Stories from the Sales Frontlines

isellhondas · August 2013

" It was designed specifically for women"

Where do you get this? I went through all of the CRV classes, ride and drives etc and I NEVER ONCE heard that comment made.

Please show me somewhere where Honda states this!

stickguy · August 2013

well, I formulated the opinion from various reading over the years. So to be fair, I went looking for "proof". In my usual half-baked lazy fashion...

http://www.redbookmag.com/kids-family/advice/honda-crv#slide-7 My favorite line: " A car is also a place to put on mascara."

From an Edmunds thread: Honda surveyed women who had test driven the old-style, tire on the back door, CR-V and found that women were looking for something wth a little more flair

http://suvs.about.com/od/honda/fr/12_HondaCR-Vjf.htm "Honda's marketing approach for the new CR-V is to attract a new Image Buyer: an affluent 32 year-old woman"

cdnpinhead · August 2013

Satch, as always, said it well.

Thanks for the link.

Remember when BMW cared about such people?

mako1a · August 2013

Did they use Synthetic oil?

Oh well, it's working again.

Hey, can anyone tell me why I would want a FFV (fuel flex vehicle) or not want one?

In looking at new trucks a lot has changed and FFV as an option costs more, but would I want it?

nyccarguy · August 2013

So how much of a discount off of sticker did you get (if you don't want to say how much you actually paid for your Jeep)? 1% under factory invoice is a great price. I could definitely go with a Sahara then;)

stickguy · August 2013

only if they have E15 or E85 near you, and you want to use it.

though I suppose even if you are using regular E10, it might not be a bad idea since (in theory) the engine should be more resistant to the ethanol.

driver100 · August 2013

I tried to answer last night but got this:

Edmunds.com
We'll be back soon.

We are busy performing an oil change on our car forum to better serve you.

I hope they used synthetic 5W-30.

I feel your pain buying run flats. Consider yourself lucky, my tires cost over $2000 to replace. I would really have to like the bmw a lot more than something else to go through the run flat dilemna again. I have heard though that most of the others will be going to run flats in the near future - I really hope not!

Note to Kirstie: We ain't got no Bold or i icons or emotorcons etc.

graphicguy · August 2013

Yeah....the forums are really messed up. They don't work at all using Google Chrome. And, they sort of work with Apple's Safari, but most of the scrolling is messed up.

houdini1 · August 2013

Mike, you are a hoot...and you sound prepared. Be sure to get in the right line or you will be turned back !!!

PS- Don't forget that 4th grade report card.

houdini1 · August 2013

Don't worry about it isell, car companies do a poor job in their demographics.

The Jeep wrangler is supposedly a macho man's vehicle, but every teen age girl in my area seems to be driving one. Either that or a BMW 3 series. I don't think I have ever seen a teen age girl driving a CRV.

abacomike · August 2013

Mike, you are a hoot...

Actually, it went smoother than I thought! They used my voters registration card, my birth certificate, the title to my car, and my social security card. They asked me about my middle initial and I told them that my middle name was given to me about 2 weeks after I was born, but my dead-beat parents never took the time to have it added to my birth certificate. So, they merely removed my middle initial from the new driver's license, had me take an eye test, took my picture, asked me about 20 questions (i.e. has your license ever been suspended, revoked...do you have an disability that would prevent you from driving safely, etc...) took my $50.00 (I donated $2.00 to autism research) and printed up my new driver's license.

It is valid until 2021 after which it can again be renewed online.

I arrived at 8:00 AM for my 8:30 AM appointment, but since there was no once on line waiting, they took me right away. I've never seen the driver's license office empty like that - usually it is jammed and you have to wait hours for someone to see you.

But I sure was prepared. She told me it was better to be overprepared than underprepared since 8 out of 10 people renewing under the new Florida law (passed in 2010) have to be turned away because they did not have enough documentation.

"...better safe than sorry..." is the adage most appropriate to this experience.

As for the 4th grade report car, they told me they needed the 6th grade report card, so the 4th grade report card did me no good!!!! LOL

abacomike · August 2013

Hey, can anyone tell me why I would want a FFV (fuel flex vehicle) or not want one?

