No, not a spring training baseball game... the "lock out" is still happening, which means the owners and the players are more about the money than the game... so, no spring training games happening. A lot of people come to the Phoenix area this time of year with the idea of taking in some baseball games.
This "swing and a miss" is in regards to motorcycles. Don't you mean "scooters," Jim. Well, I have been eyeballing a particular model of motorcycle that is no longer being made, so I have been shopping the internet. A dealer just south of downtown Phoenix has one - I haven't seen one of this model in person, so I called to make sure they still had it, and we made a quick trip that direction.
I sat on the bike, and it felt comfortable. They don't allow a test ride until you pay for the bike and then you can take what they call "an acceptance ride." If it isn't what you thought, I was told they cancel the sale. It never got to that point.
Here's the note I sent to the guy I spoke with on the phone this morning, who we also met at the dealership. He seemed OK - told us he is the "internet sales guy" for the 3 dealerships and turned us over to Philip, who also seemed nice. Philip answered a few questions, and then offered to get me an "out the door price"... and then things went south...
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Hi Chris. I spoke with you this morning in regards to the CTX700 DCT that you have in your Phoenix store. We drove there to check it out. You have it listed on your site for $7199 with a line drawn through that. Philip that we spoke with about the bike was friendly and decent. He went to check on an "out the door" price and out came who I assume is your sales manager or finance guy... his name may have been Mike, but I'll just call him: Douchebag. He shot us a ridiculously inflated price of $8700. A waste of my time. We are from out of state, so I would be paying the sales tax in Texas. He had a $399 Prep Fee (???) on a used bike that still had bug splats on it. Then, tried to play the "Well, what would you give for it." I spoke frankly with him and said the $7199 is already over retail for that bike (and probably why you have the line through that price on your website)... "Regardless of what I offer you, if you come down to that, I will be pissed that you tried to gouge me right off the bat."
It is tactics like this that give a dealership a bad reputation. Of course, we walked, with no further discussion. In all likelihood, you will ignore this, as well. Last bike I bought (new) was a year ago - none of this kind of bullshit; second bike I bought from that dealer in two years. There are dealers who don't play games, and they will get my business and respect. And then, there are the others. I could have saved myself a trip had I known that Nash is one of the others.
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No big deal. I am interested, not "hot to buy." If the price was right and the bike looks good, I would be willing to take a chance on it. Dealerships like this make their money by gouging someone who doesn't know any better, then stick it to them with inflated financing... catering to the young buyer who only wants to know what the monthly payment will be. I am not that buyer.
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A difference in the riding position between two "candidates"...
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On a totally unrelated subject: I was taking Rufus for a walk late this afternoon. As often happens, a couple stopped to visit, making a fuss over Rufus. While talking with those folks, a woman in a nearby motorhome came out and said, "I have only seen someone walking a cat once before... and that was in South Dakota."
"At Hart Ranch?" I asked.
"Yes! Oh, goodness, was that you?"
"Might have been - we are members there," I said.
"Oh, us, too!" she exclaimed.
Small world. :-)
2 comments:
Arrgghh - dealers. If they only realized how many people they drove away by these scuzzy tactics. Honda of Anchorage back in the day was so bad that I would ride either 90 minutes or 2½ hours away to other towns to get my Gold Wing serviced (if I could not do it) or for parts. The GWRRA chapter gathered for breakfast every Saturday morning right across the street, but most of us would never darken their door.
BTW the riding position on the red bike looks far more relaxed and comfortable. I don't know which bike is which.
Hi Earl - we have had a lot of bikes over the years, and most of our buying experiences have been good. These Phoenix multi-brand dealers all seem to have gone to the same School of Sleazy Sales Techniques.
The red bike is the CTX - I wish they still made it, but 2018 was the last year for that model. The black bike is a 2022 Honda Rebel 1100, also with DCT. When asked about this one on the floor, we were told, "This is Honda's most popular model - we have a waiting list for these."
Joan asked, "What about this one?"
"Oh, the guy who it was supposed to go to moved to Chicago."
She asked, "So, is this one available?"
"Yes."
So much for that whole "waiting list" thing. If there really is a waiting list for them, and I was on that waiting list, I would be pissed if I found out someone walked in off the street and bought this one. The riding position of the CTX (the red one) felt better to me. Too bad they were such dipshits - it's a nice bike.
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