"JDMatt" (JDMatt)
06/09/2015 at 20:52 • Filed to: Dodge viper, mazda 3, lazy, car buying
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"JDMatt" (JDMatt)
06/09/2015 at 20:52 • Filed to: Dodge viper, mazda 3, lazy, car buying | 1
| 29 |
The unfortunate situation many car guys are put in is recommending what type of car somebody will buy; oftentimes resulting in the person asking for your help to buy something different than what they wanted in the first place. So first things first, when my Friend asked me what car she should buy, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . I also went to the white trash section of craigslist and Recommended a rusty 93 dodge caravan & a ford F250 with over 200,000 miles. Sarcasm and absurdity didn’t make her go away, She actually wants my help.
Upon further questions, the only parameters I got to recommend a car were that it’s Japanese and safe. Not knowing how much money she has to spend, I just went ahead and recommended a Mazda 3.
In general I like the mazda 3. At work I get to park these every now and again. The new ones have a really nice interior, and non-car people really get amused by fancy stereos and stuff. If she doesn’t have the money for a brand new one, the older ones ain’t too bad either.
Usually I get slightly mad at people when I recommend a car and they pick something different. In the case of the mazda 3, I won’t get mad if she picks a bigger car on the basis of safety, because I deliberately picked a small car. However, I’ll be kinda happy is she actually gets a Mazda 3 because that means for once somebody bought a car that I recommended!
PanchoVilleneuve ST
> JDMatt
06/09/2015 at 21:03 |
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In my experience being the Car Guy(tm) in my circle of friends, I only get asked for a suggestion so someone can confirm the choice they already made. If I say anything else, they just ignore it.
x87172
> JDMatt
06/09/2015 at 21:05 |
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Whenever people ask for my help in choosing a car, they just want justification for their own choice.
Them: Hey, I’m looking for a luxury SUV. How about this new Range Rover?
Me: That’s probably not a good idea. Those things depreciate faster than the speed of light and are hideously unreliable.
Them: That’s what I thought, thanks. But I decided to buy the Range Rover anyway, on 6-year financing! Its OK, I got $700 off sticker price.
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x87172
> PanchoVilleneuve ST
06/09/2015 at 21:06 |
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Lol, I wrote the exact same thing without seeing yours.
TheHondaBro
> x87172
06/09/2015 at 21:08 |
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Is this person Doug DeMuro?
GhostZ
> JDMatt
06/09/2015 at 21:10 |
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I find it’s much easier to ask them what they’re thinking of getting first, and then explaining why that car sucks.
“Oh I want a 2015 Corolla”
“You do realize that they haven’t changed the chassis or engine of that car since 2007? You’re buy a 2007 car with a fancy paint job and a warranty.”
Then they’re much more receptive to your suggestions afterward.
TheOnelectronic
> x87172
06/09/2015 at 21:11 |
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Hey now. We had an LR4 for 120,000 miles with barely a peep.
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TheOnelectronic
> JDMatt
06/09/2015 at 21:11 |
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Since I’m mostly being asked by college kids who don’t really care that much about cars, I generally recommend the Focus or the Mazda 3. Both are good, quality cars that aren’t boring to drive.
AM
> TheOnelectronic
06/09/2015 at 21:15 |
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There’s a difference. The Land Rover brand itself is usually not bad but the Range Rover line seems to have a shit ton of issues.
uofime-2
> JDMatt
06/09/2015 at 21:15 |
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The hardest thing is figuring out what they really want and putting aside your opinions and beliefs to get them the best deal on the best version of that.
You have to accept that what they want is a Toyota Camry or a Chevy equinox and just help them understand the features they can get and what they should be paying.
CRider
> TheOnelectronic
06/09/2015 at 21:18 |
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So it didn’t run?
spanfucker retire bitch
> JDMatt
06/09/2015 at 21:21 |
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I bought a 2013 Mazda3 and a year later when one of my co-workers asked me about how much I liked the car, the fuel efficiency, ride, et, etc, I said it’s been great so far.
So he and his wife purchased a 2014 Mazda3 stripper model - base everything. But so far he loves it.
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TheOnelectronic
> AM
06/09/2015 at 21:27 |
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It’s a lot of the same components. LR’s just seem to be more vehicle-to-vehicle. For everyone that can’t keep their RR out of the shop, I’ve seen others who’ve never had a problem.
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TheOnelectronic
> CRider
06/09/2015 at 21:27 |
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Oh, you.
wafflesnfalafel
> JDMatt
06/09/2015 at 21:30 |
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Yeah.. that is just a rabbit hole not usually worth going down. My boss hates driving and hates dealing with mechanics - so what does she have? A used 525 BMW and a used Range Rover...
