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91797 messages,  Last post on May 23, 2013 at 10:14 AM

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#88731 of 91797 Re: "I WON'T LIKE THE JAGUAR XF!" [oldfarmer50] by robr2

Feb 21, 2013 (6:14 am)

Replying to: oldfarmer50 (Feb 21, 2013 5:57 am)
Nah, this is a real chick magnet:
   
http://forum.gon.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=126504&stc=1&d=1205894338
   
 Just like mine except mine has the extra rust package.
 
That's more of a "Free Candy Van".

#88732 of 91797 Re: Car Show in Dayton [driver100] by jmonroe

Feb 21, 2013 (7:01 am)

Replying to: driver100 (Feb 20, 2013 7:35 pm)
It is nice to see hockey catching on in the USA. It is a great game to play and can be very exciting to watch. Not a bad way to make a living too if you can do it.
 
Like I said, Grandson #2 is good maybe even very good but I doubt even he will become good enough for the pros.
 
The main reason we got a hotel room for last Saturday night when we were up in Erie was because the team was going to an Erie Otters game that started at 8 PM and none of the parents of the kids on the team wanted to drive back to the Burgh (2 1/2 hours) after the game. So, they reserved a block of rooms at a pretty nice hotel right on Lake Erie.
 
The Otters have a kid (from Canada) that just turned 16. He is said to be a phenom and has already been compared to Sidney Crosby and those on that level. Barring injury he is supposed to be a sure bet to make it to the NHL in a few years. I watched him and what little I know of hockey (never played it) he sure looked like a stand out to me. The Erie Otters are an entry level minor league hockey club that is a feeder team for the NHL. I saw at least 6 little kids from the Erie area that had an Otters team jersey on with this kids last name on the back, just like the pros. Man, a kid just starting out in pursuit of an NHL career and he already has his own jersey being sold. They sure start them off very young today. Grandson #2, now 8 years old, better pick up his game a LOT if he wants to leave home when he’s 15/16 years old. Given that they start the kids off early today, maybe Son #1 should be starting his search for a host family somewhere.
 
Remember where you heard it first if you see an NHL player in about 15 years with a shirt on that says “my grandfather is jmonroe”.
 
jmonroe

#88733 of 91797 Re: "I WON'T LIKE THE JAGUAR XF!" [isellhondas] by dino001

Feb 21, 2013 (7:15 am)

Replying to: isellhondas (Feb 20, 2013 7:23 pm)
I feel for you. I have a friend who habitually goes and test drives cars he has no interest, or business, or ability to buy. I tried to talk senses to him, but it's like talking to a hand. He is a grand master of making justifications in his life, for almost anything. It goes like this "I can't affor S-Class, but in the FUTURE I may be, so I need to know how it drives". Plus of course, he is in a position that everybody is there to serve his needs - of course free of charge. It's their job.
 
Now I was subjected to a reverse situation, when I had once an unpleasant encounter with a saleguy who made me to present a case why I was worthy his time. I was shopping for a car, planning to buy it within couple of months, three tops, depending on couple things. I'm usually thourough in market research, the car was new, just one year in the market (WRX), it was goig to be my first new car. So whe I showed up, I made it clear then to him that while I was in the market, I still needed some time to figure things out, but the car is really on the top of my list.
 
I was younger then and inexperienced (but not that young - about 32), I had a good professional job, but I obviously must have come across as a better candidate for a joyrider than a buyer. At the end he let me drive and all, but the bad taste of being treated like an interloper. The manners were just not there. BTW, it was Saturday morning, so not so busy time just yet, the place was fairly empty, so the guy literally did not have much to do at the time. But I guess some people would rather wait for a "real customer" buying today than spend a little time trying to build relationships.
 
Bottom line, I bought the car a couple months later, just as I told him, even from same store. I just used different salesman.

#88734 of 91797 Re: Car Show in Dayton [imidazol97] by richard64

Feb 21, 2013 (7:51 am)

Replying to: imidazol97 (Feb 20, 2013 11:44 am)
Wait until the ACLU hears about this one.
 
Richard

#88735 of 91797 Snow Day by houdini1

Feb 21, 2013 (8:08 am)

About 6 inches of snow so far this morning with more to come. The alarmist local weathermen are saying 10 to 15 inches and maybe more. Not real cold, low 20's, but windy. Just used the snow blower on the driveway, which had 10 to 12 inches on it already just because that is the way it works.
 
The snow is a pain in the butt, but it is beautiful. Driveway already needs to be cleared again. Nice to be retired so we will just hunker down, read, play on the computer, and listen (read) to you guys tell one whopper after another.
 
