Stories from the Sales Frontlines

imidazol97

Speaking of "not run of the mill", I had heard of these cars and always wondered "what if"?

I always think that's a Thunderbird when I see a picture of the turbine car.

Thanks for posting the video. That was great hearing Jay explain his car and show the rare footage of the turbine Chrysler.

driver100

@graphicguy said:Speaking of "not run of the mill", I had heard of these cars and always wondered "what if"?

GG, I remember when those turbo cars came out. I don't understand why Chrysler didn't make cars just like that but with a regular gas engine. They look a bit like T-Birds, but they would have been great sellers. There are lots of interesting facts in that little video.

bwia

The Stealth Auto Buyer

I know there are many frequent buyers on this forum but perhaps none buy cars as often as this guy from Consumer Reports who actually gets paid for the privilege. Here is an excerpt from the Boston Sunday Globe Automotive Advertising Supplement.

(Not many people know “the dealership experience” quite as well as Mike Quincy. Over the past 14 years, he’s purchased more than 100 new cars, each equipped to his individual specifications, from dealers representing virtually every manufacturer.

Mike Quincy, you see, is a buyer of new cars for Consumer Reports’ (CR) testing program.
Once the test engineers decide which vehicles they want and how they should be equipped, Quincy procures them, much the way you and I do.

“I go on the web and configure the car the way we want it, then send the information off to a bunch of dealers while I work on other projects,” Quincy explains. “Slowly, the email chimes tell me I’m getting responses.”

The email address he uses for these inquiries is a personal (non-Consumer Reports) one. “We keep our identity quiet until the last second, on the day we take delivery,” he says. “That’s when the dealership learns that this is going to be a test car and registered to Consumers Union. It’s neat watching the reactions. Sometimes the salesman gets nervous thinking we’re judging the dealership.”)

Read more at: http://www.boston.com/cars/buying/2014/02/16/consumer-reports-buyer-has-bought-over-new-cars/rAZcoDbh91kVbNOR6iobUI/story.html

houdini1

@robr2 said:
One more proud Dad moment.

robr2, nothing like seeing a child accomplish something that not many can do. Congratulations. Were you a "track guy" in school? I ran the quarter and mile relay. Ok, but nothing like qualifying for nat'ls like your son. I used to throw up after every race !

driver100

@houdini1 said: I used to throw up after every race !

Thanks for sharing, but MITIN - (More Information Than I Needed;)

Just joking houdini. We had to do a big figure 8 when I was in high school. When it was really foggy, I just stood in the middle of the 8 out in the field and my gym teacher never new. Not very athletic...but good management material!

driver100

@bwia said:
The Stealth Auto Buyernone buy cars as often as this guy from Consumer Reports who actually gets paid for the privilege.

Very interesting article. He buys cars the way we figured out how to do it - especially about keeping the new car and trad-in transactions separate. Also, likes to work up from the dealers cost, not down from sticker. Surprising how many salesmaen never follow up after an initial contact. I really agree that they try to keep you in the showroom for as long as possible and wear you down. That would be a fun job though.

I think Mike should put in his application in case that guy quits.

oldfarmer50

@driver100 said:
"...we have to get oldfarmer to look some up..."

Here you go:

http://tampa.craigslist.org/hdo/cto/4271941994.html

But I prefer the next generation before they started using the Northstar engine:
http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/ctd/4331984842.html

http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/cto/4298212491.html

nyccarguy

@bwia

"Over the past 14 years, he’s purchased more than 100 new cars..."

And he calls himself a professional? HA! He's a novice compared to some of our friends over on Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous!

driver100

@oldfarmer50 said:

Very nice OF. You can own a slightly pre-driven Caddie with under $100k for about $2000.
Maybe I should rethink about used vs new.
But, I don't think I'd want to try to drive the 1500 miles to Florida in one of those, just in case.

