Tips from Mrs. Cheese

Mrs. Cheese is a very shrewd negotiator, a bunch of years ago when she decided to buy a new car, a Volkswagen Jetta she had a great plan of attack. She refuses to pay anything more than $1,000 over MSRP. So how does she do this. She played all of the Volkswagen dealers against each other. She had a starting point where she got one dealer to agree on a price then she would call another dealer and say I got this quote on a specific car, can you do better. She would continue to do this until she got the price she wanted. Who says women can't buy cars? Not me!

Sales people and their one liners

Old and tired one liners sales people like to use on you. It's funny do they all take the same class?

"You're stealing food from my baby's mouth" He/she probably has no children at all.
"Everybody pays this fee" No they don't people who are shrewd and do their homework often pay much less.
"We're losing our shirt on this deal" No they're not if they were they wouldn't do the deal.
"The web sites you got the prices from are wrong." No they're not, if they don't want to do that deal I'm sure you can find someone who will.
"This car won't be here tomorrow" How in the hell would they know that? Are they a fortune teller?
"The bank requires you to buy the extended warranty to get loan approval" That's just pure crap.
"Do you want the car? What will it take to make you sign today?" For you to agree to my price!

New Car Buying Tips 101

DO NOT let Dealer "A" locate your new car from Dealer "B"... Don't do it!
This is where most complaints are made. It is strongly discouraged for car buyers from letting Dealer A get your new car from Dealer B. Sometimes due to geography and lack of dealer coverage while buying a car, you may have no choice. Some dealers routinely locate new cars for car buyers and make them quite happy. But most of the time complaints are made, it is from buyers about this. The complaint ratio is so high that is wise for you to avoid this situation. It's a crap shoot and the house always wins. The suggestion is to find out who Dealer B is and go buy a car from them directly. One dealer's advice is if Dealer A offers to locate a new car from Dealer B, don't sign anything until you've seen the car, or sign a letter of intent that the contract is not binding until you have seen the car and given your ok. I hear a ton of games and scams when dealer A has the car shipped from dealer B, because of towing costs, and dealer A loses the holdback to the original Dealer B. All sorts of fees show up. Even worse, the wrong car shows up and you are stuck buying car you don't want because you put down a deposit! I also get lots of complaints about missing MSRP stickers, which is a felony. You'll eliminate these issues if you buy a car from the dealer who has the car. Search all the dealer web sites for their inventory. Before you give ANY money, be sure you have a written buyer's order from them clearly stating what new car you are buying, the VIN#, the color, and all the options, so there is no doubt what you are paying for. If they give you bogus lip service about "not knowing the VIN# yet", they are lying.

What we learned from our huge ordeal

So we went in to speak with the big boss at Colliseum Lexus of Oakland and didn't get total satisfaction, we got a lot of double speak and a lot of bull. So out of all our complaints we walked away with them repairing our bumper and throwing in a free 10,000 mile check up. But it left us with a huge bad taste in our mouths because we feel totally lied to.

So what is the best piece of advice to get from all of this. Make sure you read the sticker on the car. No matter what the salesman tells you, if it ain't on the sticker, ts not in the car, and the dealer wont do anything to compensate for a lying salseman. Do yuor homework people and never trust a car salesman, especcialy at Colliseum Lexus of Oakland

A negative review with Coliseum Lexus of Oakland

In my first two posts I discussed our new car the 2008 Lexus RX350, while we love the car and are glad we have it we are disgusted with the service at the dealer where we bought it. So while I would still love to continue to buy Lexus cars in the future, I will never buy one from Coliseum Lexus of Oakland, I will go else where.

What are my list of complaints? Here they are, they are many.

#1. After my wife and I purchased the car and before the paperwork was settled, I had to leave to tend to my puppy. The dealers took this opportunity to aggressively sell my wife the clear coat protection for the front and rear bumpers as well as the locks on the doors. They told her it would protect against bad parking drivers and in the Bay area there are many of them. They told her she had to decide one way or another right then and there and there was no changing her mind either way once the decision was made. She couldn't get a hold of me and decided to get it. It takes a long time to apply the clear coat so I took it in, they gave me a loaner and it took over an hour to do this simple exchange. I asked them to wash the car which they told us was free car washes for life with purchase. I pick up the car the next day and hadn't noticed they didn't wash the car or apply the coat on the rear bumper. I was there once again for over an hour and the experience was very negative.

#2. My wife called to complain about the clear coat and wash and the GM said that the service department had made a mistake and that they would schedule an appointment to have it done, which they never did. They then tried to tell my wife that the clear coat usually doesn't go on the rear bumper. So which one is it? The service department made a mistake or it doesn't go on the rear bumper, and if it doesn't go on the rear bumper why did they tell my wife it did? Which is the only reason she decided to purchase it.

#3. We leased the car and we made a one time payment for the total amount of the vehicle. So a few weeks after we purchased the car, we get a statement saying we owed our first of 50 something payments. We called to try and get it resolved and got the run around. So when we didn't send in the payment we didn't owe, we grew very concerned as that could affect our credit rating.

#4. We went in wanting to buy the car and didn't put up much of a fight on anything, and it still took us over seven hours to get a deal done. That just isn't right. This complaint is with the salesman in general. We wanted a fully loaded car and the salesman assured us, other than the optimal audio package which he didn't recommend, the car was fully loaded. When we got home and started to read the manual we got excited about the things the car was supposed to have, like height maneuverability and a special cruise control that automatically adjusts itself with the distance of other cars, and Sirius satellite radio which we have a lifetime membership for and wanted to transfer to this new car. The car had none of these things. So how is it fully loaded? When we called to complain the GM once again told us it was because the salesman didn't know the features of this vehicle. How can he sell a car he doesn't know about? The salesman assured us that he had to be checked out on each vehicle to be a Lexus salesman. This came up because before we looked at this car we went to Volkswagen to look at the Touareg because they wanted to buy my wife's 200 Jetta with 30,000 miles and we experienced a salesman who knew nothing about the car.

