Stories from the Sales Frontlines

jmonroe

Why would anybody buy a car in Florida?

Maybe because they live there but I know what you mean. My Brother retired to Florida a few years ago. He’s had a place there for years but now he’s there permanently. Sold the house in the Burgh area and is now full time in Delray Beach.

He got an ’09 Genny 6 cyl. a few months ago. Yeah, he almost copied me (I have theV8) but it’s really his wife’s car. When they visited us on Fathers Day, Son #1 took his aunt for a test drive since he knew she would be turning in her ’06 Town Car in a month. It’s not his car but he gives test drives. :confuse: She said she liked it but I thought she was just being kind with her remarks but she must have meant what she said. He and I differ on buying vs. leasing but he’s leased since the early 80’s and says he has no intentions of ever owning another car again. Sometimes I wonder about that kid.

Here’s his car leasing tale from a Florida dealer although this could happen anywhere:

Since he leases he wants to know what his monthly payment is going to be. The Hyundai dealer where he went first had a payment that was $50 a month higher than what he felt it should be. He and the salesman bicker back and forth for a while (see, we even differ here about this bickering thing) and finally the SM comes in with the, “is this the guy that’s trying to steal our car” line. He listens to the sad story and says, “I haven’t changed my mind, you’re too high, it’s as simple as that”. The SM says, “it’s only $1.66 a day, how is that too high” (almost sounds like ‘driver100’ or 200 or whatever he goes by now). After more talking, my Brother says to the SM, “you’re right and split two ways that isn’t much at all”. The salesman said, “I see you’re a man that knows how to figure and you’re right, split between you and your wife that’s really nothing a day, really. I never thought of it like that. I’ll have to use that reasoning the next time I get hung up over price with someone. So, let’s write it up, OK”? My Brother said, “I’m glad you see it my way but I wasn’t talking about splitting it between me and my wife. I was talking about you and the salesman splitting the $1.66 a day. Split two ways it’s nothing, really”. :surprise: Now that sounds like something I’d say. So maybe we’re related after all.

There was no sale at that place but he made the deal at the next dealership. They really like the car too.

jmonroe

jmonroe

I used to type 130 words per minute on real typewriters.

C'mon...I can't even think that fast. :surprise:

jmonroe

houdini1

That'll teach me to use the spell checker.

Shell speckers? I didn't know we had those things !!

driver100

I'll put the breaks on this talk and get back to car sails stories.

Good, I think you mean"brakes". :P

snakeweasel

What he doesn't tell us is that all 130 words were "I".

corvette

Why would anybody buy a car in Florida?
...
Maybe because they live there but I know what you mean.

One of our secretaries would add, "why would anybody live in Florida?" Her son lived there for a few years, and I guess she visited enough that she has a list of complaints about the area (Key West I think).

fezo

If I were going to live in Florida it would be up in Tallahassee. Hills of sorts (keeping in mind the highest point in the state is only maybe 485 feet above sea level), a city that's not dedicated to either tourism or seniors....

We're in Kissimmee which is fine to be a tourist in.

driver100

"why would anybody live in Florida?"

All year around would be difficult. I have met a few "quarterbacks". They are people who lived in the North East, then retired in Florida, found it too hot, so moved a quarter of the way back and settled in South Carolina.

snakeweasel

My mom lived in a retirement community here near Chicago. Half the residents lived up here during the summer and had a place in Florida for the winter.

dtezla

Shortly after 9/11, my wife and I were supposed to go on a cruise leaving from New York Harbor. Since the harbor had not re-opened yet, the cruise line decided it would be better to bus everyone to Boston. The bus left from Philly & was extremely crowded. The air conditioning did not work, so it was extremely stuffy & smelly. Their idea of stopping for lunch was a 20 minute break at the worlds worst McDonalds.