One guy at tennis loves bmws, he buys used ones. Bought a 535 with 100k miles on it and drove it to 400k miles without any problems. One guy has a 1990 Civic with 200k and one 2006 Kia with 200k. I guess people can do it................

robr2

@houdini1 said:
robr2, nothing like seeing a child accomplish something that not many can do. Congratulations.
Were you a "track guy" in school? I ran the quarter and mile relay. Ok, but nothing like
qualifying for nat'ls like your son. I used to throw up after every race !

I ran XC and indoor for one season each. I wasn't very good - really didn't try hard enough and got interested in cars, girls and a PT job. My son occasionally tosses his tummy after a race.

He was also a great lacrosse player. He was the only freshman that made the varsity team and was a starter. He scored a goal in their first game (for a long pole that's a big deal). His HS coach even said he was going to start putting his name out to college lacrosse coaches.

But he then decided to commit to running. It crushed me a bit as he had been so focused on lacrosse for the longest time - club teams, off season workouts, camps, et al. It also kills me to look in the garage at a $300 helmet and a bunch of expensive sticks just sitting there but he told me not to sell them.

He wants to run in college and his times are close to what they want so we will see where that takes him.

graphicguy

I think we should send our own representative to CR to show them how it's done. ABACOMIKE...I'm looking at you.

sterlingdog

@fezo said:
Here I was posting in the wrong (well, different) topic. I've been a bit out of it socially. There was a huge post that was meant for here but ended up in Chronic Car Buyers...

Richard, I hear I'm welcome to drop by. Due to tightened schedule I may or may not be able to do that, Actually, if dinnertime or so on March 4 would work we could still pull that off. Drop me a line.

Been socially out of the loop for quite a bit. I forgot what a good group I have here. Sorry...

Doing pretty well at the moment.

Would love to have you on March 4th but we may be in Florida with my BIL. He began the new chemo pill Friday and we're waiting to see how well his body accepts it. If all goes well, we'll take him on to Florida. He is so looking forward to it. Every day is precious at this point.

Richard

sterlingdog

@abacomike said:
sterlingdog said:
"Mike, can you share the lease payment? Just curious."

I don't have a copy of the lease, but it came in at $579.00 a month with 15K miles, plus tax. The dealer he originally went to in the desert wanted almost $700 a month. But also remember that was leasing it with his 689 beacon score, which probably added another $40 or more. From what the dealer told me, it was an invoice deal.

Car drives great and I was very surprised at the power out of a 4 cylinder diesel. It's a great road car - we drove back on Interstate 10 doing 75 mph.

Thanks Mike. The payment sounds reasonable when you consider that he put nothing down. It sounds like a very nice car.

Richard

sterlingdog

@robr2 said:
One more proud Dad moment. My son and his 4x800 meter team set a school record, a meet record and qualified for nationals today. They ran the full 3200 meters in 8:05 shattering the meet record by 18 seconds. This is the 2nd event they have qualified for nationals in - the other is the distance medley relay (1200m/400m/800m/1600m).

They have to choose one as they can't compete effectively in both as they are run the same day. I think they are leaning towards the medley - the other three do better in the other events and my son is best in the 800m.

Off to NYC in a month.....

Just one more reason why we can still have faith in our youth of today. Congratulations to Dad and Son.

Richard

oldfarmer50

@robr2 said:

"...I wasn't very good..."

I can relate to that. I tried track in HS but was awful, too clumsy. Probably would have made a fair football linebacker but I was never a team player.

My oldest son inherited my clumsy nature an was unsuccessful at baseball. Then he tried martial arts and loved it. Got two black belts and a bunch of trophies.

Lot of pride in seeing your kid be able to split boards with his foot 8' in the air. I fear no dark alley if he's with me.

oldfarmer50

@sterlingdog said:

"...we may be in Florida..."

Fezo, did you hear that? An empty house. I smell road trip.

Do you know where richard keeps his liquor?

snakeweasel

@driver100 said:
If this one really has 49K miles that would be great.

Yes it would but remember that the car is 18 years old and may have some issues just due to its age. I know more than one person who bought an old car with low miles only to find out later that something major had to be repaired simply because of age.

snakeweasel

@robr2 said:
One more proud Dad moment.

