Stories from the Sales Frontlines

laurasdada · February 2014

@stickguy said:
Those scratches will buff right out, once they get the cars out of the hole.

Yes, in the words of Jeff Spiccoli, "I can totally fix it!"

We had a Yellow (more white) Lab for almost 13 years. Wonderful, wonderful dog. The "puppiness" wore off around 2.5 y.o.. Just a sweet, loving, fun and popular dog. No one in the neighborhood knew my name, I was just the guy that walked the beautiful Lab!

Now we have a Bassador/Labrahound. A rescue from the mean streets of Arkansas, Lab/Basset Hound mix. Face of a Lab, body is half lab, half basset. Black and white. Also, quite sweet and loving and still energetic at ~3 y.o. Must love dogs.

snakeweasel · February 2014

@imidazol97 said:
I owe Abacomike an apology about Florida's problems with sinkholes. KY also has soluble limestones.

There is a reason they call that area "Cave Country".

driver100 · February 2014

Gigi is a 10 year old Bijon Frise. She will be 10 years old in April, and she has a great temperment. Although she can bark she only barks once a year when she gets excited.

She is fairly bright, but not really smart. That is an advantage for us....you don't need to entertain her very much. Sometimes really smart dogs can cause problems chewing furniture and things if they aren't challenged enough. Gigi is content to sleep most of the day. She just needs a few short walks a day and she is happy.

She weighs just 10 pounds (she was a runt -usually weigh 10 to 20 pounds) and is very good natured.
I can't post her picture but this is a similar looking Bijon;

sb55 · February 2014

Our Cairn terrier is 15 years old, and she still thinks she's a puppy. She's slowed down a bit and sleeps at lot more than the used to, but she is the happiest dog I've ever met and loves everyone she meets.
When she was a puppy, she used to "excitement pee" every time I got home from work. She finally grew out of it around age 6 or so. Last year, my daughter got home from 3 years in the Peace Corps, and the dog "excitement peed" when she saw my daughter. It was great to see this old lady dog so happy.

graphicguy · February 2014

Thanks all for the info on dogs, especially PUGs. Sounds like they aren't the way to go given how prone they are to illness. I saw one at the local pet place, and it was very friendly and playful. But, it was also very young.

I had someone else mention a rescued Greyhound as being a dog who might be one that I should consider. Any experience with those.

I've had a dog in the past (golden retriever). But, it's been over a decade since.

It's pretty quiet at the GG estate, given I'm the only one here these days. Wouldn't mind a 4 legged companion.

robr2 · February 2014

Retired greyhounds do make really good pets once they acclimate to being in a house. Most are never housebroken while racing and a fenced yard is a requirement. They need to go outside a few times a day to take care of business and burn off energy. After that, they like to just hang around and relax waiting for the next run.

Greyhounds really need to be trained well to be earn the privilege of being off leash. Most owners won't take the time to do so. But even with training, greyhounds revert back to instinct very quickly - the neighbor's dog, the scent of a squirrel, a fluttering paper. Also, they shouldn't be left on runs - they accelerate so quickly and can injure themselves badly when they reach the end of their run.

There is no perfect dog. You just have to decide what is right for you and if you are willing to put in the work.

tjc78 · February 2014

@jmonroe
I see your point, however that was the irony of it!

Nasty day here in Jersey by Philly, got the email the office was closed early this morning and been watching the news getting ready to dig out. It's been sleeting like crazy for awhile, so I guess I'll wait for that to stop.

graphicguy · February 2014

@robr2 said:
Retired greyhounds do make really good pets once they acclimate to being in a house. Most are never housebroken while racing and a fenced yard is a requirement. They need to go outside a few times a day to take care of business and burn off energy. After that, they like to just hang around and relax waiting for the next run.

Greyhounds really need to be trained well to be earn the privilege of being off leash. Most owners won't take the time to do so. But even with training, greyhounds revert back to instinct very quickly - the neighbor's dog, the scent of a squirrel, a fluttering paper. Also, they shouldn't be left on runs - they accelerate so quickly and can injure themselves badly when they reach the end of their run.

