Any Questions for a Car Dealer?

abtseller · January 2003

like the Dodge Caravan. The Maxima is a tad bit ooooogllllyyy

yuck yuck yuck!

too bad about the V8, I guess you can't always believe rumors,

Ed

zueslewis · January 2003

man, what a difference - I really like the present car and I'm strongly considering a 6-speed car. I guess the value may drop once the new car hits the streets, or since the present car is so much better looking than the new one, the value may go up!

The new Maxima looks like the cross between a homemade 4-dr 350Z and a bar of soap.

alinda · January 2003

Nah, looks like a low budget G35 Sedan.

xccoachlou · January 2003

The new maxima ROCKS! It's so much better looking than the Scion! lol

JPham · January 2003

Or a Nissan's version of an Aztec sedan?
I thought that was ugly before I checked out the Quest.
Oyy ...

chris_in_boise · January 2003

How far in advance can Toyota dealers see the cars that will be arriving into their region?

Thanks!

toyotaken · January 2003

Toyota allows dealers to see the "pipeline" of vehicles being built for their region one month in advance in general. As for vehicles coming to their particular dealership, at least in this erea, we get an allocation of vehicles at the begining and middle of each month. For US built vehicles, they are normally about 3-4 weeks before getting here. For Japan built units, it is usually 4-6 weeks, sometimes less.

Hope this helps.

Ken

tblazer503 · January 2003

tricky, as mentioned before. In order to claim, at least in the small business I worked for, the owner of the business had to fax over a copy of my valid DL to the ins. company, then I was covered. Ironically, I had to be "clocked in" at the time of the accident, yada, yada, yada. Also, in the case of using your own car, I wouldn't make a habit of it, that little box that you check on your insurance policy that asks the primary use of the vehicle... Pleasure, Commute, Business... I would imagine they could drop you on the spot if they find out that you were using it for "business"...

alinda · January 2003

the Scion. How hideous is that thing? I thought the Aztek was bad looking. . . Toyota has outdone GM in terms of ugliness. Who would have guessed?

prodigalsun · January 2003

The new Altima is about the same size as the current Maxima (interior dimensions), exactly the same 0-60 numbers, and handles better. They needed to make a major change to continue with the model.

Does anyone know what the changes on the inside are going to be with the Maxima. I know that if they give it any more horsepower, the torque steer will be unbelievable. I've heard rumors about rear wheel drive, or even all wheel drive.

bretfraz · January 2003

Didn't we already have "Maxima Talk" today?

Is this thing on??

For those who stink at teh intraweb, here's some help:

http://www.nissannews.com
http://www.freshalloy.com

prodigalsun · January 2003

bretfraz · January 2003

Just razzin ya a bit. It's late.....

turbotunin · January 2003

I just bought a used 01 Camaro SS. I am eligible for GMS discounts and want to know what I should expect to pay (ballpark figure) for the best GM extended warranty 7yr/100K. The car has 17k on it and is fully loaded. Any help will be greatly appreciated as I have no idea what to expect and don't want to go into my local dealer clueless. Cause I know they expect high profits for extras. I just want a fair price..

zueslewis · January 2003

for 5-6 years? Think twice before purchasing a service contract that is that long.

I sold them, and of course, liked to sell the bigger contracts (unless I really marked up a smaller contract), but I find that since people trade their cars every 3-4 years, the longer contracts are too much for what you need.

turbotunin · January 2003

Not sure if I will keep it that long, but I know the GM warranty is transferable thus making it a good selling point. Some folks are scared of buying used sports cars cause most of them get rode hard. But even with the length of that contract I will probably get most of the use out of it but still have some left when I go to sell.

zueslewis · January 2003

I don't have my GM warranty book any more, so unfortunately, I can't help you with the price.

In Texas and in Oregon (when I was in F&I), we had a deal with the local credit unions to sell extended warranties at $100-200 over cost. It's fair and not radically expensive.

It's not uncommon to see 100-150% markups in warranties.

Good move on choosing a GM warranty. I completely and totally recommend against any private warranties at all.

samj · January 2003

What do I do if I find that the dealer did not disclose body/mechanical repairs on a new car?

I recently purchased a new 2002 Honda Accord EXL. Before being sold to me, the car had aftermarket wheels. I told the salesman I would not take the car with aftermarket wheels and that I wanted the stock wheels. At first, the salesman said that was fine, but towards the end of the negotiation process, the dealership told me that they could not supply me with the stock wheels. They also disclosed the fact that the wheels were stolen. I walked out of the dealership, but they offered to sweeten the deal and assured me that the theft resulted in no damage to the car. Foolishly, I bought the car. A week into the purchase, I demanded to several people in the dealership that they give me the stock wheels. I traded the aftermarket wheels/tires for the stock/OEM wheels, but I had to pay $240 to get the OEM Michelins.

