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Comments
I thought they had a van or small truck with test equipment they can use. I don't picture them lying in the mud to do it though. I thought it would be like the auto repair or tune up guys around here who come to you with equipment to change oil, do maintenance, etc. We even have lawn mower tune up repair guys who travel.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I saw a young family getting in the new Seqouia right next to us, I compared the dimensions online and the Sienna (or every other decent van) seems to be more comfortable on the inside and I suspect that it drives a whole lot better. How do salespeople sell them (especially mid-size Explorers and such) to those who are undecided?
They can work against you but that really isn't what there job is supposed to be, I have seen it done though. But what I have seen more of is because most manager know that they need to take care of their sales people is when you are near a goal either unit or gross. They may either give you a spoon or put a little extra in a trade for you gross profit. Oh by the way... A spoon is a hook, a done deal
GP
Yes... I have an opinion on the matter.
So the customer sets up the inspection and I take the vehicle mainly because it makes things easy for the customer not having to take time off from work. Well I get to the shop ( meanwhile keep in mind our store work checks came out clean just tires which we do anyway) and wait about 45 minutes. The guy takes it for a ride. Puts it up on the lift and does his thing. Well I ask him any thing wrong he says nope and he will talk to the customer. Here's where it get's good.
The customer was told that the muffler was falling apart and needed o be replaced at two years of age. I say no problem we have a Mazda store in our company and this should be under warranty. I call them up and they tell me the muffler is double coated and should be good for ten years. When I say double coated I mean it had a shell around the thing.
SO anyway I tell the customer that store says it should be fine and he says the deal is off unless he sees a new muffler put on. Well since there were no problems with these mufflers there were no aftermarket mufflers around for it. Everyone wanted about $700 for it and we didn't have that kind of money in the gross.
So my boss says call this guy from Mienekee. I call him and he says no problem $100. I say deal. I bring the car to him. His guy puts it on the lift and says hey you don't need a muffler here. I said I know.
Than the manager of the Mienekee store says the same thing that the muffler on the car will last another 5 years easily. The one he is about to put on will need to be replaced in two years. Also they will need to replace the whole thing because he going toweld it together since it was a universal muffler. I said do what you have to do, I already troed telling the customer but because there mechanic said so... it has to be done.
I swear to God it sounded quiter on the ride up than it did on the ride back.
But hey we did what they wanted new muffler.
GP :confuse:
Now when sales goals weren't obtained I need not say what happened to those managers and salespeople that asked for the world and returned nothing.....think some are still selling Kirbys or was that Rainbows.
I knew going in that the Sequoia was based on the Tundra and have seen a few of the Tundras around. When I saw it up close and personal I just couldn't see myself driving something looking like that. Course looks are subjective but from what I understand Toyota owners buy because of reliability. That I can understand cause it can't be for looks. :shades:
Don't laugh, I do have one and I use it at times.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
They sure are.
In 02’ when son #1 was about to become a father for the first time, his wife’s Corolla was at the end of it’s 3 year lease (Purchased before they were married and he tried to talk her out of a lease in favor of a purchase but her mother talked her out of the purchase, that was the first of those 2 against 1 battles that he lost. Sorry for getting off the subject) so he decided to buy a van (because he’s in charge now). He checks them out and decides on the Dodge Caravan (dual sliding power doors, power rear door, A/C front and rear, etc. We went on a vacation with them, and now 2 kids, in 05’. I was amazed at how well it did on the trip even with one of those roof carriers it handled well. I always use his van when I need to haul 4x8 sheets because they lay flat and don’t need to be put in on an angle like with son #2’s SUV (01’ Explorer).
Son #2 bought his Explorer (used in 03’) without a child in mind. After seeing the ease of use with his older brothers van, both he and his wife have already agreed, hands down, that when he kills the Explorer it’s going to be a van for them.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Well, Mr. jipster, would you like to share it with the rest of the class? :sick:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
With high gas prices, I know that it seems ridiculous to ride around in an SUV. Still, our Explorer XLT has been so good for us. We feel safer in it at our age; can see so much better in it; and it is great for loading furniture, rugs, etc. when we go antique shopping. With a recent tune up on this '03 model, we are getting 20 miles per gallon. It has 75k on it, and I plan to put another 75k on it if all goes well.
Richard
Richard
The problem with the Odyssey was that the 3rd row didn't split, so the BIL (being one who is enamored with what he is seen driving), convinced my sister that a GMC Yukon with 20" aftermarket wheels was the way to go.
