Stories from the Sales Frontlines

jayrider

Those dudes wanted all the hidden money.

isellhondas

" Secret profit"

If this is the case, then more power to them!

Once the word get's out the grinders will want that too!

sterlingdog

First, congratulations on your new purchase. I like those cars. They are neat and cute looking. I hope that your wife will enjoy driving it.

Secondly, get a price estimate on the rear seats from a dealer's parts department. Then call the Salvation Army who will send their truck by on their next run in your neighborhood. You can then deduct the estimated price of the seats on your tax return as a charitable contribution. I would suggest that you get the estimate on paper from the parts department. You never know when the IRS might do an audit.

I offer this suggestion because, as you say, the seats would be difficult to ship to a buyer on a site like E-Bay or Craig's List. Then again, a buyer might offer to pick them up in person. It just depends on where they live. I have used the Salvation Army truck many times for items that were hard to sell. Good luck.

Richard

sterlingdog

If your sister had purchased the Hyundai and financed it, there is no telling what her payment book would have said when it arrived in the mail. :P

Richard

sterlingdog

Thanks for the info. You found the correct DMV site. I have a salesman friend and a friend who is a computer guru who can help me find it. My problem is that I haven't found the VIN number yet. I hated the car so much that I may have thrown out the paper work on it. Will keep looking.

Richard

graphicguy

Fitzgerald automall deals in Hyundais. They normally run about $1,000 less than invoice on Genesis. No games. They post their exact fees on the web site. Might want to print out their prices and fees from that site and take it with you to the Hyundai dealers in your area.

I have no idea what amount Hyundai allows the dealer as far as cash unaccounted for on car pricing web sites. But, it must be more than $1,000 in order for Fitzgerald to offer those prices on a Genesis.

gogiboy

Richard--

Thanks for your thoughts. That sounds like a good course of action. While in MI I helped my father take a couple of bags of clothes, a stroller (from grandkids) and other items--all of which seemed useful except an old elliptical trainer and TV that we were taking to a recycling center.

To the surprise of both of us they refused the two perfectly good and perfectly functional child restraint car seats. "Too much liability" according to the dock worker. So they too both ended up at the recycling center despite only being a couple of years old.

For contrast, my folks recounted a story about traveling with me from my Dad's basic training at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio TX across country to Fort Dix, NJ when I was 1 1/2. They had some kind of platform installed in the back seat that made it easy to reach around and grab me. The fact that it also made me an easily launched projectile wasn't even a discussion point, but then, there were no seatbelts or shoulder belts in their early 1950s sedan either. In fact, I think they said that they stopped in MI to visit family and buy a new, presumably 1958, car, which also wouldn't have had any safety features other than new tires.

Gogiboy

oldfarmer50

"...that dog was waiting for me at the car..."

Sounds like it wasn't the dog that was lost.

oldfarmer50

gogiboy---Ouch! hope you're feeling better. :sick:

joel--welcome back. Tell me EVERYTHING about the 2011 Mustang V-6. :shades:

richard64--When you had your Caddie dealer confrontation I pictured you looking like Burt Lancaster in "Field of Dreams"

sterlingdog

It was more like "Field of Nightmares". Also, if I looked like Burt Lancaster, I could have made more money on the side. :P

Richard

houdini1

Congrats on the XB. Did you consider the Hyundai Santa FE ?

Stillwater is a great town. Cowboys had a big win yesterday against my
Wildcats !! I thought we had 'em a couple of times but they would not quit. One of my boys graduated from K-State and his best friend graduated from Okla. State. During the game yesterday they were on a golf trip to Phoenix. I hope they are still friends !!

We lived in Okla. City for about 7 years back in the 70's. Loved it. Take care and get better.

bronsonb

Yeah - the death of the DB plan was a big bone of contention with older IBM employees, and it still is. I remember when they killed it for all new and many existing employees. But those with a certain number of years could till count on it. Then they went back a few months later and adjusted the dates to pull in a lot of folks who had 20 years but not the 25 years you previously had to have (those numbers might not be right, but it was something like that).

For me, the cash balance plan was a GREAT deal, and I was sad to see it go. I still have mine but the company no longer puts money in, but it gets a nice interest credit. After last year, it's a nice cushion against the vagaries of the stock market. The new retirement bennies IBM has are a better deal overall with the match, but it's part of the shift of the company taking care of things to the employee being responsible. You have to get yourself educated, and thankfully, that's another benefit IBM offers.