There is no perfect dog. You just have to decide what is right for you and if you are willing to put in the work.

Thanks Robr2....you're right. No perfect pet. I may just go to the local shelter and see if any of those connect with me, and vice versa. I'm OK with a mutt.

Maybe I should just forget about "breeds" altogehter. Although, I don't want a huge dog.

laurasdada · February 2014

Wife found our current Labrahound online, the website of a wonderful local shelter that we had visited earlier. Of course, I wanted to take most of the dogs at the shelter home, but cooler heads prevailed that day. So, we took a chance on a dog on the site that was listed as in transit and adopted. Worked out very well, sweet doggie.

Michaell · February 2014

@tjc78 said:
Nasty day here in Jersey by Philly, got the email the office was closed early this morning and been watching the news getting ready to dig out. It's been sleeting like crazy for awhile, so I guess I'll wait for that to stop.

Not sure waiting for snow/sleet to stop is the best course of action. Could be very heavy and/or wet.

I've found that getting out once or twice a day to stay on top of the accumulation is the best approach. Doesn't take as long to clear the driveway and sidewalks that way.

stickguy · February 2014

I got my 10" shoveled out mid-morning. Heavy, but not too bad. Dragged the son out of bed to help. hey, he was the one that needed to leave for work! Once they plowed (around 11) the neighborhood streets were actually pretty good. Just some slush now.

the problem with this storm doing it in batches is I would have had to get up at 1, 3, and 5 to do it, and that was not happening!

mako1a · February 2014

Our driveway is 1/8 mile long and currently covered in 13 inches of snow along with Debi's Denali and my truck (Mustang is in the garage). It is good to be retired. We'll just wait until it melts and take lots of pics along the way.

tjc78 · February 2014

I usually stay on top of it too, but yeah not getting up in the middle of the night. It was certainly heavy, but it could have been worse. Plow guys left me a nice wall in front of the driveway to dig out!

mako1a · February 2014

13 inches here. see the Cardinal in the tree

mako1a · February 2014

One more of our cuddle dog Gracie

driver100 · February 2014

@mako1a said:Our driveway is 1/8 mile long and currently covered in 13 inches of snow

I do feel badly for you guys with all that snow. The guy on the radio today said all but one U.S. state had snow on the ground....mainly, 49 states, all except Florida. (one caller asked about Hawaii and they have snow on some mountain tops). Ironically, it is around 30F back home in Toronto, but no new snow from this last blast.

I know it was mentioned yesterday but there could be some bargain prices on some classic Corvettes. If you have missed it or were out of the country;
cnn.com/2014/02/13/travel/corvette-museum-sinkhole/

sterlingdog · February 2014

@stickguy said:
Giving a car away Richard? I think Fezo just had a stroke...

LOL! I suppose that it is true that "blood is thicker than water."

Richard

sterlingdog · February 2014

@graphicguy said:

With your mother's situation involving Cadillac, I can certainly understand your viewpoint. It was the same with my DeVille; they sat on the situation when they could have resolved many of the issues that I was having at the time. Our current Caddy has had no problems, but I have to wonder how GM would now treat me if I did.

Richard

imidazol97 · February 2014

@sterlingdog said: ... I have to wonder how GM would now treat me if I did.

It comes back to the dealer, in my opinion. We had a great Buick dealer but they
lost the Buick franchise during the dust up. It's just like all the other brands, the
company may or may not do you right, but your dealership can make it right,
unless you're an extremely unreasonable customer.

We've read many reports on Edmunds and other places where companies haven't done
what customers think they should be doing, even some of the companies that
built their past earlier reputations on more than fair treatment when their "perfect"
cars had problems.

sterlingdog · February 2014

@mako1a said:
I had to do a refresh on boomcheck so I went into my history files. Closing in on 36 now with a son almost 4 if I calculated from 2010 correctly. Born in Poland, moved to Italy then to Vancouver, Canada. Met his wife when he sold her a Honda. Interesting story.

I got a new computer (finally) after trying to make my old XP platform keep up for the last 8 years. Went from a sluggish 1 gig ram to 6 gig. Quite a difference in speed. 8.1 is not that hard to adapt to. Richard may or may not want to try it as files open differently and it seems to be constantly resizing the text and pics.