However, today, one month into the purchase, and after finding several problems with the car, I demanded the history of the car. The service department pulled out the paperwork showing the history of the car before being sold to me. In it, I found a body shop repair bill of $2,400 that included the mechanical and body repairs. But it did not includ the cost of the aftermarket wheels and tires, which would have added another $1,500 approximately. None of these repairs were disclosed to me before the sale. I'm already in contact with a Honda rep to resolve ongoing mechanical problems, but they do not yet know about the body shop repairs. I am going to tell Honda Monday about what I learned today. What kind of reaction and course of action do you think I could expect from Honda? What course of action should I take? Any input is appreciated. Thank you.

suvshopper4 · January 2003

- by bretfraz Jan 06, 2003 (01:05 am)
"don't worry about the Eagles.
Michael Vick will take care of them.
He took down the Packers at Lambeau, after all."

Final score last night:
Falcons 6
Eagles 20

Regards,
-ss4

bretfraz · January 2003

Thanks for rubbing that in. ;-)

Can't wait for Eagles/Bucs. I'm not making a prediction, though.

rerenov8r · January 2003

This sounds serious. If the records of repair exist, they will likely 'travel' with this vehicle.

If they claimed that "no other repairs were made" they lied. Especially if you bought this as a new vehicle, there are several RED FLAGS that are far beyond the scope of any internet forum...

zueslewis · January 2003

have the service records subpaoenaed immediately.

abtseller · January 2003

repainting a scratch or fixing something minor is one thing, but $2K plus is serious.

Ed

rroyce10 · January 2003

...... Sorry to hear about your purchase .. I gotta feeling that the Honda dealer "might" take the vehicle back or a re-imbursment for the damage, more so on the re-imbursment part I'm thinkin' cuz it's been titled.

You will get more done with a Strong, but laid back approach - the screaming, the threat part doesn't get no one anywhere in a big fat hurry .. getting Honda involved was a smart move, they don't like bad publicity on their dealers and or service ..

Keep us abreast of things ..

Terry.

jpvwaudi · January 2003

Any damage done to a vehicle at port before it reaches the dealership doesn't have to be disclosed to the customer? It doesn't even have to be disclosed to the dealer............. I accidently came across this while reading a copy of our terms of trade......

abtseller · January 2003

I'm not sure if its a percentage or a flat amount, though.

If they drop something off a truck, I think its scrapped and the shippers insurance eats it.

Ed

mackabee · January 2003

Damage at the port. You are correct, but if you knew about the damage would you tell the customer? Reason I ask is that this happened to me about two years ago. Had a Tacoma on allocation reserved for a previous customers son. ETA was two weeks away. Suddenly the wait became longer and truck did not arrive. This was the last Tacoma made in the lavender or violet color, can't remember the name of the color. But anyway, we called the port and were told that the front bumper had been damaged and they were waiting on a new bumper to arrive. Customer kept calling me and I told him about the damage to the bumper. This put the deal on "hold" as he wanted to look at the truck when it finally did come in to inspect the work. When we did get the truck, it was in perfect condition. If I didn't know about the new bumper I would have never known it was replaced. Everything turned out fine.
&nbs- p; &n- bsp; : )
&nbs- p; &n- bsp; Mackabee

mark156 · January 2003

I just got back from the Los Angeles car show this last weekend and I saw the new Maxima. It looks wonderful! I have had two Maxima's in the past ('87,89). Nissan has finally arrived in "new" styling. The Altima, new Z350 and now the new Maxima. They are sure to have good sales buy updating their line.

I was so impressed on how the new Maxima looked. I'm surprised others are dogging it.

My two favorites at the show were the New VW Bug convertible and the Mini Cooper. (reasonably priced cars) But, if I win the lottery, I can see a new 2003 Maybach in my garage

Mark

samj · January 2003

I checked the California DMV code. Any material damage must be disclosed by the seller prior to the sale. Material damage is defined in section 9990. Basically its 3% of MSRP or $500, whichever is greater. There is a provision that allows deduction of the costs if OEM parts were used. However subsequent provisions state that any damage suffered to the frame, drivetrain, or resulting from entire theft of the vehicle must be disclosed.

Furthermore, my car suffered damage while sitting on a dealer lot, long after it arived in San Francisco port. I will keep you guys posted. Thank for your tips.

thel · January 2003

What's with all the &mbs, etc stuff at the end of your posts lately. (on topic b/c Mack's a dealer and I'm asking him a question)

force98 · January 2003

I received a sight draft from my bank yesterday. It pre-approves me for any new/used vehicle, $35,0000, 4.99% interest. I have never seen one before. Is there anything I should know before I try to use this? Would any dealer typically accept a sight draft? Great interest rate--may use it. Thanks.

mackabee · January 2003

Beats me! I noticed that too! I'm not doing anything different. Just my signature and the happy face. Let see.
&nbs- p; &n- bsp; : )
&nbs- p; &n- bsp; Mackabee

mackabee · January 2003

It did it again! Hosts? Any guess?
&nbs- p; &n- bsp; : )
&nbs- p; &n- bsp; Mackabee

rworrell · January 2003

& n b s p ; (sorry, I have to put spaces between each letter or Edmunds converts it to HTML) is HTML code for a non-breaking space (i.e. a space that appears regardless of its location on a line of text). The hyphen and space after the "s" are what is causing the problem. Are you trying to indent your smiley and name by hitting the space bar a bunch of times?