I will never get on a bus again.

deltheking

Florida new Car buying- Doc fees etc etc . So I understand. But Florida used cars have no salt exposure unlike cars in the east or they are not driven on dirt or potholed roads. So a used car in Florida as long as it`s not flood damaged would be a much better option than any salted out northeast car. Infact i have bought 2 relatively used cars with less than 30k miles from Ebay ,both of which were from Florida and these are absolute gems that I have owned :shades:

And why would someone not live in Florida?--Beats me. Nice all round warm weather. No gloomy days .No freezing winters and cold. Like Texas weather, but here in Texas winters can get quite cold though there is no snow-maybe once a year,that`s it. But Florida weather in winter is simply fantastic ! I would certainly trade my TX weather and definitely Northeast weather for FL weather. I admire Northeast folks and people in cold places a lot..-To get through those biting ,chilly and frosty winters-- takes a lot of effort. :P

TX guys need some weather like that I guess-- they probably would stop barbecuing everyday and then as they cant fit in cars-they go and buy these huge SUV`s and PU`s and then complain when gas prices shoot up !!

sterlingdog

"cloths" was definitely a typo; "shutter' was definitely a dumbo. :P

Richard

graphicguy

fezo....you're observations about Atlantic City match mine. Even at its worst, pre-casino, it was still better than post casino Atlantic City. This kind of hits close to home. We just voted to allow a casino in downtown Cincinnati. They're going to build it in an area that's at bets, a blight on the city. We'll see how that turns out. Some say it will be a boom for the city. Others say it will make things worse. I'm not certain, either way.

I used to be adverse to going to an out of state dealer to buy a car. There's a few dealers around me I really like. However, the delta between local dealer pricing and some of these dealers out of my general area is becoming hard to ignore. I always prefer to do business locally. I also understand that there's always the desire to hold onto a car that they believe will bring more money.

That said, I'm a quick and easy deal.....invest 15 minutes of time, move a unit quickly and take a skinny deal? Or, wait and see if someone else will come in the door with the hopes that they can make more margin.

british_rover

High speed rail service only makes sense for short and medium distances. So the DC to Boston corridor is ideal. Amtrak has taken a lot of passengers away from the airlines, and I believe the route is their only profitable route.

Amtrak would be fairly profitable if they only offered service to the Northeast and a couple other dense metro areas but like the post office they have a mandate to offer wider nationwide service.

Acela Express trains are the only true high-speed trainsets in the United States; the highest speed they attain (only briefly) is 150 mph (240 km/h), though they average less than half of that. Acela has become fairly popular with business travelers and by some reckoning has captured over half of the market share of air or train travelers between Washington and New York.[2] In fiscal year 2006, a total of 2,668,174 passengers rode Acela, an 8.8% year-over-year increase.[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acela_Express

I would love more highspeed rail but like you said it only makes sense in a few places. You need a fairly dense population, like europe, or at least some dense metro areas that aren't spaced out too much. The Acela can do 150 plus miles per hour but averages less then 90 mph because they northeast corridor is so dense and the tracks aren't idea for high speed service.

For real 150 plus mph train service you need dedicated rails that are very straight and fairly flat with no roads crossing the tracks.

That is very expensive to do but I can see it working in Florida with maybe a spur heading up to Atlanta. Florida is nice and flat and you have an aging population that would probably welcome better rail service and less driving. Parts of Texas would be good and most of California. Get those three areas up and running and fix the tracks in the northeast and you could really do pretty well with high speed service.

Its a 10.5 hour drive from Miami to Atlanta and probably a two hour flight plus the two hours to get through security so about four hours.

What if you could take a train and get their in five hours or less with one or two stops?

That would be worth it for me.

jmonroe

I used to be adverse to going to an out of state dealer to buy a car. There's a few dealers around me I really like. However, the delta between local dealer pricing and some of these dealers out of my general area is becoming hard to ignore. I always prefer to do business locally.

I used to be like that myself until Son #1 showed me that a 2 hour westerly drive out the PA pike into OH was not that bad to save a bunch of bucks on the Genny.

Son #1 went to northern VA to get a used ‘03 Altima in ’04 because it was the exact car he wanted, color, mileage, and all that stuff. Then he found the exact car that his younger brother wanted (‘05 Mazda 6 in ’06) was in Columbus and the drive wouldn’t hurt him.