I wish Richard well in taking care of an end of life friend. I did that for my mom for 4 1/2 years and it takes a toll. Afterwards I didn't know what to do with all the free time. Thank goodness for hospice.

I'll get caught up shortly.

Thanks for your kind words. What brand computer did you purchase? My HP is three years old I believe, maybe four. Remember when I literally pulled the cord on the old one? For $20 per month, I have subscribed to Norton Live Support. The service is good about keeping the computer tuned and resolving various issues such as freezes, speed, pop-ups, etc. Most people would think that is a ridiculous waste of money but, when you're as technically challenged as I am, it makes a lot of sense to me.

Richard

imidazol97 · February 2014

@driver100 said:
Corvette Museum

I have always wanted to stop at the Museum on our trips to visit friends near Nashville in Smyrna. They have moved back to Ohio. I guess I'll never make it there now to visit.

I'm wondering if there's a failure on the part of the architect because of its being in an area of karst topography and there not having been a much stronger floor in place. I'd like to know about testing of the supporting strata before the museum was built. I read an article that another "sinkhole" developed the day before nearby in the Bowling Green area.

It's a shame that so many cars were damaged. It's good it happened at 5 am and no people were present. I saw that Corvette specialists had offered hard-to-get parts for repairing the damaged cars.

sterlingdog · February 2014

@bwia said:
Dubai police get a Bugatti Veyron

The Dubai Police Department was not content with a stable of high end cars so they added a Bugatti Veyron to the lineup. Is that decadence or afluenza? Read more at http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs/post--dubai-police-get-a-bugatti-veyron?icid=autos_5278

Richard, I believe you have been known to frequent this part of the world so be careful out there.

Wealth in Dubai actually reaches beyond the obscene. They just can't spend the money fast enough on themselves. As for helping their fellowman, you can forget it.

Richard

abacomike · February 2014

@imidazol97 said:
"...the company may or may not do you right, but your dealership can make it right, unless you're an extremely unreasonable customer."

There are two pieces to this puzzle - the general manager of the dealership and the zone manager (manufacturer). The better and closer the relationship between these two people, the better response to a customer's problems.

One other variable is the size of the dealership and their total new car sales. If you buy a car from the largest dealership in your area, the better chance you have of getting your car repaired/fixed, assuming that the first variable is in tact - excellent relationships with zone. Zone managers wield an inordinate amount of influence.

As an example - when I had problems with the fuel injectors on my 2013 white E 350 sedan. Protocol called for fluoroscoping each injector to determine which injector was leaking. A call was made to zone by my general manager requesting authorization to skip that process and replace all 6 injectors. Zone gave the authorization because the dealership sells the most cars in Palm Beach County. Also, these types of requests are few and far between so as not to upset the delicate balance between great relationships with zone and dealership. Also, due to the fact that they are AutoNation makes all the difference since their company sells the most Mercedes vehicles in the country.

explorerx4 · February 2014

@sterlingdog
We appreciate you think it's worth spending that money to stay in touch with us.

sterlingdog · February 2014

@explorerx4 said:
Things have been like the stock market lately. Down one day, up the next.
Fusion got damaged at the car dealer, but now it's fixed.
They gave me a nice loaner and let me know it was going to take longer that originally expected and made good on the revised estimate.
Couldn't easily find what my mother paid in property taxes for the year, so went to the town offices to get copies. They even highlighted the applicable payments.
After that, went to the bank to find out how I ended up with a 1099-INT for a CD that was my mothers.
Got a bunch of BS excuses. It's a mistake, you can just ignore it. Huh? Just put it on your mother's return. Huh? Can't do anything about it, you signed the paper. Huh? Getting kind of upset now.
Finally got the manager, and it's corrected going forward, manager will look into getting the 2013 1099 corrected.
Took the leap to a smart phone about 10 days ago. Now I can't make/receive any calls with it.
I paid 99 cents for it, so I'm guessing it was refurbished and I'll have just spend the cash to get a current one.