Well, gas prices went up and my sister was tired of spending $75 for a tank of gas, so they bailed out of the Yukon and leased a Honda Pilot. She loves it, but has said that when the lease it up she wants to get a Volvo XC90.
I really think they should go back to the minivan.
Piled in the car and headed up there. This store has separate used car folk and new car folk, so the salesman wasn't too keen on us driving a used and a new. He offered a drive in the newest lowest miles Pilot on their side of the lot to compare to the volvo. They are the same as the new ones ... so I guess that made sense. Long story short (and not to offend isell ;b), we decided we definitely want a volvo. Now, I really had no intention of buying a car last night. I wanted to compare them, that's all. But, of course, its not nice to drive and run, so we went along with it and let him try to sell us their volvo. It was newer and had lower miles than we thought we wanted to pay for.
Again ... long story short. They kicked, screamed, and cried, but ultimately sold us the car for what was, in their words, "a loser." Now, I admit, they gave us a good deal. But they didn't lose money. By my estimate, they made at least $1k. I mean, these guys really put up a fuss. It was kind of embarassing. Usually its the customers causing a commotion on the floor, isn't it? They weren't belligerent, just very loud and animated. Telling me that they paid more for the vehicle than I am offering. They don't mark their cars up that much. Etc, etc. I, very nicely, explained that is not really my problem. The car is worth what it is worth, and if they paid more than it is worth, then they will just have to wait for another buyer. Of course, they said they would. Someone else will pay it. I had absolutely no problem with that. Many times I put my coat on, but they kept dragging me back. They even tried the tricks of pulling up sites like Kelly and Autotrader.
In the end, they hit my price. Sales Manager said the ONLY reason was because they took it in trade and didn't have to pay transport or fees. If they bought at auction, he couldn't have done it.
After all was said and done and I was about to drive off with the car, the salesman said he couldn't believe they sold it for that. Said they made no money.
NOW ... I have a question or 2. One, what do you guys think? I mean, what are the odds they paid more than they should have? Slim to none, right? Two, what does a salesperson get on the used car side. Galves in NJ is the bible. That's what dealers pay on trade ... period. So, according to Galves, I paid $1400 over trade-in value (and I had no trade-in). Personally, I think that is fair to both parties. But, let's say for fun, they over-allowed on the trade a bit when it came to them and they made $1k. What does the salesperson get? I know many stores are different ... but ballpark? I mean, is it $100 or more, at least? Is it possible the store can show the salesman it was a loser and give him no money, or a minimum commission of some sort?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
That kind of stuff don't come cheap. Any form of entertainment has a price to it whether hidden or not.
Why worry about the deal now that it's over? Life is short. Enjoy your ride.
Hmmm where did I hear that before? :shades:
I was just thinking ... I dunno... I guess its a bit of remorse on behalf of the salesman. I want to make sure he made a buck. If not, I got a blockbuster giftcard I could send him.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
But again - not your problem. The salesman should be a man, take it and not cry on your shoulder. All salespeople tell us is "you can always say no", remember? Same applies to to them. :P
2018 430i Gran Coupe
1. your best customer
2. a PITA
But I ain't you. ;b
especially if the used cars dept. was charged retail rates by their service dept. (a common practica according to some here)
He actually threw those numbers at me. Said he paid $180 plus a 30% markup (?) to the service department for the inspection and service on it.
The salesman should be a man, take it and not cry on your shoulder.
Well, ok, to some degree. But, really, its not his call. He wasn't even involved in the deal beyond the first offer. And I thought that pretty weird for a guy who has been there 7 years and has several "salesperson of the month" awards on his cubicle wall. And I don't want to insult him by saying he was crying. It was more the sales manager who was doing the crying. The salesperson was very nice and patient, hence my reason for wanting to make sure he did OK. The whole process only took 2 hours, so really not a big dent in his day.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Yes... I have an opinion on the matter.
Sorry, lost track of time the other day and I had to split... like in lickity split.
This little gem happened about 10 years ago. So, while the details may be a bit fuzzy, in the overall scheme of things it is inconsequential.
My wife was looking for a car back in the late nineteen hundreds. Back in the olden days the jipster preferred the "private party" method of car buying. So, I see this ad in the paper, or maybe I was referred to this guy, anyhow I go to look at this 6 or 7 year old Mazda 929 with my wife. It's a bit high in miles for the years, but my wife liked it because it had one of those bun warmers, which was appealing both in a practical manner (wife despises cold weather) and as a novelty, as I believe it was fairly new technology to toast the buns while driving.
