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Nice to hear that you had a good experience with the new car purchase.
The last 4 cars I’ve purchased have gone just like your recent purchase, pretty painless. And I bought them from 4 different dealerships. The first, the ’05 ill-fated XG350 from a guy about 3 miles away. The second, an ’06 Sonata LX from a dealer across town. The third, my ’09 Genny from a dealer in Streetsboro Ohio and the last one, Mrs. j‘s 2012 Subie, also from a dealer in Ohio, this time Columbus.
From those 4 experiences I have to say that the car selling biz has changed radically from what I remember it being in the 60’s through the mid ‘90’s. Arming the buying public with good internet info has certainly leveled the field.
Good luck with your son’s new car.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Mike, I would think the dealer and salesperson would be overjoyed that your son recommended them to a friend of his.
Your son should just call his sales person and let him know a friend of his is coming in to talk with him about leasing a car....and that he will also be recommending other friends in the future. That way your hands are clean and they can work it out.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Here's what I found on this recall:
These vehicles may experience localized overheating of the engine cylinder head which may cause cracks that could allow oil to leak; leaking engine oil may come into contact with a hot engine surface, potentially resulting in an engine compartment fire.
Bold added by me. It seems a whole lot of stars have to align in order for a fire to happen.
>
That's it. The latest one anyway. Does it look to you that it was written by an attorney?
I agree completely with what you said. I doubt there will ever be a problem. I also have no doubt you have to drive it much harder than intended for anything to happen. If it were just me I would roll the dice, but it isn't.
I'm not all excited about it and I realize what I am asking. Even if they said they don't want to do anything that would be OK. I would probably just trade it in. Maybe there. Maybe at another Ford dealer. I don't know. With the incentives presently in place and the fact that a 2014 optioned the way I want it is actually less money than the one I have when it was new 7 months ago means there would be little lost.
Either way, this one will be going down the road shortly.
Joe
2025 Forester Limited, 2024 Subaru Legacy Sport
On the surface it appears to be a level playing field but with Multi-brand mega dealerships the game is rigged against the customer. Usually a competing Toyota dealership is right next to or opposite the street from a competing Honda dealership, both owned by the same Multi-brand mega company.
There should be a law against that since there is no real competition in the retail car biz anymore.
Not trying to argue but I don't think there has to be a law of any kind.
If you don't like the price you get you have to go elsewhere. I did, I bought 2 cars out of state. Of course some people won't do that but in my case I did it because I wanted the car for my price and more importantly I wanted it the way I wanted it.
I think going out of state, within reason, is a small price to pay to get what you want.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Amen.
I keep cars for a long time and rarely take them in to the dealer for anything. If I could buy on-line direct from the manufacturer, I would. That said, if I need to take an airplane ride and drive the car home to get the right price and options, no problem.
@venture
The last link for a recall for the 1.6 I can find is dated December 2012.
You may have gotten the recent notice due to when you bought it.
This is just a guess.
If you feel uncomfortable owning it, I can understand that, but it hasn't had an actual problem, so that is not in your favor in regards to any special considerations.
That is just my opinion.
I hope this works out for you.
We will still be refining heating oil as the U.S. exports a considerable amount of heating oil to Central and South America. Our production of heating oil doesn't cease in the warmer months it just slows down. Now remember that gasoline usage goes up in the summer and the number of homes still using heating oil is in the minority.
But as the demand for heating oil goes down the demand for gasoline goes up.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
My sister wants to rent one and drive up to Alaska. I might join her for that.
My experience with the school bus was when I was doing Civil War re-enactments. The group I was with had some old school buses that were retired due to mileage that we used to haul our equipment around. This trip happened when we were on our way to a big event in Virginia.
In hind sight the fact that we almost set the bus on fire before we even left was a bad omen.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I believe heating oil is refined from the part of the crude that they use for Diesel. Gasoline comes from a different part of the crude, so that should not be impacting the price of gasoline.
I believe that it is largely speculation and price manipulation, but the myriad of different blends also screws things up. If the government could mandate 1 blend (or 1 summer/1 winter) for the whole country it would certainly make refining more efficient.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
This one is 11-25-13. The latest of many.
2025 Forester Limited, 2024 Subaru Legacy Sport
@robr2
Your son has had a great 2014!
I have his school picked out.
You will have to trust that I will give an honest answer and everything is in play one he does some school tours.
I would think that would depend on where you live. Going on Toyota's website there is about 20 dealerships within an easy hour drive from me. Honda has about a dozen, even Benz has 6 or 7 within an easy hour of me. They can't all be owned by the same company.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Think GM's Northstar engine. Great motor......except.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I didn't find anything matching that.
"Mike, I would think the dealer and salesperson would be overjoyed that your son recommended them to a friend of his."