I guess, for us, it’s a family thing now. You oughta try it.

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

"...If I were going to live in Florida it would be up in Tallahassee..."

We've been spending some time in the Tampa-St. Petersberg area as we have use of a relatives condo. Nice place but sooooo flat. Perfect spot for my Eclipse to show off it's straight line speed without having to worry about it's so-so handling. I guess down there I could run some sticky summer tires all year and improve things a bit.

A ton of new and used car places. All with banners and wirrlygigs that would never be allowed here in NY because of the zoning regs. I was kind of scared to go in to any of them because of all the horror stories I've heard here.

oldfarmer50

"...the delta between local dealer pricing and some of these dealers out of my general area..."

Do you have any idea why that is? I see the same thing in my area. The Albany metro area is slightly more affluent but not substantially more so than surrounding areas. Still prices are $1-2K higher than in nearby areas.

Hard to figure. :confuse:

verdugo

What if you could take a train and get their in five hours or less with one or two stops?
That would be worth it for me.

Same here. And don't forget the fact that most (all?) train stations are already in town. You don't have to spend time getting into town.

roadburner

I love some of the marque-specific forums(Cough, Mazda247, Cough...) where grammar and spelling are theoretical concepts to most all participants- who write such eloquent statements as:
"When I push down the break peddle the car shutters so hard that the bumber raddles."

imidazol97

>break peddle

I've noticed that in some of the H-body GM forums I frequent. The Cobalt forum is really bad. Then there R 1s who use text symbols and code abrv. 2 talk online.

I have no problems with people who have problems in spelling or grammar. Usually I know what they mean.

It's the few who hop onto a leSabre forum using the text message type and hip talk to try to be cool asking how big the rims are they can put on their Park Avenue and other things about ruining a perfectly good car making it unsafe, in my opinion, to drive.

Around the urban area here we see a few BMWs and MBs with silly, dangerous tires pimped out as drug dealer cars. I saw a relatively new MB in a hot burnt red (pretty) with silly wheels crossing a tiny driveway rise into a Speedway station at 1 mph because his tires were about 2 inches thick and the wheels were a color spoke to match car I've never seen on a Mercedes and they were _huge_.

tjc78

and hip talk to try to be cool asking how big the rims are they can put on their Park Avenue

What this doesn't look good to you?? .




The other day I saw a late model Grand Marquis with 24" rims. Not only was that awful enough, there were plaques on the fenders "24' ".

verdugo

The other day I saw a late model Grand Marquis with 24" rims. Not only was that awful enough, there were plaques on the fenders "24' ".

I didn't realize Richard ended up getting the Grand Marquis after all :P

imidazol97

You've got the right idea what I'm talking about.

Add some Autozone or Walmart glue on portholes
Add a two tone paint job, say maroon with sparkles in the paint below the beltline and on the roof and white on the horizontal parts.
Add other odd ornaments to make your car unique from the next wannabe's lower cost car.

The poetic justice is seeing them sitting with one or more of their 2 inch thick tires flat. Or they are creeping down the street to a station to put in air trying not to hurt the tire that's almost flat.

I guess my problem is you can't teach an old dog new tricks? I just can't adapt to ruining a car and probably making it unsafe to drive because of the tires.

Add the spinner type wheel covers that move when the car isn't or stay stationary while the car's moving. Probably out of style everywhere else but still an urban status symbol in Dayton urban area.

oldfarmer50

"...dangerous tires pimped out as drug dealer cars..."

I've seen a few Escalades with Dub-Dubs (22" wheels) and 35 series tires. I can't imagine what happens when they hit a Northeast pothole.

oldfarmer50

"...this doesn't look good to you?..."