Congrats, I ran track in HS and was OK. Never won a race though, plenty of shows but no wins.

snakeweasel

@oldfarmer50 said:
Do you know where richard keeps his liquor?

In his belly.

oldfarmer50

@driver100 said:

"...don't think I'd want to drive 1500 miles..."

Actually, except for fluid leaks I would think long distance cruising at highway speeds would be rather easy on those old cars.

Besides, why wouldn't you just leave it down there for your winter use?

abacomike

@sterlingdog said:
"Thanks Mike. The payment sounds reasonable when you consider that he put nothing down. It sounds like a very nice car."

The car he leased MSRP'd for about $58,000, which had just the premium pkg. it was a pretty basic car, nothing like what I used to buy - but he is cost conscious which is understandable and why he got the diesel. Fuel prices in CA are almost $1.00 more per gallon than anywhere else.

He called me last night and said his neighbor wants one and could I arrange it at the same dealer. I responded, "...for my son, anything, but for his neighbor - let them eat cake!"

driver100

@oldfarmer50 said:Besides, why wouldn't you just leave it down there for your winter use?

Well, we have the Passat for that. The way I see it, the Passat cost $23K. It should last at least 10 years, esp at about 2000 miles a year. If it is worth nothing after 10 years it will have cost us $2300 a year - less than renting. If it is worth $11.5K it will cost less than $1200 a year. If it becomes a classic and is worth more than $23k it will be a bonus.

Just my opinion, but a 25 year old car can breakdown fairly easily no matter how few miles are on it. Trying to get a part and having a breakdown on I-75 somewhere in the middle of nowhere wouldn't be nice....especially if you consider what my wife will be saying........"I told you it was insane driving a 25 year old car with none of the latest safety features on a 3000 mile round trip journey".

Every year when we head back I see RV motor homes that breakdown or are in accidents....how would you like to spend a few nights in some small town looking for someone who can get your motorhome back on the road again?

driver100

Average price of gas in the USA today $3.34
Price is expected to spike 35cents to 50 cents more in April or May.
The reason given;
Because the more highly refined summer grade gasoline takes more time to refine. Summer gas has to burn cleaner, so goes through more processing.
Here's the story: auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/fuel-consumption/summer-fuel.htm

Sounds like just another excuse to raise prices to me.

snakeweasel

@driver100 said:
how would you like to spend a few nights in some small town looking for someone who can get your motorhome back on the road again?

Well I did spend a few nights in a small town looking for someone who could repair a transmission on an old school bus.

Then to add insult to injury less than 24 hours later we spent the better part of a day looking for someone to replace the clutch for the same cursed school bus.

Needless to say it wasn't fun.

snakeweasel

@driver100 said:
Average price of gas in the USA today $3.34
Price is expected to spike 35cents to 50 cents more in April or May.
The reason given;......

Sounds like just another excuse to raise prices to me.

You also have to remember that people drive more in the summer so prices do go up due to that.

sterlingdog

@oldfarmer50 said:
Do you know where richard keeps his liquor?

I think I call it a liquor cabinet.

Richard

imidazol97

@snakeweasel said: You also have to remember that people drive more in the summer so prices do go up due to that.

But why would prices go up for that? The raw material costs the same. There is more of it, indeed, because it's not being needed to refine into heating oil, so the raw materials should go down. In fact, our prices went up here recently and the PR machine said it was because of need to produce more heating oil and propane for the northeast where the winter demand has been higher due to the cold. So inversely, as demand for heating oil goes down, gasoline costs should go down.

But we know there's always an excuse for it to go up. They put that on a fax for the talking head with IQ 85 at the TV station and voila, we have instant facts.

sterlingdog

@abacomike said:
sterlingdog said:
"Thanks Mike. The payment sounds reasonable when you consider that he put nothing down. It sounds like a very nice car."

The car he leased MSRP'd for about $58,000, which had just the premium pkg. it was a pretty basic car, nothing like what I used to buy - but he is cost conscious which is understandable and why he got the diesel. Fuel prices in CA are almost $1.00 more per gallon than anywhere else.

