Poor guy ...
 

On 5/13/2017 11:23 AM, wrote:
On Sat, 13 May 2017 08:00:00 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:


8:56
On Sat, 13 May 2017 06:29:38 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:
- show quoted text -
===

Those things last forever with a little TLC.
- show quoted text -
...

Oh yes, Wayne. 236,000 out of my 1995 Lincoln town car till gobs of wired stuff went bad. I like the idea of sitting on a living room couch gliding smoothly down the road like sliding on oil. 25mpg highway isn't bad either...

https://media.ed.edmunds-media.com/m..._oem_1_500.jpg


===

You'd have to buy a Rolls Royce or Bentley to get comparable roominess
or comfort.


A friend up here just sold a 2010 Merc Grand Marquis. It was his dad's
"summer" car that he used when he came up from Florida. Garaged and not
used during the winter. It had 30K miles on it and was in mint
condition. He asked $10k or best offer. Didn't last long.

Poor guy ...
 

On 5/13/2017 11:34 AM, wrote:
On Sat, 13 May 2017 11:10:08 -0400, wrote:

On Sat, 13 May 2017 08:22:50 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:



I didn't think about it but I suspect you are right about these offers.
I'll bet they only apply if you finance it through them. It just starts
the interest cycle over again.

I haven't financed a car purchase in about 25 years.
They dealerships don't like cash buyers. I was told that only 8 percent
of buyers pay cash for a new car.

When I bought my truck in 2008 the salesman tried hard to convince me to
finance it through Ford but I told him I wasn't interested. He then
tried to get me to finance it, even if I just paid it off in a month or
two. They must get some kind of kickback if the vehicle is financed
through the financing arm of the manufacturer.

These deals are deals because people finance and don't look at the end
date. "My payments are almost the same". They don't mention that it is
the same for 5 more years.
I suppose it is fine if you are consigned to dying with a car payment
due.
Like you, I have not really financed a car for decades but I did take
the finance deal with Ford on my wife's Lincoln. You are right, I got
the guy to admit I only had to keep the note for 90 days (by then they
have sold the paper). I also had to finance a minimum of ~$10,000 to
get a $1000 kick back so that is exactly what I did. I ended up making
about $600 after all of the finance charges and that was only about 4
months. It was still worth doing. I wonder how many people read the
"Z" form to see what the actual cost of a financed car is.
BTW that "zero percent" money comes at a cost too. They will usually
knock off 2 grand if you don't take "zero percent" money and there is
another kickback for using their financing but you have to waive the
cash at them before they offer it up.
I usually spring the cash on them at the last minute and see how badly
they want to sell the car.


===

And after making your best deal possible you still have too make it by
the "closer" who is selling the extended warranty, undercoating, pin
stripes, mud flaps, vinyl roof, etc. I once made a pretty good deal
on a new Camry only to have my wife get sucked into the pin stripe
deal for something like $200.



As I've previously mentioned, we've bought several cars from the same
dealership over the years including a couple of "company" cars that I
had in the business. The owner and some of the people who have worked
there for a while know us well.

When we went into the financial guy's office to fill out all the
paperwork I told him up front that we can save some time because we were
not interested in all the extra stuff they try to sell you. He said he
had to go through it anyway by policy. So, he did and we declined it
all. I asked him how long he has been at the dealership and it turns
out it was his first week on the job. So, I said, "In that case, we
should be welcoming *you* here.

Poor guy ...
 

On 5/13/2017 1:59 PM, Keyser Söze wrote:
justan wrote:
Keyser Soze Wrote in message:
On 5/13/17 11:10 AM, wrote:
On Sat, 13 May 2017 08:22:50 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:



I didn't think about it but I suspect you are right about these offers.
I'll bet they only apply if you finance it through them. It just starts
the interest cycle over again.

I haven't financed a car purchase in about 25 years.
They dealerships don't like cash buyers. I was told that only 8 percent
of buyers pay cash for a new car.

When I bought my truck in 2008 the salesman tried hard to convince me to
finance it through Ford but I told him I wasn't interested. He then
tried to get me to finance it, even if I just paid it off in a month or
two. They must get some kind of kickback if the vehicle is financed
through the financing arm of the manufacturer.