For 99 cents, I'm sure that you had to sign a two year contract. Check with them to see if your contract has been activated. That may be why you can't make or receive calls. How did the Fusion get damaged at the dealer? Good luck.

Richard

sterlingdog · February 2014

@driver100 said:
I was reading about Ford's "MyKey" feature and it is ingenious. It allows you to give one special key to your teenage child and it will limit the cars speed and stereo volume controls. Audio system stays mute until all the seatbelts are done up. The key activates more safety systems.

I am impressed, sounds like a great idea. I wonder if I could give a MyKey to my wife.

I wonder if there is a way to override the MyKey features without having another key? Believe me, my great nephew would certainly try.

Richard

mako1a · February 2014

What brand computer did you purchase?

HP. Got it used for $699 at my computer guru's shop. It's about 8 months old, has 8.1 Windows and 6 gig ram along with a lot of junk I'll never use> DVD burner, BluRay player and some fancy sound thing. Probably a $1k unit new. The only thing it doesn't have is solid state drive. Richard, SS eliminates the hard disc spinning drive and runs the entire system with a group of memory sticks instead of a hard drive. Still getting used to 8.1, but so far not bad. Or should I say more convenience programs than annoying programs. I'm surprised to see you on here as southerners and snow have a unique relationship. It must have missed Lumberton.

explorerx4 · February 2014

This winter has been pretty cold and snowy. As a result of that, I've been driving the Explorer a lot and learned some things about it.
There are some fingers at the bottom of the windshield that I absolutely need to keep clean when the temp drops into the mid teens, or the defroster won't keep up.
Don't turn the heat over 85 degrees. 90 degrees, max temp, results in a burning smell.
The rear heat was making a flapping noise when I turned it on, but after using it on a regular basis, no more noise.
It does a great job of melting the snow off the roof in addition to providing heat to the 2nd and 3rd rows.
Transmission like a few minutes to warm up before going over 30 mph, so on clod days I drive through some neighborhood street before I take it onto a highway.
The lumpy idle has smoothed out and the brakes don't seem to vibrate as much.
The tires are in the second half of their life and they feel it.
Egghead told me, the more you drive it, the happier it gets and she is right.
If only the CD changer would start working again. HA HA, no chance.

robr2 · February 2014

@imidazol97 said:
I'm wondering if there's a failure on the part of the architect because of its being in an area of
karst topography and there not having been a much stronger floor in place. I'd like to know
about testing of the supporting strata before the museum was built.

It was probably fine when the museum was designed and built 20 years ago. My understanding is that about 55% of Kentucky is karst topography and that sinkholes can occur very quickly. Unless the concrete floor was designed to span 40', there is nothing that could be done to prevent the damage.

graphicguy · February 2014

Regarding the Corvette Museum, they're reporting it will reopen tomorrow. Not sure how that works with a big hole in the middle, but that's the word.

Cool place. Every 2-3 years I stop there on my way to the bourbon trail (another worthwhile trip).

stickguy · February 2014

that was only 1 building. I am sure that part will be off limits!

venture · February 2014

@imidazol97 said: I have always wanted to stop at the Museum on our trips to visit friends near Nashville in Smyrna. They have moved back to Ohio. I guess I'll never make it there now to visit.

Take the tour of the Corvette assembly plant, which is very close to the museum, at the same time. I remember them saying that the work there looks leisurely compared to other assembly plants, but since they don't build that many Corvettes compared to other cars, the pace is much slower. They also mentioned how difficult it is to get accepted for a position at that plant. People will transfer from all over the country to work there.

You will get to see some amazing vehicles being built. Well worth the trip.

At the pre-tour meeting some yahoo always says, "Do you have any free samples?"

Joe

oldfarmer50 · February 2014

HELP! Send milk and bread!

Well, it looks like the storm that was just going to "graze" us dumped 16" of snow instead. The Weather Channel was still predicting 1-3" as the snow was passing 6". Glad school closed today as my plow guy's truck went bust and he may not get to me today.

Of course son #1 parked his car in the wrong spot last night blocking everything.

May not get out until spring. Damn that Woodchuck!

bwia · February 2014

@oldfarmer50 said:
HELP! Send milk and bread!

