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Smart Shopper Stories from the Sales Frontlines
51936 messages, Last post on Mar 11, 2010 at 5:32 AM
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Replying to: berkut027 (Dec 07, 2009 9:05 pm) That is true, mainly because there just isn't much competition in that market from the imports. The import manufacturers haven't got to that market yet, or are choosing to ignore it...probably the latter, especially at this point in time. In that respect, if you are looking for a large SUV or truck, you will have to buy a D3 vehicle, and they are fine vehicles if that is what someone needs or more likely "wants". I understand what you are saying about sport sedans. I looked briefly at Cadillacs before buying our 99 Mercedes, and the 2008 bmw, but I couldn't bring myself around to buying one...I know it wouldn't be right, even just from sitting in it or looking at the interior. I am sure they have improved a lot....and Tiger seems to like his. |
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Replying to: driver100 (Dec 07, 2009 5:40 am) I only knew of the one dealership that had this & they were extremely busy since this was one of the only options for people with extremely bad credit. The funny thing was that people figured out a loophole. As long as the car was running, it would work fine - you just couldn't turn it off. So every now and then we'd hear of people putting gas in the cars while still running so they could make it through the day with a running car. |
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Here's a little story for you that will bring a clean car lover to tears. Jmonroe would have been hospitalized if it had happened to him. Last Sunday, my wife was in charge of an open house at an old historical home about an hour from where we live. Our Explorer was dirty from hauling the Christmas tree and other greenery, plus it had rained a lot in recent days. My Chrysler convertible is NEVER dirty. I rarely even drive it in the rain. It was sitting in the garage just gleaming as usual. Since she was all dressed up for her open house, she decided to drive my convertible to the event. Later that evening, I began to wonder why she had not returned home. She soon called. There is an old cemetery about a quarter of a mile behind this historic home. My wife decided to drive down to the cemetery to look at old tombstones. To reach the cemetery, you have to take an old field road. Having had tons of rain in recent days, the old field road was very muddy. Just as she reached the cemetery, she managed to get my beautiful convertible stuck in the mud. She had seen in a movie where a man "rocked" the car back and forth to get out of the mud. Unlike Hollywood depictions, her reenactment did not work. The more she spun her wheels, the deeper the car went into the mud. Also, each time that she spun her wheels, more mud was slung onto the car, even up to the convertible top! Now the situation gets worse. She climbs in and out of the car several times to examine the situation. Each time that she gets back into the car, she is spreading mud across the carpet. She decides to call AAA. When they arrive, they become concerned that their heavy wrecker may also get stuck in this field road mud. Still, they make the effort to pull my car out. The venture was successful. When she finally got home and pulled into the garage, I nearly had a stroke. I could hardly recognize my beautiful vehicle. Yes, I did lose my temper. We had a one sided conversation about using good judgment in terms of rain, old field roads, clean cars, etc. Yesterday, I took my prize possession to a detail shop. They restored her to her natural beauty. There was even mud on the steering wheel and the dash. I didn't even ask how that happened. Here is the capper to the saga. A few years ago, before we retired, I bought my wife a mink coat. She was wearing it Sunday when all of this happened. At some point during her fiasco, she slipped and fell in the mud. The mink coat had mud on it, which was also transferred to the front seat of the car. At any rate, we had to take the coat to a furrier yesterday to be cleaned. Let's see now. The detail car job was $150 plus cleaning the mink coat will be $100. That's $250 for a dumb mistake. To look on the bright side, the AAA service was free. That membership is worth every penny. It is now Tuesday morning. Are my wife and I speaking? Of course we are. Life is too short to worry about the little things. As my students used to write: THE END Richard
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Replying to: verdugo (Dec 07, 2009 2:16 pm) |
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Replying to: richard64 (Dec 08, 2009 7:25 am) I'm glad that both of you realize that life is too short and gotten over it quickly. Too bad nobody had a camcorder when she got stuck. You could've won $10,000 if you sent it to America's Funniest Home Videos. 
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Replying to: richard64 (Dec 08, 2009 7:25 am) Years ago, when I was a manager for Sears, I watched an incredible thing happen right before my eyes. A work crew was blacktopping a section of our parking lot next to our battery shop. They put down a thick slurry of soft gooey tar. It was still warm and soupy but not boiling hot. They had the area roped off. There were probably three or four cars in our battery line having new batteries installed at the time. One of these customers was an older guy who was probably 70 years old. I watched in horror as he stepped OVER the roped off area, into the thick tar as he made his way into our Auto Center to buy a new battery. Only, he didn't make it. He slipped and fell on his butt and back into the goo. Then, he somehow managed to get back up on his feet. I don't think he was hurt but he looked like a tar baby. It was even in his hair! So, what does he do? He climbs back into his car covered in sticky tar and drives away! Later, he tries to get us to pay for his clothes and to reupholster his car!
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Replying to: richard64 (Dec 08, 2009 7:25 am) I would have lost my mind. At least the detail shop was able to get it all cleaned up. It reminds me of a few years ago when they had my street torn up for a drainage project. I swear I had to clean my car every day. |
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Replying to: richard64 (Dec 08, 2009 7:25 am) Having grown up on a farm in a rural area, I know all about mud and little-used lanes (don't ask how). I suspected what was going to happen when it said "old field road." I've even seen farm tractors stuck in mud in such conditions by someone who didn't understand momentum as a friend to sail through.  I was surprised that AAA would cover retrieving the car from other than a formal road. I knew that they wouldn't extract cars (for free) from beach sand because one was off the traveled roads.  I have a picture of Richard's expression when he saw his car covered in mud, from bottom to TOP. It probably exceeded mine when I came home and found Junior's current ride with a light scrape along the left read quarter panel from the school parking.  Having survived many years of marriage and disagreements, I suggest you offer to take her to visit the cemetery sometime when the ground has been dry for weeks. I too like to see what's in old cemeteries. Take the Explorer. 
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Replying to: isellhondas (Dec 08, 2009 7:55 am) While we're telling stories, I recall working on the state highway department in the summers to pay for college. It was a fairly rural 4-county district we covered. I was working a chip-and-tar crew. Locals resented having a road closed off for a couple hours while the tar was laid down and then gravel trucks spread a ground up stone over the tar; all part of sealing a road for the winter water and ice and to give a new surface. Saw horse type barricades were up blocking a 1 mile road off next to the state highway getting the tar and chip treatment. Locals would often drive right on through. One did that with a fairly new Chevy. Down the side road to the T. Turned right into the tar-covered highway. Right through the tar. Hot day. Hot tar. Hot head I'll bet when he found how much it splattered all over the paint as well as the underside. His car was one of the pretty blues GM had back then. At least it shouldn't have rusted where the black tar coated it. 
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Replying to: richard64 (Dec 08, 2009 7:25 am) First the bumper, now the mud bath. Does your wife have something against this particular car? 
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Smart Shopper Stories from the Sales Frontlines
