Stories from the Sales Frontlines

Sandman6472 · January 2013

Hopefully newer cars will do better than this. I only drive about 1300 miles/yr and don't use the car daily but so far, so good. I change the oil once a year no matter what and get it up to speed on the expressway once a month now. But it's a Honda so I think I should be o k. It's only 6.5 years old right now so I should have no problem keeping it for another 5 to 6 years. It's a great car for my needs and I really do not want to buy a new car no matter how much I dream of a C Class or 3 Series. It just doesn't make any sense at all at this point in my life.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

michaellno · January 2013

We grew up in the same neck of the woods.

Me- San Pedro

You?

Up the coast in Oxnard. My folks and my son still live there.

isellhondas · January 2013

Gotcha! we have close frinds n Ventura.

kevinc5 · January 2013

I hope he had an extended warranty.

driver100 · January 2013

I wonder what the maintenance schedule was like? Any reconditioning?

I believe the car had one major restoration. This is what the company said that restored the car:

Quite a number of years ago, Mr. Swift commissioned us to remove the body from the frame, send the engine to his long time friend Frank Cooke for reconditioning, and restore the frame, body, and interior to its original color, two-tone green combination with gold leaf striping and initials.

That seems to be the only major work done on the car.

driver100 · January 2013

I hope he had an extended warranty.

lol...........but at least he won't be posting in chronic car buyers anonymous!

driver100 · January 2013

I was 100 times more impressed with the 770,000 miles on an old Prelude sitting in the Honda Showroom in a San Diego Honda "new car" dealership.

Yeh, well, I'd be 1000 times more impressed with 770,000 miles on an old Neon, if they could find one that had lasted that long. :P

andres3 · January 2013

Yeh, well, I'd be 1000 times more impressed with 770,000 miles on an old Neon, if they could find one that had lasted that long.

Psshhh.... I don't think the combined resources and riches of Bill Gates AND Donald Trump could afford to keep a Neon running to 770,000 miles, even in a vacuum.

They'd have to be bailed out running that experiment, just like the manufacturer has been twice already.

Speaking of which, the first time I bought a new car at the end of 2002, getting internet quotes was pretty much a game of getting quoted sticker price on everything. In the spring of 2006 it was more useful, as I'd get real "fair" prices going with internet/emailed quotes.

murphydog · January 2013

Hey Sandman -

for what is is worth - I ride to work in a vanpool and only drive my car a few times a week - I put 4,000 miles on it last year and I fill the take every ~ 3 weeks or so...

Here is the best part tho - it is a C class that wife ~~bought~~ approved for my 40th birthday. Every time I fire it up and head out of the garage I have a big smile on my face!

Life is short, enjoy the heck out of it!

Sandman6472 · January 2013

I agree but she'd go ballistic on me and say that I was crazy. Funny thing is, I've got a bit saved $ that I keep adding to so when i do purchase my next, and last, vehicle, I can do better than econocar. I'd have no problem buying a "pre-owned" C Class or 3 Series. And really, after I park it in the garage, I think she'd get used to it...and try to use it. Luckily, they opened the newest MB dealer right up the street, next to the VW & Audi dealer. By 2017, my target date, the last kid will be done with pharmacy school and she'll be retiring so my plan could come to fruition!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

laurasdada · January 2013

Hi, NYC: UConn is a fine skool! Both my bruther and me is prowd graditates!

He, along with all my friends and fellow alumni, are quite successful in their chosen fields. Me? My UConn degree has allowed me to post such witticisms as this on Edmunds message boards when not changing the grease, I mean oil, in the fryolator. Not that there's anything wrong with that... Liberal Arts major, D'OH!

My daughter is 17, has already been early accepted at a couple of schools. I was hoping she'd be interested in UConn, I was going to send her to live with my friends in Wilton to establish residency. Alas, being a Husky was not on her list.

If one chooses to go to one of the fine New England state U's, none finer than the one in beautiful Storrs, Ct. If for nothing else, the Dairy Bar!

nyccarguy · January 2013

Ha! Thanks for the heads up!

driver100 · January 2013

Mr Grumpy has found something else he doesn't like. Buy one - get the 2nd one for 50% off.
I went to the outlet mall and bought some Addidas running shoes for $70. Then, I had to make use of getting the 2nd pair for 50% off. Well, I didn't really need a 2nd pair but I found some that were $40 tegular, so I got them for $20. Not bad, but I did end up with a 2nd pair I don't really need.

