Stories from the Sales Frontlines

sterlingdog

@driver100 said:
I think they started counting sometime in December....and you weren't around in December. You didn't figure out how to get on until January....so you actually did start later, on the New and Improved Sales Frontlines.

I see what you mean.

Richard

abacomike

@sterlingdog said: ......,I didn't realize that the new system was unable to capture the old data.

I believe the new system is slowly updating as much data as possible, but there will be quite a bit lost.

When they changed platforms, it said I had been a member since Oct., 2013. Now it says Feb., 2010, which is much closer to actual.

When you were forced to change names, I don't know if they were able to pick up all your history.

So it looks like it is slowly gathering old data, but obviously not all of it.

As for you not wanting my badges, then I will "will" them to driver since his wife is ecstatic over his earned "merit" badges. If my wife were alive, not only would she hate the badges, she would take away my iPhone and PC so I could not post and that would leave more time for "play", if you know what mean. She'd be jealous of the time I spend attending to posting and reading posts.

stickguy

made me wonder, so I checked my profile. It shows member as of 1/1999. A little short, but I think everyone got reset somewhere around there, so close enough!

and it seems like I either have all the badges, or they only show up when you earn them. If that is the case, I wonder how many are possible?

abacomike

TEEN ROCK STAR AND HIS RENTED LAMBORGHINI

If you are going to drive anywhere on Miami Beach, the speed limits are 25-30 mph. But, if you are thinking of drag racing at 60 mph at 3:00-4:00 AM, chances are that you are going to be pulled over.

When you've got thousand dollar bills to give away, you can get away with most anything - but not in Miami Beach.

The young man in question needs to have a strong, moral and ethical mentor to get him through his teenage years alive and well. It's a true shame what money and fame can do to a young life.

28firefighter

@abacomike - It makes me more upset that his indiscretions get as much attention as they do. Fuels the behavior, if you ask me.

nyccarguy

@28firefighter

I agree 100%. Even worse is that I think he's doing this on purpose to get some "street creed" and a "bad boy image." It was all staged IMO. Cmon, a rental Lamborghini? It is all a little too convenient if you ask me.

driver100

@imidazol97 said:But I like to tease the Floridians (temporary in cases) about their low temps. But I realize some day it will be 115 and 110% humidity in Fl with tornadoes, hurricanes, and sink holes along with the rodeo bugs (big as horses) and here it will be 70 and 50% humidity

You can tease, but we'll be back in Canada in 70 and 80 F temp when it is 115 here. That cold mass is reaching into Florida today, only a high of 56 in Tampa - but Mike will have 70F in Miami today!

jmonroe

@sterlingdog said:
My wife had always wanted an emerald ring---her birthstone. Four years ago I saw the perfect one and, fortunately, had the $12k to make the purchase. It was pictured on a trusted antique dealer's web page. I drove 200 miles to see it.

Hey dog...once again we have something in common. Mrs. j also has the emerald as her birthstone. While I didn't drop 12 grand on the one I got for her about 15 years ago she has gotten a few nice comments from people when she wears it. I think hers cost about $600 and I drove about 3 miles to the local jewelry store for it. I guess you could say I saved money all around on that purchase.

If our old poster buddy 'fez' didn't reappear on this site I was going to get in line for your will but that is out the window now. I should have jumped in line when I had the chance. frown (the hickies ain't working once again)

jmonroe

jmonroe

@abacomike said:
sterlingdog said: .......I know one thing for sure. Your award for the length of time that you have been here is incorrect. I was here before you were....as if any of it matters.

This badge and point thing could end up costing us many posters because it is set up to reward, but it will end up causing hurt feelings to those who are not earning what they think they should earn.

That is why I do not like the badges and the points and the competition.

If anyone in here is so weak that they need badges/points to stick around, do we really need them?

Don't get me started on all the reasons that I don't like either of them. They are not why I get up in the morning or come visit in here, honest.

jmonroe

jmonroe

@imidazol97 said:
jmonroe said: But we should have had them. I can't even get the box to expand anymore.

Do you mean it doesn't iterate the text when you choose "Quote"? When there's a quote box in the text being copied, it usually doesn't copy anything other than the poster's name. A quirk I believe a host said is being looked at for fix.

Or do you mean that when I copy my own long post just above this, all my text copies but the box size stays small until I "grab" the 6 dots in the lower right corner that form an arrow and pull the box larger?