My citroen won't start
> x87172
06/09/2015 at 21:49 |
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The Range Rover is the best vehicle in the world.
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x87172
> TheHondaBro
06/09/2015 at 21:49 |
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No, that would go something like this...
Me: You should buy this Skyline.
Them: I should buy this Skyline.
Them: “[ insert typical Doug joke]” *Drives off in Hummer to write blog post about encounter.*
RazoE
> JDMatt
06/09/2015 at 21:52 |
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Mazda 3 is a great car. Sporty and it doesn’t look as boring as its competitors.
facw
> GhostZ
06/09/2015 at 22:01 |
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I'm honestly not convinced it's changed since 2000. I know Wikipedia tells me two generations have gone by, but looking at the car and its equipment, you'd be hard-pressed to know.
sellphones2493
> JDMatt
06/09/2015 at 23:04 |
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I haven’t directly recommended many things bad (I did manage to get a family friend to buy a G8 GT when I knew Pontiac was going under, yet they didn’t), however, i did work at Carmax for a brief time in 2013, selling a few bad cars. So in a sense, I let them buy it, hence recommending it?
Bad Call #1: A pharmacist tech lady that knew nothing about cars wanted something for under $200 a month with like $1000 down. She left in an ex-rental Aveo. It came back maybe like a week later for service with a grocery list of problems (alignment, shaking, etc). However, she sent me a thank you text like a month or two down the road saying she loves it, so I don’t feel too bad.
Bad Call #2: A guy came in with his daughter to buy her a car with a ‘Drive’ Pre-Approval (meaning he has shitty credit and got a pre-approval on something under 10 years old with under 100k for maybe like 17% APR). I re-ran his credit and actually managed to get him an approval for I think maybe 11% on a 2006 Saturn Ion 2 w/ 26K, which his daughter drove away with. While that Ion was actually a complete peach (old person owner that was more anal about changing oil than I am, based off records in the car - I think they did it every 1,200), it was still an Ion.
Bad Call #3: Some guy from the Congo came in looking for a luxury SUV to take back home with him to Africa. He didn’t listen to me much, or speak much English for that matter, and left with a 2006? Mercedes GL450 with like 6 Previous Owners and 3 accidents.
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JDMatt
> RazoE
06/10/2015 at 00:32 |
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Clarification: I LOVE the Mazda 3. Why I Recommended it over a Corolla or a Honda Fit.
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JDMatt
> GhostZ
06/10/2015 at 00:34 |
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I kinda forgot about the fact the corolla has been the same mechanically since last generation. will use this as ammo
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JDMatt
> sellphones2493
06/10/2015 at 00:38 |
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carmax seems like the idea place to let people see all the cars in a specific class, since normal dealerships are just one brand. If you were showing SUV’s or something, would you start off with an unimpressive car first?
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JDMatt
> spanfucker retire bitch
06/10/2015 at 00:41 |
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I should have made this clearer in the main post, but I actually like the Mazda 3 a lot. Becuse of my job I’ve gotten to drive new and old 3’s, civics, corollas, sentras, etc. I liked the 3 the most because it’s nice to drive, has a nice interior at every trim level, and I can park it anywhere
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JDMatt
> TheOnelectronic
06/10/2015 at 00:42 |
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Would have also recommended a brand new focus, but her mom doesn’t want to buy American, German, or Korean.
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JDMatt
> wafflesnfalafel
06/10/2015 at 00:44 |
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I guess he has to keep up appearances somehow? My old boss had a 10 year old X5 with an aftermarket exhaust. I thought it was cool when I first saw it, but as time went on the sound of his car announced “Skitzo approaching”
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JDMatt
> RazoE
06/10/2015 at 00:45 |
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Part of the reason why I recommended the 3 is so that if she gets it, I get to drive it!
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GhostZ
> JDMatt
06/10/2015 at 00:55 |
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I generally also use the Tavarish perspective. “Oh, you know that you can get a Mercedes S600 for the price of that Crossover, right?”
Also explaining how some crossovers are based on XXX company sedan, except they just get worse gas mileage. Some people think Crossovers are based on trucks or are their own cars and therefore are more “durable” and stuff.
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RazoE
> JDMatt
06/10/2015 at 09:41 |
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Great car, honestly. Especially the Mazdaspeed3 ;)
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sellphones2493
> JDMatt
06/10/2015 at 11:05 |
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At first, I set out to sell people quality cars that people may overlook. After a month or so, I’d just let them go out on the lot on their own and find stuff. It was easier for me and they liked that I gave them space.
In the end, most people would look for something that’s cheap with low miles. For the best financing rate, I’d have to find something under 5 years old with under 60K.
I mean, honestly, most people that came in were driving a piece of crap to start, so mostly anything was an upgrade and seemed cool to them .