These deals are deals because people finance and don't look at the end
date. "My payments are almost the same". They don't mention that it is
the same for 5 more years.
I suppose it is fine if you are consigned to dying with a car payment
due.
Like you, I have not really financed a car for decades but I did take
the finance deal with Ford on my wife's Lincoln. You are right, I got
the guy to admit I only had to keep the note for 90 days (by then they
have sold the paper). I also had to finance a minimum of ~$10,000 to
get a $1000 kick back so that is exactly what I did. I ended up making
about $600 after all of the finance charges and that was only about 4
months. It was still worth doing. I wonder how many people read the
"Z" form to see what the actual cost of a financed car is.
BTW that "zero percent" money comes at a cost too. They will usually
knock off 2 grand if you don't take "zero percent" money and there is
another kickback for using their financing but you have to waive the
cash at them before they offer it up.
I usually spring the cash on them at the last minute and see how badly
they want to sell the car.



We got a $16,000 trade in, got $750 rebate back on the multi-year
additional warranty wife bought with the 2016 but didn't buy with the
2017, got $2500 in "incentives" from Toyota and another $1000 for paying
cash and not taking the 0% financing that was offered through the
dealership. That made the value of the trade about $20,000. The 2017 on
sale was $22,800 and change. So, in effect, the use of the 2016 for a
full year (wife doesn't drive that much except to Florida and back twice
a year), was under $3,000. Almost nothing considering she got a brand
new car she likes.


Hope you at least got power windows with the base model Camry.

The trade in was the base model. It had power windows. The 2017 model is an
upgrade. It has power windows, too, and more.



Pretty much all cars come with power windows now-a-days. Power is
cheaper to manufacture and install than the old crank type windows.

Poor guy ...
 

On 5/13/2017 2:39 PM, wrote:
On Sat, 13 May 2017 08:00:00 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:


8:56
On Sat, 13 May 2017 06:29:38 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:
- show quoted text -
===

Those things last forever with a little TLC.
- show quoted text -
...

Oh yes, Wayne. 236,000 out of my 1995 Lincoln town car till gobs of wired stuff went bad. I like the idea of sitting on a living room couch gliding smoothly down the road like sliding on oil. 25mpg highway isn't bad either...

https://media.ed.edmunds-media.com/m..._oem_1_500.jpg

10 million cops and cab driver can't be wrong ;-)
That is just a Crown Vic with a trim package. It is probably the last
of the big cars.


Many cops were dismayed when Ford killed the Crown Vic. They were
comfortable cars. I had a former cop Crown Vic for a while with the
police interceptor package. High miles but it still ran great and
strong. Still had the "cage" behind the front seat but all the fancy
lights were disconnected by law.

Poor guy ...
 

On Sat, 13 May 2017 12:55:57 -0400, Keyser Soze
wrote:

If I contract anything
serious, I'll get myself kicked out of my union's health plan so it
doesn't get stuck with high bills on my behalf and get into Medicare
with the necessary supplements.

Be aware that the "good" medicare gap plans come with underwriting so
you may not be able to get them after the first year you were
eligible. Don't wait too long and be sure you sign up before your
ailment hits your medical record.

Poor guy ...
 

On Sat, 13 May 2017 18:58:49 -0400, wrote:

On Sat, 13 May 2017 12:55:57 -0400, Keyser Soze
wrote:

If I contract anything
serious, I'll get myself kicked out of my union's health plan so it
doesn't get stuck with high bills on my behalf and get into Medicare
with the necessary supplements.

Be aware that the "good" medicare gap plans come with underwriting so
you may not be able to get them after the first year you were
eligible. Don't wait too long and be sure you sign up before your
ailment hits your medical record.

The best Medicare gap plan is called 'Tricare'.

Poor guy ...
 

Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 5/12/2017 6:18 PM, True North wrote:
Funny you say that. One Site said the Quest was manufactured from
around 2008? Until 2016.
That seemed odd to me but maybe Mrs E got a
good deal on a leftover 2016 model.
I'm sure Richard knows the story.