Well, for this reply all of what is shown above populated to the box but this does not happen all the time. FWIW, the two previous posts I made today did not populate the box. What was shown as quotes from those posts is what I copy/pasted from the post to the box. Also, for this reply, the box could not be expanded nor did I have access to any of the editing functions or the hickies.

I am at work right now so it could be how the computer here gets the info. I'll have to try at home to see how it goes from that box.

jmonroe

abacomike

@driver100 said:........That cold mass is reaching into Florida today, only a high of 56 in Tampa - but Mike will have 70F in Miami today!

So will Justin Beeber!

stickguy

Just had a call from the vw sales guy we worked with. Wanted to know if son made decision. Chatted about weather and he said has been real slow and basically said the sales manager told him to drop the old shorts. Pretty sure if we want to brave the ice and cold (and more snow Saturday) to show up they will really throw out a strong #. Especially since the article freeze is staying through month end.

graphicguy

@stickguy said:
Just had a call from the vw sales guy we worked with. Wanted to know if son made decision. Chatted about weather and he said has been real slow and basically said the sales manager told him to drop the old shorts. Pretty sure if we want to brave the ice and cold (and more snow Saturday) to show up they will really throw out a strong #. Especially since the article freeze is staying through month end.

Now, that's the way to work a deal. Wait for sub zero temps and snow. Let us know when you get the new car home.

driver100

@jmonroe said:Don't get me started on all the reasons that I don't like either of them. They are not why I get up in the morning or come visit in here, honest.

Just because you didn't get any you don't have to ruin all our fun!

abacomike

@driver100 said: ......Just because you didn't get any you don't have to ruin all our fun!

I sincerely hope you were kidding when you made that comment, driver!!!!

Sometimes it's better not to say anything - and in this case, you missed your chance!

snakeweasel

@stickguy said:
Cranky old men. And this coming from a guy that just got his AARP card in the mail.

Oh I can't resist this one. Are you kidding? You got your AARP card via Pony Express.

snakeweasel

@imidazol97 said:
We're heading into even more days of below 10 deg F over the next many days.

Well you guys are going to be warm, Monday and Tuesday we are supposed to have highs of -5 and -6 respectively.

snakeweasel

@graphicguy said:
Now, that's the way to work a deal. Wait for sub zero temps and snow.

The only problem with that is you have to go out in the sub zero temps and snow. Last night we picked up a 65 inch TV in 3 below temps and nearly froze my fingers off trying to get that beast into our daughters CRV. We had to remove the child seats in order to put the back seats down and it was easier to do without gloves.

imidazol97

@snakeweasel said:
Well you guys are going to be warm, Monday and Tuesday we are supposed to have highs of -5 and -6 respectively.

You have my deepest respect

abacomike

@snakeweasel said: "...Monday and Tuesday we are supposed to have highs of -5 and -6 respectively."

So where is Global Warming when you need it?

I remember one winter on the suburbs of Chicago there were 3 nights where the temperature (not the windchill) was 26-28 degrees below 0. There was a constant 35 mph wind coming in from the northwest with a windchill of 45+ below 0. I had to bring the kids downstairs to the family room and we had a fire going in the fireplace every night. We slept in thermal sleeping bags right there by the fire. The heating system could not maintain a warm enough interior temperature so I had to shut it down every hour or so because the furnace was overheating. And this was in our brand new house that had twice the insulation as required by the existing construction requirements. It was the wind that prevented the house from reaching an acceptable interior temperature.

I get the chills just thinking about that winter.

explorerx4

@abacomike
I remember seeing a picture from the late 60's early 70's(?) where the water from Lake Michigan overflowed, went up some side streets and froze in the cars parked on the street until spring!

abacomike

@explorerx4 said: "...I remember seeing a picture from the late 60's early 70's(?) where the water from Lake Michigan overflowed, went up some side streets and froze in the cars parked on the street until spring!"

I was living there at that time (Oak Park) but I don't remember that. But in Chicago, anything is possible in the winter.

driver100

@snakeweasel said: Last night we picked up a 65 inch TV in 3 below temps and nearly froze my fingers

That sounds really cold. That cold weather crept down into Florida too. I had to play tennis at 10 a.m. and it was only 50. Some of us wore long pants!

driver100

@abacomike said:
driver100 said: ......Just because you didn't get any you don't have to ruin all our fun!

I sincerely hope you were kidding when you made that comment, driver!!!!

