Stories from the Sales Frontlines

qbrozen · April 2009

tidester · April 2009

Now if only we could focus that creative energy and talent toward new frontlines stories ...!

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

verdugo · April 2009

Bath room breaks must have been held to a minimum!

He was posting from his blackberry/iPod.

venture · April 2009

I remember teh

Ask Sir Fezo forum. Made me laugh. I participated in that a little.

I was away for a while after that and when I came back I couldn't remember my username & password and had to start allover again.

oldfarmer50 · April 2009

"...Employee Pricing...It is a discount that's usually equivalent to the markup..."

Markup as in the difference between invoice and MSRP? Sorry to be so dense but I have to answer to the boss who keeps saying "Those guys on the internet put you up to this, didn't they?". :mad:

percussionist · April 2009

"Those guys on the internet put you up to this, didn't they?"

What's wrong with that? We're all good people here! :shades:

isellhondas · April 2009

Actually, he didn't know more about the business than the sales people here. He just thought he did.

And, I'm the guy who smoked him out.

Being from Southern Calif myself it was easy to figure out the Pch101 meant Pacific Coast Highway which happens to be State Hwy 101.

I'm trying to figure out exactly when I came on board here but I'm thinking it was in 1997 when the forums first started.

In I think 2001, they changed forums and all of our start dates got reset. It was a real bummer. I lost my seniority, a weeks vacation pay,and I won't get my retirement or my gold watch until five years after I expected it.

I don't know how many of the original hosts remain. Mr. Shiftright is still here and I think Pat may be an original?

I've seen a lot of people come and go. Some have brightened these forums by arriving and some have done the same thing by leaving.

boomchek · April 2009

Yup, invoice and MSRP markup is what usually gets taken off for employee pricing plus applicable rebates.

imidazol97 · April 2009

Are the car sales picking up this last week? Does anyone have a story about the buyers, the process, the dealer end?

We'll even take installments.

fezo · April 2009

Yeah, the old FMO and the late, great Ask Sir Fezo (some guy here on Edmunds back in the mid - late 90s knighted me which is where the Sir came from) was a lot of fun. I even had to designate an "acting Sir Fezo" when I'd take off for a week.

Speaking of taking off and such I dropped a line to bobst who is alive and well. His fate doesn't speak well for us..... - he retired, plays a lot of golf and enjoying his time that he doesn't get in here. You can count the time he's been gone pretty much to retiring. I did let him know the bobst method is spoken of with great reverence in here....

houdini1 · April 2009

It's gotten to the point that I have to tell my wife that I am only looking at porn and definitely not talking about cars.

canadiantoyota · April 2009

:sick: Regarding cars damaged by hail... here in the Chatham, Ontario area, we had a major hail storm last July. Every car dealer in the area had their cars damaged. Over $14 million dollars in damage. Many of the cars were repaired and sold as damaged. They were not shipped out of the area. Some pretty good pricing. About a month after the storm, I had dropped off my car for an oil change and they were just receiving a shipment of 14 hoods for some of the cars. They couldn't sell them as truly "new", they advertised them as "damaged but repaired". My sisters' car was already at a local body shop for repair (rear end collision) and she had multiple dents that had to be fixed. The best body shops are still booked for the next 6 months!

snakeweasel · April 2009

Ok thanks for that info. As I said I was next to one and it did look so much smaller.

Keep us posted on the MG.

Ok but she who must be obeyed is not keen on it.

graphicguy · April 2009

Yeah....joel...good to see you back....alive and well still working for the big blue oval.

jayrider · April 2009

Back in the 60's and 70's there seemed to a lot of old beaters on the road. I rarely see them anymore - except in the parking lot at Capt'n D's Seafood on senior special wednesday. Yeah- I'm in line too but my ride is an 09. Almost no one drives old cars anymore so the incentive to buy new may be minimized. :confuse:

fezo · April 2009

It's gotten to the point that I have to tell my wife that I am only looking at porn and definitely not talking about cars.

Been there...

jmonroe · April 2009

I'm trying to figure out exactly when I came on board here but I'm thinking it was in 1997 when the forums first started.

Youre the other guy here who needs a life. :shades:

Some have brightened these forums by arriving and some have done the same thing by leaving.

Given I havent left but lets pretend I did; which boat would I be in? Hopefully not in the one with jip and 'snake'. :confuse:

jmonroe

jmonroe · April 2009

Are the car sales picking up this last week?

I dont know about the sales but the dealer I bought from via the internet in Ohio two weeks ago today (happy birthday Genny

), raised his internet price $100 last night when I checked. Earlier in the day it was the same price as I paid.

So, that means graph just blew $100 by not jumping on a Genny last week. I know, hell use the excuse that they didnt have his color but a hundred bucks is a hundred bucks and isell cant understand the bit about getting all hung up with color anyway. Since the two of them have played on these forums for quite some time now youd have thought his old buddy would have taught him at least that much about cars. :surprise:

jmonroe

chikoo · April 2009

LOL

isellhondas · April 2009

Oh, I don't spend much time here. I just visit a few forums and I speak up once in awhile.

I have always considered you a fine addition here.

fezo · April 2009

Is it me or did isell's nose just grow a little......

jmonroe · April 2009

Is it me or did isell's nose just grow a little......

He must want something. Like taking my Genny out for a spin?

jmonroe

fezo · April 2009

Hey! Come on over. I'd love to take it for a spin. You only have to drive the entire width of Pennsylvania, well and then New Jersey.... It's always amazing to me living in a state where you can get from almost any point a to point b in three hours or so to see how big across a state can be.

Actually the longest day of my life was spent driving across Texas.....

golic · April 2009

You obviously have never traveled North to South route of IL. Probably one of the most boring 7-8 hours you can spend in a car.

fezo · April 2009

I could imagine! No, I've only done Illinois east - west which isn't the same at all.

Funny thing for small states - getting east - west across New Hampshire or Vermont is absolutely insane. A few years back I was up in Bellow Falls, VT, on the New Hampshire border less than halfway up, and then went to go see a friend in Lee, NH down in the southern part of the state. Took forever and every five minutes you had to get on a different road.

Of course there are some long drives where I'd be perfectly happy if they were even longer - try the Pacific Coast Highway from teh Oregon border to a bit north of LA. I'd do that again in a minute.

For the opposite of that drive Interstate 90 heading west across South Dakota. once you finally hit the western part it's quite beautiful but you have to drive most of a day across prairie to get there. At least you have the Wall Drug signs for alleged entertainment....

houdini1 · April 2009

Of course there are some long drives where I'd be perfectly happy if they were even longer - try the Pacific Coast Highway from teh Oregon border to a bit north of LA. I'd do that again in a minute.

You would re-think that if you ever got caught on that thing at night...in the fog...with your wife. Only time in our 42 years of marriage that she was scared speechless. I can remember her taking one deep breath and letting it out about an hour later when we finally got off the thing. :sick:

For really boring try I-70 from KC to Denver sometimes.

isellhondas · April 2009

Now you're pushing your luck!

isellhondas · April 2009

I'm actually looking at I-90 right now. About five miles west and it dead ends unless you want to drive into the Puget Sound.

I've been at the opposite end too.

I'm glad I live where I do!

fezo · April 2009

I wouldn't mind where you are at all! Beautiful area. Must convince the wife she wants to come out that way. Maybe grind on an Insight.....

houdini1 · April 2009

Maybe grind on an Insight....

Yeah, or try to get him down below invoice on a nice new Fit. I hear that there is a nice senior discount to keep those things moving.

isellhondas · April 2009

Anytime Steve.

I hope you like RAIN and (this year) SNOW although there are lots of years with no snow at all.

isellhondas · April 2009

Senior discount applies of you're over 95 only! :P

fezo · April 2009

I was out there for about a week way back in 1982. The first day I just laid back. I was told I'd blown it because the sun had been out and might well not be back for a week. It wasn't. Oh, well. BTW - I drove out there in an 80 Accord sedan. Just getting on topic...

Had the same experience in Vancouver 14 years later. At least that time when the sun came out I knew to move quickly.

isellhondas · April 2009

Hey, we do have the rainy season but we have August too!

deltheking · April 2009

Well,well,,,The new Prius 2010 is supposed to be competitively priced to Insight.Toyota is lowering the price in order to compete with Insight.
Will be an interesting fight to see!!!
But the fact is the Insight is much inferior to Prius in all aspects.And if the price for both of them is within 1000 ,,then I don`t think the Insight has a chance.
The Prius has a cult like status now,,,and it`s tough for the Insight to match up to it,,,as especially,,,other makers too are coming out with better hybrids!!

So who will win the battle of the Hybrids?My money is on the Prius!!

jmonroe · April 2009

It's gotten to the point that I have to tell my wife that I am only looking at porn and definitely not talking about cars.

I'm not going there. I've got enough explaining to do when I'm caught giving the Genny another wax job.

jmonroe

houdini1 · April 2009

ROFLMAF !!

What a ballgame. Michigan State is awesome !!

jmonroe · April 2009

Well, I said I was going to keep an eye on the almost perfect 06 Sonata LX (12,800 miles) that I traded in on the Genny. The dealer didnt show it listed until Thursday. I guess they didnt have a mirror in stock and had to wait for one to come in. When I checked this morning it was still there. I just checked and its GONE.

Like I said before, they listed it at $13K ($12,997 to be exact). It would really be interesting to know what it sold for.

jip, you know I would have hammered you if you bought it from me but not nearly as bad as what that dealer did to the real buyer. :surprise:

jmonroe

bolivar · April 2009

Well, I don't post as much as some people, but I was here to get my id 'reset' in 2001. I think I found this forum in about 1999 when I 'retired'. Don't remember Sir Fezo. Can't remember what FMO stands for, but I remember when the hosts shut it down. And it stayed shut down for a month or more.

I miss Bobst. I didn't think he would just 'fade away'. I think people ragging on him about his 'second key' story might have been the final straw.... Or was that a 'third key'?

Wonder what it would take to have him drop in occasionally....

Could we take up a collection?

stickguy · April 2009

I have scaled back the posting lately (too many other distractions the last year or so). But still try to catch up.

I know I joined originally in 1997 (the fall) since it was shortly before I bought the 1998 Quest!

Now I need to post so I can see my count....

also just got back from a round trip from S. Jersey to Pittsburgh (320 miles each way). Out thrus night, back Friday. Man, the PA Tpke is one boring road, and there is a whole lotta nothing in most of PA.

Worst part? I drove to save money, and caught a rock on the windshield, so replacing that is going to eat up the savings! Man, when it rains, it pours I guess.

Won't be generating any purchase stories of my own. maybe selling my Accord later in the year and using the TL if it is just sitting around.

oldfarmer50 · April 2009

"...He must want something. Like taking my Genny out for a spin..."

I think he was hoping you would ask richard for his frisky neighbor's phone number. That leaves your car available for me to take it out for a spin.

imidazol97 · April 2009

>caught a rock on the windshield, so replacing that is going to eat up the savings!

Isn't that covered by insurance?
Or if it's not too bad, the services that drill and fill the air voids with silicone work really well if it's not in the main line-of-sight.

imidazol97 · April 2009

>It would really be interesting to know what it sold for.

Email me the vin number. Check profile.

jmonroe · April 2009

Email me the vin number. Check profile.

Thanks for the offer. I'll have to figure out how to do that here at Edmunds. I never did that before.

Right now I'm off to grandson # 2's 5th birthday party.

If someone can provide tips on how to do that while I'm gone that would be great.

jmonroe

fezo · April 2009

I'm always amazed how cheap it is to replace a windshield anymore. My old Ody (but for some reason not the new one which is the same generation) was a rock magnet. Local places would come around and replace the windshield in the parking lot at work or in my driveway. Cost less than the deductible on my insurance.

Stickguy - I can't believe you are ahead of me in posts - by a good margin, too! That's what I get for my sabbatical.

I'm likely driving south for Easter vacation time. Too expensive to fly and I can change my mind about how far south.

graphicguy · April 2009

j....Oh, I'd imagine that the Hyundai dealership wouldn't let $100 stand in the way of a deal if I made the trip up there, and made the offer.

Nothing against the Genesis, but I'm leaning towards the Acura TL. Got to "deal" with the Tahoe, first. Got it all shiny yesterday. Headed down to the OH river marinas today to "parade" it around and see if there are any bites.

imidazol97 · April 2009

You can send it to my email address in my profile or go into your My Carspace (upper left corner of any forum page) and send it from your email there to my carspace email which is just username@carspace.com. Of course the username is my username.

snakeweasel · April 2009

Oh come on now, that drive can be done in 6 hours.

Now try driving across Nebraska.

golic · April 2009

well sure if you speed..but wait surely a careful, responsible, safe driver as yourself would never exceed the posted speed limit???

isellhondas · April 2009

Giv e me a break? Do you work for Toyota?

Both cars have their advantages and the Insight excells in some areas while th Prius probably has an edge in others. We have a 2008 Prius on our lot that we let customers drive and compare to the Insight and they always like the Insight better.

I know, the 2010's are a redesign.

Stop and think about this. They must be afraid of the Insight or they wouldn't have lowered the price, now would they?

I will say that hybrids appeal to a different type of customer than a non hybrid does.

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