He called me last night and said his neighbor wants one and could I arrange it at the same dealer. I responded, "...for my son, anything, but for his neighbor - let them eat cake!"

LOL! I love it!

Richard

driver100

@snakeweasel said:Well I did spend a few nights in a small town looking for someone who could repair a transmission on an old school bus.
Needless to say it wasn't fun.

I have a neighbor who's big dream was to get a big Winnabago type motorhome. His first trip it broke down in a very small town in South East US. He had to stay in some real fleabag motel in a tiny town with nothing to do for 72 hours. They UPSed the garage the parts, and he was on the road on the 3rd day, but who wants to spend their vacation like that.

I say, for the $150K plus insurance, plus gas, plus storage, etc, he'd be better off investing his $150K and using the $15K profit to take a nice vacation.

driver100

@imidazol97 said:But why would prices go up for that?

@snakeweasel said: You also have to remember that people drive more in the summer so prices do go up due to that.

But why would prices go up for that?

That's what I am thinking. China is using less oil, US is more self reliant and recession is still not over, people are travelling less.....gas prices going up is more of a Springtime ritual than based on any real life occurance. I can just imageine the oil execs...."Hmm, time for profit boys...let's use excuse #54, prices rise because we need more complex fuel for the summer"
In the How stuff works site they said this causes gas prices to rise 10 cents a gallon - this year it will be 35 to 50 cents.

venture

A LITTLE INFO. ON THE ESCAPE BUYBACK

Boy! If they sell cars this slowly they would only sell a few dozen a year.

I talked to my sales rep today and he said Ford will not do a buy back. I don't blame them, I wouldn't either if I were them. That's all they need is to buy back a vehicle because someone didn't feel comfortable with it. He did said they are probably going to do a "trade assistance." Never heard of that before, but I don't care what they call it as long as they help me out.

He said they (Ford mysterious people) were in a meeting until noon so he wouldn't know anything until then. He didn't call.

They did bring in a 2014 Escape Titanium from Ohio that is supposed to be mine. It is exactly what I want except it has NAV which I didn't want. I can live with that. It actually stickers for less then my 2013 SEL, but is equipped a little better. The 2014's have a rear view camera which mine doesn't have.

The saga continues.

Joe

abacomike

@sterlingdog said:
"LOL! I love it!"

Richard, I've always believed that one should always go that extra mile for family - but not for unknown acquaintances of acquaintances. My son doesn't understand that when you go to the well too often (my dealership and its corporate entanglements), sooner or later when you really need a favor, the well dries up.

Do you get my drift, Richard? If you do, then maybe you could explain it to my son.

stickguy

had an actual sales experience today. Picked up my son's new Jetta. Very good time. Everyone was efficient, organized, friendly and knowledgeable. Exactly what you would want to have. Salesguy spent plenty of time showing us all the features and getting the carnet (VW version of onstar) set up. all together we were there for about 1.5 hours or so. All buying experiences should be so pleasant. The negotiating part (on Saturday) was fine too, and pretty quick. We had to pick it up today because my son needed to get documentation together for the recent college grad rebate.

jwilliams2

@bwia said:
The Stealth Auto Buyer

>

“I go on the web and configure the car the way we want it, then send the information off to a bunch of dealers while I work on other projects,” Quincy explains. “Slowly, the email chimes tell me I’m getting responses.”

The email address he uses for these inquiries is a personal (non-Consumer Reports) one. “We keep our identity quiet until the last second, on the day we take delivery,” he says. “That’s when the dealership learns that this is going to be a test car and registered to Consumers Union. It’s neat watching the reactions. Sometimes the salesman gets nervous thinking we’re judging the dealership.”)

Read more at: http://www.boston.com/cars/buying/2014/02/16/consumer-reports-buyer-has-bought-over-new-cars/rAZcoDbh91kVbNOR6iobUI/story.html

This brought back memories. I sold him/them a Mercedes-Benz back when I was in sales. Very smooth transaction and the car was perfect. We talked for quite a while, and it was very evident he had a strong bias towards Japanese cars.

