Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

nyccarguy · February 2015

@fezo‌

Let me know when you are going to take delivery. I'd love to wish you congrats in person. Mamaroneck is somewhere in between my house and my job.

stever · February 2015

fezo said:
My thing is these are few and far between.

Yeah, but all cars are "rare".

The solar sunroof job down the street is still sitting there with its FSBO sign on it, going on 3 weeks now. Doesn't look like they've figured out that they are asking way over market for it.

roadburner · February 2015

driver100 said:

verdugo said:
Here's the conclusion to my Jeep Grand Cherokee saga.

Even the quote for the Jeep Wrangler was anticlimactic. They came exactly at what CarMax had offered, so I sold it to them. They'll email me a check in a couple of days (they're 30 miles away, so I didn't want to go pick it up.)

The end
Excellend verdugo...went about as well as it could go...once you showed them they weren't messing with an amateur. Congratulations, enjoy your new Jeep.

Yes, congrats!

roadburner · February 2015

berri said:
Funny, I was just at a Honda service department and they actually had a desk set up where a dealer rep pursues customers to trade up their vehicle in for service. I wonder how many jump at that without doing any homework?

I'll bet that setup does pretty well. Get someone in there who is impulsive and mathematically impaired and a $300 repair becomes a great excuse to buy a new car(with $400/month payments).

stickguy · February 2015

Heck, Michael just turned his 60,000 mile service into a new Subaru!

Michaell · February 2015

stickguy said:
Heck, Michael just turned his 60,000 mile service into a new Subaru!

Maybe ... but, likely. Wife asked about it this morning; I need to follow up with the dealership to see where things stand.

henryn · February 2015

qbrozen said:
Gotta hand it to my Ford dealer. They sent me an ad I haven't quite seen before. It is a printout of an email from the GM to the salesperson saying "Hey, contact Mr. Brosen. We need his car. Its in high demand." etc etc. And then there is a handwritten sticky on it from the salesperson asking me to contact him. I can only assume they printed off hundreds, if not thousands of these for all their previous customers. But they did a really good job making it look authentic. I'm sure they'll get quite a few hits from it.

qbrozen said:

driver100 said:

When I wrote to the president of Audi Canada I typed the letter, but the address and his name were all hand written on the envelope. In my course they said if you are writing to someone important like that, send a handwritten letter...they will think it is from a friend or it is an invitation to a party or something...less chance of it getting thrown out immediately with all the other form letters coming in.

Good point. This envelope was also hand written, and it had no return address. I really did think it was something personal. And, looking at it again, this sticky note is truly hand written, not just printed to look that way, as I've seen in some other instances.

I received the same thing from my local Ford dealer, the same one where I bought my 2013 F150. It looked hand written, but wasn’t. You can tell by “feeling” the back of the paper, anything hand written will indent the paper ever so slightly. The sticky was probably hand written, but I couldn’t tell for sure. Interesting marketing gimmick, either way.

fezo · February 2015

Yo, Bradd!

abacomike · February 2015

What gets a chuckle out of me (haven't been chuckling very much lately so this is my chance) are the letters and emails I get from auto dealerships inviting me to take advantage of special offers of rebates, incentives and 0% financing for "Our Brave Veterans" of the Armed Services. I have tremendous respect for all veterans for their sacrifices to keep our country strong and free. Thing is, I am not a veteran!

I've gotten 5 emails and 3 letters from different dealerships this month alone inviting me, a veteran, to take advantage of these special offers. The only thing that may have prompted these invitations is the fact that I am a USAA member - but through my Dad who is a veteran of WWII. I can't think of any other reason I am getting these offers.

But I am not a veteran!

venture · February 2015

robr2 said:

I change the oil and plug at the end of every season and do a full maintenance on it. It costs about $8 for the parts. I run it until the gas runs out because the ethanol in the gas isn't good for the carb. This spring I may change the belts.

It seems like my method of neglect and abuse is cheaper.

nyccarguy · February 2015

fezo said:
OK, folks, I'm ready to pop in on the certified pre-owned Prius Remember this - http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?endYear=2015&zip=08050&keywordPhrases=sunroof&listingType=certified&listingTypes=certified&mmt=[TOYOTA[PRIUS[]][]]&vehicleStyleCodes=HYBEL&modelCode1=PRIUS&makeCode1=TOYOTA&startYear=2009&showcaseOwnerId=579471&maxMileage=45000&searchRadius=100&listingId=392850874&Log=0

I want to make an out the door offer and tell the guy I'll put a deposit down and if it's as advertised buy it Saturday. So here's what I'm thinking. Take the $998 off his price add 7% sales tax and maybe $200 for title and registration So it would go $16,000 +7% ($1,198.40) + $500 = $17,120.