You wimp! In case you forgot, it's winter and you live in the snow belt. Doh worry, soon spring will be here. As a matter of fact the Red Sox pitchers report today to begin their spring training.

graphicguy · February 2014

@oldfarmer50 said:
HELP! Send milk and bread!

Be more than happy to help, once you claim that $5.6M owed to you from my Nigerian bank account.

abacomike · February 2014

EVEN WE NEED HEAT IN THE SUN BELT EVERY SO OFTEN

When I got into the car this morning, I had to turn on the heated seats and ventilated seats so I could warm my tushy - it was very cold down here - 48 degrees this morning. I guess it's supposed to warm up for the weekend again - up into the 80's - but for now, it's just darn cold out.

I don't envy you guys and gals up in NC, GA, VA, SC and AL with all the cold, ice and snow you guys have been getting. This has been a very unusual winter for the southern tier of states thanks to all the Canadian Air and those Alberta Clippers (notice how everything emanates from Canada?)

Stay warm guys.

imidazol97 · February 2014

It's always obvious in the way the main stream media folks cover a storm when it's going to his them in the NY/Washington/Boston area. They were all excited yesterday and the day before. When the storm's going to hit the Midwest, it's reporting as usual. The exception is the weather channel which we don't have on cable any more and if it's bad weather for Atlanta, CNN is all excited.

The contrast in the reporting excitement is remarkable.

cdnpinhead · February 2014

@imidazol97 said:
The contrast in the reporting excitement is remarkable.

The first time I read it, I thought you said reporting excrement. You didn't, but perhaps you should have.

It's interesting to those of us who live in flyover country that nothing is important until it happens on the East Coast, or Atlanta as you pointed out. I'm in Europe this week and CNN International is all atwitter about the Atlanta weather. I'm confident that 99.7% of the people watching could give a rip less.

robr2 · February 2014

@abacomike said:
it was very cold down here - 48 degrees this morning.

48 would feel wonderful. I know for you it's cold. Last week I was in Las Vegas for a trade show - the temps were in the high 40's/low 50's. I was walking around in shirtsleeves and actually put the AC on in the rental car one afternoon.

imidazol97 · February 2014

@cdnpinhead said:
It's interesting to those of us who live in flyover country that nothing is important until it happens on the East Coast, or Atlanta as you pointed out. I'm in Europe this week and CNN International is all atwitter about the Atlanta weather. I'm confident that 99.7% of the people watching could give a rip less.

Let me be clear, I empathize with those in 15 in snows in Pa and NY and with those in icy conditions in the Carolinas. But it's the amount and the tone by the talking heads. Especially those who are on the network shows who hop into their chauffeured cars to get to work in the "City" and won't have to face their long lane snowed in and no snow plow service to open it up for them like OldFarmer. They get all concerned when something actually affects them a little.

driver100 · February 2014

@abacomike said:it was very cold down here - 48 degrees this morning.

In Tampa Bay area it was in the low 40s this morning. In Sochi Russia they had 60+ degree weather and had to cancel some events. John Stewart says they would have been better off holding the Winter Olympics in Florida!

snakeweasel · February 2014

@abacomike said:
When I got into the car this morning, I had to turn on the heated seats and ventilated seats so I could warm my tushy - it was very cold down here - 48 degrees this morning.

OK everyone on the count of three.....1.....2.....3.....AWWWWWWWWWWW

Yesterday was the first day in a while I drove to work where the temps were in the double digits and there were a few days last month I drove to work when the temps were in the double digits below zero.

We haven't had a day at or above 48 since early December. We may hit 48 or so a week from Saturday but the forecasts for warm weather have always fallen short this year, if we miss that we may not get another chance for near 50 temps for a few more weeks after that.

