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Stories from the Sales Frontlines
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2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Hopefully by next Friday I will have my dream toy parked on my side of the garage! Wish me luck guys...wish me luck!
The Sandman
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
We passed a few C-F-As on the way and it was tempting to stop....but, it wasn't really time to eat. I do miss them and am looking forward to getting one while we are here.
If I was younger I would sure like to buy a franchise and open it in Canada.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Thanks Ty, and so far we are loving it! When we arrived it was 82F here. A friend back home said it was 60 IN HIS HOUSE, he forgot to turn on the furnace, and it was 34 outside!
Funny about the condo...it is in beautiful shape but some things don't work just because you leave them for awhile. The clothes dryer needs a new heating element - worked fine when we left. And the lights in the shower don't go on...it was working when we left.
Also, a chirping noise from the garage, like a smoke detector has a low battery. But, there isn't a detector there and I can't see what else it could be.
The Passat was on a trickle charger and had Stabilizer in the gas, it started and ran like a charm. It is now one year old and it has 2K miles on it. I'll get the oil changed. It felt good driving it, it even smells like a new car still. Little engine hums and the manual is a nice change.
The 535 is a great highway cruiser. I was getting just under 30 mpg..28 or 29 on the highway in regular mode...not econo. Econo has a lack of power, you would have to be desparate to want to save gas to drive in Econo. It is nice having the power when you need it to get into traffic or around a crazy person. It also runs like new, it has 32K miles on it now and is 2 years old.
I got new Michelins RFTs and they ride nice, but they turn a clay - mud red color after awhile. I bought some tire blackening stuff and that really helps.
Ty, you have a terrific memory, I have trouble remembering all that.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Probably just a Palmetto bug. Put a saddle on it and ride it to the beach.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Good luck in the purchase! Let us know the story. Sounds exciting.
Welcome back to the states. Is this a pre-winter trip or did you come down early this year. I am so jealous--but not for long because I too will be taking a short three week trip to my Caribbean home in December.
I built the house in 2006 but I've since lost the desire to go back as often as I once did. To quote the old blues song, "the thrill is gone." Perhaps as I get closer to retirement age life on a tropical island begins to look more like a final resting place than the winter home I had envisioned. Nonetheless, waking up to birds chirping and relaxing on the veranda watching the sunset are priceless. Now, if only I had a Mitsubishi Pajero to explore all the sites, life would be grand.
The chirping also reminded me of when we moved into the new home. We heard a chirp late in the evening the first week in our house and couldn't fathom where it was coming from. It was too muted to trace, but definitely there. After days of hearing this, my wife realized it was the carbon monoxide detector packed in a box, somewhere in a basement full of boxes. Took awhile to find that particular box.
Glad to hear the storage precautions worked out with the Passat. Some very lucky person is going to buy a low mileage Passat down the road and not believe the miles are really that low :-).
Richard
Driver: Welcome "home". Glad that you had a nice trip down.
Isellhondas: It's now official. The FJ Cruiser is "headed for the graveyard" according to Motor Trend. They have come out with the final special edition for 2014, though built in 2013. I suppose that the visibility issue finally did them in, though the article didn't actually state a reason. It's off my list. The Honda Pilot (white over tan) is about the only thing remaining on my list, except for the CTS which is pretty tempting.
Richard
I thought it could be a cricket, but it is far to regular. Checked all the cupboards and drawers and there isn't an old smoke detector lying around.
There is an attic above the garage, so that will be the next thing to check, not looking forward to that.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Isn't there an old Chinese saying, "Be careful what you wish for", you may get it.
Most of us want things but once we have them, we may lose the thrill of having it quickly.
I learned my lesson early. I thought a small sailboat would be relaxing, just lie on it and read a book, while relaxing on the water.
I bought a small one, just a Laser type for 2 people. There was no time to rest, you are constantly moving the sail and balancing. Then I had to buy a trailer. Then a license. Then insurance and find and pay for a place for storage. For the 3 or 4 times a year I could sail it would be better to rent a boat.
So, now I am careful about what I really want. We don't think of the Florida home as a vacation. It is really just life continuing - but in a much nicer climate. We purposely bought inland where prices are 1/2 to 2/3rds lower, and we have neighbors and friends here just like back home. Being next to the ocean is nice but it isn't our prime reason for being here....our reason for being here is just to avoid the cold and snow.