My son did just that, however the dealer would not honor that price for his neighbor. I already heard about this from my dealer here in Florida. I was told that the deal provided for my son was a special favor and that they could not honor that same price for anyone else. It was a one time special favor.
Now, my dealer said that because of this situation, they could no longer honor any more special pricing for my cars.
So, it would seem that my son has now messed up things for me - after my insistence that he not get involved.
So, I am totally screwed because I tried to be a nice guy. Sometimes, even doing great things for your own family can screw things up for the caring father.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Mike, your son did a really foolish thing, expecting the dealer to offer the same deal to a friend.
However, it is really unfair of the dealership to blame you. All that has to be done is the other dealership tell this new kid that unfortunately that was a special deal done as a favor, and for you to apologize and explain to your guy. They may be glad not to have to give you cars for great prices and may have been looking for an excuse....I think if they were truly decent business people they would understand the situation. Also, the whole thing was not nice, but, it isn't the end of the world.....they just have to say to the kid they can't match that special price.
We had a wholesale book business. I love to give friends good discounts. But, I can't sell for less than cost or I won't be around to sell great books at great prices to anyone if I can't make a profit. I can't even sell at my cost price to be realistic....there are overhead costs to consider. I don't expect to make a net profit, but I have to recover my costs. Your son has to understand businesses just can't sell cars and not make a profit or they won't be in business for long.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
"Mike, your son did a really foolish thing, expecting the dealer to offer the same deal to a friend."
Driver , they were adamant about their decision that they no longer wish to do business with me. It is because corporate got involved. This was a simple request to offer special pricing to the son of one of their best customers. But because another individual became involved (the neighbor) to get the same deal which they refused to honor, the neighbor called corporate and that caused big problems for my dealer and me.
My son, by taking things into his own hands after I told him not to get involved just ruined everything for me.
He apologized for ignoring my requests, and I told him it was too late for apologies - that his actions screwed me royally.
Enough said!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
looks like Mike might have to actually figure out how this oil change concept works this time.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
"looks like Mike might have to actually figure out how this oil change concept works this time."
Could be, stickguy. My son might have put me into a position whereby I may have to keep my car much longer than usual.
To be honest with you , I am do furious with my son for doing this to me even though I warned him several times not to, that I am just going crawl into my bed, cover myself with my blankie, and sulk for a few days.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
sometimes a good sulk is all you need.
thinking about this, I can't believe that the neighbor actually called MB corporate to complain that a dealer would not give him the same deal that someone else got. Does he have any clue how sales works, not to mention the car business? I certainly would have asked, but if told no (as he obviously was) I would never think of calling the company.
it is a bummer for you, but at the same time I think the dealer overreacted. Besides, it sounds like most of the big discounts you got had nothing to do with them, and they were getting a steady supply of loaded, ultra low mile trades to resell for a profit. So I doubt they were "losing money" on your business.
Maybe this is just a sign to go find a new dealer to play with.
oh, and I am still trying to find out how USAA forks over all those huge rebates. You can't possibly be paying enough in premiums to cover that!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
If I'm following the story correctly, the dealer Mike works with in Florida and the dealer in CA have the same corporate ownership. I suspect this is who the neighbor called, not MB corporate.
This tale seems to illustrate how car sales really work. Like many things in life, it's not what you know but who you know. In the prices paid forums, folks are always trying to secure the same price another poster quoted, only to find out the dealer won't honor it. Why? Could be lots of reasons. But, in the end it makes for frustrated buyers.
And, in this case, a long term repeat customer who has bought 3 MB's in the past two years to perhaps move on to another brand.
Mike, I'm truly sorry that your son screwed up a good situation for you. You can buy and own many cars, but you'll only have the kids you have. Don't be too hard on him in the long run.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
Re: Mike's kid
Sounds like your son was trying to play big shot with the neighbor but it was the neighbor who acted like a real [non-permissible content removed] by making a stink.
Nobody can hurt your feelings like your own kids.
I guess I'm lucky that my kids always listened to me and never did anything dumb. All that furniture just threw itself across the room.
In other happy news, they found a credit card skimmer on a gas pump at the Sloatsburg rest area on the NYS Thruway (I-87). That's why I pay cash for everything.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
"Non permissible content removed"
Wow, a computer nanny is now part of the system. I should have said donkey, maybe?
To put Mike's son's faux pas into perspective I just saw a news video where two guys stole a car, crashed it through a connivence store causing thousands in damage just to steal an 18 pack of Bud Lite. How'd you like to be the parents of those geniuses?
And in other news:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/weird-news/death-of-a-clown-why-americas-rednosed-ones-are-disappearing-9135575.html
Maybe the neighbor can apply.:)
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Must have been a really slow news day.......reporting a shortage of clowns!