Well, my new E350 is capable of running on 15% Ethanol which I believe makes it a flexible fuel vehicle, if I am not mistaken. It's new on the 2014's and I agree that since it can run on 15% ethanol, it should be a better running engine running on 10% ethanol, which 98% of the fuel sold in Florida is formulated.

I don't understand the rationale behind 15% ethanol formulations. Ethanol is more expensive than pure gasoline - and that's why the farmers who produce corn for ethanol want gasoline formulated with 15% ethanol - and of course the environmentalists prefer ethanol over gasoline (I don't know why since ethanol pollutes just as badly as gasoline from what I understand). All it accomplishes is that we use less "oil" which is replaced by ethanol.

If the environmentalists get their way, you will find more and more fuel being formulated with 15% ethanol - but that will take some time since more engines on the road in the U.S. cannot burn 15% ethanol. So I do no see it as an essential option in cars sold this year - but perhaps in three or four years, it may be more essential.

verdugo · August 2013

"Wow! Thanks Verdugo! It only requires you enroll 30 days before to qualify as well. Sounds like a good deal to me. I like how it says 1% below factory invoice and not 1% below dealer invoice. "

(Seems like the buttons to do italics have disappeared)

You're welcome. It's a great program. It used to be $60, but even at $100 it's worth it.

When I ordered mine the dealer was very upfront. He showed me the printout with the different prices. Totally painless.

BTW, the picture in your next post doesn't show.

isellhondas · August 2013

I appreciate the time it took you to post those links but they reflect the opinions of the people who wrote those articles.

I know I sold as many CRV's to men as I did to women. They remain my "favorite" Honda for a number of reasons.

verdugo · August 2013

"So how much of a discount off of sticker did you get (if you don't want to say how much you actually paid for your Jeep)? 1% under factory invoice is a great price. I could definitely go with a Sahara then;) "

I'm going from memory here, so I don't have the exact numbers.

Wrangler Rubicon unlimited (stick shift)
Options:
Hard top
Navigation w. Uconnect
Heated/Powers mirrors

MSRP was in the $38k-ish range. I paid $35k-ish. I remember that the discount was between $3.5k and $4k off MSRP.

I also got 0% financing for 36 months, but obviously that was avaialble to everyone.

Kirstie_H · August 2013

Sorry guys! We weren't made aware of the planned maintenance, or we would have given you a heads-up. Took the hosts by surprise as well.

I'll report the missing formatting stuff.

GG- I'm on Chrome, and I'm not having issues apart from emotorcons & formatting missing. What's happening on your end? I've had a few issues on previous days, but I think it's from actions I'm taking in a certain sequence that shouldn't affect others, but if you're still having issues on Chrome, let me know what they are.

mako1a · August 2013

Dealer to me> We made no money on any of the Mustangs that we sold you. You have said you want $33,000 for your Mustang and send me a link to a truck that is marked down to $39,981 price so $10,000 off. I have explained there is no way you can get $33,000 trade and have the truck sold for $10,000 off.

$10k off a leftover 2013 F-150 and Edmunds trade-in value on my car. Sounds right to me.
Am I supposed to feel for him making no money on 2 Mustangs. I think not. Even isell would call this guy a grinder lol.

mako1a · August 2013

Mike> has your license ever been suspended, revoked?

Did they actually say "ever" or within 5 or 10 years?
I'd hate to have to explain that when I was 17 and I asked the cop with the longest ticket lecture ever if this was an April Fools joke (it was 1 April) and I got a 30 day suspension.

gogiboy · August 2013

"Actually, it went smoother than I thought! They used my voters registration card, my birth certificate, the title to my car, and my social security card."

Mike--

Maybe this is the way of the world now. My wife just took a different position within the same institution we both work for. Previously she had been on the job roughly 20 years. Since it had been more than 6 (or was it 7?) years since she last had to fill out paperwork she was required to bring in her actual SS card. I had put in in our safety deposit box so that necessitated a special trip to retrieve it. I mean, I can understand filling out a background check (no telling what she might have gotten into since her last hire), but why the actual SS card when she had been working for the same employer, albeit in a different area, for the previous 20 years? A post-9/11 federal mandate?

Our "tag agency" for license renewal is pretty lax compared to FL. I think the last time I got mine I just paid my money and got my license. I often say that in OK you can become mentally incompetent and visually impaired and continue to drive because they never check or test anyone after the initial test at 16 (or whenever one gets their license). You'd think that would make our auto insurance rates much higher, but as best I can tell it's no worse than anywhere else.