I wondered what happened to my father's 1998 LaSabre. His was white just like that. I don't remember him buying those wheels though.

explorerx4

if a car sat out in the florida sun all the time, there is some effect you wouldn't get with an up north vehicle. there would be way more mileage on the a/c!
even in the northeast the sun has it's effects.
my 91 mustang which is always garaged and only driven a few months a year has areas that show less sun effect than my 07 fusion which sat out on the lot for well over a year.

tjc78

Add some Autozone or Walmart glue on portholes

Yeah they are about as tacky as you get. Even my girlfriend said the other day "what are those decals for" as she pointed to a really ugly set of portholes on an old Mazda 626 :sick:

oldfarmer50

....Killer Gas Pedals?

What's up with Toyoda? Is this a real issue or has the media found a new whipping boy?

mcdawgg

Media whipping boy.

sterlingdog

"I didn't realize Richard ended up getting the Grand Marquis after all."

Watch it BRO!

Richard

sterlingdog

"I can't imagine what happens when they hit a Northeast pothole."

They just say, "Oh, sh--!" and then pass around more coke (the white kind).

Richard

mikefm58

If I were going to live in Florida it would be up in Tallahassee. Hills of sorts (keeping in mind the highest point in the state is only maybe 485 feet above sea level), a city that's not dedicated to either tourism or seniors....

We're in Kissimmee which is fine to be a tourist in

I'm in Orlando, and have a son going to FSU in Tally and I could never live there, way too many college kids for my tastes. Orlando is too touristy. South Florida is too hot. Jacksonville and Tampa are nice. But my favorite place to live here would be the Ocala area, much cooler than Orlando and south, and some gorgeous horse farms.

imidazol97

>Add some Autozone or Walmart glue on portholes

As a Buick owner (without portholes) I say imitation is sincerest form of flattery.

But those porthole imitations are really sick.

houdini1

IMO just another case of mass hysteria whipped up by the media. If you just read the headlines you would think Toyota is conspiring to kill all of us, but if you read the actual body of these articles you get a better picture.

Today, more than ever, we just can't believe all the things that we know....

imidazol97

>Is this a real issue...

Toyota in Decline in 2009 (rhymes)

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.Brand problems swept under the rug (or mat in this case :P )/876

There seems to be a whole lot more to it than just a mat swedging a failed gas pedal design. Lots of cases of runaway acceleration or unexpected acceleration and DEATHS involved.

People are claiming unexpected acceleration who did NOT have floor mats. These start with Prius.

Read the two discusssions linked above for your convenience.

graphicguy

oldfarmer....I can only guess, but I think some dealerships out of my general area made a conscious decision to move their wares any way they can (in this case, via steep discounts) to move inventory.

I used to think any dealership can make the same deal as any other outside the local area dealer. They all pay the same thing for their units, regardless of geographic location (not taking into account region specific incentives).

While I have no proof of this, I do believe some manufacturers are dolling out dealer incentives that aren't easily documented. So, we don't know what they are. That's the only way I can explain such a wide diversion in prices from one locale to another.

As hard as some dealers try to prop up the value and margins on their vehicles (via aftermarket add-ons, region specific demand differences, etc), price still sells cars....at least for those who do a bit of research and come with some knowledge into the showroom.

A bit OT, but I'm addicted to a TV show on one of the cable channels that chronicles some young, hot shot, real estate sales guys in CA who try to sell Million Dollar + homes. I notice they drive Porches, higher end BMWs, and Mercedes. Forget for a minute that I find their personalities grating (they'd never be my real estate agent), I could see them waltzing into a dealership and paying "full boat" for a car. I think those are few and far between, even for luxury buyers, particularly given the economic realities of today.

Maybe mandmanmoo will chime in with a bit of info about how his clients view laying down 6 figure checks for his wares. I would guess that his business isn't regional, but more national in nature, since he deals in high end cars.

fezo

I wouldn't argue against Ocala. The Tampa Bay area is nice as well though I don't think I'd ever get used to that monstrosity that the Rays play in...

There are some nice little islands down there - like Anna Maria which are simply too much money for what they are.