BTW..Toyota sent me a form letter today saying how special I am owning a
2013 Highlander and living in this geographic area. Due to high demand
for my model they have a special promotions on to enable be to upgrade to a 2017 model.
Aren't those car salesmen thoughtful.


It is a 2016 model. Had 3K miles on it as a dealer "demo" but is
warranted and titled as "new". Peppy little sucker though and quiet.
All that matters is that "she" likes it.

Don't know if they still make them or not.

I got a similar letter about the Nissan Altima I bought just about a
year ago. "Due to a shortage of clean, previously owned autos we can
offer you 125% of the current market value of your 2016 Nissan Altima
towards the purchase of any new Nissan product.

Geeze. Gimme a chance to put a few miles on it first, will ya?



My buddy went to the GMC dealer for some new tires on his 2015 diesel
pickup. Came home with a 2017. They gave him $43k for the truck, $10k off
the new one, a $700 Costco gift card and some other stuff. So instead of
spending a grand for new tires, got a new truck for not a lot more.

Poor guy ...
 

Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 5/13/2017 7:48 AM, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 5/12/17 8:45 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 5/12/2017 6:18 PM, True North wrote:
Funny you say that. One Site said the Quest was manufactured from
around 2008? Until 2016.
That seemed odd to me but maybe Mrs E got a good deal on a leftover
2016 model.
I'm sure Richard knows the story.

BTW..Toyota sent me a form letter today saying how special I am owning
a 2013 Highlander and living in this geographic area. Due to high
demand for my model they have a special promotions on to enable be to
upgrade to a 2017 model.
Aren't those car salesmen thoughtful.


It is a 2016 model. Had 3K miles on it as a dealer "demo" but is
warranted and titled as "new". Peppy little sucker though and quiet.
All that matters is that "she" likes it.

Don't know if they still make them or not.

I got a similar letter about the Nissan Altima I bought just about a
year ago. "Due to a shortage of clean, previously owned autos we can
offer you 125% of the current market value of your 2016 Nissan Altima
towards the purchase of any new Nissan product.

Geeze. Gimme a chance to put a few miles on it first, will ya?


My wife got an email earlier this year from Toyota, offering her a
fantastic trade-in on her 2016 Toyota Camry, which had a grand total of
7,100 miles on it (which the dealer knew). So we went over to the
dealership and voila!...left with a spanking new 2017 Camry and a step
up in model and trim, too. I still have no idea how this happened, but
the cost to her to do this was almost nothing.


Funny thing is that for me I've pretty much lost interest in cars in
general. As long as it runs well and is comfortable to drive I really
don't care what it is. The days of styling differences and even
performance differences are long over. The styling of cars today is
determined by wind tunnel testing to optimize gas mileage ratings. As a
result, the Toyotas, Nissans, Fords, Chevys, Hondas, etc., all look the
same from 20 feet away. No question the engines have improved
enormously. My brain is still stuck in the 60's and 70's when a car
approaching 100k miles was ready for the junkyard. Today, it's
considered "low mileage". My younger son just replaced a Saturn (one
that I had for a while) with another Saturn called a "Vue". The Saturn
he replaced it with had 198K miles on it and still ran fine, other than
a small oil leak. The doors and side panels of Saturns are plastic, so
there is no rust whatsoever on it.


I bought a 2014 Volt first of March. Nicer to drive around town than the
crew cab truck. Thanks to my fellow residents of the state for subsidizing
my electric bill. Instead of 32 cents a KWh, I get an idea for peak rate
of 11 cents. Even in gas it gets about 35 mpg. Sure easier to find a
parking space.

Poor guy ...
 

Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 5/13/2017 8:47 AM, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 5/13/17 8:22 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 5/13/2017 8:09 AM, amdx wrote:
On 5/13/2017 6:48 AM, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 5/12/17 8:45 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 5/12/2017 6:18 PM, True North wrote:
Funny you say that. One Site said the Quest was manufactured from
around 2008? Until 2016.
That seemed odd to me but maybe Mrs E got a good deal on a leftover
2016 model.
I'm sure Richard knows the story.