Gogiboy

jayrider · August 2013

If I was the dealer, I would have at least had you come in to talk about the deal rather than telling you outright that it can't be done. Then we would have run numbers on both ends of the transaction to see if we could reach a deal we both would be happy with.

Kirstie_H · August 2013

That must be internal policy.
I was hired earlier this year, and only had to provide a photocopy of my SS card.

abacomike · August 2013

Did they actually say "ever" or within 5 or 6 years...

"Ever" was the word they used. They also asked if I was ever charged with DUI. Remember, this is Florida's new procedure for obtaining a new or renewed license. I have never gone through a process like this before to renew my driver's license.

Kirstie_H · August 2013

Hi soroush,
It looks like you found our HCH IMA problems discussion - that's the best place to get feedback on your issue.

nyccarguy · August 2013

They actually said to you that they made no money on any of the mustangs they sold you? Why on god's green earth did they sell them to you then?

nyccarguy · August 2013

Thanks! Now you are enabling me;)

There are numerous Jeep Dealers in my immediate area. There's this one dealer whose service is supposedly superb. Free lifetime oil changes, they pick up your car & drop off a loaner, they'll take your hard top off & install your soft top in the summer, do the reverse in the fall..., but they only sell @ sticker (minus incentives). So it would actually be ideal for me to buy there with the tread lightly rebate.

graphicguy · August 2013

Kirstie....Not sure what was going on with Chrome. I cleared my cache, shut all progarms down and rebooted. Now it seems to be working right. So, maybe a coincidence. Still no emotorcons, though.

graphicguy · August 2013

mako....sounds to me like that dealer isn't in the mood to....well...sell you anything. If you want to continue, I think I'd draw the line in the sand with them, giving them your final, best offer. They can say ''yes", or they can say "no". If no, out the door I'd go.

Personally, I'd move on to another dealer to begin with.

abacomike....my old Tahoe as a flex fuel vehicle. Around here, E 85 was about 10%-15% cheaper per gallon than "normal" gasoline. That said, it also got about 20% less MPG, too. So, it was a wash. I don't even see any stations carrying E85 anymore, around here.

So, probably a product that bombed.

abacomike · August 2013

abacomike....my old Tahoe as a flex fuel vehicle. Around here, E 85 was about 10%-15% cheaper per gallon than "normal" gasoline. That said, it also got about 20% less MPG, too. So, it was a wash. I don't even see any stations carrying E85 anymore, around here.

I wonder why Mercedes Benz would take their 10% ethanol engine and upgrade it to a 15% ethanol engine if 15% ethanol is not available or is a blend that won't run well in 95% of the vehicles currently on the road in the US? There must be some logical answer! Anyone out there know?

kyfdx · August 2013

15% ethanol is E15, not E85... FlexFuel vehicles can use E85, but not your Mercedes...

E15 is the new plan that the Congress/EPA have put forward to use more ethanol (as required by Congress) I read just yesterday that the Executive branch is considering putting off the new increased ethanol standards, which is good news.... Most manufacturers say their cars can be harmed by E15, but no one seems to listen (until now)..

isellhondas · August 2013

It sounds like bad blood between you and that dealer and they just don't want you as a customer.

But...33,000 for a used Mustang??? What is it?

verdugo · August 2013

"Thanks! Now you are enabling me;) "

Guilty as charged! Good luck.

Kirstie_H · August 2013

OK, that usually cures it for me too. Every once in awhile, I get an instance where the page appears to lose all formatting - just white background, black & blue text, and it's all goofy, and there's some weird error message at the top of the page. If that's what you see, and you see it again, let me know.

And formatting/emotorcons are broken - that's not just you.

abacomike · August 2013

15% ethanol is E15, not E85... FlexFuel vehicles can use E85, but not your Mercedes...

Thanks for clearing that up for me - much appreciated!

mako1a · August 2013

But...33,000 for a used Mustang??? What is it?

2013 Mustang GT Premium with 5,100 miles. Cost around $38,400. 10 mos old.

I don't call him, he keeps emailing me to ask "where do we need to be on price difference"?