The Finance Manager wasn't too happy about having to re-do all the paperwork at the last minute on a busy day, but a sale is a sale. Made a good commission too, as it was a relatively new model that we weren't discounting much. He seemed happy with the car and drove off with the top down.

nyccarguy

@abacomike

Some people just don't understand that you "pull strings" or "call in a favor" when you absolutely HAVE TO, not just because you can. In my business, I maintain a very good relationship with my sales reps & vendors. I'm far from the being the "biggest fish in the sea," but people I deal with know that when I do ask for a favor that I do really NEED it.

@robr2

Congrats on your son! I know you are extremely proud of him!

robr2

@nyccarguy said:
I maintain a very good relationship with my sales reps & vendors. I'm far from the being the
"biggest fish in the sea," but people I deal with know that when I do ask for a favor that I do
really NEED it.

...and as a rep we understand that. We only have so many silver bullets that we can use with the vendor. If the same customer keeps asking over and over for those bullets, even if they are big accounts, the factory starts telling us no and we have to tell other customers we can't help them.

I used to deal with one very large customer but a couple of their showroom people constantly screwed up and expected us to take care of the issues. They like to pull the "you know who we are right" card. I didn't like going to the owner to complain about them but at some point there are only so many times you can get the factory to waive the restock charge on an oddball custom ordered product the factory will sit on for years.

@nyccarguy said:
Congrats on your son! I know you are extremely proud of him!

Thanks for all the well wishes. We are extremely proud of him. Now to get him to focus on SAT prep and college visits over the next few months.

driver100

@venture said:He did said they are probably going to do a "trade assistance." Never heard of that before, but I don't care what they call it as long as they help me out.

Venture, could you briefly remind me (us) what the problem was with your Escape. I recall you having the problem, but forget what it is all about - believe it or not I do have another life besides Sales Frontlines.

I hope Ford comes through for you, I don't like the sounds of them having a meeting and not reporting back to you right away - as promised.

graphicguy

@venture said:
A LITTLE INFO. ON THE ESCAPE BUYBACK

Boy! If they sell cars this slowly they would only sell a few dozen a year.

I talked to my sales rep today and he said Ford will not do a buy back. I don't blame them, I wouldn't either if I were them. That's all they need is to buy back a vehicle because someone didn't feel comfortable with it. He did said they are probably going to do a "trade assistance." Never heard of that before, but I don't care what they call it as long as they help me out.

He said they (Ford mysterious people) were in a meeting until noon so he wouldn't know anything until then. He didn't call.

They did bring in a 2014 Escape Titanium from Ohio that is supposed to be mine. It is exactly what I want except it has NAV which I didn't want. I can live with that. It actually stickers for less then my 2013 SEL, but is equipped a little better. The 2014's have a rear view camera which mine doesn't have.

The saga continues.

Joe

Joe...been down the same road, a couple of times.

If you want to ride this out, stick to your guns for them to do a lemon buy back. It will take a while longer. Call Ford's mediation number that should be in your owner's manual (usually BBB) to really get the ball rolling. Matter of fact, file with them anyway. It will certainly motivate the dealer and Ford to resolve everything one way or the other.

IF you want to take their "trade assist", then get details. You need to know exactly how much trade assist Ford is giving....as in the exact number. Add that to the reasonable trade value on your vehicle. Tell the dealer you expect they'll sell their new Escape to you at net cost, given the time and trouble factor. If they can't/won't do that, then they're spinning you until you get dizzy and give up.

Good luck. We're here to help.

graphicguy

@driver100 said:
But why would prices go up for that?

That's what I am thinking. China is using less oil, US is more self reliant and recession is still not over, people are travelling less.....gas prices going up is more of a Springtime ritual than based on any real life occurance. I can just imageine the oil execs...."Hmm, time for profit boys...let's use excuse #54, prices rise because we need more complex fuel for the summer" In the How stuff works site they said this causes gas prices to rise 10 cents a gallon - this year it will be 35 to 50 cents.

Again....my pet peeve...the oil industry.