It is wonderful walking around in shorts and short sleeves all day. Not getting into a cold car and driving through ice and snow....slippin' and slidin'.
Bwia, I hope you decide you enjoy your place or decide what you are really looking for......
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2000 miles a year is ridiculous. But, we may get to a stage where we just can't drive down to Florida, and we could fly down and have a car here.
The Passat is fun, so I would have no problem keeping it for 10 years. I guess someone would want a Carfax report if we sold it.
Carbon monoxide detector sounds like the best bet - I can't think of anything else that chirps. I tried the trickle charger, moved the car out of the garage, checked for c.m. detectors in all the cupboards and drawers, even checked the fire extinguisher.
Not much left to check.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
The main reason for the demise of the FJ Cruiser was the recession. You can see it in this article;
the niche vehicle was a mainstream success, selling more than 50,000 units in each of the first two years. But the recession came. Because Toyota never wanted to place incentives on the FJ, sales waned to between 10,000 and 15,000 units a year starting in 2009.
Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20131105/OEM01/131109895/toyota-to-drop-fj-cruis- er-after-2014-model-year#ixzz2kAL2vHiw
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I doubt if the window helped much as well.
I passed a few Pilots on I-75 and they look smart....nice and square.
btw.....you should consider going back to modelling, isn't the regular guy look that we can identify with, in?
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
The Sandman
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
It's on St. Lucia. Extremely beautiful at this time of the year but unsettling during the hurricane season.
Driver, there are several factors that make owning this winter home less attractive than originally imagined. First, my wife has since had a coronary event (she now has two stents) and worries that she may not be able to get the same level of medical care should she need it. And second, we don't really know our neighbors (they are mostly English and French Canadians) since we are not there long enough to make endearing friendships.
As to the right-hand-drive Mitsubishi Pajero, it is the poor man's version of the Land Rover. Sweet vehicle! But too expensive to rent short term and too expensive to buy. Bummer.
I'll definitely keep you in mind when it comes time to sell the Passat. Yo may have to compete with fezo too, he's always looking for good used cars.
Do you find it big say in comparison to a Jetta? I tend to like smaller cars too, but if we have passengers they love the room in the back of the Passat. I think it has as much if not more room than the 535...especially legroom. I would prefer to have got a Jetta, but senior passengers really appreciate the limo size backseat in the Passat.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
The same with lots of places, including Florida. That's a problem....I don't particularly want to be here during a hurricane, but it makes a nice break coming down in June or July....you can enjoy everything when it isn't crowded with all those snowbirds...ha ha.
Those reasons you gave are huge concerns, need for good medical attention and neighbors you don't have much in common with. Beautiful scenery etc. isn't enough to make a place one you want to go to. You have to have activities you would enjoy and neighbors with similar values and are in similar stage of life, or at least like to do similar things,....golf or something.
Good medical care and travel insurance are musts as well.
Hope you find something that works.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
The Jetta isn't really that much smaller to be honest with ya and I could get used to any size vehicle...I just like the Jetta better and the red over ivory SE I drove the other day was extremely nice...something I could purchase right now if things were a bit different. Another vehicle I like that I saw today was the Lexus CT300 or something like that...looks like a 2 door hatch but the perfect size vehicle. About the Civic/Jetta size and it just looks pretty cool with the hatch and all but probably a bit too pricey for me. To be real honest, the Jetta and Buick Verano kinda hit the bulls eye for me right now...I was really blown away with the base Verano I drove right after the red Jetta. Very lux inside but not over the top with decent acceleration and braking...I felt like I was in a luxury vehicle from the get go, very upscale interior with almost perfect ergonomics. Hard to believe that underneath it's really a Chevy Cruze, the Verano really hits the mark and in direct competition with the Acura ILX, another one on my short list. Of course if I do get the 325 CI drop top, everything changes and the Civic will stay in the stable longer than 10 years. And I'd be real happy with that scenario also, extremely happy!
The Sandman
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
As for going back to modeling, they do have agencies which specialize in senior models. I'm not interested because I no longer have that kind of patience. You have to sit for the make-up guy, the hair dresser, etc. Then you have to work with the choreographer and the wardrobe people. Everyone shouts orders to you, and they run around like chickens with their heads cut off. It's a stressful environment overall. People don't realize that it is more than just putting on some new clothes and walking down the runway.
Richard
That sounds like a beautiful color combination for the Jetta. You have picked out some nice cars there. That Verano looks like a really nice car on the road, they look like an expensive car. And one car that seemed to go faster than many on the I-75 were Chevy Cruzes....they seem to be the fastest drivers around as a group.
We went to a little local play in Sun City this afternoon. We like going to these, I am 66 and we feel like the youngest people around. If you don't know, about 20 people drive their golf cart to the play...this is the land of golf carts, there's even lots of parking spaces just for them.
There seems to be a lot of Hyundai Sonatas around. Seniors like to make their dollars stretch. This one I saw was a nice red color, and it had a full padded black vinyl roof. Looked pretty blinged out!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Sounds like a huge amount of work trying to make people look natural!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
The Sandman
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
I'll bet it had the "gold kit" emblems and those ugly Vogue Tires too?
To each his own I suppose....
My brother got an Accent because he got such a good deal on it. Traded in a 10 year old Civic + $4k and drove away ina new Accent.
He isn't very tall, so he needs to put a large cushion on the seat or he won't see out. I am just saying this because it might be something to watch for, especially if visibility is important.
Personally, it is very important to me that the seats are designed so you can adjust them to see clearly. My wife is very particular about this, and that was the biggest advantage the Audi A4 had over the BMW 335 or 328.
Also, in the Passat the seat goes very high....seems VW/Audi noticed people want the car designed, with low visible hoods and seats that can go high.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I can't say for sure as he came out of the lot when I did and was beside me at the light. But the car was all shiny with lots of extra chrome....bright shiny wheel covers. But that roof stood out, had to be about 3 inches thick and came right down below the windows. I guess the Sonata is the new Caddie.
At least there weren't bull horns on the hood.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
And worse comes to worse, we'll just fix the a/c and stay the course here as that wouldn't be the end of the world yet I hate to put $ into an older vehicle and I've told her that I absolutely will not buy another set of tires for this vehicle...no way in hell will that happen! I really think she'll finally "get it" once she sees all the shiny new vehicles in that large room as it really is hard not to get excited in that environment...really! They usually roll out the mid and higher level vehicles with the nicer alloys and leather interiors just to show the public what is possible with a little more out of pocket and it works...folks actually envision themselves driving down the road once they sit behind the wheel and set the mirrors just right. They become "personally involved" and once that happens, once the emotions kick in, it's hard to shake off that nice new car feeling, it really is intoxicating like a powerful drug and just a little shot of it only makes one want it more...that new car smell, that owning something that was made "just for you", being the first to own it...these things can be very hard to shake off especially once one gets into the old rig and drive it home. The "what if's" , as I call them, kick in on the way home. One thinks of ways to rearrange things to come up with the downpayment, if I sell this and lower the monthly pay out of that...all these thoughts start to take over as a way of justifying this purchase. And from there, I think over 75% of folks will drive home something within a 2 week period. And I am sure once we leave the show that the bug will will be there, the seed will have been planted and within a short period of time, she will convince herself to purchase something especially since tax season will be starting soon. She won't have the time to do all the work necessary until after April 15th and I predict she'll just say the hell with it and buy sooner than later! I predict that the week before New Years, we'll be purchasing her new ride! I will plant that seed next Saturday, G-d willing!
The Sandman
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
Speaking of tax season your wife will appreciate the generous tax credit one receives for buying a Chevy Volt or other BEV. For her, the Volt is the right size, "pretty" inside and out and miserly on gas and electricity.
I'm not a "greenine", nor am I a big proponent of hybrid/electric vehicles (well...with the exception of the TEsla), but a Volt sounds like a good shot across the hybrid bow for GM.
Even after all the fires?
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
True that, but an indoor Level-2 Wall Mounted 40 Amp 240 volt fast charging station can be had perhaps for as little as $700 before tax credits. If you want to splurge you could go for the 125 Amp charging station which dims the entire neighborhood when it is switched on.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
It is. Then again, you have to look at it this way. If you and I look in the bathroom mirror at our natural selves, then you begin to understand why you wouldn't want to see that coming down a runway. (Grin) No amount of new duds will help that situation. Believe me. By the time that they do your makeup, hair, tighten the girdle (Oh yes, men wear those also.), and pin the clothes from the inside, you look like a new person. The game is twofold. First, make the buyer think that they will look young in those clothes. Second, make the buyer think that the clothes will fit them the same way as they fit the model. Yea, right! I used to split a gut laughing. After a show, a fat lady would come up and want a certain size 4 dress in a size 24 Womens. She didn't have a clue to the fact that she wasn't going to look like the model in that dress.
To stay on topic, it's the same with luxury cars. Have you ever noticed that in the ads, they always park the new car in front of a mega-mansion? It's that psychological stimulus that you, too, can own a home like that if you purchase the luxury car. The ads used to park the big cars in front of a country club or fancy restaurant. You still see some of those ads today.
All products are about the marketing. As a businessman, you know this.
Richard
Good to know all those people in the retirement ads that look fit and trim have been fixed up...I am going to tell my wife immediately. I am sure what people see in the mirror (esp women), is very different than what they actually look like. We once had a lady neighbor, and she was pretty good looking, she was in her 40s, but, there is no way she should be wearing shorts with a bulging mid-riff showing.
Note- I found the beep, it was a smoke detector in the storage space above the garage. One of those where you pull down the door, fold out the ladder, and walk up. It was clean and neat at least.
I try to avoid Wallymart but we needed a variety of stuff, one stop shopping we do once or twice a year. Fortunately, the 535 didn't get hit by a shopping cart, but....why are people so lazy they can't take a cart back? They leave them right where they unload them, or shove them between two cars and leave it there? What is the world coming to? There are places for carts, they can't take them a few feet, the exercise would be good for most of them.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
The Sandman
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
That's not limited to Florida. Common courtesy has become a rare thing all over.
The cart business is one of my pet peeves. I make a point of running the cart back into the store only to see a young person jumping into the car next to me and driving away leaving their cart blocking 2 parking spaces. Almost seems to be a deliberate distain for others.
Were we so callous when we were young?
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Thank goodness we bought it. Considered leasing when we saw some amazing lease rates, but, since we are Canadians we aren't allowed to lease.
Certain things we can't do, like have a mortgage....I mean we could just run back to Canada if we had to....wouldn't do that but they just don't know.
Since the mileage is so low, it really works better for us to buy the Passat. It is really nice having two cars here, my wife is off playing tennis and I go to play before she gets back. If there is a choice we take the 535, it has more creature comforts and is parked in the attached garage. Besides, the faster I run up the mileage the sooner I can talk her into letting me get a new car.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I don't think there was ever a time I could just leave a cart next to someones car, or leave it in a parking space. Even in my stupid youth when they say the male brain hasn't developed yet.
Some of these slobs actually leave their carts parked in handicap spaces. Some are decent enough to put 2 wheels up on an island so they won't roll into a car. Don't they realize they may even pay less for the items they buy, if they just took the cart to a coral or left it near the store?- I am sure their brains wouldn't process that much information.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
To those who served in the Vietnam, Korean, WWII and Middle East skirmishes, that you for your service.
Oldfarmer....I'd still jump on the Tesla, for no other reason than the way it looks. I still see one cruising my neighborhood. How it got here is an unknown since we don't have a Tesla dealership anywhere remotely near me.
To our friends outside the US have a happy Rememberance day.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
The Sandman
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2025 VW GTI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
With my broken hip I'm spending a lot more time in the car while my wife goes in to buy groceries, etc.
The other night we were at Walmart. As my wife went in she grabbed a cart that was already improperly left in the front of the space. As I watched all the comings-and-goings of the Walmart crowd a woman my age or a bit older who was parked two spaces away from me brought her cart and left it in front of our car. Kiddy corner to us was the cart corral, but facing the opposite traffic lane. Apparently, those last five feet proved to be too much effort so she just stopped.
I felt like leaning on the horn, but she would have probably had a heart attack, or, worse, come over and beat me up since I am in no position to fight--even middle aged ladies.
I'll cut her some slack because she was 60ish (but in good health from what I could see). Can't fathom why reasonably healthy 18-50 year-olds can't put a cart in the corral--I always do. Isn't that called (un)common courtesy?
Gogiboy
My favorite feature is the large navigation screen (much bigger than my aftermarket 5" Garmin). It has this neat feature that shows a dotted line pointing to your ultimate destination even though you are being directed onto roads within a mile or less with the programmed route. The backup camera is also really cool as is the rear hatch, which will open and close with the push of a button.
I now have a better appreciation for why people feel they have to have luxury or near-luxury cars. I could definitely get used to those kind of amenities--even the firmer seats.
Gogiboy