BTW..Toyota sent me a form letter today saying how special I am
owning
a 2013 Highlander and living in this geographic area. Due to high
demand for my model they have a special promotions on to enable be to
upgrade to a 2017 model.
Aren't those car salesmen thoughtful.


It is a 2016 model. Had 3K miles on it as a dealer "demo" but is
warranted and titled as "new". Peppy little sucker though and quiet.
All that matters is that "she" likes it.

Don't know if they still make them or not.

I got a similar letter about the Nissan Altima I bought just about a
year ago. "Due to a shortage of clean, previously owned autos we can
offer you 125% of the current market value of your 2016 Nissan Altima
towards the purchase of any new Nissan product.

Geeze. Gimme a chance to put a few miles on it first, will ya?


My wife got an email earlier this year from Toyota, offering her a
fantastic trade-in on her 2016 Toyota Camry, which had a grand total
of 7,100 miles on it (which the dealer knew). So we went over to the
dealership and voila!...left with a spanking new 2017 Camry and a step
up in model and trim, too. I still have no idea how this happened, but
the cost to her to do this was almost nothing.

Come on Keysor, have you done the math?
Payment is the same?
Did you pay anything to drive a way?
Did you buy it on time?
Did they add more time on to the payment program?
Sheesh, I think you just wanted attention, Look at me
I bought a new car too. And it didn't cost me anything.
Those dealers sure are stupid. Look at me!
Mikek




I didn't think about it but I suspect you are right about these offers.
I'll bet they only apply if you finance it through them. It just starts
the interest cycle over again.

I haven't financed a car purchase in about 25 years.
They dealerships don't like cash buyers. I was told that only 8 percent
of buyers pay cash for a new car.

When I bought my truck in 2008 the salesman tried hard to convince me to
finance it through Ford but I told him I wasn't interested. He then
tried to get me to finance it, even if I just paid it off in a month or
two. They must get some kind of kickback if the vehicle is financed
through the financing arm of the manufacturer.




Toyota was offering zero percent financing. As in 0%. I'm not saying the
dealership doesn't get a kickback from that. Anything is possible.

One way or another they are making money. It's either buried in the
cost of the vehicle or some other voodoo economics but finance
companies, even if an arm of the manufacturer, don't do stuff for free.




When I bought my pickup in 2004, you could get reduced financing or $2500
cash back. Since I paid cash, the cash back was appreciated.
Unfortunately, the People Republic of California charges sales tax on the
whole amount. So you pay 9% of the rebate as sales tax.

Poor guy ...
 

On Tue, 16 May 2017 21:02:08 -0000 (UTC), Bill wrote:

Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 5/12/2017 6:18 PM, True North wrote:
Funny you say that. One Site said the Quest was manufactured from
around 2008? Until 2016.
That seemed odd to me but maybe Mrs E got a
good deal on a leftover 2016 model.
I'm sure Richard knows the story.

BTW..Toyota sent me a form letter today saying how special I am owning a
2013 Highlander and living in this geographic area. Due to high demand
for my model they have a special promotions on to enable be to upgrade to a 2017 model.
Aren't those car salesmen thoughtful.


It is a 2016 model. Had 3K miles on it as a dealer "demo" but is
warranted and titled as "new". Peppy little sucker though and quiet.
All that matters is that "she" likes it.

Don't know if they still make them or not.

I got a similar letter about the Nissan Altima I bought just about a
year ago. "Due to a shortage of clean, previously owned autos we can
offer you 125% of the current market value of your 2016 Nissan Altima
towards the purchase of any new Nissan product.

Geeze. Gimme a chance to put a few miles on it first, will ya?



My buddy went to the GMC dealer for some new tires on his 2015 diesel
pickup. Came home with a 2017. They gave him $43k for the truck, $10k off
the new one, a $700 Costco gift card and some other stuff. So instead of
spending a grand for new tires, got a new truck for not a lot more.

I keep getting these cards for the 2009 Silverado 250HD with the Duramax/Allison combo. But, I don't
think I'd want to mess with the DEF crap. With mine, I don't.