thel · January 2003

Nice theory, but I thinks it's probably aliens on a mission from Mars.

rworrell · January 2003

Shhhh! We don't want to give away their plan...

fjb323 · January 2003

As a dealer we shy away from sight drafts from most banks in lieu of Bank Checks. Most sight drafts can be returned by the "bank" up to 45 days after being presented. This means NO money and NO car to the dealer. The drafts put a lot or requirements on both the dealer and the customer and if some point is not properly covered by either one then BOUNCE!
fjb

isellhondas · January 2003

Your sight draft will not receive a warm welcome in a car dealership. They usually have strings attached and can take forever to fund.

Get a real check.

isellhondas · January 2003

Your post slipped in ahead of mine. You are correct!

CarMan@Edmunds · January 2003

Hi force98. The previous posters are correct, dealerships do not like dealing with banks that they think may give them problems or an extraordinary amount of work. I have heard that on-line banks like Peoplefirst give dealerships problems all the time, to the point that many dealers refuse to work with them. Some dealers will likely be uncomfortable with you purchasing a vehicle from them with a draft instead of a real check. On the bright side, the fact that you are pre-approved to finance the vehicle that you are interested in may motivate the bank that you are working with to beat your current interest rate. 4.99% is a pretty low rate though, perhaps they can at least match it for you if your credit is in good enough shape that way you don't have to deal with the draft at all. By the way, what sort of car do you plan on purchasing with your "$350000" pre-approval

?

Car_man
Host
Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards

prodigalsun · January 2003

Maybach.

stebu · January 2003

... the new (BMW-ized) Rolls-Royce. My kingdom to have a humidor in my car ;-)

force98 · January 2003

Carman--oops, should have said $35,000. Thinking about a weekend "toy", like a 350Z. Wouldn't drive a Maybach if it were given to me. I will be closing on my new home next week, and have an extra space in my new garage! :-)

The sight draft is from USAA Bank--not a Peoplefirst type. The instructions for filling out the draft are very simple, and USAA is a well respected banking institution. Make any difference?

Does anyone else hate the new font on this board?

bolivar · January 2003

...

rroyce10 · January 2003

rroyce10 · January 2003

..... It's a major pain in the butt .. most lenders won't cough up the money til' they have the title -- or God forbid there is a small mistake in paper work like a middle initial is left out and that drags on another month .. dealers hate them.

Terry.

tboner · January 2003

I would think dealers would like to see a customer that is loyal to his bank.

I also deal with USAA, and love the service. Besides, that doc fee I paid should make sure all of the documents get done right.

I can't imagine USAA is any harder to deal with than any other bank. It's just not the same bank you deal with on a daily basis.

But I've yet to find an organization that gives me that kind of service.

I guess this is another one of those automotive sales inconsistencies. We hear from many that we should be shopping for more than just price, so I have a relationship with a bank and you don't like to work with me because of that?

On the other hand, you want me to have a relationship with your dealership, getting all of my parts and service from you.

I like chatting you guys and I hope you don't take this personally, but it sometimes cheeses me to read these inconsitencies.

I know, I know, the topic was questions for a car dealer, so it's not really my business.

TB
got up on the wrong side of the bed this AM

rroyce10 · January 2003

..... Understand it from my point of view ..

      Let's say you have a vehicle up for sale in the paper and I'm the buyer -- we agree on price, all is well .. but, I want the vehicle right now and I going to give you a draft that may not be good for 2/3 weeks ..

      So, I'm driving it - you don't have the "real" money yet, I'm piling up miles, there is a risk of damage or accident and you think all is well ~ except you have a piece of paper, no money, no nothing and you have already flipped the title .. what course of action do you have ..? Sounds like -0- too me ..l.o.l.. now you know how a dealer feels.

         I'm not picking on USAA, I feel they are a great organization, but business is business ... and besides, they are much quicker than the rest, but still -- no tickey, no washey.

         Terry :-))

zueslewis · January 2003

Dow Employees FCU when I did F&I in Texas. We took drafts from them and they were funded within days. They are the only lender that has EVER funded that quickly.

I'm a USAA member and I've seen it take 6 weeks to get a vehicle funded through a draft with USAA, First Security Bank (West Coast) and others.

The dealer is on the hook, big time, until the amount is funded through a cleared draft.

My boss in Oregon and Texas required all loans to be funded within 3 business days and the outside of that rule was a week under very special circumstances and giving him updates every hour (pretty close, believe me). Either boss would have blown a gasket if a deal took 30-45 days to get funded.

bobst · January 2003

I think the only form of payment that a dealer is obligated to accept is cash. I mean real cash, the kind you pay at McDonalds, the kind you put in your wallet. Not a piece of paper, be it a cashiers check, personal check, or whatever.

We use personal checks to buy a car. If the dealer redused to accept them, it would not be a problem. We would just go somewhere else.

If you pay with anything other than a roll if bills, don't expect the dealer to accept it.

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