There is a lot to be said for no winter to speak of....

wesleyg

jmonroe: I dont know if you remember me but I'm the guy that said I lived 10 minutes from your Geni dealer etc. I'm also the guy who has posted that I have bought 37 new GM cars since 1966 with never a foriegn make.

Well my wife insisted on a Hyundai Sante Fe SUV this time since she rode in several girl friends cars of that make. I just picked up a new one for her from your dealer, and it hurts to say the thing is as perfect as any GM I have ever rolled out, your and our dealer gave me a very good price and nice thoughtful service. I am still in shock that there is a non GM auto in my driveway, surely now the world will soon end.

michaellno

A bit OT, but I'm addicted to a TV show on one of the cable channels that chronicles some young, hot shot, real estate sales guys in CA who try to sell Million Dollar + homes. I notice they drive Porches, higher end BMWs, and Mercedes. Forget for a minute that I find their personalities grating (they'd never be my real estate agent), I could see them waltzing into a dealership and paying "full boat" for a car. I think those are few and far between, even for luxury buyers, particularly given the economic realities of today.

I watch the same show ... I've gotta believe that the cars are leased, since they ought to be able to write off the payment. Still, I'm not sure I see them haggling over the price, since the whole idea is to promote an image or brand.

IIRC, the cars are a 911 Carrera 4, a 760Li and an AMG CL63.

british_rover

IRC, the cars are a 911 Carrera 4, a 760Li and an AMG CL63.

All but the 911 typically have sweet lease deals too.

jipster

your and our dealer gave me a very good price and nice thoughtful service

Congrats. But, it would have made for a more interesting story, for us regulars, if you had first gone to another dealership and tried to have gotten crappy service.

These Smart Shopper discussions are starting to get pretty weak and boring. We need some fresh blood in here. Myself, isell, jmonroe and a few others have served our time as pot stirrers... we need someone else to step up to the plate here. :sick:

wesleyg

I agree with your statement, as far as possible crappy service, the day before I bought the Hyundai, I snuck up to my regular Chevy dealer to try to put her in mid size Chev SUV because I had $1800 in my GM Visa card that I always use when getting a new car which of course I lost in not getting a GM, and even though I begged the wife to not let us lose this, to no avail, she was not impressed.

Another thing, the Chev dealer stated he would generously knock off about 2 grand on the SUV since it was an 09 model, told him that was only going to be the beginning of his fabulous discounts before he would be able to sell this to me. I reminded him I had purchased or leased 7 new cars from his employer since the year 2000, and if he wanted to hit 8, he was going to start loosening up, but I was fighting a battle I couldnt win because of the wife.

Since I keep my cars only 2 to 3 years, I am now about ready for a new one for myself, my guidelines are a full size car, the largest engine available (now drive an 06 Impala SS), gas milage is never a factor, so am now casting a longing eye on V8 Genesis as our illustrious partner jmonroe is sporting and going back soon to our Hyundai dealer to see what I can do. I figure since my automotive world is falling apart, I might as well buy two foreign cars since I have traiterously left my GM world already.

I was also pleased that at the Hyundai dealer, no attempt or mention was ever made by them to sell upgrades, warranties, mop and glow or the usual add on stuff, just agreed on the price, paid 'em and off I went. Maybe when I take it there for my first oil change, I will get crappy service which I can bitterly complain about.

canadiantoyota

......"and some gorgeous horse farms."

Wow!! Florida has farms for gorgeous horses????? Where do they send the ugly ones.... Cleveland ??????? :shades:

mikefm58

Where do they send the ugly ones....

Canada.......

jipster

the day before I bought the Hyundai, I snuck up to my regular Chevy dealer to try to put her in mid size Chev SUV because I had $1800 in my GM Visa card that I always use when getting a new car which of course I lost in not getting a GM

Sounds familiar. My brother has over $3,000 on his GM card, is looking to buy a Chevy Equinox. Though I did suggest he look at Hyundai's line-up and give me his GM card. Most of my cars have been G.M. The "General" has always been good to me. So when I buy again it will probably be either a LaCrosse, Malibu... maybe a Fusion or Sonata.