Is this reasonable? I'd be putting $6,000 down, no trade and 1.9% Toyota financing for four years. Might do five years just because the money is cheap.

Comments?

Looks like a nice ride in good condition. Since @qbrozen said the price is right, then go for it. What advantage does the Solar Roof give you? Car Fax said it has new shoes too. The only thing I'd say is that the money is so cheap (1.9%), why give them your $6K?

boomchek · February 2015

qbrozen said:
Gotta hand it to my Ford dealer. They sent me an ad I haven't quite seen before. It is a printout of an email from the GM to the salesperson saying "Hey, contact Mr. Brosen. We need his car. Its in high demand." etc etc. And then there is a handwritten sticky on it from the salesperson asking me to contact him. I can only assume they printed off hundreds, if not thousands of these for all their previous customers. But they did a really good job making it look authentic. I'm sure they'll get quite a few hits from it.

Q, you're not the only one getting them. I got exactly same thing in the mail from a local dealer, here in Vancouver Canada lol. Thing is I worked for that dealer years ago and because I bought a car while working there I'm in their database and get their sale offers all the time. Funny thing is I haven't owned the car that they think I have for about 4 years now.

But this offer you're speaking of was exactly the same. Same letter, exact same wording, and exact same sticky note. If I remember correctly the envelopes are printed but with a very handwritten looking font, also with no return address.

This whole creative marketing is done by marketing companies that large dealer groups hire (or purchase their programs from) to print and send out such letters and offers. Its different than traditional flyers and gets more people opening the mail and actually reading the offers instead of just throwing the flyer straight into the recycling bin before even looking at it.

Truth is the dealership GM doesn't care about what car you own, nor does he have time to be digging through customer databases (with thousands of clients) to see who owns what. And he would definitely not have time to be sending individual emails to individual salespeople regarding individual customers.

A computer program fills in customer names (and sometimes the make and model of the vehicle the customer owns) into the letters, and emails them to the printer. When the printed letters arrive each salesperson will get a few hundred of them with a matching list to hand write sticky notes onto (if it isn't printed), and the dealership receptionist will stamp them all and mail them out. Not much else to do on a slow February weekday morning for the salesguys so this can potentially result in some deals.

If it costs the dealership $5000 to do a mail campaign like that with say 10,000 mailouts, and even 10 people end up purchasing something (0.1% success rate), and the dealer ends up making $30,000 out of those 10 deals then it's worthwhile for them.

stever · February 2015

CR is in the news with their brand rating. (USA Today)

Mr_Shiftright · February 2015

Gee Lexus best, Fiat worst. Who would *ever* have guessed?

Actually this list is kind of tricky. They are combining reliability AND road test scoring, so you could end up with a car that's fairly high on the list but not equally reliable. Apparently Fiat failed both.

stever · February 2015

Good to see that MINI is hanging right down there with them still.

Subaru has really climbed, and I'm surprised to see Mazda doing so good.

driver100 · February 2015

fezo said:
OK, folks, I'm ready to pop in on the certified pre-owned Prius Remember this - http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?endYear=2015&zip=08050&keywordPhrases=sunroof&listingType=certified&listingTypes=certified&mmt=[TOYOTA[PRIUS[]][]]&vehicleStyleCodes=HYBEL&modelCode1=PRIUS&makeCode1=TOYOTA&startYear=2009&showcaseOwnerId=579471&maxMileage=45000&searchRadius=100&listingId=392850874&Log=0

I want to make an out the door offer and tell the guy I'll put a deposit down and if it's as advertised buy it Saturday. So here's what I'm thinking. Take the $998 off his price add 7% sales tax and maybe $200 for title and registration So it would go $16,000 +7% ($1,198.40) + $500 = $17,120.

Is this reasonable? I'd be putting $6,000 down, no trade and 1.9% Toyota financing for four years. Might do five years just because the money is cheap.

Comments?

Sounds fair and reasonable to me....they are crazy if they don't take it! Good luck!
Are you sure you want to buy without driving and inspecting? Can you do it like a house sale....or like verdugo did, a conditional sales contract....here is what I'll pay if I like it after inspecting and driving it.

boomchek · February 2015

I think Mini is a tad overpriced for what they offer. I mean they are a premium compact car but last time I checked the big Mini Paceman which is just a bloated 3 door hatch had a price of about $40 something thousand here in Canada. It was probably loaded with everything but still, that's a hefty sum for a hatchback I think.