He keeps looking for my budget limit. I don't have one and when he puts the right truck at the right price in front of me I'll scoop it up.

isellhondas · August 2013

I have no idea what the depreciation curve is like on a 2013 Mustang but would imagine it's taken a sizable dump.

So he's calling you? In your other post it sounded like they had blown you off.

Wait it out and see what happens I guess.

bolivar · August 2013

But we love Oklahoma, don't we? I renewed a couple of years ago. I was over the magic age of 65, so my license was (drum roll) FREE!

About my eyes. I moved into Ok in 1966 (1968 after back from the Army? Who remembers.) and got my Oklahoma license. My eyes were getting pretty bad by then, but I didn't wear my glasses all the time. When I drove I usually wore them because,,,, well, I couldn't see very well. But when I got my license which required a test because I was coming from out of state, I thought I would try to pass the test without my glasses. I passed. The tester did note that I barely passed and I should have my eyes checked.

2011 (my last renewal) minus 1968 is 43 years? Never been retested. I don't think there is any retest in the state. My license still says 'Endorsements -None' which means if I break my glasses and have my keys in my pocket (probably couldn't find them otherwise) if I can find my car I can legally drive it. Hopefully to get new glasses, right?

The state does make you take a driving test to drive a motorcycle. This only changed about 10/15 years ago. I think I could have asked during the first year to just have the motorcycle endorsement added without a test. Since I didn't have one (having smartly sold mine in about 1985 after being almost run over about 3 times), and will not have another one, I didn't get it, so I legally cannot drive a motorcycle.

But I don't think there is any age retest. MY FIL, 88 and far into senility, has a valid license, I think. My MIL, 86. has wisely stopped driving, but still has a valid license.

abacomike · August 2013

My eyes were getting pretty bad...

The eye test they gave me was very sophisticated in terms of rows of letters (12 letters per row) and then images to identify. It was not like the eye charts in an opthomologists office. This one is designed to identify acuity problems in each eye as well as peripheral vision.

Luckily, I passed and won't have to take another one for 16 years. That is where the problem lies here in Florida - so many 80+ year olds who renew their licenses online with no acuity tests - just trying to drive in my community is taking one's life in your hands - at least 20% of our residents cannot see well and still drive!

graphicguy · August 2013

Kirstie...happened again this a.m. I hit the tab "What's Hot" to get to the "Forums" and the page goes blank. This is with Chrome. I'm using Safari right now.

mako1a · August 2013

Craig, we're not in a metro area and dealers don't blow off buyers, especially ones that have past purchases and can actually afford to move into the $60k arena.

He doesn't call me as I asked him not to. He emails when something I may be interested in comes along. He was really reaching in that last email.

I know you're a point A to point B cheap as you can kind of guy, but not all of us see it that way. When I think Hondas I think kids and tuner wannabes. What's their market share? 8%? Go price an F-150 Platinum and see how many Hondas you could get for that price. Then hook a 10,000 pound trailer to it.

Kirstie_H · August 2013

Thanks! Sorry to be so pesky, but since I'm the only other person besides you who's ever experienced that, a few questions:
- what's your operating system (what Windows version, in other words)
- did you visit any pages on Edmunds apart from the home page before you hit "what's hot?"

ohenryx · August 2013

Sorry to be so pesky, but since I'm the only other person besides you who's ever experienced that, a few questions:
- what's your operating system (what Windows version, in other words)
- did you visit any pages on Edmunds apart from the home page before you hit "what's hot?"

I just experienced a similar problem over in "Ask a Mechanic". I was testing using html markup for bold and italic (which did work), but when I hit "Post" I got a very strange screen with an error message at the top. I tried refreshing (twice), which did not help. Going up to the top level (Forums) and coming back down did work.

Windows 7
Google Chrome

ohenryx · August 2013

I can reproduce the problem, in Chrome or Firefox. First, post a message with direct html markup (bold or italic) (such as my post just above, msg 93246.

Then, go back and try to edit the post containing the markup language. Things go to he**.

Kirstie_H · August 2013

(Sorry to not reply - I was having image issues with that)

Did it look something like the attached photo?

michaellno · August 2013

My dad will be 78 on Monday, and he's chosen to not renew his license at that time. His medical issues have progressed to the point where he's not comfortable driving any more. Mom has to take him to his doctors, to the store, etc.

This means that they have only one driver but two vehicles - their '03 Hyundai Sonata GLS V6 with 30,000 miles, and dad's '70 Chevy C-10. The truck is in fantastic condition and has something like 140,000 miles on the body and around 40K on the engine.

Both my son (who is 24) and my nephew (who turns 16 later this month) would like the truck when it becomes available. Guess they'll have to have a cage match to decide.

mike, good on ya for getting your documents lined up and your license renewal processed with no hassles.

ohenryx · August 2013

Not "something like", exactly like your image.

Kirstie_H · August 2013

Thanks. The error at the top varies for me, which is why I said "something like," though the page looks the same regardless of the error message.

oldfarmer50 · August 2013

Sent them into jmonroe a long time ago. Say, he hasn't been here for awhile.....do you think?

Some good news. The 16yo niece that I've been teaching to drive passed on the first try with a perfect score! Not without drama though. 20 minutes before her scheduled test time I got a call from her saying "we're lost and can't find the test site". Seems her brother who was taking her to the test couldn't find his butt with both hands even though he had taken the test in the same spot a few years ago. Some quick Googling got them back on track and she passed making me 4 for 4 in training new drivers.

First thing she did was borrow mom's car and took off for an amusement park 60 miles away. Yikes!

isellhondas · August 2013

" I know you're a point A to point B cheap as you can kind of a guy"

I'll take that as an insult. You have NO IDEA of the types of cars I have owned over the years. If I were to tell you how many cars I've owned and the variety of them, you would never believe me.

I am NOT a dyed in the wool "Honda Person". I like the fact they don't cause trouble, are predictable and easy to resell when the time comes.

I have ZERO use for a F-150 Platinum nor do I have a reason or a desire to pull a 10,000 pound trailer. If our needs were to change in that direction tomorrow I have the means to easily write a check for both truck and trailer.

I would probably not buy the "Platinum" edition (whatever that is) nor would I buy a "King Ranch". I wouldn't buy a base model either. I would buy a well equipped version what the options I want.

Don't sell me short. A couple of months ago, I almost pulled the trigger on a 40,000 dollar 1955 Chevy Nomad. Now that is my idea of an "investment". I could have enjoyed it for a couple of years and when I got tired of it, resold it for hopefully what I paid for it or more.

What stopped me was the fact it had been modified too much for my tastes. A 55 Chevy should have a 265 V-8 and not an "updated" 350. If should have a Powerglide and not a Turbo 400 etc.

In your first email on the subject it sounded like since your dealer hadn't made money on your Mustangs that they weren't interested in dealing with you again. I apologize if I misunderstood you.

gogiboy · August 2013

"But we love Oklahoma, don't we? I renewed a couple of years ago. I was over the magic age of 65, so my license was (drum roll) FREE!"

Bolivar--

When I moved here in the late 80s from WI (prior to that MI) I was stunned at the lack of testing. In MI I had to take a written and visual test every 4 years at the Sec. of State branch office. In WI I also had to take both tests for the one license I got there. So I move to OK and no tests in almost 25 years of living here.

You'll remember that we used to have those yearly vehicle inspection decals that were supposed to maintain some vehicle integrity on OK roadways. Although it was a system rife with corruption I felt at least some of the worst cars were kept of the road. Now I frequently see cars that have no business being on the road. Of course it goes without saying that we have no smog testing either, which would certainly push others into garages and backyards.

The thing most stunning though, is that anyone can buy a Tag Agency to dispense licenses, plates (tags), etc. That seems an invitation to corner cutting, but maybe I'm wrong.

It could be that they have scaled back the testing in MI and WI, too due to costs.

Gogiboy

cdnpinhead · August 2013

I'm with you on this, Craig.

The fact remains that Hondas (including my TSX) are relatively pedestrian transportation that fail rarely and provide good value.

You don't care much about the colour of your vehicle and crave no high-tech gee-gaws. I care about colours but share your opinion on the gee-whiz s*** (let's say stuff). Most of the guys on here want the latest and greatest. I, on the other hand, just want my stuff to work, preferably utilizing a small (2.0 - 2.5 litre) diesel with a manual transmission.

VW offers such a thing, but I'm leery of their reliability. No other manufacturer does.

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