#5. The GM or the big boss lies to us. We call and complain and the GM tells us he can't do anything for us and he would have the head big boss call us within the hour, which she doesn't. We call the next day and the GM tells us the same thing and no call back. He assures us he directly handed our info. to the boss and he would have her call us back immediately which she didn't. The next day and the same thing happened. So finally on day four we get a hold of the big boss and she tells us the GM hasn't given nor told her anything about our complaints. So who's lying?

#6. To make things worse which doesn't seem possible is someone hit our car in the parking lot scratched the bumper and cracked a light which we were told is a thousand dollars to replace and it wouldn't have happened if the clear coat was applied to the bumper like it should have been.

We have an appointment to go in on Wednesday to try and resolve these issues, wish us luck. No matter the outcome we won't be buying anymore cars from Coliseum Lexus of Oakland and you shouldn't either unless you want this type of headache.

A great resource to compare cars.

I found this great site that helps you compare different types of cars, from top to bottom.

Cars.com

Lexus SC

So yesterday I told you about the RX 350 we just bought, now I want to show you what is next on my wishlist and it too is a Lexus. I am wanting this one real bad. Hopefully by the end of this year she will be mine!

My new car

The Mrs. and I just bought a new car and I am so excited. We just got a Lexus SUV. I have wanted a Lexus since the first time I ever drove one when I parked cars in Atlantic City. 13 years later I am proud to say I finally got one. She drives like a dream. She is so comfortable, I feel like I am driving on air. I love it so much. This is what my baby looks like. Her name is Lola and I am as happy as a clam.

She came fully loaded with the following:

STANDARD FEATURES
Performance Features
-
3.5-liter V6, four cam, four valves per cylinder, with dual Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-i)
-
270 hp @ 6,200 rpm [1], 251 lb-ft torque @ 4,700 rpm [1]
-
Five-speed automatic Electronically Controlled Transmission (ECT)
-
Independent, MacPherson strut front suspension with coil springs, gas-pressurized shock absorbers and stabilizer bar
-
Independent, strut rear suspension with coil springs, gas-pressurized shock absorbers and stabilizer bar
-
Front-wheel drive (FWD)
-
Engine-speed-sensing, progressive power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering
-
Four-wheel power-assisted disc brakes
-
17-in alloy wheels with 225/65SR17 tires
-
Estimated fuel consumption: 20/25 mpg city/highway (FWD) [2]
Luxury and Convenience Features
-
Light golden bird's-eye maple, black bird's-eye maple or brown walnut interior trim
-
Wood- and leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob
-
Steering-wheel-mounted audio controls
-
Tilt-steering column
-
Liquid-crystal multi-information console display
-
Lexus eight-speaker Premium Sound System with Automatic Sound Levelizer and in-dash, single-feed, six-disc CD auto-changer
-
Roof-mounted antenna with in-glass FM-diversity system
-
10-way driver's and front passenger's (including lumbar) power seats
-
Height-adjustable headrests for all seats
-
Reclining, sliding rear seat (40/20/40 split)
-
Dual-zone automatic climate control with interior air filter and automatic recirculation mode
-
Power windows with one-touch auto open/close feature
-
Remote-linked window and available moonroof opening
-
Retained accessory power for windows and available moonroof
-
Electrochromic (auto-dimming) inside mirror with compass and outside mirrors
-
Power door locks with driver's two-turn unlock feature
-
Power rear door
-
Multifunction, in-key remote entry system with rolling-code technology
-
Sliding center console with cupholders and storage bin
-
HomeLink® universal transceiver to operate compatible garage, gate, home lighting and home security systems
-
Coin holder
-
Accessory power outlet in cargo area
-
Electroluminescent instrumentation
-
Interior electronic fuel-filler door release
-
Lexus Personalized Settings (LPS) [3] to personalize electronic functions
-
Automatic on/off headlamps with 30-second auto-off delay
-
Dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors
-
Outside temperature gauge
-
Sun visor extensions
-
Carpeted floor mats
Safety and Security Features
-
Driver's and front passenger's advanced airbag system (SRS) [4]
-
Front seat-mounted side airbags (SRS) [4]
-
Front and rear Roll-Sensing Curtain Airbags (RSCA) (SRS) [4]
-
Driver's knee airbag (SRS) [4]
-
Three-point seatbelts for all seating positions, pre-tensioners with force limiters for front seats
-
Automatic Locking Retractor/Emergency Locking Retractor (ALR/ELR) seatbelts for all passenger seating positions. Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) only for driver's seat.
-
Height-adjustable front shoulder belt anchors
-
Child Restraint Seat (CRS) tether anchor brackets for rear outboard seating positions
-
Four-wheel power-assisted disc brakes
-
Four-sensor, four-channel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
-
Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) [5]
-
Traction Control (TRAC)
-
Brake Assist [6]
-
Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)
-
Lexus Direct Tire Pressure Monitor System [7]
-
Highly rigid body structure with front and rear crumple zones
-
Side-impact door beams
-
Impact-dissipating upper interior trim
-
Collapsible steering column
-
Collapsible brake and driver's footrest pedals
-
Daytime running lights
-
Integrated foglamps
-
Water-repellent front-door glass
-
Variable intermittent front windshield wipers
-
Rear intermittent wiper
-
Rear-window defogger with auto-off timer
-
Power-adjustable outside mirrors with defoggers
-
Vehicle theft-deterrent and engine immobilizer system, with in-key transponder
-
Auto-retracting tonneau cover
-
First aid kit
-
Tool kit