Lou G's book was a very good read (found a copy at a second-hand bookstore for 50 cents YEARS ago). He really did save the company as it was in the process of being broken up, but he realized the strength was in the variety of services offered.

To bring this back to cars, I recall someone once asking what Lou drove, and someone else responded, "It's a limo, but he doesn't drive it." :-)

joel0622

I can remember being like 5 years old and my mom loading us all into the Galaxy 500 and just rolling down the road. We would get a car and shove the seat belts down between the cushion to get them out of the way.

Now I won't let my Grandson ride with anyone unless I am the one to put the car seat in the car.

lemmer

That is some kind of crazy defect in the Caddy. If I remember correctly, this is your second lemon law car. That has to be some sort of record. If I had one buyback, the experience would probably be enough to put me into a Camry or something.

british_rover

Glad to see you back.

Driven the new SHO yet? What did you think?

Be interesting to hear your thoughts on the new V6 mustang when they come out.

I am sitting on 8 total with 7 used right now. I have 2 new and 1 used in the holding pattern so if I can clear the holding pattern and grab two more used cars before the end of the month I will be doing very, very good.

jayrider

Yeah joel, nobody worried about seatbelts or health insurance because nobody got killed in a wreck or got sick. The good old days.

tallman1

I remember when my little brother got a new car seat and it had a plastic steering wheel on the front of it so that he could pretend he was driving. I was soooo jealous. Of course, that steering wheel and a thin strap were all that held him there. :sick:

We've come a long way, baby.

fezo

gogi - that is some story! Good for you AND the dog!

You were at Fort Dix and didn't stop by to say hello? Don't give me that "I was only a year and a half old" excuse! It's right in my county here.

A few years back I was sitting at a traffic on the barrier island just east of here and there was a VW van with a kid sleeping on the shelf at the back window. When the light changed and the van moved the kid rolled right out onto the street in front of me. He turned out to be no worse for the wear but what the heck were those folks thinking?

Car seats - I learned a few years ago about things like car seats. When we were done with the ones for the youngest ones you couldn't donate them. Same thing for cribs. We put them out to the curb and people took them in no time at all.

Neat thing yesterday. My 8 year olds go out to play and the one comes right back in saying there were lots of cars and a news reporter out in the street and yellow ribbons on the trees and such. Turns out my neighbor just got back form a year in Iraq and they put together a real nice welcome back. George is old enough to remember the treatment of Vietnam vets so this just stunned him which was great. State cops escorting, a couple of firetrucks blasting patriotic music - very nice.

gogiboy

"Congrats on the XB. Did you consider the Hyundai Santa FE ? "

Houdini--

We did consider the Tucson. The 2010 is really a good looking small SUV and gets decent mileage. I'm uncomfortable with our local Hyundai dealership, which is owned by OSU's former Heisman Trophy winner. There's a big inflatable orange and white football effigy of Mr. Sanders looming over the parking lot that has been there since they opened about a year ago. They run constant screamer ads and send us fliers for weekend sales where a special salesman is brought it to offer the lowest priced deals. In the ads he's called the "slasher", I think.

They only had one 2010 and it was black, which is just murder in OK in the summer--unless its constantly garaged. If we'd have had more time to ponder and explore we probably could have waited for them to get a few more 2010s in stock. It certainly would have been on the short list. Snakeweasel and others on this forum have definitely convinced me that Hyundai has made great strides.

Gogiboy

fezo

What is it with former football players and sleazy Hyundai dealerships?

We have a retired NY Giants player who runs sleazy ads all the time for his place. The dealership has a reputation for agressive, uncomfortable encounters. I would NEVER even set foot in the place!

jayrider

My little brother had a seat with a similar steering wheel. The horn was an air filled cushion that squeaked when you depressed it. Talk about chest protection. Remember the old bumper cars with protruding steel bolts in the steering wheel perfectly placed for dinging young faces when bashing into your friends ?

lrguy44

Usually those players have a financial interest but no day to day operations. Here a hall of famer had his name on dealerships that were actually run by a business partner. After they sold out to a major chain, he collected a check for donating his name and did some ads. After the contract ran out they quickly took his name off and changed the name on them all.
A few dealerships have been owned and run by former players, but most are an investment.

graphicguy

lemmer...in 30+ years of having a license, and a proclivity to not keep cars until the end of their useful lives, the law of averages eventually catches up. I definitely have some opinions about which brands, models, manufacturers are least likely to have any sort of catastrophic failures, and which ones are more likely.

That said, you read any of these boards and you'll see someone, somewhere that considers their car a lemon.