Not to mention they aren't the most reliable things out there. We had a few we came across and they had small but pricey issues.

No wonder they're near the bottom.

imidazol97 · February 2015

venture said:
It seems like my method of neglect and abuse is cheaper.

I've been using Stabil, which I squirt into the small can of gas/oil mix or directly into the gas tank for straight gas engines, to stabilize them through the winter. It has worked for the last two years. Now that I've bragged on it, I'll have trouble starting them this spring (if spring ever comes). LOL

imidazol97 · February 2015

I'm enjoying the explanation of leasing variables that's been posted here. I never understood leasing and never worked hard to learn because I never planned to lease. I think that now I see how the dealership can manipulate things to get the most profit from Barnum and Bailey's sucker-born-every-minute customer, who doesn't do their homework.

imidazol97 · February 2015

Will an AppleCart be able to talk to you other Apples?

imidazol97 · February 2015

CR's cars? Posted by steve_r in General Motors.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2015/02/24/consumer-reports-best-category-tesla-subaru/23926159/

Here are CR's best in each category, and how they fit into the most recent five years of the ratings:

•Compact car: Subaru Impreza, fourth consecutive year. Hyundai Elantra won before that.

•Midsize sedan: Subaru Legacy, bumping Honda Accord, which won the previous two years.

•Sports sedan: Buick Regal, booting the BMW 328i that won the past two years.

•Large car: Chevrolet Impala. New category this year.

•Small SUV: Subaru Forester, second consecutive year.

•Midsize SUV: Toyota Highlander, third time in four years. Last year was Hyundai Santa Fe.

•Minivan: Honda Odyssey, third consecutive win.

•Green car: Toyota Prius, fifth consecutive year.

•Luxury car: Audi A6, third consecutive year; none picked before then.

•Pickup truck: None chosen. Last year was Ram 1500.

•Best overall: Tesla Model S, second consecutive year. None picked before then.

fezo · February 2015

Well I made the offer and now he's telling me they just took a deposit on it because he couldn't contact me. Keep in mind he has my email address and cell phone number (I always have my cell phone on me). Car is still listed as available online.

If this has washed out I'll have someone do a search for me. Worst case is buying a III with the solar roof new. That one I already have negotiated locally. I'd rather a Certified preowned though.

driver100 · February 2015

fezo said:
Well I made the offer and now he's telling me they just took a deposit on it because he couldn't contact me. Keep in mind he has my email address and cell phone number (I always have my cell phone on me). Car is still listed as available online.

If this has washed out I'll have someone do a search for me. Worst case is buying a III with the solar roof new. That one I already have negotiated locally. I'd rather a Certified preowned though.

Could be true...maybe not. Funny you didn't get a call, that excuse about trying to contact you has been used so many times I get suspicious when I hear it.

Could be stringing you along to try to get full price. Be firm, there are more fish in the sea.

driver100 · February 2015

imidazol97 said:
CR's cars? Posted by steve_r in General Motors.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2015/02/24/consumer-reports-best-category-tesla-subaru/23926159/

Here are CR's best in each category, and how they fit into the most recent five years of the ratings:

•Compact car: Subaru Impreza, fourth consecutive year. Hyundai Elantra won before that.

•Midsize sedan: Subaru Legacy, bumping Honda Accord, which won the previous two years.

•Sports sedan: Buick Regal, booting the BMW 328i that won the past two years.

•Large car: Chevrolet Impala. New category this year.

•Small SUV: Subaru Forester, second consecutive year.

•Midsize SUV: Toyota Highlander, third time in four years. Last year was Hyundai Santa Fe.

•Minivan: Honda Odyssey, third consecutive win.

•Green car: Toyota Prius, fifth consecutive year.

•Luxury car: Audi A6, third consecutive year; none picked before then.

•Pickup truck: None chosen. Last year was Ram 1500.

•Best overall: Tesla Model S, second consecutive year. None picked before then.

Thanks for posting the list. If we need a replacement for the Florida Passat then that gave me another alternative....a Suburu Legacy. I would consider a Honda too, they would be at the top of my current list.

I think we have lost faith in VW/Audi.

jayrider · February 2015

boomchek said:
I think Mini is a tad overpriced for what they offer. I mean they are a premium compact car but last time I checked the big Mini Paceman which is just a bloated 3 door hatch had a price of about $40 something thousand here in Canada. It was probably loaded with everything but still, that's a hefty sum for a hatchback I think.

Not to mention they aren't the most reliable things out there. We had a few we came across and they had small but pricey issues.

No wonder they're near the bottom.