It's much worse when we go to the grocery store...where they all started doing these. For example, if you buy a pre-made salad for $4 you get the extra one free or for 50% off. What if I can only eat one salad, or lettuce, or pepper?

It is clever marketing, I figure the retailer is making his full profit on the first item, and the second item he is selling at cost. Basically, I would just prefer to get 25% off or something like that.....I don't want to encourage this. It could lead to buy a 535, and get an 135 for 50% off!

tjc78 · January 2013

It's just a percentage off sale, that in turn makes the average sale higher. Quite common. They suckered you in to spending more money. The retailer cost averages between the two items and probably end up at a 30 gross instead of the usual 50/60. Good for them (and good for you if you really wanted 2!). Not so much if you wanted a good deal on one.

houdini1 · January 2013

Speaking of percentages, here is one of my favorite riddles:

Three men spend the night in a hotel. The desk clerk charges them $30. for the room. Later he discovers that he has overcharged them by $5. so he gives the bellhop $5. and tells him to give it to the 3 men.

He gives the men the $5. and they give him back a $2. tip. So, in effect the men have paid $9. each, or $27. for the room. The bellhop has $2., for a total of $29. Since they had originally paid $30., what happened to that last dollar???

If you have a mathematical mind you can figure this out pretty quickly. If you don't, like me, you can struggle for a long time !

And don't ask what 3 men were doing in the same room !!

michaellno · January 2013

I'd have no problem buying a "pre-owned" C Class or 3 Series. And really, after I park it in the garage, I think she'd get used to it...and try to use it. Luckily, they opened the newest MB dealer right up the street, next to the VW & Audi dealer. By 2017, my target date, the last kid will be done with pharmacy school and she'll be retiring so my plan could come to fruition!

By 2017, you could probably find an off-lease CLA sedan - this is a new model introduced by MB that is smaller than the C-class.

sterlingdog · January 2013

"We went in May, so it wasn't too warm..."

Michaell, I would suggest a visit to North Carolina in July if possible. That's as hot as it gets, which can be pretty hot these days. You could deal with the cold weather easily. We do have the four seasons which is really nice.

Richard

graphicguy · January 2013

Another vote here for Temurpedic. They aren't cheap, but they do give a great night's sleep. Previously had a SleepNumber. Won't make that mistake again. It never would hold the same "number" in the air chambers from one night to the next. They kept replacing parts to make it "work". Finally, I gave up and wanted to return it under their "try it for 90 days" promise. By the time I made my request to return for a refund, the store I bought it from said I was past the 90 days. Well, yeah....they took 60 days to try to "fix" it. I fought with them for 6 months and finally prevailed. Never again, though.

Costa Rica....great place. I used to go down there quite a bit for work when we were doing business with a computer company called Alienware (since bought up by Dell). They had their training HQ in Costa Rica. Inexpensive and the people were terrific. Rain forrest is a sight to behold. I'd live there given the chance.

Talking about buying without knowing the asking price, I was at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas a couple of weeks ago. Anyone who's attended these large conferences is used to seeing booths with the high end massage chairs. CES is so big, I think there were actually 3 booths hawking those message chairs. These aren't the ones you find at Brookstone. These are allegedly a couple of steps above those chairs.

They demo these chairs in the hopes that you'll plunk down $4k-$5k large and have one delivered to your home. I don't know the commission on these, but it must be pretty good given they have to haul the chairs to these venues, pay for hotel rooms for a week, in addition to paying for booth space, which isn't cheap.

Anyway, after walking the show floor for about 6 hours the first day, I plopped into one of these chairs for a 10 minute massage demo. These chairs do everything but make you a cup of coffee.

When the massage was done, I asked the booth person how much they cost. He went into this diatribe about how you can't put a price on your health, how your well being is worth more than money, etc. Then came..."just give me your credit card and the chair will be delivered by the time you arrive home."

I still didn't know the price. When I pressed him, he went into stupid mode. Why does the only thing people care about is dollars?

Me....."well, unless you want me to pay you in Carp, I need to know the cost in dollars."

I didn't spend any more time with this guy or the booth. I did talk to one of the other people getting a demo to find out how much the chairs really cost. I can get a lot of professional massages from a licensed massage therapist for $5,000.

sterlingdog · January 2013

"Any recommendations would be appreciated."