It's been a cold winter.

stickguy · February 2014

in philly, we are up there in snow total (3rd highest in the last 5 years, and a bit above normal), but the real difference has been the temps. Way colder than normal, for extended periods of time. Very out of the ordinary, and I am really done with it.

explorerx4 · February 2014

@sterlingdog,
I did sign up for a 2 year contract, but it's no big deal, I've been a customer since the mid 90's.
The sales rep set up my account to save me some money compared to what I was already paying, and he got me a corporate discount on top of that.
I think I'll use my new tablet more than the phone.
As far as the Fusion goes, I brought it in for service and they backed it into something.
It's fixed now, but I haven't driven it since the weather has been so bad.
We are driving to Ohio this weekend and are taking my wife's Escape.
Her thought is, we have an AWD vehicle and we might as well use it.
The Fusion is FWD.

oldfarmer50 · February 2014

Did I mention that I hate winter?

We totaled out at 18" when it finished. My plow guy gave up and dragged his plow out of the repair shop to do my driveway. Even with 4 wheel drive he got stuck and we had to shovel him out several times. Snow got heavier as the day went on. Sad sight with us alternately swearing and crying and his truck spitting out coolant as we shoveled.

I've cleared worse snow in my 30+ years here but I was a lot younger when we did it back in the 80s and 90s. Today I need a wheelchair.

The offers are starting to trickle in on the farm as the economy improves so if things work out I hope to be soon knocking on driver's or Mike's door looking to sleep on their couch.

bwia · February 2014

Consumer Reports Buying Program

As a Consumer Reports subscriber, I just received an email touting their FREE buying program which promises to save thousands off MSRP. I compared some of their prices to Carsdirect.com, for example, and their prices are much better, at least for the mainstream brands such as Toyota, GM, and Ford, etc.

The way the plan works (in theory at least) is that you provide information about the car you want and a local dealer will contact you with a price equal to or better than that quoted by Consumer Reports.

Has anybody used this program, and if so, are the final prices any better than one could negotiate on their own? My wife is in the market again for a Volvo S60 but with rumors that Volvo might be heading to oblivion she is understandably nervous about buying a Volvo.

mako1a · February 2014

Has anybody used this program, and if so, are the final prices any better than one could negotiate on their own?

As always the trade-in would be a wide variable. No trade? Go for it.

driver100 · February 2014

If you like 50s cars this is a link to the biggest 50s (up to 1964) car show in the US...St Paul Minnesota;
youtube.com/embed/GDEn3i6g3qo
I spotted some of my favorites, 61 Chev, 57 Plymouth and 57 Ford, an Avanti........

abacomike · February 2014

SOMETIMES IT PAYS TO KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE!

A few days ago, my son called and told me he wanted to buy a Mercedes E250 Diesel BlueTec. I asked him how much he as willing to put down, and he told me nothing - just wanted to lease one with 15,000 miles a year, 0 out of pocket, etc. He didn't even want to put down the acquisition fee. So I made a call to my dealer here in Florida and they told me they owned a store in Anaheim which is about 60 miles from where my son lives. They had several in stock. I asked the General Manager of my dealership to get my son a great lease deal from his Anaheim store and everything was arranged over the phone between the two dealerships.

I called my son with the numbers and he said those numbers area $200 a month less than the dealer in Palm Springs. He's never bought a new car before, especially a high end model, so I asked him if he needed any help. He said it would be great if I could fly out there to help him negotiate everything for him. So I flew out to John Wayne in Orange County Wednesday, met him, went right to the dealership, finalized the deal, co-signed the lease (which is what he really needed me for) and we drove back to LaQuinta with his new car. Got a chance to meet his new girlfriend, see the grandkids for dinner, and the next morning (yesterday) I flew out of Palm Springs yesterday morning and got home last night.

So, not only was I able to help my son out, but I got a chance to see the grandsons, which was worth the trip. Pretty quick trip - I'm getting too old for this. I was able to post to the forums while I was out there - this technology is awesome.

But I sure slept good last night - too much traveling at my age.

jmonroe · February 2014

@driver100 said:
If you like 50s cars this is a link to the biggest 50s (up to 1964) car show in the US...St Paul Minnesota;

I'm on my way now...yeah right.

If anyone in here is going, I suggest that before you go you make sure you are taking along your best pair of long-johns and a good shovel. I just heard that area is expecting their highest snow fall of all time this year. Barely an inch or two from the record right now if I heard it right.

My best suggestion is that you get a full mental checkup before you go.

jmonroe

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