America may soon be bereft of clowns. That’s the claim being made by the country’s shrinking clown-based trade organisations in a report by the New York Daily News, which warns of an imminent national clown shortage brought on by a decline of interest in clowning, and the advanced age of its existing practitioners.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
"oh, and I am still trying to find out how USAA forks over all those huge rebates. You can't possibly be paying enough in premiums to cover that!"
USA merely acts like an agent for MBUSA. My father is a vet of WWII. He joined USAA. Took out a policy from them for scheduled personal property ($25.00 yearly premium). Since he is a member, I was able to join and got my own membership card and account.
My dealer sells me a car at invoice less the USAA fleet discount of $3500 and less my $500 Mercedes club of America fleet discount, which amounted to $4000 behind invoice. The dealership gets the $4000 back from MBUSA. Also, back end hold back was used to sweeten the deal so I would buy a car right then and now.
So that's how it works. Once you are a member, you can price your new car right on their website and find out what incentives are available by make and model.
If it were not for USAA and the Mercedes Club of America, I would not be buying high end cars.
I will let you guys know if anything changes.
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
My first thought on this was your son should not have shared with anyone just what kind of pricing he was paying. Just tell the others that's personal business.
It sounds as though some discounting of pricing was occurring that must be in violation of the franchise/dealership agreements. MB put a stop to it when they became aware. Exactly how they became aware is not clear: did the other dealer complain because of acquaintances of your son coming in to ask for the same deal that the FL store had asked them to offer or did the company become aware because the potential customer asked them?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I think I found the problem: according to the USAA car buying web site, only 1 MB incentive is allowed per year and it must be funded with a USAA loan. Mike is getting it more often and I don't believe he takes a loan. That leads me to believe that the dealership is doing something funny and it got caught.
https://www.usaa.com/inet/pages/car_buying_service_main
Mike...sorry to hear about the hassle from your dealer and the faux pas with your son.
That said, let's say 12-18 mnths from now, you decide you want a new CLS. You go to your dealer, tell them of your intentions...USAA, rebates, etc. You'll buy it right now for that deal. Do you think they'll actually turn down such an easy deal to move a unit? I'm betting the answer is they'll accomodate you, and may not even remember the "dustup".
Good sleuthing. That likely is the problem.
I always get a little jealous about the USAA treatment with discounts for military folks.
My brother was in the military and was killed in Alsac-Lorraine in WWII. I'm sure that he would
have used USAA at some time were he still alive, and I (we) would have been eligible to receive $5000
discounts as well on "BMW, Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler, GMC, Jeep, Dodge, FIAT, Mercedes-Benz, MINI and smart vehicles. See note 3"
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
That seems to be the case and robs post kind of confirms that. When we bought our 1999 Mercedes (in Canada) dealers were only allowed to sell cars to people who lived in their zone. Some out of town dealers wouldn't sell to us, some said they would get around that rule. It didn't seem to be an advantage, MB was able to maintain their prices so there wasn't much incentive to buy from an out of town dealership. Just wondering if MB is a little more sticky about this type of thing than most other manufacturers.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Mike, Can you belong to the BMW or Audi club and still get those kind of discounts? Maybe there is a way to get you into a new car.......it's been almost 6 months now that you have been driving that same car!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
@driver100 said:
"Mike, Can you belong to the BMW or Audi club and still get those kind of discounts? Maybe there is a way to get you into a new car.......it's been almost 6 months now that you have been driving that same car! "
I bought my CLS 550 on Nov. 30, 2013. Or less than 3 months ago. So I think you have me confused with someone else!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
@abacomike said: ...after my insistence that he not get involved.
As for children not following instructions, my son has done just that in the last few days. I told him to make a thank you note very simple, clear, and concise. He added more making it more than a thank you.
I also had told him never to talk to the press (media), not even to verify information you think they already have, because they will try to fool you to gain infomation. Instead he felt he was maintaining good relations with certain ones and controlling what they had until they decided to run an article early. Although he wasn't mentioned, the article was not what he wanted at that time for his purposes.
Live and learn.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Driver...at one point, I remember my BMW dealer telling me the AMEX discount/rebates were the same as USAA. Don't know if that's the case with Mercedes, or not.
I know there was some sort of sheet my BMW dealer showed me that had all the avaiable programs and the associated discounts listed. I think the only better deals that were listed were those for BMW employees (not dealership employees). I remember the amount of discounts and buying programs listed were quite extensive.
As is the case with both BMW dealerships in my area, the discounts on demos are extensive. And, they always have a fleet of demos available for sale.
Some are service demos. Some are BMW corporate demos. Some are BMW dealership management demos. They always seem to have lots of demos and really good discounts, though.