We buy Restonic mattresses. There is a reason for doing so. Their factory is 45 minutes from here. They allow us to select the coils, fabrics, and thickness that we want. We use high mattresses for our antique beds. Since they are custom done, I can't speak to the quality of those in the stores. We have owned Bemco mattresses and found them to be quite good.

I would never, ever buy a product from a company that tries to frighten you into a purchase. As for dust mites and dry skin, it's part of life. If you wash the sheets, mattress pads and turn the mattresses regularly, you'll be fine.

Richard

tjc78 · January 2013

They paid $28.00 for the room or 9.33333333333333333333 each!

sterlingdog · January 2013

"Mr. Grumpy has found something else he doesn't like."

I never realized when I gave you that name you would enjoy using it so much. :P I do agree with you on the topic of getting the second item at 50% off. What burns me up is that they make the 50% sign really large so that you at first think that the items are actually 50% off each.

I love the signs this time of year that say "75% off and take an additional 20% off". Now that's a deal!

Richard

sterlingdog · January 2013

If you leave off the tip, it was $8.3333333333333 each. :P Can you imagine the lovely decor of a $25 room? :sick: Talk about dust mites and shed skin! :surprise:

Richard

tjc78 · January 2013

Ha ha. I was flipping channels this morning and an old I Love Lucy episode was on. They were in a hotel for 16 bucks a night!! :surprise:

jayrider · January 2013

Going to Sottsdale for 7 days soon. Using my points, I pay $59 a night for a Suite in Old Town. Free full breakfast every day as well. We charge almost everything on the rewards card.

snakeweasel · January 2013

Sorry but they paid $25 for the room, $2 for the tip and got $3 back from their original $30.

tjc78 · January 2013

Yeah, after you read it back it makes sense. I guess I need to go back to high school. :surprise:

sterlingdog · January 2013

Where in heaven's name have you been?! I've been asking about you for months. I'm glad that you're alive. How's Chicago? Try to stay around and keep me straight. I know; it's an impossible job.

Richard

sterlingdog · January 2013

Cadillac ATS wins North American Car of the Year Award for 2013.

Richard

laurasdada · January 2013

I was at the New England International Auto Show yesterday. The ATS had a pretty constant flow of traffic. I played around a bit, it's pretty small inside, as is the trunk. And, while I have a version 1.0 touch screen in my current car that is slow and semi-annoying, the new ultra modern CUE in the ATS I found even more annoying! The "virtual sliders" for volume are a terrible idea. A lot of distraction whilst driving. Luckily, redundant controls on the steering wheel. Simple buttons and dials, auto mfgs., please! They work!

The new Lincoln MKZ is a nice looker, but the center stack plastic does not look upscale. This car is based on the new Fusion. And, Lincoln, your naming nomenclature is terrible. Does anyone really know the difference between an MKX, MKS or an MKZ? I think you have some pretty good currency with "Continental" and "Mark xxx..."

While I'm an Acura fan, and two time owner, they really have to hire an outside stylist. Beauty is in the eye, but I find none with Acura. My '05 TL was a simple, classy, handsome design. What happened??? At least the beak is dying a slow death.

BMWs are becoming a bit ridiculous in price (well, maybe they always have been). We did get a nice chunk of change off the 535ix we bought in 2011, which got it "down" to loaded 3 series territory.

Mercedes? Ditto.

Maybe Caddy will help save GM, a lot of traffic there. And more products coming, I'm looking forward to reviews of the ELR.

Sad, one lonely Fisker cordoned off amongst Aston Martin, Lamborhini, Bentley and Rolls. The Fisker was garnering no attention. Keep that in mind when pricing the ELR, Caddy!

And, my current marque, Jaguar, was MIA. Que lastima.

Oh, yeah. The "Spokesmodels?" Oh, my.

oldfarmer50 · January 2013

"..maybe we always need adversity in our lives..."

I'll take the beautiful weather and if I need adversity I'll pick a fight with my wife. At least then, when she throws me out in the street I can sleep on the beach. :shades:

oldfarmer50 · January 2013

"...only drive about 1300 miles/yr...."

A 13 year old car with only about 16k miles? That's my dream car. Call me when you want to sell. I should be down in St. Pete's by then.

mako1a · January 2013

Que lastima

I remember that from Spanish class. Like Holy Sh&* or Holy cow (more likely).

