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Stories from the Sales Frontlines

91749 messages,  Last post on May 20, 2013 at 11:32 PM

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#83423 of 91749 Re: NEW SALES STORY FROM THE SALES FRONT [driver100] by abacomike

Sep 11, 2012 (11:44 am)

Replying to: driver100 (Sep 11, 2012 9:44 am)
I'll try to find a few more...
 
Wrong wheels, *driver. It has 18" AMG's, 5 double spoke. but, otherwide, that's the car!

#83424 of 91749 Re: More pictures [driver100] by abacomike

Sep 11, 2012 (11:47 am)

Replying to: driver100 (Sep 11, 2012 10:08 am)
I think this is the actual car Mike was looking at...
 
Right you are, *driver, right you are. You took those pictures right off my dealer's webstie - good for you. Yes, that's the interior, those are the AMG wheels, that's the right wood steering wheel and that's the exact car I bought!

#83425 of 91749 THANKS TO ALL FOR THE KIND WORDS ABOUT MY NEW CAR by abacomike

Sep 11, 2012 (12:00 pm)

Rather than post responses to the myriad of well-wishers and "dipstick fanatics", I thought I would post a thanks to all of you.
 
Just got home a few minutes ago from Delray Mercedes. What a great outfit to do business with. This is my 6th E350 from them and they are as gracious and as honest as any dealer I've ever done business with.
 
There is definitely a huge difference in the two cars - Lexus GS vs. MB E350. Car steers better, corners better, better front and rear visibility, and I like the Blind Spot Monitor system with the Lane Tracking system better in the Mercedes.
 
And the Harman Karmin system in the Mercedes outsurpasses the Mark Levinson system in the Lexus big time! Crisper treble, basier base, and surround sound is far superior.
 
This is the very first white car I have ever owned. I was just taken aback by the cost of the Diamond White - $1700 vs. $780 for the other metallic paints. The interior is a saddle color, very rich looking with the walnut trim.
 
The major plus for the Lexus was that the front seats were a little wider and roomier.
 
The car has the "applications" option with google search engine as well as IHear Music and Pandora Music.
 
Also, it has a 6 disc CD player rather than a single disc in the Lexus.
 
Someone posted that they wanted to know more about USAA.
 
You need to be a member, have a navy blue ID card with membership number, etc. They issue memberships to veterans or immediate family of veterans or active service members only. My Dad was a veteran in WWII. So he bought a personal property insurance policy and got his membership that way. Once he was a member, I was able to join as his son.
 
My Twin Brother just bought a CS coupe using his USAA membership number - with the incentives available through Mercedes and his USAA membership, he saved over $18,000 off the MSRP of the coupe (MSRP was $131,000).
 
If you want more information about USAA, just call them up and they will give you all the details. You must have a policy with them in order to qualify for their car buying service.
 
Again, thanks all for the well wishes. And thanks *driver for posting the pictures of the actual car I bought.

#83426 of 91749 Re: THANKS TO ALL FOR THE KIND WORDS ABOUT MY NEW CAR [abacomike] by bwia

Sep 11, 2012 (1:27 pm)

Replying to: abacomike (Sep 11, 2012 12:00 pm)
Someone posted that they wanted to know more about USAA.
 
I was the one who asked about the big USAA discounts. I was not in the military (nor my parents) but my daughter works in administration for the navy--would that qualify?
 
Man, with those generous discounts even I could buy a new car every three years but it does not look likely unless I enlist at my tender age of 60.
Nontheless, thanks for explaining how the program works and once again enjoy the ride.

#83427 of 91749 Re: More pictures [fezo] by driver100

Sep 11, 2012 (1:30 pm)

Replying to: fezo (Sep 11, 2012 10:17 am)
Tom Paxton. The Bravest.
 
Try again,. the link didn't work.

#83428 of 91749 Re: Where to start? [tyguy] by driver100

Sep 11, 2012 (1:33 pm)

Replying to: tyguy (Sep 11, 2012 10:45 am)
I didn't feel right about what happened, so I covered the repairs.
 