Also, thanks for the additional info. I knew there was a story in there somewhere.

verdugo

Ohhh snap! :P

Good one, mike.

oldfarmer50

"...and a few others have served our time as pot stirrers..."

Thanks a lot. So now I'm just "a few others" eh? I recant my dedication to your book. :mad:

Just for that I'll tell you about my adventures with my $900 hooptie van.

I've been driving the van to work on kind of a "shakedown cruise" before I start using it for farm hauling in the spring. All went well for two weeks until I came out of work one day and it wouldn't start. I looked at the engine and couldn't see any obvious things wrong. Solid crank but no start says to me either loose wire or other electrical problem or maybe fuel pump. Couldn't see any loose wires so I tried an old trick that used to work on bad starters...use a hammer. I crawled under the back of the van with a chunk of wood and wacked away on the bottom of the gas tank while a friend cranked her up. To my surprise it started right up.

I drove the hooptie directly to my mechanic where he confirmed a bad fuel pump. He also confirmed that my fuel tank was all rotted on the top. $700 later I had a new pump and gas tank. :mad:

Today I come out after work and my front tire is flat. I change the tire and go get the flat repaired and the shop says my rim is so rusty that they had to grind it and slop so much sill sealer on it that they can't swap it back for 24 hours. Ok, so I go home and discover that the spare I'm riding on has a leak also.

Maybe I should have purchased from a dealer. Maybe I'm expecting too much from a 22 year old hooptie. :lemon:

jmonroe

jmonroe: I dont know if you remember me but I'm the guy that said I lived 10 minutes from your Geni dealer etc.

First off congrats on the Sante Fe that you allowed your wife to get. You’re a wise man. Now you’ll be able to get the car you want and still have all your body parts in working order to enjoy your new ride.

Yeah, I remember you. You’re the retired Ohio cop police officer that does a lot of lurking around here and only posts to let us know you’re still alive. You oughta post a little more, the dues ain’t THAT high. That lurking must have come from the profession you were in. You know, hiding in the weeds, behind concrete overpass abutments, riding around in innocent looking un-marked cruisers, etc. but you never got me; maybe Richard a few times but not me.

If you’re serious about getting a V8 Genesis, Great Lakes Hyundai has three ‘09’s left, all with the Tech Package, as of this posting. I’ll bet you’re the type that would go for the black/black one that they still have now. The interesting thing about their price for that car is…it’s exactly the same price I paid in March. That might have been a good price then but not now. As for the buying experience I had with them, it was pretty good. Not too pushy but, Paul, the F&I guy, did try to sell me the usual stuff which I declined.

FWIW, when I looked at their web site last week to see if they got the 2010’s in, not that I’m going to get one, I just wanted to see if they had them and what price they wanted for them. They didn’t show any but they had a big picture of the Equus saying come see it. They don’t show that picture now so they might not have it for viewing anymore. Just talking about the Equus gives me the shakes after what happened just last Sunday when Son #1 asked me if I was going to look at one.

Out of nowhere when he came over on Sunday he asked me that question. His mother asked, “what’s an Equus”? He told her and her eyes got as beady as I’ve ever seen them and she said, “because of you we have a car in the garage that we didn’t need. Now you want him to buy a bigger and more expensive one. :mad: I’ll tell you this…if he buys that car it won’t be parked in THAT garage (as she points toward the garage) it will be parked in the garage of a house over there (as she points a few blocks away where there are nothing but new Mc Mansions). Hell, now I’m afraid to even go look at one because of the fear I have that she’ll rush out to a furniture store just to show me she’s not kidding.

Keep in touch and let us know what you buy for yourself.

jmonroe

jmonroe

Maybe I should have purchased from a dealer. Maybe I'm expecting too much from a 22 year old hooptie.

If I remember right, you got that beast from a guy down the road from you and he knocked off a few bucks because he knew it was a lemon. I noticed that you didn't blame him. :P

jmonroe

isellhondas

Didn't think so.

" Stories from the Sales Frontlines"

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