Nice review on the car show. ATS sounds nice, but I agree with you...knobs on the radio WORK. Last time I was in a drive-thru and had to turn down the radio quickly I just hit the power button and turned it off. (easier than holding the volume down button)

oldfarmer50 · January 2013

"...the difference between..."

I totally agree. The other day a friend was talking about a particular Lincoln model and I started discussing a totally different one because I can't keep all the "Ms" straight.

For a low volume brand like Lincoln they should make it easier.

snakeweasel · January 2013

I thought I replied to this (I know I did) but it hasn't shown up.

Where in heaven's name have you been?!

Been around, tried to get my book finished and then started getting ready for tax season.

How's Chicago?

Can't wait to put this state in my rear view mirror (hows that for a car reference?).

bwia · January 2013

We buy Restonic mattresses. There is a reason for doing so. Their factory is 45 minutes from here.

Thanks guys but when it comes to mattresses it seems as though high prices do not necessarily equate to comfort and relaxation.

*Richard, according to an "unbiased" review I read, the Restonic mattress is slightly below average when it comes to comfort, after four years down the road, and above average when it comes to price. They claim the mattress tend to sink in the middle after fours years of use. Besides, the product is not available in the Boston area.

*Driver, I really like the Tempurpedic, but the model I like retails for $7,500. My budget is maxed at $2,000, but if I have to, I probably could go as high as $2,500 but that will result in a big fight with my wife.

*graphicguy, I am very surprised to learn that the SleepNumber bed does not hold the number setting and must be adjusted every night. In that case, I will have remove it from further consideration.

Still, I understand that it is possible to buy "real" hotel mattress sets from the leading hotel chains. If I can buy something as comfortable as what I slept on at the Hilton and the Marriott I wouldn't hesitate if the price is relatively reasonable.

stickguy · January 2013

Philly had jaguar. Some new convertible sport model roped off on a platform was quite attractive. They also had Fisker. Maybe 3 cars, and one of them had a big Sold sign on it. I did not get up close to that one.

Acura styling is improving. I like the ILX, our RDX nose is toned down, and the RLX actually looks good.

driver100 · January 2013

At least then, when she throws me out in the street I can sleep on the beach.

And, when are you going to Largo? This has been an amazing January so far.

driver100 · January 2013

Does anyone really know the difference between an MKX, MKS or an MKZ?

Really good comments about your impressions of the cars you saw. Those are the things I would be interested in knowing.

If I have to refer to one of those Lincoln models I have to look them up on the wesite to know which is which.

Slide controls for volume would be difficult to use. The Passat has slide rule to find stations on Sirius and it is hard to control the selection, either go to far or not far enough.

I agree about the Accuras, the vintage before the snout was much nicer...some cars just get uglier for some reason.

BMW has some game going on using option packages to really boost the price. We priced a 328 and 335 for my wife. Then when we drove the A4 and liked it better no matter what the price, I was shocked to find it cost $16K less than the 335. The Premium Plus model included everything, even lange change warnings, which the 335 didn't have. Something is wrong with this.....except for 300 hp vs 240 we like the Audi in every way a lot more.

Good points made though...loved the review of the cars you commented on.

driver100 · January 2013

*Driver, I really like the Tempurpedic, but the model I like retails for $7,500.

$7500 has to be the top of the line set. The top of the line could get up there, but there are models that cost less. I just quickly found this site:
Tempur Cloud

We prefer Scandinavian style beds which are firm....like driving a bmw, usually made of foam, and don't require a boxspring. We got one for the Florida home and it was about $500 at Ikea........we love it. Not as good as the Tempurpedic but better than 90% of the mattresses I have used in motel/hotel rooms.

roadburner · January 2013

As promised, I test drove a 500 Abarth today. This one was a 2012 with a tick over 4,000 miles on the clock. I really enjoyed driving it; it's not very fast(6.9s 0-60, 15.1s 1/4 mile) but it is very tight and tossable- and the rorty exhaust note is worth the price of admission alone. The ergonomics are a bit on the quirky side and I sit a bit too high for my taste, but in my opinion it is more fun than a GTI(too smooth) or Cooper S(too cute- see: interior design by Playskool). The deal killers: I don't want a car payment and the 2012 didn't get heated seats :mad: (I didn't realize that until after the test drive). Aside from that it would be a great car to drive for my last 2 to 2.5 years of traveling the state- after which I'd sell it off and buy a true RWD performance car...

roadburner · January 2013

We went with a Royal Pedic Pillow Top mattress/boxspring set. A friend of mine on another forum sells them through his furniture store and gave us a 20% discount off MSRP.

fezo · January 2013

Holy smokes! Well, now I have caught up but I'd missed the entire refrigerator discussion and was stunned that someone like electric stoves over gas...

When we built our house they hadn't run gas lines in the neighborhood but we knew that was coming soon. Spent a year or two on propane. This worked OK for the heat and hot water but it takes forever for a pot of water to boil with a propane stove! Once they ran the gas line it was just a matter of changing out valves which the gas company did.

Locally there is a chain of discount furniture stores. He makes a big deal of his Bobopedic mattresses - that they are thicker and way cheaper than a Tempurpedic. I can't imagine. If I bought a $7,500 mattress I couldn't sleep at night.

bwia · January 2013

I was at the New England International Auto Show yesterday

I spent about three hours at the New England Auto Show this afternoon but I didn't get to see as much as I intended since my wife was with me. When she got inside a vehicle she liked, I had to pry her away because she would check out every little detail, not realizing that there was a line of patrons waiting for a chance to get inside the car as well.

Nonetheless, I was impressed with the 2014 Chevy Impala. Such a beautiful car should be in the Cadillac or Buick line-up, not Chevy. Speaking of Buick. The 2013 Buick Encore Crossover is a winner. It is cute inside and out and I think it will be a home run for GM.

Unfortunately, because of tired feed and a slow moving wife, I was unable to get to the booths of Ford, Lincoln, Cadillac, BMW, Audi, Infiniti, Lexus, and Chrysler/Dodge. I hope I didn't miss much but really wanted to see the Cadillac ATS up close and personal.

By the way, the crowds were massive and there were many marquee brands available for test drives. If the massive crowds and the enthusiasm expressed by visitors are a prediction of car sales, then the auto industry should have a good year indeed.

jayrider · January 2013

The 2014 Impala is based on the Buick LaCrosse.

sterlingdog · January 2013

Tell us about the book. I forgot the topic because it has been so long since you mentioned it. Also, if you leave Chicago, where will you land?

Richard

sterlingdog · January 2013

"...slightly below average when it comes to comfort, after four years down the road, and above average when it comes to price."

As I said, we selected the materials and had them custom made. They are now seven years old, extremely comfortable, and no sagging in the middle. We've been so pleased that we purchased a new set for the downstairs guest room in our new house.

Richard

sterlingdog · January 2013

"...stunned that someone liked electric stoves over gas."

That was me. We've had three gas stoves in our 14 homes. We never liked a one of them. For us, they cook too fast and leave a slight odor that we don't like. It cost a small fortune to switch it out (Had to slightly enlarge the Corian countertop and find a totally white glass top with white knobs---no easy task), but my wife is now a happy camper. We do have an 80 gallon gas water heater which is very nice. Also, our front lanterns at the end of the walk are gas. Many folks used to have those, but now there are only two of us in town still maintaining them. They are really pretty at night.

Richard

tjc78 · January 2013

My mom has electric and has for over twenty years now. The last time she came to our house and was helping us cook she said "I'm jealous of this gas range".

I prefer gas but electric is better at simmering. When I make gravy (tomato sauce everywhere but Philly and south jersey) it's hard to get the heat low enough with our range despite having a special simmer burner. On my Mom's electric stove, no problems.

My Parent's house has a gas lantern out front too. It looks really nice when it works, but the jets always get clogged. It's been inop for quite a while now.

driver100 · January 2013

He makes a big deal of his Bobopedic mattresses - that they are thicker and way cheaper than a Tempurpedic.

Bobopedics actually are rated pretty good by their owners.
sleep like the dead mattress reviews

You can get a mattress for about $1000. 79% of the people who bought one liked it, which is about the same as most mattresses.

I don't know if I could actually sleep to well on a mattress that sounds like it was made in the guys garage, I mean a Bobopedic!

sterlingdog · January 2013

You might get your parents to call the gas company to see if they will service the lantern at no charge. When ours went out the first time after about three months, I called. I was amazed to discover that they keep it serviced at no charge. They said that as long as we paid the gas usage for the lantern, they would keep it serviced. It will go out during a heavy rain or wind storm. They never mind coming by to relight it, and the guys are always friendly. I'm really impressed with this company.

You are right about the simmering on a gas stove. That was a real problem for us.

Richard

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