If you go to the USAA car buying program website, you can see some of the special offers they give above and beyond the car buying service price. BMW looks to be about an extra $1000.
robr2....took a gander at the USAA site. They wanted my SS# just to look at pricing. That's a non-starter for me.
That's probably to prove you are a USAA member.
If you follow this link, you can click on some manufacturers and they list what the USAA discount is.
Driver said: .it's been almost 6 months now that you have been driving that same car!
Sorry, you're half way there.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Also, a lesson I learned awhile ago. Try to never have your picture taken with a drink in your hand...no matter how innocent. If the newspeople come after you one day, that is the picture that will appear in the newspaper.
I have my own grief with my SIL who took a perfectly good company down to almost nothing. And then he borrowed a few $100K against the business which he can't repay. Then asks me for money because "Isn't that what family is for?".
Geez....I am a very even tempered person, but, I almost put my fist through a wall that day.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Am I reading this right? Is this guy offering, among other things, to cancel out CEL codes so you can illegally past inspection (or fool buyers) and to roll back milage? Scary.
From my local Craigslist:
Custom Tuning, Immobilizer Removal, Mileage Adjustment, And More! (saratoga springs)
2015 audi
Do you want more Power out of your Audi or Volkswagen? How about better fuel mileage? By remapping your car I can get that extra power you wish you had, better throttle throttle response, better fuel mileage. Check engine ABS, Airbag, or other any other light on? Thats no problem! With my ADVANCED DIAGNOSTIC software I can easily and quickly let you know what is wrong and the best way to remedy the problem. Common causes for CEL are failed secondary air pump, evap leak, Catalytic converter, o2 sensor, exhaust gas temp sensor (egt)... Why have your car fail inspection or pay a shop or dealer outrageously high rates to have them replaced?! I can code them out!! Thats right I can make you car pass inspection! I also offer immo off for those of you who want to swap ecus and not have to worry about immo! I also chip new keys, Change mileage, replace failed or burnt out instrument cluster lcd. For those who want an aggressive tune I offer boost building launch control, and soft launch control too (YES TDI TOO).
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Sounds like someone has a VAG COM or VCDS and is trying to make a few bucks.
My understanding is the VAG COM allows for changing an odometer ONE TIME in case someone has to replace the instrument cluster. But the true mileage is tracked by the ECU and that is what the OBD port spits out.
" it must be funded with a USAA loan. Mike is getting it more often
and I don't believe he takes a loan. That leads me to believe that the
dealership is doing something funny and it got caught."
No, I never take out a loan. But their rates are outstanding - under 1% for. 60 monthss
You are correct that they allow only one purchase through their buying service per calendar year - but remember - it's MBUSA that offers the incentive in the first place as a fleet discount. It's offered through USAA but it sanctioned by each manufacturer for veterans and their families. It does not have to be funded with a USAA loan.
The dealer did nothing funny and the dealer did not get caught doing anything wrong. It has to do with selling cars at dead invoice to non affiliated customers. Selling cars for cost to me is fine - or once to a family member of mine, but not to unknown customers. That is the issue!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
I thought you always got the USAA discount. If that's the case and USAA only allows one per year, then they were doing something wrong. I realize it's funded by MB but I'm sure the idea isn't to have one USAA member buying cars for everyone they know at that price.
If a dealer principal were punishing a GM for selling cars at dead invoice, they'd be replacing GM's every couple of weeks. I venture there is more to the story than what they are telling you.
" I venture there is more to the story than what they are telling you."
You can venture all you want - but you are wrong. My son's deal DID NOT INCLUDE THE USAA DISCOUNT. He is not a member. He jus got a dead cost deal, PERIOD. And his neighbor wanted the same deal - but was refused that same deal. END OF STORY!
2024 Genesis G90 Super-Charger
Mike, it is hard to believe that the neighbor expected to get the same deal. A fair deal, but not the same deal as "family". The neighbor is who screwed this up, not your son. Hopefully this will all blow over after the dust settles.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Mike, it seems you are getting upset and we are just trying to figure this out. If the dealer did nothing wrong, and your son's deal was fine, why didn't the other dealer just tell your son's friend he doesn't qualify for the same deal...that should be the real end of story.
Anyone could over hear or find out about a price or be given some B.S. price and go in and ask for it. The dealer doesn't have to give it. Tell the friend to get lost...he didn't qualify. What would happen if I went in and said I wanted that car for $599 a month, I heard a rumor that they sold one for that price?
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
This is NOT a quote from my post.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
So a car flipper could still change the milage on the dash and unless the buyer had equipment of his own he wouldn't know it? Would your standard Pep Boys code reader be able to get the true milage or would you need something special? Would canceling out the CEL hide codes from the reader?
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible