Stories from the Sales Frontlines

roadburner · September 2013

When I had the Alpina B7 press loaner my son wanted to ride with me and cruise the main drag of our small town. The car had the high-zoot Logic 7 sound system and my son had the windows down and the volume cranked up. He tuned the XM radio to "Hip-Hop Nation" and the 2Pac song "Still Ballin" was playing. Several f-bombs were dropped before he killed the volume. THAT woke everybody up; I was just glad I never had to run for election again...

verdugo · September 2013

> I have been doing that instead of the 6 months for $24.95, which >apparently winds up being close to $40.

My only fee on top of the $24.95 was a $3.93 fee. I think it was a royalty fee, but I'm not sure. Total case was $28.93.

Michaell · September 2013

I'm down in Douglas County. We've had a fair amount of rain but little flooding. I'm fortunate to have my house on a mesa so everything runs downhill from me.

Glad to hear that you're doing well. I do have some friends and family in the affected areas. So far so good.

oldfarmer50 · September 2013

"...I see no value in OnStar..."

Nor do I. In fact it kind of creeps me out that GM can monkey with my car and track me remotely. Sort of like driving around in a bait car. The unlock feature would be useless to me since I rarely even carry a cell phone and would never remember the code number if I did.

I suppose I'd feel different if someone jacked my car and I was standing on the side of the road but even then I might not want my car back after some joy-rider trashed it.

BTW, when you called OnStar what did they want that was so important?

abacomike · September 2013

Since then, I have been listening to HD radio, which sounds good, but it fades out a lot, which is very annoying...

Explorer, I don't understand why your HD Radio reception fades in and out unless you are in a mountainous area or in a large city like NY. Down here in South Florida, which is as flat as the ocean, reception is top-notch.

Are you aware that many HD stations have additional side-band HD frequencies? As an example, most of our 12-15 HD Stations have HD-1 and HD-2 bands. 93.1 (WFEZ which is on IHeart radio) is a soft rock station, but their HD-2 frequency is more pop-rock. To go from HD-1 to HD-2, you have to tune the station manually one click to the right.

So if you fade in and out on one frequency, see if the station has an HD-2 frequency. That might work.

snakeweasel · September 2013

I have a sister who lives in Longmont, they live on higher ground so thier home is safe. But they decided to get out of there so they went to Glenwood Springs to wait out the floods. She told me there was one open road that they could take out of town.

[Deleted User] · September 2013

First, Michaell, glad to here you and your family are doing well through the storms. Snake, I didn't realize you have a sister out here, but good to learn she's safe as well, and I like her style with heading out to Glenwood. Beginning in a few weeks there will be no shortage of volunteer opportunities to help our neighbors. I'm listening to the news right now and they just announced the sewer distrcts are requesting residents in the worst areas to stop using the sewer system. I've been waiting for that. Both my wife and I work in the water treatment/supply/testing industry and we know that the treatment plants have only so much capacity, so it was just a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.

The ironic part for us with this storm personally is we closed on our newly constructed home Friday. Our lender and title companies are located in Denver and our new home is North of that, so with the North-South routes closed, we wound up closing over the phone and via email in the local sales office. That was a first for them. Absolutely no issues with the close, though.

The storm truly tested our home's ability to handle water without flooding. The sump hasn't risen at all and water is flowing off the property just as designed according to our engineering drawings. Kudos to the builder for a smart design and excellent construction.

We spent yesterday installing a new garage door opener, and removing the laminate countertops in preparation for upgraded countertops to be installed this week. Today we'll work on window coverings. While we moved a few furnishings yesterday during a reprieve in the storm, it's been pouring for the last 12 ours and looks to keep going, so we'll delay any additional moving until things dry out.

graphicguy · September 2013

tjc....now I see what you were getting at with using the the iphone as hot spot in car. You can. But, Audi ties into their "in-house" car internet service for up to date traffic (vs XM's traffic service based on OTA radio services). But, the Audi Connect really netted me very little...especially given its woeful speed and exhorbitant price.

Side note....I feel like a music glutton. I have over 3,200 songs on my iphone that I stream via blue tooth.

bwia · September 2013

The sump hasn't risen at all and water is flowing off the property just as designed according to our engineering drawings.

tyguy, Congrats on moving into your new home. And I hope you enjoy the house warming gift that I did not send. I'm curious, does it smell like a new car?

Don't know if you have close neighbors but they might not be too happy with the water flowing off your property into theirs. I had a situation like that once and it was a nightmare keeping water off the basement even with a sump pump.

houdini1 · September 2013

All this music talk made me think about an old friend of mine. A country song came out back in the 60's by Faron Young called "Hello Walls". In the song he is talking to the walls, windows, and ceiling, lamenting the loss of his girl friend.

The first few times my friend heard this song, he thought the singer was talking to three of his friends.... Walt, Wendell, and Cecil.

snakeweasel · September 2013

Don't know if you have close neighbors but they might not be too happy with the water flowing off your property into theirs.

If it is anything like we have here it's in the building code that water flows away from the building in such a way as it avoids other buildings and goes into storm drainage systems. For every so many square feet of building you need to retain so much open space and have water retention areas (either ponds of dry retention). The storm drains drain into the retention areas and the retention areas are interconnected and eventually connect to a river or creek for flood control.

Michaell · September 2013

Glad that all is well and that you closed on the new home without incident.

Not surprised that the public is being asked to conserve on water and sewer infrastructure. Going forward, I think that Will be the biggest problem for recovery.

abacomike · September 2013

I was up to my dealership today for a car wash and got some info on the new CLA due at dealerships next week. It's a FWD 4 cylinder sedan that MSRP's at $29,990 + $910 for transportation. Nicely equipped, without leather seating and without metallic paint, it MSRP's at about $37,000, not too much less than a C250 sedan.

It is a great looking car and almost the same size as a C250. It becomes the new entry level vehicle for Mercedes. I would imagine it would appeal to buyers in the 20-35 year old range. Definitely not for the retired crowd. I doubt it will appeal to the BMW 3 series buyer - FWD is a different handling feel to those who admire the handling characteristics of the BMW. There isn't much profit in the car at a 7% profit margin.

The new S Class is also due out in a week or so. The new body resembles the Bentley rear rand and the interior is truly exquisite - but it should be for an average MSRP of $105,000.

snakeweasel · September 2013

I was up to my dealership today for a car wash and got some info on the new CLA due at dealerships next week.

My understanding is that there will be a AMG version of the CLA which would also be a 4 banger. Did they mention anything about that? If so I am not sure I would want an AMG with a 4 banger.

abacomike · September 2013

My understanding is that there will be a AMG version of the CLA which would also be a 4 banger. Did they mention anything about that? If so I am not sure I would want an AMG with a 4 banger.

The CLA450 AMG has a 4 cylinder, 355 hp engine, 0-60 on 4.5 seconds. Fast enough for just about anyone. The future is going to be the 4 cylinder engine. The 2016 E Class is supposed to have a 310+ hp 4 cylinder Turbo engine. I just wonder about the torque in an engine like that.

If the AMG can get to 60 in 4.5 seconds, it has to have a fair amount of torque.

snakeweasel · September 2013

I don't really know about that. While a 4 banger is becoming more of a standard in a typical car and powers it well I really think for high power cars like the AMG's more displacement and a few more cylinders are better. In most cars there isn't that much of a fuel economy hit with a 6 cylinder over a 4.

[Deleted User] · September 2013

:-)

There is definitely a new-house smell. A mixture of carpet, paint and wood. With a golden retriever running around the new smell won't last long.

As for drainage, we technically don't have a neighbor. Eventually we'll have one on the east side, but the west side and backyard are bordering green space with a road along the backyard as well. The east side will eventually share a property line when a home is constructed, and the drainage is all designed/sloped to drain between the homes to the front yard storm water system. Colorado is home to some unusual soil properties that require careful planning and handling of water, so newer homes built since the mid-1990s are typically better equipped for soil expansion, and often higher rain fall.

bwia · September 2013

There is definitely a new-house smell

Glad to hear everything is okay and pretty soon you'll be cranking up the fireplace for the winter holidays.---Enjoy!

graphicguy · September 2013

TY...hunge congrats on the new home!

oldfarmer50 · September 2013

"...is really that much of a fuel economy hit..."

PT Cruiser--2.4L 4--28 mpg.
Eclipse--3.8L 6--29mpg.
DeVille--4.9L 8--28mpg.

???????????????????????

sterlingdog · September 2013

Though you have had the bad storms, I am very happy to hear that your house is completed and that the closing went successfully. After 14 homes, I know how exciting a move can be. I do hope that you will enjoy it for many years to come. If I heard correctly, you will see some dry weather beginning tomorrow. My thoughts re with you.

Richard

sterlingdog · September 2013

"...Walt, Wendell, and Cecil."

What a hoot! I can identify. Growing up, I would hear the song "Row, Row, Row Your Boat". I never could figure out why it was a "butter" dream!

Richard

roadburner · September 2013

We've discussed this in the past:
http://dailykanban.com/2013/09/16/send-in-the-shills-thousands-of-online-comment- s-filed-from-inside-gm/

snakeweasel · September 2013

Yep GM does that, so does Ford, Chrysler, BMW, MB, Toyota, Wal Mart, Apple, and every other company.

nyccarguy · September 2013

very interesting

graphicguy · September 2013

RB...thanks. That's a great article. Pretty darn interesting, given that we sort of assume all of us who post messages are anonymous, and that all corporations are above trying to manipulate any thoughts the public may have about them.

sterlingdog · September 2013

Thanks for an interesting article. We've seen this going on in the hotel industry as well as many others. It is also fairly prominent in the political arenas.

Richard

Kirstie_H · September 2013

Interesting. I read the article, and used some of the info he provided to search our own records. Nope, none of you guys are GM shills.

In fact, it doesn't look like we have any of them apart from gmcustsvc, who's transparent about their employment and purpose. The most interesting item I found was a member who's a GM employee whose only post advocated a lawsuit against GM for a "defective" vehicle.

snakeweasel · September 2013

Or we all are GM shills working from home and/or posting from smart phones.

Kirstie_H · September 2013

If so, some of you are just TERRIBLE at the shilling part of your job!

snakeweasel · September 2013

Or we work for GM's competition.

houdini1 · September 2013

"But a Dream"

That is because you and I grew up in the South, where we pronounce "butter" as "Butta".

oldfarmer50 · September 2013

"...we are all GM shills..."

Can't be me, I don't own a smart phone.

imidazol97 · September 2013

>GM shills.

Seems to be a lot of interest in the idea that folks within GM had posted to sites. See Daily KanBan site.

When the sludge for toyota problems were flourishing out there, I saw posters who I decided were toyota related postulating that toyota company's sludge was only imaginary. They worked hard to get discussions/blogs shut down to eliminate the negative knowledge from being propagated. One large discussion even disappeared and wasn't archived, I was told. This was at the time where there were businesses offering to affect other businesses' image online and it was a new art. Now we see if offered more to professionals such as doctors, lawyers, restaurants, etc., who may not realize they can post their own responses to negative reviews.

So I think a couple of pro-GM folks who may or may not work for GM sounds okay. A little balance.

graphicguy · September 2013

>If so, some of you are just TERRIBLE at the shilling part of your job!

Good, our cover still isn't blown.

Imid...I remember some of those posts about the Toyota sludging issues. No doubt some of those posts I thought..."man, these could be posts from Toyota". Thought the same when the lawsuits started over the unintended acceleration Toyotas and Lexi vehicles.

I think we kind of expect our car manufacturers to be more forthcoming, more transparent, than to try to influence what we, the consumer, thinks.

Then again, that's why there is marketing, which just so happens to be my chosen profession.;)

fezo · September 2013

So my daughter's nice, new 04 Camry passed inspection no problem. However, the NY state window tint laws in NJ differ from those in NY so I have two illegal tinted windows. Looks easy enough to fix. I'll do it myself.

sterlingdog · September 2013

LOL! You are so right.

Richard

bwia · September 2013

Can't be me, I don't own a smart phone.

I wonder if the regulars on this thread can relate to these statistics.

"According to a September study by the Pew Research Center, 91 percent of Americans are cell phone owners, and 56 percent of all adults own a smartphone. (Not surprised?)

Well, maybe this will surprise you: The study also found that 63 percent of adult cell phone owners use their mobile phones to surf the web. Looking at the population as a whole, this means that 57 percent of all Americans go online via cell phones. It also found that 21 percent of adults mostly use their phone to access the Internet, as opposed to other devices."
http://www.inc.com/abigail-tracy/over-half-of-americans-now-use-cell-phones-to-g- o-online.html

oldfarmer50 · September 2013

Well, I done went and done it! I bought that Lincoln Mark VIII that I posted here. Partly because of the encouragement of posters on this board but mainly because my wife said I could (she said she was tired of me stealing her car in winter).

The car was not perfect but pretty clean for an almost 19 yo vehicle. Definitely a Florida car with some minor sun damage to the vinyl roof (fixable) but not a spot of rust as far as I can see. 67,000 miles. Can't wait to see what that 280hp 4.6L can do.

We started at $4000 and got down to about $3200. Probably paid more than graphic guy could have gotten it for. Next time I'll bring him along to negotiate.

houdini1 · September 2013

Congrats oldfarmer, that sounds like a great car at a great price. I think you will love it.

You are moving on up. Next thing we know you will be announcing your purchase of a 2014 Mercedes S Class.

driver100 · September 2013

Way to go Old Farmer! I am writing from Vienna Austria. This is the land of BMW, Audi, MB and VWs....there sure are lots of them. Your Lincoln would make a big impression over here.

Now all you need is a big Texas cowboy hat and a big old stogy and you could head down to Florida and you would fit right in.

Nothing wrong with 3200 for a 4000 car.

graphicguy · September 2013

oldfarmer....congrats. I thought that looked like a solid car, and a solid deal.

One thing's for certain, you'll get tired of that Lincoln long before the car itself gets tired.

graphicguy · September 2013

http://youtu.be/1c7FzXygCG0

fezo · September 2013

Whew. Just finished waxing the Mazda. Haven't waxed a car in years. Still some detailing to do but it's break time.

roadburner would be pleased I have some Raggtop coming in the next couple of days.

roadburner · September 2013

Congrats!!!

nyccarguy · September 2013

Mazel-Tov! Congrats! Enjoy it!

graphicguy · September 2013

fezo....just put a coat of wax on my car....ready for Fall/Winter.

I'm guessing you feel pretty good, given that washing/waxing a car takes time and energy.:)

mako1a · September 2013

Still in search for a used truck. Hoping to spend the difference in money from trading the Mustang for a new F-150 Platinum which is about $12 to 14k. I found a Honda Ridgeline 2006 on ebay, looked it up in Edmunds and put in a $7500 bid as a place holder.

As usual I do my research after bidding and found big data from the auction company that had it. The dealer lists it as a local trade. Lie. It came from Manheim which did a detailed inspection from spots on the carpet to the biggie which was oil. They said one word- contaminated. I asked a buddy here what that could mean and he said water. Could be it drove thru a flood or the head gasket leaks enough to cause white foam on the oil fill cap. Either way...don't buy it.

I found all this info by putting the VIN in Google. That's where I found the Manheim report and saw pictures before the dealer got it. It had Alaska decals on the rear window hence the high mileage (possibly where it drove thru high water or blew a head gasket).

Here's the ebay listing> http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130994035677

It looks like a nice truck, but a little research tells a lot. Just a heads up for used buyers.
farmer, congrats and happy driving in the new car.

graphicguy · September 2013

mako....good info. Never thought about running a VIN on Google.

Thanks.

sterlingdog · September 2013

Congratulations on your Mark VIII. From the picture, it looks like a nice buy. Lincolns are great automobiles, regardless of the year and model. I think that you got it at a very good price. Enjoy!

Richard

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