I asked the guy why he was selling this car, which was a nice looking vehicle, looked to be in pretty good shape. He said he buys vehicles at auction every couple of weeks, and sells them for $300 over what he pays to make a quick sale. Well, this doesn't particularly sit well with me, but my wife really likes the car. So, I tell her we will have it checked out, and if it checks out o.k well we'll buy it. (around $8k maybe)
The guy won't let me take his wonderful car to a mechanic, for some bull reason I can't recall. He says I can have someone come out to look at it. So, we go home and I let my fingers start a walking thru the yeller pages. I see a company called something like "The Car Medic". For $100 (right on the nose oldfarmer) they come out and give a inspection, which includes diagnostic and road test. So, I tell Car Medic guy to meet me over at the sellers house the next day so he can inspect the car.
One of my main concerns at the time was to have a compression test done on the engine. I believe the car may have had close to 100,000 miles.
So, Car Medic guy comes out to give the car a look over. He's checking this, checking that... crawling under the car, does a road test. etc. This guy looks like he knows what he's doing. He finishes in about an hour or so. Goes to his van and goes to scribbling. Then comes over to me and starts talking of all the particular components that checked out. He then comes to the engine diagnostic, says he couldn't do a compression test as the owner wouldn't let him splice into some wiring. I'm no grease monkey (apologies to isell), so I really didn't (still don't) understand why splicing into wiring would be required. But, I tell Car Medic guy that one of the main reasons I chose his service was because they said they could do a compression test... it says they will perform one on the contract. I AIN"T PAYING!! Well, we get to arguing a bit, but he's a fairly nice guy calls his manager on his phone so I can discuss the matter. Well, jip is "usually" a pretty cool cucumber. But, I start arguing with this guys angry sarcastic manager, and end up calling the guy a "jacka$$".
My argument was the mechanic should have checked, or known, what was required to do a compression test on this cars engine. That the results was what I was using to decide whether or not to buy the vehicle. The mechanic should have asked permission from the owner before starting all the other tests. The managers position was that I should pay for the services I recieved.
After about 5 minutes of arguing with the manager I just handed the phone back to the Car Medic man. He seemed to side with me. I offered him 20 bucks for his time, but he wouldn't take it. Said he gets company pay reguardless. I didn't pay, I didn't get sued, and we ended up buying a Plymouth Acclaim which turned out to be a pretty good car. So, I guess alls well that ends well. :P
edited: So, my opinion (to answer oldfarmers question), be cautious... ask what diagnostics will and will not be covered before testing begins.
I don’t know either when the 7/70 became the standard warranty but it wasn’t in 02’. I’m pretty sure he got 3/70 and he needed the 70 when his tranny went out at 62K. He now has 112K on it and he plans to take it on vacation in July to Myrtle Beach S.C. Me and ‘you know who’ are going also (sharing the same condo) but we aren’t going with him because he now has 3 boys and it’s too cramped for 7 even though they say it’s a 7 passenger thingy. We’ve even given up on local travel with them because the 3rd row is too cramped with a booster seat for the oldest one (6) and that’s with the two skinny women back there.
I plan on following him just in case he has van problems. I’ll take the three kids if that happens and he and his wife are on their own because I’ve already told him to get another one. His check engine light now goes on with great regularity but the dealer says by the time they get the van and put it on their diagnostic checker they can’t find the problem and they say this is fairly common when those things are that age/mileage. I’d say it’s used up but that’s just me.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Yeah, great but did it have a "bun toaster", which BTW, Mrs. jmonroe really likes in her 06' Sonata LX. I took care of mine, did you? :P
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
The only thing I can possibly think of is that I think the 929 had a coil on plug ignition system so maybe the car wouldn't crank over unless you tricked the ignition system in some way. Even then that doesn't make much sense so I don't know.
Yeah... I got the, "But, it doesn't have a bun warmer" and "My buns would be warm right now if we had gotten that first car"... from the wife. But, after a year or two she let it go. :sick:
No, not at all (really? Did I sound hostile? really? :confuse: ). Just following rules of the game and rule number one is "Just say no, if you don't like the deal". Applies both ways. If anything, it's heartless, which suggests lack of emotion rather than negative one.
I would have no problem whatsoever (assuming I want it - which I don't, but that's a different discussion) paying 20 grand over sticker on the new GT-R (or three for new Solstice), if that was what it took to get one - but I expect reciprocity, i.e. if it takes to sell me one at loss (cause nobody else wanted it) then - well, good for me. Generally, as Romans said "there is no harm to the willing". Our system has long departed from this golden rule, both in law and in social behavior.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
The big question is how long they had the car. Some dealers have a policy of wholesaling any used car older than 3 months. If this is the case - they save money by selling it to you at a loss of $1,400 vs. selling at to a wholesaler and losing $5,000.
Also sometimes aged units have special bonuses to the salesman, especially if they had it for too long.
Answers
1) Yes they could have over paid for that vehicle on a trade in thinking they were going to make it up. But lets say they did over allow and they were loosing $1000 to sell it to you. They probably would have lost more money on it if they sent it to auction. I would guess that it had been sitting there about 2 months or so and they were getting ready to bring it to auction.
But the best sales guys in the business always make you feel like you got a great deal :shades:
Ther is no way of really knowing what they owned it for unless you work there.
2) Every store has a different commision structure but uf the sales guy made a mini it could have been anywhere from $50- $200....
GP
The perception of a great deal has many people smiling
GP
The owner of the car was afraid it would be damaged by whatever procedure needed to be done, which involved some type of wire splicing. So, he would not allow any cutting etc.
I really didn't have a good feeling about the vehicle to begin with. When I looked at it the first time, the passenger side power window wouldn't operate/sticking badly. The next day the owner had it operating. I asked him what he did to get it working. He replied something along the lines of "oh... a little know how." I'm thinking... what's the big secret.... you use a stick of butter or something.
One of my classmates would bring in an abacus as his back-up. He was quite the character...
COTMC
"yay for cars!"
Our math and engineering departments had a no calculator policy for all but a handful of classes.
For me, this was in the early 80's, back when the most powerful calculator was an HP-41C. Back then, it was the History professors that didn't allow calculators (due to the potential to store alpha characters in memory!).
For most of my jr and sr year classes, we were permitted to use calculators during exams, especially in electrical engineering and physics related courses.
COTMC
"cars are cool -- especially the smaller ones"
Math - I could understand, but engineering - no way. At lest not in last 20 years... Most engineering problems (don't need to be so advanced) require multilevel calculations. When I was teaching/assisting structures/mechanics/strength classes I would try to make problem so it would yield some nice numbers, but depriving students of the calculator would simply make no sense. Not allowing calculators (at least those non-graphing ones) would simply be cruel, overgearing and also limiting the teacher to "too simple" problems, as in engineering arithmetics has a way of quickly getting out of control and overshadowing much more important aspects of the test.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
I can remember for sure that the official policy of the Math department was no calculators at all of any type. For engineering it depended on the class. I know I used a calculator in intro to electrical theory and engineering statistics but other then that I don't remember using one. I should point out that I was a ME and other departments had different rules. My roommate was in MINE or mining engineering(also known as minimal engineering :P ) and could use a calculator in most of his classes but not all.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
In the dark ages (before computers) all that was required to test compression is to pull a spark plus and stick a compression gauge in the hole. Or am I remembering wrong? :confuse:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Seriously though, it does sound like a pretty good deal. Now, since this was for the wife, I want to know if she was there for the negotiations, and if so, how did you keep her under control all those times that you headed for the door?
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
If either of you were doing your "bun toasting" duty at home, your wives wouldn't have to go looking for it elsewhere. :P
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Several years ago a consumer had to generally buy new cars in order to get the latest safety gear. Nowadays, it seems like the newest models don't provide any new major improvements in this area (compared to 3-5 years ago). In that regard, things have stabilized during the past few years. It seems like the newest features are more related to "luxury" than "safety". Just my $.02...
Also, it's amazing how much some of the premium cars can depreciate within their first years of ownership. This XC90 had an originally sticker price of, what?, maybe $40K? Unless it was sold late in the model year with additional incentives, I'm guessing the original buyer paid at least $37K for it. 23K miles later this was likely traded in for less than $21K?? :surprise:
Both of our BMWs ('04 X3 and '05 325) were purchased used. Didn't get quite as good of a deal as you, but they were both CPO cars.
Maybe I'm reading too deep into this....
2018 430i Gran Coupe