No reason whatsoever for prices to go up. Demand is down, worldwide. End of story. There isn't one shred of evidence it will ever recover, given the alternative fuels that are litterally gaining traction (biodiesel, electrics, etc). It always bothers me that no one, from the White House down to the local council people, who will stand up to these thieves.

I write my Congressman and Senator 2-3X/year about this travesty. They say they will look into it, then I hear nothing.

graphicguy

@jwilliams2 said:
This brought back memories. I sold him/them a Mercedes-Benz back when I was in sales. Very smooth transaction and the car was perfect. We talked for quite a while, and it was very evident he had a strong bias towards Japanese cars.

The Finance Manager wasn't too happy about having to re-do all the paperwork at the last minute on a busy day, but a sale is a sale. Made a good commission too, as it was a relatively new model that we weren't discounting much. He seemed happy with the car and drove off with the top down.

jwilliams....goes to show, Consumer Reports (as we've always suspected) have bias towards Japanese brands.

Also, what information people pay for with CR, they can come to this thread and get for free. Plus, we'll actually walk them through the process, step-by-step.

driver100

@graphicguy said:jwilliams....goes to show, Consumer Reports (as we've always suspected) have bias towards Japanese brands.

GG, I agree, but what CR is looking for and what some people are looking for are two different things. So, in CRs world the Japanese brands are their favorites - most reliable, most economical, lower depreciation, etc. For people who love to drive, or for the crew at Road & Track, they may have a different opinion.

Also, what information people pay for with CR, they can come to this thread and get for free. Plus, we'll actually walk them through the process, step-by-step.

Really good point....the crew here can be very helpful. I would estimate I have saved over $20K on our last 4 cars because of the knowledge I have gained here, mostly by not giving in.
I am not sure I would have done it without you guys.

houdini1

@oldfarmer50 said:

To stop those "fluid leaks" on long distance cruises just make more pit stops or wear depends !

imidazol97

@jwilliams2 said: > The Finance Manager wasn't too happy about having to re-do all the paperwork at the last minute on a busy day, but a sale is a sale. ... He seemed happy with the car and drove off with the top down.

Anyone who's surprised by CR's being biased toward the Japanese hasn't been reading any of their comparison reviews and studied the choices of words they use to slant their reviews toward their favored brands. And their choice of pictures in their advertising shows their bias. Of course, they also like some premium brand autos, to wit the convertible he had just purchased.

The more blatant showing of bias I see is Motorweek. They actually recorded a separate paragraph about the Cruz diesel where they threw in slams against Chevy and GM's past for their evaluation of the Cruz diesel. I don't read the Car and Driver, Road and Track type mags because they're not testing cars for me and my driving.

jmonroe

@abacomike said:
sterlingdog said:
"LOL! I love it!"

Richard, I've always believed that one should always go that extra mile for family - but not for unknown acquaintances of acquaintances. My son doesn't understand that when you go to the well too often (my dealership and its corporate entanglements), sooner or later when you really need a favor, the well dries up.

Do you get my drift, Richard? If you do, then maybe you could explain it to my son.

Maybe Richard with his vast vocabulary can help me too. The way I say it just sounds cruel. See below.

Son #1 has picked up a good bit of knowledge from helping me over the years (I’m not bragging but I’m bragging) so he does a lot of stuff on his own now and is more than willing to help out friends and neighbors. That’s a great trait and some of it comes from me (bragging again) because I did the same thing for friends/family and neighbors when I was his age. One small difference, I chose to do the helping. Since I was the one who offered to help I knew what I was getting myself into and I wasn’t volunteering a third party.

With Son #1 he helps to the limit of his ability and when things get a little beyond his expertise he says to the people he’s helping, “I could keep on going with this and I’m sure I can figure it out (and I’m also sure he can) but my Dad knows how to do this and he has the tools to do it too. I’ll give him a call and he’ll be right over”. Sometimes I’m actually busy but to get his foot out of his mouth, I do my best to help out. I’ve questioned him several times about getting me involved and he usually says something like, “c'mon, how much time did it take for you to steer us in the right direction”? To which I’ve said, “steering someone isn’t all that bad but all too often I find myself doing the driving alone”. His comeback is, “that’s your choice because you can’t just stand there when you see things aren’t going exactly like you’ve instructed. So, you take over and do the work. I never asked you to do all that”.

