Stories from the Sales Frontlines

14164174194214222003

Comments

  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    nope. i just stare at the darn 'puter screen all day :cry:
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 18,558
    The Flex is aimed at those who need the room and convenience of a family vehicle but can't stomach a minivan and don't need the off-road features of an SUV.

    In other words, a station wagon. It's a nice car except for that moronic name. "Flex" sounds like a shampoo or an "Adult" toy... :surprise:

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
    Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
    Son's: 2018 330i xDrive

  • wlbrown9wlbrown9 Member Posts: 867
    Take my '00 Trooper, chop it down to lower it some...then stretch it out a little longer to make the 3rd row fit and it would look just like the Flex. Retro, box like...anything else?
  • colecole Member Posts: 67
    Looks a lot like the Fairlane concept. Is it the same vehicle?
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,386
    Same vehicle. They should have kept the same name.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    I think the whole idea with the Flex name is that it is a flexible vehicle. Not sure thats what they were going for but that is what I get out of it.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 270,551
    So.. what were they going for with the Probe? :surprise:

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  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    ;)
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    Looks like the Scion xB with lots of chrome. ;)
    http://tyt.tnpv.net/Image/2007/02/TYT2007020665410_PV.jpg

    An interior refrigerator? How big is this fridge going to be? Apartment size, bedroom size? How about the micro wave oven? Optional too?
    This is the perfect vehicle for the tailgaters and Nascar crowd!
    Hey! What happened to the emotorcons and buttons underneath?
    Mackabee
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    I bet it is the same cooler box as the Range Rover Sport and LR3 have.

    It will hold four sodas and a sandwich if you pack them right.
  • wsadams46wsadams46 Member Posts: 1
    Can anyone help me with deciphering the Ford MSRP vs. invoice for a F150 Flareside XLT 4x2 78" bed? Or, does anyone know of a site I can get some decent insight? Thanks.
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,386
    "So.. what were they going for with the Probe?"

    Somebody had to say it.

    I get the idea with the name; it just doesn't quite do it for me. I'd say it's a leftover from the Bill Ford "start all the car names with F" school, but Fairlane would have done that with some nice heritage thrown in to boot. Wouldn't stop me from looking at one though. Be darned if I'm going to Tennessee to do it, though. ;)

    BTW - ain't easy around here. I go away for a day and there's 165 posts to wade through.....
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Ford needs to revive the Galaxy name!

    I too like the looks of that Flex!
  • sbell4sbell4 Member Posts: 446
    This man came in a few minutes ago and wanted a price on a blue Camry that was on the Showroom. He said it was for his wife and price was very important.

    I said that I understand and if price was important would she consider taking it in the brown? The man looked at me confused so I repeated myself, "If it would save you money would your wife consider taking it in the brown?"

    He said he didnt know if she would or not so I told him to have her come by and we'll dicker.

    He got mad and left......I guess he changed his mind.
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    Class-exclusive refrigerator, mounted between the second-row captain’s chairs. Unlike competitors’ systems that merely keep cold beverages cool, the Flex’s available compressor-driven refrigerator can cool up to seven 12-ounce cans, four half-liter bottles or two 20-ounce bottles from room temperature to 41 degrees in just more than two-and-one-half hours. That’s 40 percent faster than a standard home refrigerator.
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    Wadda ya wanna know?
  • epineyepiney Member Posts: 462
    Joel,

    The Flex is a good start. Getting more extreme reactions on a vehicles is a good thing as compared to the yawns of the Taurus. Now they need to work on that Lincoln MK whatever, big time boring. The new MK unveiled at the LA auto show is better, but it's no CTS.

    What happens to the fridge when the vehicle is parked? Can you plug it into AC?
  • epineyepiney Member Posts: 462
    He was mad because he wanted the blue one for the price of the brown one :P . What's the difference? I thought color was only made a few hundred difference in market price unless the color made it a hanger queen.
  • jescuejescue Member Posts: 521
    Um, I do not think you caught his pun. :surprise:
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    I lucked into that third car I was hoping for this week.

    About six weeks ago we had a guy call at about 6:30 on a Thursday night. He said he wanted to look at a sport and would be down in 30 minutes.

    Now normally we close right around 7:00 or a little after but I said we would wait around for him. At about 7:00 he calls again to say there are about 15 minutes away :cry:

    We wait for them. At 7:35 the guy shows up with his business partner. I show them the car they are impressed love the idea of the accelerated tax deprecation for business use because of the over 6,000 GVWR.

    We go back and forth on the phone a couple of times he is seeking outside financing for his business.

    Now from the very beginning I figured he would either be a full list guy no questions ask or would come back at me multiple times for more discounts. I couldn't figure out which so I just started him at the top to give myself room to maneuver.

    I shoot him a buyers order with all of the numbers broken down for his bank and call to confirm he got it.

    Two weeks go buy and he never gets back to me. :confuse:

    Then out of the blue he shows up one morning to talk some more. I give up another 900 dollars and he takes the paperwork to the bank. I talk to him the next day conform all the numbers and the car and he says he will get back to me once all the financing stuff is done.

    Four weeks go by and I don't hear anything. I pretty much write him off as he doesn't return my last two phone calls.

    This afternoon out of the blue he calls me back and asks if the car we had agreed on is still there. I had swapped that car out for another sold sport and it was leaving on a flatbed that very minute.

    He says thats fine what else do you have in stock with that same equipment. I go down the list and kind of waffles because none of the colors I have are what he really wants.. Then he hits me with his next shot at a discount. He has been shopping at two of the big metro dealers and of course has a price that I can't agree to without consulting with our SM. I tell him that if we agree to that price it has to be on an instock as I won't have enough margin left to go hunting all across the northeast for a car. He says that he understands that and if we can agree to a price he is sure he can live with one of the other colors.

    I tell him I will call him back in a few minutes.

    I talk to the SM and tell him what is going on. If we lose this deal to the other dealership it would be the third deal this month we have lost to them. We are both getting pissed at them for poaching in our back yard using prices we just can't compete with. This particular dealer sells almost as many cars a month as we do in a whole year. :mad: :cry:

    Luckily this time they must have figured they had a stroke on their hands too because they gave me just enough room to match the price as long as it was an in stock vehicle.

    I call him back tell him I can meet that price and it will be $XX,XXX OTD.

    He replies, "Hmhh ____ was XXX less then you."

    "Really," I say ",exactly XXX? That happens to be exactly how much registration is for new plates in CT."

    He says, "They said that price included all taxes, fees and registration."

    I say, "Well it doesn't surprise me that they left registration out as they do as many deals in NY as they do in CT. Also in my prior experiences with them they tend to leave a fair amount of thing out of their quotes."

    "Well I am not going to fight over a hundred something dollars. You got yourself a deal email the VIN to me so I can get insurance cards and I will pick it up tomorrow."

    I am glad this worked out. I am truly pissed at this other dealer for stealing deals right in our main area. They don't even get business builder for cars sold to these zip codes. I am sure they aren't punching the cars to the real zip codes so they can blow out cars for dead cost or near to it yet still make all the business builder money. Just build up volume and try to break even on the new car sales side that way. That is not right at all and if I can catch them doing just that then it will be sweet indeed.
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    Zoooom

    Right over your head there.
  • epineyepiney Member Posts: 462
    Ok... my mind was not in the gutter when I read it the first time. Now it is. :surprise: Subtle, but effective
  • epineyepiney Member Posts: 462
    What is Mrs. JMonore going to think when she reads this? :surprise:
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    I don't know how the Fridge works when the car is off.
  • jescuejescue Member Posts: 521
    We have dealers do that with Jag. I saw a new VDP in service last week and it came from Houston. It was a Nashville resident and they gave them a $4000 discount AND lost the business builde. We have one 08 VDP in stock. :confuse:
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    First time I heard that one I laughed so hard I kicked the slats out of my cradle.
  • jescuejescue Member Posts: 521
    We have that option with Audi. It only works when the car is running so it seems useless to me unless you are on a long trip.
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    On the rovers it only runs when the car is on but...

    It is pretty well insulated so it will keep stuff cold for a couple of hours unless it is really really hot outside.

    If the fridge has not already reached its lowest possible temp it will run for a few more minutes after you shut off the car and then shut itself off.
  • epineyepiney Member Posts: 462
    What is business builder?
  • jescuejescue Member Posts: 521
    It is dealer reserve, or holdback. Jaguar and Land Rover assign territories and if you sell into someone elses area you lose BB.
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,386
    Which hit the family dinosaur..... :)

    For those that need that sort of humor try googling "i used to work in Chicago in a department store" all it should provide you with all sorts of variations.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • greanpea68greanpea68 Member Posts: 1,996
    I said that I understand and if price was important would she consider taking it in the brown? The man looked at me confused so I repeated myself, "If it would save you money would your wife consider taking it in the brown?"

    He said he didnt know if she would or not so I told him to have her come by and we'll dicker.

    He got mad and left......I guess he changed his mind.


    I remeber the first time i heard that about 4 years ago. It is funny to hear it again. :P
  • greanpea68greanpea68 Member Posts: 1,996
    They don't even get business builder for cars sold to these zip codes. I am sure they aren't punching the cars to the real zip codes so they can blow out cars for dead cost or near to it yet still make all the business builder money. Just build up volume and try to break even on the new car sales side that way. That is not right at all and if I can catch them doing just that then it will be sweet indeed.

    BR,

    Do you know if business builder is strictly for Land Rovers or is it for other Manufacturers? :confuse:

    I have never heard of that for Nissan. I am pretty sure Nissan I would have known about it if Nissan had it. I always know which cars Nissan gives retro money for, but I never thought it had to be certain zip codes.

    GP

    GP
  • madmanmoomadmanmoo Member Posts: 2,039
    AHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

    I love that one. Thank you sir.

    -Moo
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    Very ssslllooooowwwww..... usually picks back up on Saturday. Any business on Black Friday will usually be in the afternoon after everyone's had their fill of the mall. I'm in late on Friday so hopefully I'll pick one up. The delivery I had for Saturday backed out today, temporarily though. He's a regular and will buy but has to sell his car first which he shouldn't have any problems doing. An 06 Camry, with 15k miles and garage kept.
    :shades:
  • madmanmoomadmanmoo Member Posts: 2,039
    Ok, so I told you guys that I sold my first Porsche. I delivered it today. I had to drive down south to Macon and it took forever.

    I didn't mention a few things about the deal that made me nervous because I didn't want to jinx this deal. Now that it is delivered, I can share everything.

    On Monday, I got a phone-up and this lady asks me if we have any '08 Boxsters in stock. She mentions several times that she lives in Macon. She just totalled her Mitsubishi out and needs to replace it. She says the Miata she had on order isn't coming in soon enough and she's pissed off. Wow, this is a lot to swallow on my first phone up at the new store. She's never driven or seen the Porsche Boxster in person. She wants black and doesn't care about any other options.

    I tell her I'll give her a call right back after I check my inventory. I quickly peruse the inventory and find what I think will be the perfect vehicle. I call her back and tell her. She says great and asks what the options are on it. I tell her and then she asks how much out the door. I tell her and she cuts me $1,600. Great. I take it to my manager and he says go with it. Don't nickel and dime her. It's a fair offer.

    So I call her back and tell her that is acceptable. She thanks me and says she wants to have it delivered to her apartment today. Wow! It just seems too good to be true.

    A woman wants to spend $50k on a vehicle without ever seeing or driving the vehicle. I picked it out for her. . . . . Red flags are waving for me. I have her fax over a copy of her driver's license, insurance and the certified check. Everything checks out. I start to breathe a sigh of relief.

    So I get the car detailed and the paperwork together and make the trip to see her. Again, everything is smooth as silk. When I pull up, she takes one look at the car and says, "It's so cute!". Shew. After telling me about the plastic surgery that she's going to get done and all the meds that she's on, she signs the paperwork and I drive off.

    Oh ya, I sold LoJack to her while leaning on the back of the Cayenne Turbo that chased me down there. What a great first sale. I get to drive 130 miles and enjoy the drive. Plus, she was the hottest 67 yr old I've ever seen. :blush:

    Happy selling!

    -Moo
  • scottinkyscottinky Member Posts: 194
    i am about to lease a vehicle tomorrow, and I am off by about $50.
    Please please please. I have posted in the appropriate forum, but have
    gotten no response.
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    The Flex is a beautiful car! Any idea on the MSRP including all of the toys?
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,617
    Fine for the short run but it was like shoveling your drive way when you are 3 hours into a 10 hour snow storm,

    Not to get off topic but thats what you want to do. In a ten hour snowstorm its a lot easier to come out every few hours and shovel whats out there then instead of waiting for it to end and dealing with it all at once.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,617
    an in-car communications

    Don't all cars have an in car communication system? Its called talking to each other.

    Or is the car just to be for that?

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    Delete the last sentence for the sake of JMonroe.
  • jmonroejmonroe Member Posts: 8,989
    and I am off by about $50.
    Please please please.


    It's very simple, you gotta have it tomorrow so pay tomorrows price. :confuse:

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl

  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    Well I am so glad you asked. I was hoping some one would ask for more info so I could continue to pimp the new product.

    On Sale: Summer 2008
    Expected Pricing: $28,500-$40,000


    If Ford's next big intro goes as the company predicts, the 2009 Ford Flex will do for so-called crossover vehicles what the first Explorer did at the start of the SUV boom or the original Taurus did for sedans.

    When it goes on sale around the middle of 2008, the seven-passenger Ford Flex will be the largest in Ford's expanding line of crossovers, which now includes the Taurus X (formerly known as the Freestyle) and the Edge, a crossover nearly as big as the Explorer.

    The family oriented Flex is a big vehicle, measuring more than 202 inches long on a 117.9-inch wheelbase. That makes it longer than a full-size, truck-based sport-utility vehicle like the Chevrolet Tahoe, and longer than some of the biggest minivans ever, including the recently canceled Freestar.

    Ford insists the 2009 Flex is not a minivan replacement, and that might be true in spirit. Yet it will be built at the same Canadian plant that built the Freestar, and it replaces that minivan in Ford's model line-up.

    Measured by features, seating and passenger/cargo options, the Flex will function very much like a good minivan, and it will be available with front-wheel drive (like the typical minivan). The key difference? Like many crossovers, the Flex is supposed to serve a family's needs with more sex appeal than a minivan, and without branding its driver as a soccer mom or dad.

    To that end, styling is a key part of the Flex equation, and in our view it's one of the more interesting vehicles Ford has launched in some time. The production Flex is based on the Fairlane concept vehicle that toured the auto-show circuit in 2005, and it's a close copy, right down to the strakes along its flat sides. There's a hint of Range Rover in the Flex, but also a hint of panel wagons from another era. Its roof pillars are blacked out and its side windows are dark, and it will be available with a white or silver roof, like a Mini Cooper, regardless of its lower-body paint color.

    While it's certainly retrogressive in theme, the Flex is also fresh and forward looking. Standard wheels will be a substantial 18 inches in diameter, with 19-inch wheels offered as an option.

    One key difference between the production Flex and the Fairlane concept: no suicide doors for the Flex, or rear doors that hinge in back and open from the center. The Flex won't have minivan-style sliding rear doors, either. With conventional swing out doors, and access required for the third seat, we expect those rear doors will be some of the longest on any vehicle in production.

    If the Flex is going to sway family buyers, it will need the right interior features. Its body design essentially eliminates raised rocker panels under the doors, which means there's nothing to step over to climb in and out. Ford promises best-in-class second-row legroom, with optional adjustable foot rests. The Flex will be offered with separate second-row buckets or a three-place bench. In either case, the second-row seats will tumble forward for access to the third row, or fold flat into the floor to maximize cargo space. A power fold feature will be optional. Leather upholstery will come standard on the high-trim Flex Limited. Ford claims it has devoted much of its engineering effort toward making the Flex the quietest vehicle in its class, with extra thick glass and high-tech sound-deadening materials in the dash panel, headliner and under the carpeting.

    Unique interior features will include programmable lighting that allows the owner to decide which interior LED lights illuminate, and when. The Flex will also offer Ford Sync, a voice-activated communications and entertainment system developed with Microsoft. It integrates mobile phones and digital media players and can include a hard drive with space for up to 2300 songs. The multi-panel Vista Roof extends a glass skylight over all three rows of seats. Also available is a real refrigerator that can chill drinks rather than simply keep them cold. Ford claims its cool box will chill seven 12-ounce cans, four half-liter bottles or two 20-ounce bottles from room temperature to 41 degrees in two-and-one-half hours, or 40 percent faster than a conventional home refrigerator.