There are a couple of people over at the Infiniti (whom I consider to have a stellar reputation) G forum who've both suffered the exact same transmission failures, in cars that are relatively new.

For a while, Hondas had some tranny problems themselves.

I consider both of those brands to have great reputations.

verdugo

George is old enough to remember the treatment of Vietnam vets so this just stunned him which was great. State cops escorting, a couple of firetrucks blasting patriotic music - very nice.

+1 That is very nice

verdugo

Here a hall of famer had his name on dealerships that were actually run by a business partner.

That was Elway, right?

lrguy44

All I can say is he wore #7 and played at the old Mile High. :shades:

boomchek

Congrats on yuor Scion! The dealership does sound like a well run place with good staff. Glad you guys had a great experience!

graphicguy

Noted that you have an Infiniti G. Since that car is on my short list, can I ask if you'd buy another one? Likes? Dislikes?

jayrider

Don't know if you have any interest in the m35 but reportedly 10k off msrp is possible on the 2010's. New model this spring.

Kirstie_H

That's a real mixed bag. Yes, I like the car a lot. It's comfortable, and the seats fit me well - I have long legs, and sometimes a good fit is hard to find. front/back + up/down is important.

It's been a fantastic vehicle, reliability-wise. I had a similar experience with a previous I30, which is what prompted me to look at Infiniti again. It's fun to drive, and has all of the "toys" I like, including the mandatory seat warmers.

Downsides: the non-AWD version (which I have) eats through brake pads & rotors fairly quickly. That doesn't kill me, given the $0 in non-maintenance items cost I've incurred. The RWD version is also unhappy with wet & snow. I have never had a car that performed so poorly in snow.

Would I buy one again? No. But that's because it's winter right now, and I have to make several cross-state trips, and they will be hideous if the weather's not right.

Would I recommend it to someone who can live with that downside? Absolutely. I bought mine used, and it's been a very good value for me.

fezo

All I can say is he wore #7 and played at the old Mile High.

Oh, sure. Keep us guessing..... :P

Our local one is NOT a hall of famer and writes his own ads which he thinks are funny but are mostly embarrassing. For months it was that he was giving up sex until they became the number one Hyundai dealer in the state. Oy!

graphicguy

Kirstie....big THANKS! Good to get a level headed opinion. I'm looking at the G37x, which has AWD. So, some of that "winter fear" should be alleviated. Concerns me a bit that the pads and rotors could be problematic since I consider myself a somewhat aggressive driver (and an aggressive "braker", too).

Think I may have waited too long to get a deal on an '09 (at least in the color and equipment I want). However, the dealerships seem to be willing to do some deep discounting on the 2010s, too. There's about a $2,500 swing between an '09 deal and a '10 deal. However, that could be made up, at least partially, when resale comes down the line.

Again, thanks!

lrguy44

For months it was that he was giving up sex until they became the number one Hyundai dealer in the state. Oy!

Then I guess his name is not Tiger :sick:

explorerx4

is there only 1 hyundai dealer in your state?

oldfarmer50

"...the treatment of Vietnam vets..."

Just awful.

kyfdx

For a minute, I was thinking.. "What the heck is Archie Griffin doing with a Hyundai dealership in Oklahoma!? " :surprise:

sterlingdog

He sounds like the type of person who didn't have to give up sex. It was probably never offered to him.

Richard

sterlingdog

That car seat can't hold a candle to my green convertible with a red steering wheel that I had when I was four years old. It was a "pedal pusher" made of steel. I "drove" it all over the neighborhood. One day, I left it parked in the street in front of our house. A "big person" ran into it with her car. IIRC, her name was "Mom". She knocked my convertible over into the ditch. My convertible didn't get a scratch. "Mom's" car had a bent bumper. When Dad got home, I told him that "Mom" had hit my car. Her version was a little different from mine. At the time of the accident, I was in the kitchen making myself a peanut butter and raisin sandwich. Dad started me early on cars. "Mom" started me early on how to make my own sandwiches.

Richard

fezo

He sounds like the type of person who didn't have to give up sex. It was probably never offered to him.

He would say how it was driving his wife crazy but he sells cars. Who would believe him? :P

tallman1

I've led such a deprived life. Not only did I miss out on that car seat, I also missed out on those pedal pusher cars! I wanted one of those too. And then they had those battery operated jobs (still do, I think). Sigh.