To a certain extent he’s right about this but I don’t want to see someone get hurt nor do I want to be there all day and I damn sure don’t want my pretty tools destroyed in the process. I’ve said several times, ”I don’t mind helping, just stop asking me at the last minute when you’re in over your head, ALRIGHT? Did you ever think about letting me know before you get started, so that maybe, just maybe, I could help a little on the front end”?

I admit it’s not as bad now as it used to be but it hasn’t stopped, either.

jmonroe

venture

@driver100 said: Venture, could you briefly remind me (us) what the problem was with your Escape

The only problem is I have the 1.6 liter engine which has been recalled numerous times. I just got one a few weeks ago and they said it could possibly catch on fire. Something about isolated areas of the head could get overheated and crack. I am "fairly" confident that they will be able to fix the problem, but I don't want to have that in the back of my tiny mind all the time especially since I have a 6 year-old and a 10 year-old in the car quite a bit. The 2.0 liter engines are OK.

Joe

venture

@graphicguy said: Joe...been down the same road, a couple of times.

If you want to ride this out, stick to your guns for them to do a lemon buy back.

GG,

It really doesn't qualify as a lemon and I know Ford would fight that tooth and nail. I know I would if I have sold a gazillion 1.6 liter engines.

The fact they brought one I like in from Ohio is good news I guess. (Where's the shrug emotorcon?)

I'm going to wait a while and see what shakes out. I guess they are more interested in selling to new customers than making a mini-mini or losing a few $.

I've learned patience.

Joe

venture

@graphicguy said:
I write my Congressman and Senator 2-3X/year about this travesty. They say they will look into it, then I hear nothing.

>

Are you sure you aren't writing to my Ford dealer?

driver100

@venture said:The only problem is I have the 1.6 liter engine which has been recalled numerous times

Thanx venture, now I remember. I am not sure car companies view a problem like this as you would. They think if they can just recall it and fix it then they have done their part- your concern is your families safety. I guess you can only do the steps that other posters have suggested, and there are some good ones. I can only add that I would let them know if they aren't concerned with your families safety you won't be interested in remaining a customer....and you will be telling all your friends as well.

I think there will be some resistance because car companies don't want this to become a policy, "If we build a car with a major flaw you will be able to trade it in". They'd rather just hide the flaw with recall notices.

abacomike

@jmonroe said:
Maybe Richard with his vast vocabulary can help me too. The way I say it just sounds cruel. See below.

I don't mind helping out my son's neighbors or my son, for that matter, but to ask a favor of an individual who is always overly fair to my pricing needs for my own personal needs to do my son a favor in California was somewhat chancy, at best. It was the way I approached the subject and the request that he was more than willing to make the calls necessary.

But now, I have a request from my son to get his neighbor the same deal. So, if I was to please my son, I would have to go back to the "well", request a another favor, but this time for a neighbor of my son's, and take a chance that it could easily and probably spoil that good relationship I have for getting superior pricing deals on my cars. So my response is simply - NO!!!

I know a good thing when I see it - but my son obviously doesn't see it my way. So I wrote him a very long letter and sent it out email this morning. I explained that by helping his neighbor, I might be hurting my own future ability to buy cars at the prices I pay.

I haven't heard back from him yet, but if he doesn't get my point, then I obviously raised him incorrectly - that he must be sensitive to the variables and possible outcomes before making a move.

To me, if more of our children would learn to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of a group of variables, they would be more able to scientifically (or at least inferentially) make wiser decisions.

stickguy

Mike, all the neighbor really has to do is go in and make an offer at or close to what your son paid (say, $600/mo). Odds are the deal will get done without you getting involved. Unless somehow as a favor to you they really did lose money on that lease, it would just be another quick mini deal.