PS. We are having "thunder snow" right now and it is coming down about 2 or 3 inches an hour.

#88736 of 91797 Re: Car Show in Dayton [driver100] by richard64

Feb 21, 2013 (8:02 am)

Replying to: driver100 (Feb 20, 2013 2:14 pm)
There may be times when paying higher prices for event tickets are actually worth it. We are strong fans of Pavarotti (deceased now) and purchased tickets to a concert when he was on American tour. Dumb me. I decided to save big bucks by purchasing cheaper tickets. They placed us in seats that were so high that we didn't dare lean over. We had such an uneasy sense of falling. Also, even with our binoculars, he was a dot on the stage. Thank heavens they had a good sound system. At the end, we let most of the crowd exit before we started our descent. It was actually a little frightening. Since then, if I wish to go badly enough, I opt for the good seats.
 
Richard

#88737 of 91797 Re: Cruise Ship [verdugo] by richard64

Feb 21, 2013 (8:11 am)

Replying to: verdugo (Feb 20, 2013 2:57 pm)
I remember that as well. I never understood why the guys beat Jmonroe over the head for making a phone call to ask one question. After seeing a car on the lot at night, I used to call and get more specifics. It certainly never dawned on me that I shouldn't do that. I would never consider such calls as wasting a salesman's time. I would think that such calls would be appreciated because there is a potential customer on the phone.
 
Richard

#88738 of 91797 Re: "I WON'T LIKE THE JAGUAR XF!" [driver100] by richard64

Feb 21, 2013 (8:24 am)

Replying to: driver100 (Feb 20, 2013 4:28 pm)
"...could be someone who was in WWII."
 
I doubt that many WWII vets are buying any type of car now. If you entered the war at even age 18, you're pushing 90 years of age now. Could it be that some people just don't like them?
 
Richard

#88739 of 91797 Re: Snow Day [houdini1] by richard64

Feb 21, 2013 (8:37 am)

Replying to: houdini1 (Feb 21, 2013 8:08 am)
Be careful and stay warm.
 
Richard

#88740 of 91797 Re: "I WON'T LIKE THE JAGUAR XF!" [abacomike] by graphicguy

Feb 21, 2013 (9:21 am)

Replying to: abacomike (Feb 20, 2013 3:56 pm)
Mike....I tend to agree with you regarding test drives. While maybe we're the exeption and not the rule, if I've test driven something, that triggers a couple of things. First, if I like it, it's now on my list of cars I would buy, given the opportunity and the motivation (forget about need...there's not a person in this thread that's bought a car because they needed one ). If I had a positive experience at the dealership that offered the test drive, they'll be first on my list to visit when it comes time to buy.
 
A few years ago when I was in "buy mode", I was kind of interested in the newly released Taurus SHO (current gen). Went to the Ford store nearest me, and asked if they had any. They had 3 of them....one was a particular color I liked (pearl white). They asked how serious I was about it. I told them since I was standing in their showroom, I must be at least somewhat interested. And, that I was also interested in another color (burgundy) that I knew their competitor had on their lot (about 20 miles away).
 
Sales person said he had take a copy of my license and talk to his sales manager before offering a test drive. I was OK with that. Sales Manager comes out and asks for a downpayment before they could offer a test drive. Really?
 
I told him he wasn't going to sell too many cars if they needed a down payment just for a test drive. I told him I was on my way to his competitor to see if they'd let me test drive their SHO. He followed me out the door trying to explain about their policies, joy riders, how it's a $40K+ car, etc. I wasn't interested in the reasons/excuses at that point. Now, in fairness, this particular dealership has a reputation as being a little sleazy, at least in their sales tactics.
 
That's in stark contrast to my BMW or Audi experiences. They offered me the opportunity to take the car overnight, even for the weekend, before making a "buy" decision. All they needed was my proof of insurance and my driver's license. I even had a Cadillac dealer offer a CTS-V coupe for me to use overnight if I wanted (a $75K car).
  
Interestingly, I was watching CNET's Auto Show on TV last night (via ROKU). They stated that 20% of car sales are made without a test drive. Find that odd.
 
The company I work for has a few cars available for when we travel to Europe. They found it cheaper than renting cars when we travel there. One of them is a Jag XF....couple years old, maybe. Not a bad car. Kind of funky, with the "power" vents that open only when you start the car. It has a knob instead of a lever to shift with. It's the V8 version. It has plenty of pick up. It's a big car but not particularly roomy. Would I lay down $50K-$60K large on one? Nope....not even close. Maybe they're cheaper in Europe.

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