2

I thought you needed some sort of Fleet license or something along those lines.

Often dealers that handle the police fleet deliveries will have a couple of PI's in stock to replace a totaled vehicle quickly or just to sell to the general public.

driver100

here is a good video review.

Thanks for the C Max test drive. I thought it was informative. Surprised at how much technology and features a car...especially a hybrid could have for about $30K!

It would seem to be no contest between the CMax and the Nissan.

graphicguy

kyfdx....when I went to Miami, there were about 15K students who were on main campus. But, they have remote branches all around the area, and it didn't include those students.

IIRC, that didn't include the Western Campus annex, either (http://www.cas.miamioh.edu/western), a small liberal arts college in the same city that merged with Miami a few years before I attended.

So, 20K students is probably a good estimate on the amount of students, at least who attend main campus.

driver100

g Paul Giamatti hanging outside of the NBC studios, unguarded, just 2 NBC pages hanging with him, waiting on his car service.

Glad you mentioned something about "cars".

abacomike

With respect to build quality, driving dynamics and ride, here is a good video review.

Thanks! Excellent review.

sterlingdog

So glad that you are back from NYC. See what can happen when you're not here? We don't mind Michaell---seems he understands this site as well. I did try to email you twice, but it came back to me. It's fine---I like my new tag name and everyone seems to know now who I am.

Richard

sterlingdog

I bet that if I bought that car, I would NEVER get a speeding ticket!

Richard

fezo

"I like my new tag name and everyone seems to know now who I am."

Who are you? ;~)

tifighter

Congrats on the C-Max. I like those.

$5k ADM on a Leaf. Sheesh, the whole world knows they haven't been meeting sales numbers Nissan hoped for, even in HOV lane-friendly California.

roadburner

The Nissan sales manager wanted to convince me to buy the Leaf because I'd save so much money in gas. I stopped him and told him that if I was interested solely in saving money, I wouldn't be buying an electric car.

I love the Volt ad where the girl says she is saving a "crap load" of money driving her Volt- the dimwitted ditz conveniently forgets she paid thousands more than other fuel sippers for the thing. She will have to drive it for several years before she gets close to breaking even...

Kirstie_H

You didn't go for a motorcycle ride on Sunday did you?

No, I was back in the cornfields by then. Or did you think this might be me?

Kirstie_H

Steve's cool too - he just doesn't get in here much as he hosts a bunch of very active discussions regularly.

Richard, if you ever need to email me, be sure to use kirstie_h@edmunds.com rather than just kirstie@edmunds.com. It's confusing, I know. We "merged" your screen names for consistency. This new one suits you

sterlingdog

Thanks for doing that for me.

Richard

houdini1

I can testify to the fact that you have been "merged". I went back to 2007 in the forums looking for someone who used to be here. Imagine my surprise when I saw a post back then from "sterlingdog".

So, not only are you now sterlingdog...you always have been and Richard is no more. Kirstie is on the ball.

houdini1

Our long lost Richard came back as sterlingdog. Long story.

explorerx4

For some reason , I think it was still around 15 thousand, maybe more now with more kids attending state schools.
There could be a 'Miami Merger' in my daughter's future, but we will see.

driver100

This new one suits you

How come "sterlingdog" suits him more than "Richard"?

verdugo

Thanks oldfarmer.

" Is it totally electric or like the Volt does it have an ICE back up?"

The CMax has a 21 mile electric only range. After that it works as a normal hybrid with a combination battery and ICE. The combined range is something like 600 miles.

graphicguy

Kirstie...I would actually pay to see you cruise through your home town on that bike.....complete with the "blitzkrieg" helmet. Welcome back.

imidazol97

I can't get used the "Sterlingdog." I get this mental image of a sterling silver dog statue. "Richard64" gave me an image of a person with the sagacity of years of living.

I'm going to have to work on this.

verdugo

"Tesla has really opened my eyes to what electric propulsion can become and I find myself rooting that all the brands will succeed in some way"

Thank you Ty. I'm an electric car convert. Obviously the CMax is no Tesla, but I was pleasantly surprised by the power available from a complete stop.

You hit the nail in the head why I leased it instead of buying. There's so much innovation that I'm sure that at the end of my 2-year lease, the new models will be 10x better.

The decision then will be whether to buy or lease my next electric vehicle. :-)

snakeweasel

The CMax has a 21 mile electric only range.

That would work for me, the shortest route for me to work is 9.5 miles (although it's not the easiest route) so 21 mile range means that I could commute on electric only recharging at home every night. Then only use gas on weekends.

verdugo

"Lots of Leaf SV models priced at 24K. Why would you need to pay close to 40K. Checked cars.com."

Because the entry level Leaf is too bare bones for my taste. I was looking at their top trim. I like gadgets and (close your eyes Craig) some creature comforts.

nyccarguy

I do like the idea of them. A Tesla is way out of my $$$ range. They lease cheap compared to their mid to high $30K sticker price, my problem is that even though something like a FIT EV leases for $259/ month plus tax, I would still have to pay personal property tax on a $36K car for the 3 years I lease it which would be much more substantial than an $18K Fit.

jayrider

Ther are a bunch is SL models for 25K as well.

graphicguy

explorer....I go back to Miami a couple of times/year. It's only about a 45 minute drive for me. And, every year I meet up with my (dwindling) former classmates/friends for homecoming.

They also have a wine festival in the summer, right when graduation happens, which is always a nice time in Oxford, OH.

Personally, aside from maybe going to Harvard, Yale, or maybe Notre Dame or Loyolla, I don't think I could have received a better education than the one I received at Miami...both socially and academically.

They don't call it the "Ivy League School of the Midwest" for nothing.

The campus is gorgeous, and aside from some very rare idiocy, it's also pretty safe....tucked away in one of the most scenic and out-of-the way areas of the midwest.

Your daughter would probably do well.

Kirstie_H

How come "sterlingdog" suits him more than "Richard"?

Well, there are lots of "Richards" the the world. There was only one true Sterling. Also, he was richard64 - I suspect (but cannot verify) that the number represented his age at sign-up, and if so, that's no longer the case.

Kirstie_H

I could never own that bike. It has flames on it, and though I know little about motorcycles, I do know that if you mix a bike & fire, it isn't good.

We do have a street bike, and I keep threatening to "bedazzle" it and the riding accessories with butterflies, hearts, and perhaps something with a "Hello Kitty" vibe. I'm still working on that one.

oldfarmer50

I don't like your new format at all. This afternoon the posting server was "updating" and allowed no posts.

Just now when I had to do a search to find the forums I was redirected into a Toyota website that froze my computer until I allowed personal information to be obtained.

This is really unacceptable. :mad: :lemon:

The only good thing is that the emotorcons seem to be working.

stickguy

well, this isn't even the new format. Just the old one have a bad day!

and the emotorcons still don't work when you do a reply.

bwia

perhaps something with a "Hello Kitty" vibe.

Hmm, someone is feeling frisky today

driver100

. There was only one true Sterling. Also, he was richard64 -

I think that would be Sterling Moss.

Yeh, what was that 64 all about? Maybe the 64th Richard to sign up.