At least I had lots of Tonka vehicles and model cars.

roadburner

This was my son's first car- a BMW Baby Racer:



The only difference is that my son's Baby Racer was red and I had it imported a couple of years before BMW NA started selling them in the US. It made for several cute Christmas cards.

graphicguy

jay....gave teh M35s a cursory look. They are trying to clear them off the lots since the redesign is right around the corner (with the 3.7L motor). They're really nice cars, too. Can't put my finger on it, but even though they have the same Inifiniti family look, the ones I looked at just didn't float my boat. Could be the colors they had in stock weren't to my liking.

I've never really used the internet to car shop, but have stuck my toes in the water asking for quotes, just to see what I come up with. Depending on how far I'm willing to travel, and if those quotes are to be believed, I can save about $1,200 on an Acura TL by driving about 100 miles.

Surprisingly, the local Infiniti dealer is pretty strong in what they're offering on a 2010 G37x. I could probably slice another couple hundred by going out of town, but that wouldn't be worth making a road trip for.

So, I think I've finally got pricing set up to make an offer (will let the local dealership have first crack on the TL, but don't get the feeling they want to tinker with the "super skinny" quote I've got 100 miles away). If I go Infiniti, I'll make my offer locally.

Can't remember who, but someone mentioned Swope Infiniti in KY. They sent very competitive quotes, but want to add an additional $400 over and above on "prep fees" (not sure why that is, either).

For those Audi fans, a new A5 really struck me as a very nice looking car. Wouldn't mind having that sitting in my garage. But, it is north of what my budget is (well over $40K discounted). An A4 Quattro 2.0T, automatic, with everything except Nav came in just under $39K, for those who are interested.

There's a local group locally who owns Audi, Porsche, Chevy, Caddy, Infiniti, Hyundai, Acura stores around me. Talking about easy, simple deals, their Infiniti, Acura and Audi stores gave me up front pricing and all told me to take the car I'm interested home for the weekend to make up my mind. Won't do that unless I'm seriously going to make a deal with them.

Gogi, this reminded me of your Scion experience (BTW, congrats on the purchase). Simple, easy, customer service oriented. While their Hyundai store does run a toned down version of screamer ads, their personnel were quite cordial. In all of the stores I've been to in my search, I've found all of them with the General Sales Managers to be quite accessible, too.

sterlingdog

Don't feel badly. I never had the Tonka vehicles. Actually, they didn't make them when I was little. :shades:

Richard

jayrider

I'm a bit jealous, gg, you are spending time in one of my favorite zones -- "pre-buy look and see standard time." Within budget constraints, the possibilities and options are wide and varied. I have a year or so to make a move but it is fun to speculate on what I want. Problem is it changes daily. My wife is entertaining friends today so I'm off to visit some dealerships. The autoshow is here this weekend -- plan on going for a few hours. Today --X5, Elantra touring, dodge charger r/t awd, dodge journey, buick lacross, honda crosstour,mazda 3, mazda 5.
Already checked out vw,audi,and infinity ex. The A4 avant is a very nice package. MB has a few interesting rides but a bit too far today. No test drives or price talk-- just a walkaround and chat if they aren't busy. If lacross came in a hatchback like the crosstour that might be at the top of the list.

sterlingdog

That is one sharp Baby Racer. I bet the red one looked even better. What a great dad you were to have it imported. The things that we do for our children...

Richard

jayrider

They probably made those tonka's when you were little, Richard, but little boys who liked peanut butter and raisin sandwiches weren't allowed to have them. :P

graphicguy

jay.....we'll see. Was really good to leisurely shop. While I usually don't like to go from store to store, this is relatively new to me. I'm one of the people who decide on a particular make and model, and go and do the deal. This time I was able to drive a bunch of different brands/models and narrow it down to what I liked the best.

Lots of really good cars out there. Plus, at least with the cars I'm looking at, pricing has been very aggressive from the dealers. Part of that is what I believe to be a lot of nervousness buyers are having about making large purchases. The other part is based on the fact that these stores really had no offerings in the C4C bonanza.

I'll pull the trigger on something within the next few weeks. Probably throw in a brief road trip in there to evaluate the deals in some of the bigger cities with more competition at some point.

jayrider

A car buying roadtrip ? Where do we meet up ? The gas is on me.

graphicguy

car buying road trip? We could gather up richard, yourself, oldfarmer, snake, jipster, fezo, imid, myself...and whomever else wanted to join us. Then, go visit brentwood, isell, boom, joel, and some of the other dealership people who post here.

We could establish a rating system on how we were treated by each store. How many cars were purchased (if any).

IF Edmunds wants to finance that, I'll be the first to volunteer. We can go car shopping from "sea to shining sea".

isellhondas

That groaning sound you heard came from me!