And you're a nice guy too (as well as Richard). I am too selfish to do something like that!
 
No, I would have done the same, but it is still nice to see there are nice people in the world.

#83429 of 91749 Re: NEW SALES STORY FROM THE SALES FRONT [abacomike] by driver100

Sep 11, 2012 (1:36 pm)

Replying to: abacomike (Sep 11, 2012 11:42 am)
Driver, you owe me 25 cents! Sure does have a dipstick - it even comes with oil!
 
Your check is in the mail.
 
Now I'll owe Monroe a quarter too! I am sending him a Canadian one. On second thought our dollar is worth $1.03 U.S. today, so I'll send him an American one....maybe 5 wooden nickels.

#83430 of 91749 Re: NEW SALES STORY FROM THE SALES FRONT [abacomike] by driver100

Sep 11, 2012 (1:38 pm)

Replying to: abacomike (Sep 11, 2012 11:44 am)
Wrong wheels, *driver. It has 18" AMG's, 5 double spoke. but, otherwide, that's the car!
 
Well, as someone once said to me "If it's worth doing right it ain't worth doing at all". Those words have guided me through life.
 
That is one gorgeous car though.........that one has to be a keeper.

#83431 of 91749 Re: THANKS TO ALL FOR THE KIND WORDS ABOUT MY NEW CAR [abacomike] by driver100

Sep 11, 2012 (1:49 pm)

Replying to: abacomike (Sep 11, 2012 12:00 pm)
I was just taken aback by the cost of the Diamond White - $1700 vs. $780 for the other metallic paints. The interior is a saddle color, very rich looking with the walnut trim.
 
The differences between the Lexus and the MB are significant, and the fact you noticed them right away means they are things you are going to really appreciate.
 
The cost of Diamond White is steep, but it will make your car pretty unique, not too many people are going to spring for that color. Like I say, $1000 amatorized over 5 years is just $250 a year to have a car just the way you want it....of course in your case, amatorized over 4 months is 250 a month!
 
We could have had a similar color on the Audi but they didn't have one around, and we were starving...hadn't eaten all day, and it was 5:30 on a Saturday. We liked the color on the sample, but didn't know what it would be like in real life, so we went with white. We are boring, all 3 of our cars are white and 5 of the last 6 cars were white. I think white is a great color, it always looks new, you don't get tired of it as quickly, it doesn't show dirt, it is one of the safest colors, and if you keep the car for a long time white looks like a classic.
 
Your very welcome for the pictures, it was my pleasure....glad the deal went through and if I buy a MB in Miami I'll check out Del Ray, they sound like a top notch outfit....even got you the right paperwork.

#83432 of 91749 Re: NEW SALES STORY FROM THE SALES FRONT [driver100] by abacomike

Sep 11, 2012 (2:10 pm)

Replying to: driver100 (Sep 11, 2012 1:38 pm)
That one has to be a keeper...
 
Thanks, *driver, and thanks for posting those pictures of the car. I haven't figured out how to do that on my iPhone - as you know, I don't use my desktop computer very much and this iPhone is a bit tricky.
 
As for this one being a "keeper", it probably will be for quite a while - at least 2 years until they change the body style.
 
I don't know why I never bought a white car - especially down here in the Florida heat and strong sun. The car should be quite a bit cooler on the summers.
 
What I really like are the audible tones along with the flashing warning lights with the lane-tracking and Blind Spot Monitoring. The Lexus just flashed lights.
 
And the pricing was great - $57,500 was the selling price (MSRP was $64,855) + tax (6% on difference of trade value and selling price), $600 for that darn dealer fee, and $250 for tags and registration. They gave me more than book for the Lexus, which took some doing. The general sales manager made the deal work because of my loyalty to them. They even are picking up my first and second services on the car which was very nice of them.
 
Again, thanks *driver for the good wishes and for posting the pictures of the new car.

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