    Safety features in the Flex will surpass most minivans. All variants will come with front-impact airbags, side-impact airbags for front passengers and curtain-style head-protection airbags for all three rows of seats. The curtain bags will deploy in the event of a rollover, and the Edge will also feature an electronic system available on most higher-priced sport-utilities. Roll Stability Control, or RSC, intervenes to try to prevent a rollover when the electronics sense that one might occur.

    Our guess it that the Flex won't be a screamer, but it should have more than enough guts to get out of its own way. It will be powered by the new 3.5-liter V6 appearing in lots of Ford products, including the Edge crossover and Lincoln MKZ sedan, generating 260 horsepower and 245 pound-feet of torque in the Flex. All models will feature a six-speed automatic transmission, and Ford promises some of the best EPA mileage ratings among larger, seven-passenger vehicles. The Flex will also feature a capless fuel-filler. Simply open the cover door, insert the pump nozzle and squeeze.

    Fulltime automatic all-wheel drive will be optional. Unlike most truck-based SUVs, and some minivans, the Flex has a sedan-style, fully independent rear suspension. It was designed to limit the intrusion of shock-absorber mounts and other components into interior space and maximize the size of the rear load floor. Properly equipped, the Flex will tow up to 4,000 pounds, enough for personal watercraft, camping trailers and snowmobiles.

    When the Flex goes on sale sometime during the summer of 2008, trim levels should match Ford's existing sedans and crossovers. The SE, SEL and Limited will be distinguished by interior appointments and the level of standard equipment. A more luxurious Lincoln variant is expected to debut roughly a year after the Flex.

    All indicators suggest the 2009 Flex could make a bigger splash than any new Ford launched in some time.
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    Business Builder is very different then holdback. Most european makes have some for of business builder but they all call it something else. It is similar to holdback in that it is a percent of MSRP or invoice that the dealer gets back after the sale.

    list of holdback amount for each make

    I have no idea if that is accurate or not or how up to date it is. I see Merc now has holdback listed and they didn't before so maybe it is fairly up to date.

    For most makes you get the holdback no matter what as there aren't usually any strings attached to it.

    For LR/Jag that is not the case. Business builder is tied to quarterly audits, quarterly events, zip code defined by market, and several other things that I don't remember and/or don't know.

    Any of those things can reduce or in the case of the zip code match completely eliminate your business builder on the sale. In the past a percent of the money was tied into CSI scores but I don't think that is the case anymore.

    So this sale that I lost early in the month to a dealer way out of our market has gotten me all riled up. I know this guy doesn't have a house down that way. I know he doesn't have a business down that way. He might have some relatives down there but that doesn't really count. I have the VIN of the car he bought and if it shows up punched to an address with the customers name on it in the other dealers market I am going to raise hell with our market manager. The rules are specific you can't sell to addresses outside your zip code defined market and still get business builder. I know they have done it before but this is the first time I have ever had a chance to catch them in the act.
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,617
    Well I am so glad you asked.

    And I am so sorry I did. :sick:

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • scottinkyscottinky Member Posts: 194
    hehehe, I dont have to have it at all :P
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    And just how good will that "best EPA mileage" be? If you didn't cut and paste that posting, you did a superb job writing it. No paratrooper could have done better.
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    and access required for the third seat, we expect those rear doors will be some of the longest on any vehicle in production.

    You probably haven't been in one but that was a serious problem with the R-Class Mercedes. The rear doors were so huge that they could rarely be opened enough in tight parking spaces and the doors were very, very heavy.

    Overall thought it looks pretty good. The tow rating is acceptable and the other features seem pretty innovative.
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    off by $50?

    per month or the whole deal?

    If it is the whole deal, you are kidding and providing us with some gossip material.
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    Sorry my friend, that was cut and paste all the way.
    Flex

    They have not released the EPA numbers yet.
This discussion has been closed.

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