I hope your not going to take back your offer of giving me those badges you don't want.````

snakeweasel

@abacomike said:
I remember one winter on the suburbs of Chicago there were 3 nights where the temperature (not the windchill) was 26-28 degrees below 0.

Oh I remember that winter. I would go outside and run my car every couple of hours just to make sure it would start up again when I needed to go to work.

I get the chills just thinking about that winter.

You and me both.

explorerx4

@driver
I wore long pants too today. Got my outdoor activity in scraping ice off the Explorer windows.

oldfarmer50

@driver100 said:

GG said he couldn't buy a Vette because he would worry about scratches. In a hooptie you don't worry. Come on, it's a T-bird!

oldfarmer50

RANDOM THOUGHTS

There was an accident in front of the school today and as I returned from my run a Toyota Camray was being flat bedded away. Fairly minor front end collision ( hood, bumper) but it looked like all the airbags deployed, even the side curtain in the rear seats. Can't imagine the cost to replace all this airbags.

Also at work there's a woman who just got her Jeep back from the shop (daughter bashed the front corner off) after two months. She noticed after a few days that the oil light was on. We checked it and DRY STICK! Put at least 3 quarts in it and when she started it up it was dripping oil all over. She flat bedded back and they found a small nick in the filter from the accident.

Now she as it back and under load she describes a noise that sounds like a main bearing to me. Engine may be toast. It's a 2010 and she owes money on it so the junk yard isn't an option.

Any opinions on the best repair route and who should be responsible for paying?

abacomike

@oldfarmer50 said: "Any opinions on the best repair route and who should be responsible for paying?"

Assuming the damage to the oil filter was not identified by the repair shop as well as the owner, going after the repair shop would be difficult if not impossible to prove negligence or liability. Who is to say that the oil filter was not damaged after the repair to the car.

When an oil light goes on, it usually means a drop in oil pressure, low oil levels, or both. Perhaps the owner did not notice the light or ignored the light until it was dry.

I believe in this case that the owner may end up with no means of recovery. Most unfortunate.

The problem is proving that the repair shop was negligent in not properly diagnosing all the damage.

stickguy

@oldfarmer50 said:
RANDOM THOUGHTS

There was an accident in front of the school today and as I returned from my run a Toyota Camray was being flat bedded away. Fairly minor front end collision ( hood, bumper) but it looked like all the airbags deployed, even the side curtain in the rear seats. Can't imagine the cost to replace all this airbags.

Also at work there's a woman who just got her Jeep back from the shop (daughter bashed the front corner off) after two months. She noticed after a few days that the oil light was on. We checked it and DRY STICK! Put at least 3 quarts in it and when she started it up it was dripping oil all over. She flat bedded back and they found a small nick in the filter from the accident.

Now she as it back and under load she describes a noise that sounds like a main bearing to me. Engine may be toast. It's a 2010 and she owes money on it so the junk yard isn't an option.

Any opinions on the best repair route and who should be responsible for paying?

definitely file a claim with the insurance company as it was a result of the accident. No clue how that will go of course.

snakeweasel

@explorerx4 said:
abacomike
I remember seeing a picture from the late 60's early 70's(?) where the water from Lake Michigan overflowed, went up some side streets and froze in the cars parked on the street until spring!

Living in the Chicago area pretty much all my life and I don't remember that. And seeing how the lakefront is mostly park land any water that would have made it to the side streets would have had to come from a tsunami. Just don't see that happening. Worst I have ever seen is waves large enough to flood Lake Shore Drive in parts where it was close to the shore line.

Now a few years ago there were a bunch of cars stranded on Lake Shore Drive, but that was more due to snow and drifts.

snakeweasel

@oldfarmer50 said:
Any opinions on the best repair route and who should be responsible for paying?

I'll agree with the other responders in saying that she would have a hard row to hoe in assigning blame to anyone else. You would have to prove that the nick was from the accident and that the repair shop was negligent in not fixing it. All they have to say is that the nick resulted in a road hazard that she came across after the repair. You did say that it was a few days after she got her car back that she noticed the oil light and the dip stick was dry. They could say that that shows that the leak was fast and the oil light would have come one sooner if the filter was damaged during the accident. Or that the oil light would have gone on sooner and she just ignored it.

She may just be out of luck.

abacomike

@snakeweasel said: "Living in the Chicago area pretty much all my life and I don't remember that."

I lived in Chicago from 1967-1968 while I was attending Roosevelt University for my Master's Degree. When I got married in 1968, we moved to Oak Park. Both my kids were born at West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park.

When I got my PhD from the University of Chicago, we moved to the northeastern part of Will County where I became a school principal. The one thing I remember about the Chicago area is the winters. Many times when I was flying home from LA, NYC or New Orleans, my plane would be diverted to Milwaukee or Minneapolis because of snow.

Yep, tough winters in Chicago - tough indeed.

sb55

@driver100 said:
That sounds really cold. That cold weather crept down into Florida too. I had to play tennis at 10 a.m. and it was only 50. Some of us wore long pants!

Long pants! I have been wearing long johns, + flannel jeans + Ski pants if I am outside too long and it's windy since early December! I live right on Lake Champlain and the wind can really whip up this valley. Right now it's gusting over 35 knots so that's serious wind chills.
This is the coldest winter in a long time.

oldfarmer50

THE EXPERTS CONCUR

The poor woman is SOL. Maybe she can find a used motor for it. Several of the bus mechanics do work on the side so she might be able to get one put in for $1000-$1500. Last time I priced used engines they could be had for about a grand with under 100k miles.

oldfarmer50

@sb55 said:

"Long johns..."

I heard a news story yesterday that you Vermonters were upset by the lack of snow in your state. They claimed that you were experiencing "Snow Jealousy" of states farther south who have gotten buried in blizzard after blizzard.

As a resident of upstate NY a stone throw from your border I want you to know that you are welcome to all my snow if you agree to take the cold back with you.

Actually we don't have much on the ground where I am because we've had warm spells between the storms and cold snaps. Now we have ice covering everything. I throw bags of salt in the driveway only to have water melt and flow right back and freeze.

May have to buy ice skates for the RWD portion of my fleet.

abacomike

@oldfarmer50 said: "May have to buy ice skates for the RWD portion of my fleet."

It's been cold over the eastern half of the US since well before Christmas. Even we have had more than our share of high 30's and low 40's at night. This is extremely unusual for south Florida.

Finally we will be in the mid 70's this afternoon so I can get back to wearing my shorts. What I have noticed is that my car has been averaging 21 mpg combined highway and city driving which I thought was due to using Chevron gas as opposed to Shell. Then I realized the real reason my fuel economy has improved in the past month - I haven't been using my air-conditioning since before Christmas.

So much for my hypothesis about Chevron giving me significantly improved mpg's! And here I was boasting 28+ mpg's on the highway for this 4.7 liter 400+ hp engine. I should have known better.

driver100

@sb55 said:Long pants! I have been wearing long johns, + flannel jeans + Ski pants if I am outside too long and it's windy since early December!

Even Niagara Falls is frozen;

When up North we live an hour from the Falls....sure glad I'm down here even if the high will only be 65 today.

bwia

@oldfarmer50 said:
May have to buy ice skates for the RWD portion of my fleet.

Speaking of snow and frigid weather, I am amazed of how well cars today thrive in this cold weather. Turn the key or the push-button start and voila the car starts right up. The same with all the sophisticated electronics, they work as advertised.

Turn on the seat warmer. Check. Turn on the heated steering wheel. Check. Turn on the automatic climate control. Check. No need to warm up the car, it heats up in no time. That is a far cry from my 1974 Mercury Comet whose heating system was anemic at best, that is when the car would start in one of three tries.

I've got to give auto manufacturers credit for making such reliable and dependable products that work in all weather conditions. Car technology has come a long way and we should count our blessings.

driver100

@bwia said:That is a far cry from my 1974 Mercury Comet whose heating system was anemic at best,

Remember stepping on the gas to open the choke.....and then flooding the engine.

Actually, I think those 74 Comets had a pull out manual choke.....at least I think my 62 Comet did. That brings back really bad memories...my 62 gutless, 3 on the floor, breaking down at least once a month...MonsterMercury Comet.

oldfarmer50

@bwia said:
"car technology has come a long way"

I started my 1988 van this morning for the first time since the latest cold snap. Started up without much complaint. Needed to put a little power steering fluid in it because of a slow leak and found my hood hinges frozen. Other than that I only had to wait 20 minutes for heat.

Driving it on my weekly run to the dump made me glad I bought the Lincoln for my winter transportation. I don't think I could manage one more winter bouncing on those bad shocks and fishtailing on every snowflake.

abacomike

@bwia said:
Turn the key or the push-button start and voila the car starts right up. The same with all the sophisticated electronics, they work as advertised

Much of the improvement in cold weather starts came with the introduction of Fuel Injection Systems controlled by computers that would signal the injection system to "fast idle" in cold environs. Carburetors and automatic chokes are what caused most of the problems with cold weather starts.

I owned a 1987 Mercedes Benz 300D (diesel) when I lived in Chicago. I remember vividly having to wait up to 1 minute for the glow plug to heat up sufficiently to start the engine. No wonder it had a battery twice the size of a gasoline model. Cold weather starting of that diesel engine was problematic. Diesels have improved substantially since then with the advent of sophisticated injection systems.

But let's face it, sub-zero temperatures are not friendly to engines, as we all know. But with improved technology, they are much more friendly than they used to be!

abacomike

@sb55 said:
On an Island in Vermont!

I just noticed that you live "on an island in Vermont"! Couldn't you have chosen the Caribbean or the South Pacific for your island home? During the very cold winters, I guess your "island" is approachable by walking over from the mainland. And here I thought only deities could walk on water!

All kidding aside, could you share with us more about your island habitat - sounds very posh-posh as well as adventurous.

oldfarmer50

@abacomike said:
"diesels have improved substantially..."

Couldn't tell that by the performance of our school's "clean diesels". My old bus last year would start on the coldest morning even if it wasn't plugged in. I now have a new bus and you say your prayers and hold the starter in for up to 3 minutes before it even begins to catch.

The only thing worse was our experiment 15 years ago with natural gas fueled buses.

snakeweasel

@abacomike said:
I owned a 1987 Mercedes Benz 300D (diesel) when I lived in Chicago. I remember vividly having to wait up to 1 minute for the glow plug to heat up sufficiently to start the engine.

Back in the 80's when I lived in Alaska I worked with someone with a VW diesel. One time during winter while we sat in their cold car waiting for the glow plugs to warm up was enough for me to volunter to drive my car anytime we went anywhere together.

graphicguy

I remember this......people walking across the OHIO RIVER from Cincinnati to Kentucky and back....well....looks like I can't upload the pic.

graphicguy

Let's try this....
http://retro.cincinnati.com/Topics/Gallery/Frozen-Ohio-River

imidazol97

@abacomike said:
... by walking over from the mainland. And here I thought only deities could walk on water!

Or they can just wait for a hurricane to blow them there.

snakeweasel

@imidazol97 said:

@abacomike said: ... by walking over from the mainland. And here I thought only deities could walk on water!

Or they can just wait for a hurricane to blow them there.

Haven't you people ever heard of bridges?

graphicguy

So, this is kind of a long "non-sale" story.

Buddy of mine, who's always looking for a "good deal", ran across this a few weeks ago....
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Infiniti-G-G37X-AWD-Navigation-Brand-New-8mi-Flood-Salv-Infiniti-G37X-AWD-Navigation-No-Reserve-New-/111261231747?forcerrptr=true&hash=item19e7afaa83&item=111261231747&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

I don't shop for my cars on ebay, but I know they help sell lots and lot of cars.

He asked me what I thought. Well...salvage title.....it doesn't run. But, if it can be made to run, and even though it doesn't have ANY warranty, if the price is right, why not? I decided to ask the seller some questions.

-Is the engine seized?
-can he send the receipts from the repairs he's already had done?
-how did he get it from the auction house to (what appears to be) his home?
-why did he buy it?
-etc, etc etc

Figuring if it's little more than a sensor or a key fob failure, it might be worth $12-$13K.

Well, he dodged just about every question I asked. He won't even tell me if the engine will turn over (which makes it sound like it could be seized). He kept assuring me he was an honest, stand up guy (the more someone tells me this, the less I tend to believe them).

The seller has listed this car at least 2 other times, with "no sale"

I'm thinking he probably has $13K-$14K into it. And thought he could make a windfall by getting it to run (which he can't). Plus, there's the issue that I don't think it can be sold for anything except parts, based on other listings I've seen that are similar.

On top of that, there's an inordinate amount of water damaged Infinitis on the 'bay". Some say they were in the east coast flood, some say they were on a ship from Japan, etc. Maybe coincidence. But, it seems strange there are a lot of just Infinitis that are salvaged from water, from a variety of sources.

I told my friend to run away from this car.