The people who buy Mini's are in love with them. Being overpriced is not an issue.

stickguy · February 2015

OK Fezo, I started looking. I guess this Solar package is your holy grail? Kind of reminds me of trying to find a stick shift. rare as hens teeth!

anyway, here you go. Nicer color IMO, unless you like lipstick red. Low miles, a 2011, price looks right. 1 year older but 10K fewer miles. This is near me, and just up the road from where QB got his caddy. A lot closer to you than Mamaroneck. dealer has had it for about a month, so might have more wiggle room.

http://www.holmantoyota.com/certified/Toyota/2011-Toyota-Prius-1ae11e0f0a0a0064140b7f6d49032141.htm

I found this one also. Looks nice, low miles. and not garish red. A whole boatload more money of course, but everything is negotiable. This one is near me too. They even note right in the ad, how hard it is to find a solar package! Of course, if this price was close to real world market, I would spend the 25-26K and get a brand new one. The 2011 above is a much better deal.

http://www.toyotaofrunnemede.com/vehicle-details/2010-toyota-prius-iv-runnemede-nj-id-8430229

Michaell · February 2015

jayrider said:

boomchek said:
I think Mini is a tad overpriced for what they offer. I mean they are a premium compact car but last time I checked the big Mini Paceman which is just a bloated 3 door hatch had a price of about $40 something thousand here in Canada. It was probably loaded with everything but still, that's a hefty sum for a hatchback I think.

Not to mention they aren't the most reliable things out there. We had a few we came across and they had small but pricey issues.

No wonder they're near the bottom.
The people who buy Mini's are in love with them. Being overpriced is not an issue.

My daughter will attest to that ... she's 26 and already on her 2nd MINI! Knock on wood, she's been pretty lucky on the reliability front. Which is good news for me, since I'm the one that would have to take it to the dealer.

Michaell · February 2015

Subaru update - just got off the phone with the dealer. The Outback is in a railyard here in Colorado and is expected to be at the dealer a week from today (3/3/15). Guess I'll get the CX-7 cleaned up and take it to CarFax on Saturday for an estimate.

Salesman said he would email me a copy of the window sticker - which will be quite useful when planning our offer.

driver100 · February 2015

stickguy said:
OK Fezo, I started looking. I guess this Solar package is your holy grail? Kind of reminds me of trying to find a stick shift. rare as hens teeth!

anyway, here you go. Nicer color IMO, unless you like lipstick red. Low miles, a 2011, price looks right. 1 year older but 10K fewer miles. This is near me, and just up the road from where QB got his caddy. A lot closer to you than Mamaroneck. dealer has had it for about a month, so might have more wiggle room.

http://www.holmantoyota.com/certified/Toyota/2011-Toyota-Prius-1ae11e0f0a0a0064140b7f6d49032141.htm

Seems pretty good - it is in the dreaded silver which Fezo is tired of. Better see Macco.
Looks like a good deal though.

stickguy · February 2015

I work under the theory that if you are super picky about details like color, buy new. on used cars, need to be more flexible. Plus at least to me, the silver looks a lot better than lipstick red!

driver100 · February 2015

stickguy said:
OK Fezo, I started looking. I guess this Solar package is your holy grail? Kind of reminds me of trying to find a stick shift. rare as hens teeth!

I found this one also. Looks nice, low miles. and not garish red. A whole boatload more money of course, but everything is negotiable. This one is near me too. They even note right in the ad, how hard it is to find a solar package! Of course, if this price was close to real world market, I would spend the 25-26K and get a brand new one. The 2011 above is a much better deal.

http://www.toyotaofrunnemede.com/vehicle-details/2010-toyota-prius-iv-runnemede-nj-id-8430229

$20k for a 2010! 5 or 6 years old and it is still worth almost 80% of it's original cost? Put in a low ball offer of 12K....see if they are joking! Much better to go new in this case......no comparison.

stickguy · February 2015

yeah, the 2011 listed for 3K less is a much better starting point.

dino001 · February 2015

Yeah, this is nuts.

driver100 · February 2015

stickguy said:
I work under the theory that if you are super picky about details like color, buy new. on used cars, need to be more flexible. Plus at least to me, the silver looks a lot better than lipstick red!

Totally agree........especially considering the price, condition and the miles etc.

stickguy · February 2015

occasionally you see dealers that go beyond fantasy to lunatic fringe territory. Of course, not likely they ever sell it for that kind of money. Not sure what they do if you walk in, write down $15,000 on the paper, and leave your number. Still not sure I would pay that much for a 5 YO one, but it does have low miles and the rare solar option.

driver100 · February 2015

Michaell said:
Subaru update - just got off the phone with the dealer. The Outback is in a railyard here in Colorado and is expected to be at the dealer a week from today (3/3/15). Guess I'll get the CX-7 cleaned up and take it to CarFax on Saturday for an estimate.

Salesman said he would email me a copy of the window sticker - which will be quite useful when planning our offer.

Good luck Michaell....so far your game of attack sounds on course. Interesting to see what CarFax says.

stever · February 2015

A reporter is looking to talk with someone who sold or traded in a car and bought a truck or SUV within the past month. If you're willing to help, please contact pr@edmunds.com by Friday, February 27, 2015.

fezo · February 2015

Barcelona Red. My wife wants that. The blue would be an OK alternative but no more colors that aren't colors.

Yeah, she wants the sunroof and that's the way Toyota sells that.

Had seen the one in Mount Laurel. It's a level down and a year older and they want the same amount of money.

We'll see. To me silver is less a killer than black or grey. I will not own a white car.

stickguy · February 2015

well, good luck. maybe the red one in NY will fall through on the other buyer.

Is what's his name still the UCM up in Paramus (where you got the Camry?) Someone in the business should be able to do some hunting. won't be CPO, but that does not seem to be too big a deal on them.

that, or expand the search and be ready to make a road trip. If you don't have a trade, why not?

stickguy · February 2015

looking on line, and widening the search, looks like that one in NY was a steal. If you are that picky about solar and Red, just bite the bullet and buy the new one. And should not have to every worry about getting your wife a car again, since it will last a long time.

fezo · February 2015

We'll probably look at the silver one at Holman.

Once the oil issue is resolved we'll be handing the Camry over to my daughter and declaring the 15+ year old Accord dead.

A new one has not been ruled out.

stickguy · February 2015

let me know if you go to Holman. I spent a lot of time there when I was looking. I'll come by to say hi and Heckle.

they are actually a nice dealer. and I had good luck with the internet guy (Chris something). If they have a new one that would meet your standards (I find it hard to tell from their listings which one has a solar package) put in an internet quote request, and you will actually get a real # back. Actually, I think you can just email them without picking out a specific unit, and they can find one for you.

fezo · February 2015

Will do. That could be a good giggle.

fezo · February 2015

Apparently Internet guy is now Ryan. Whatever. I still think maybe a Mazda 3 hatchback could do the trick. Not the same mileage but still quite good. That's what I'd buy - with a different engine and transmission than the Mrs. would.

jayrider · February 2015

fezo said:
Apparently Internet guy is now Ryan. Whatever. I still think maybe a Mazda 3 hatchback could do the trick. Not the same mileage but still quite good. That's what I'd buy - with a different engine and transmission than the Mrs. would.

Don't buy the Prius for the mpg. Buy it because it is a roomy compact hatchback with mid size room that you like a lot. Stellar reliability and cheap maintenance is a nice benefit as well.

fezo · February 2015

Oh, right from the start that was a big attraction. I'm a big hatchback fan and the cargo space for a car that size is immense. Lots of passenger room, too.

Is it me or is this "blue" car black or grey?

fezo · February 2015

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?dealerId=63577127&zip=08050&endYear=2016&location=Bethlehem+PA-18020&startYear=1981&makeCode1=TOYOTA&dealerName=Star+Auto+Mall&searchRadius=100&mmt=[TOYOTA[][]]&listingId=379603699&Log=0

stickguy · February 2015

the 3 is a nice car. not as good a highway cruiser as a Camry is. But fun to drive.

I have never driven a Prius. but do find the seats comfortable, and like the package. Though not sure I could get used to the dash! But if you like it, the MPG is a nice bonus. My SIL got one to replace a 10 YO Civic last year, and loves her. she also commutes from Va. through the corner of DC, and I think the hybrid is perfect for that use.

the link you just included, why? No solar on that, is there? Not that I would buy from a local lot in Bethlehem! Oh, just for the color. Yeah, that looked Gray.

imidazol97 · February 2015

fezo said:
Oh, right from the start that was a big attraction. I'm a big hatchback fan and the cargo space for a car that size is immense. Lots of passenger room, too.

Is it me or is this "blue" car black or grey?

The carfax shows and accident 12/4/2012 and it was in dealer inventory in August. Then went to auction in November. Odd that it didn't sell? Now it is at a used car lot. That would be enough to concern me. What do some others think that it didn't sell in August through February?

fezo · February 2015

I hadn't gotten that far yet. Saves me the trouble. Thanks.

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