Locate an Auto Repair Shop in Christine, North Dakota

Christine, ND Car Consumer Discussions

Re: dumass move of the decade [lokki]

by explorerx4 on Tue Oct 28 15:04:33 PDT 2008

thanks for the link to the ferrari story. i couldn't see any pictures where i could see if the airbag went off. maybe they just removed it before putting the car on display. in some of those pictures, i feel like the car has kind of a christine vibe to it. speaking of projects, i saw this on the same page: a real project car

GM may absorb Chrysler

by torque_r on Thu Oct 16 00:01:26 PDT 2008

One plan: GM may absorb Chrysler Possible scenario would eliminate rival, reduce excess capacity; pact similar to AMC purchase. David Shepardson, Christine Tierney and Alisa Priddle / The Detroit News General Motors Corp. could swallow Chrysler LLC and end the Auburn Hills automaker's 83-year existence under one scenario being discussed by GM and Chrysler's owner, Cerberus Capital Management LP, said a source briefed on the talks. Such a deal, similar to Chrysler's 1987 acquisition of American Motors Corp., would allow GM to pick up some of Chrysler's 2.7 million in annual sales -- while avoiding the bulk of Chrysler's costs, the source said. GM, Cerberus and Chrysler all declined to comment. http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081016/AUTO01/810160399/1148

Re: so what's been going on? [madmanmoo]

by graphicguy on Sun Oct 05 07:53:02 PDT 2008

moo....good to hear that things are going good for you, personally. In your segment, I would think that an extra $500 off won't make or break a deal. Maybe some of the marginal buyers fall out of the funnel. Any thoughts on the VW take over? Most of the VW stores I'm aware of are standalone....just like Porsche stores. Pure speculation, but with Porsche upping their ownership of VW, I could see some consolidation happening. Maybe far fetched, but I could see a business model whereas the person coming into the showroom looking for a Jetta, aspires to a Cayman sitting right next to it. At 25, he/she buys the Jetta. Using the old GM business model, the buyer moves on up the ladder as their income dictates...maybe going from the Jetta, to the Passat, finally ending up at a Cayman, then to the 911, that's been teasing them the entire time...all at the same store. wes....as I think you've found out, it's relatively simple to score a good deal right now. It seems GM is being particularly aggressive. Your particular dealership recognized you as a long standing customer. They don't want to lose your loyalty. They got real aggressive (with the help of GM's corporate money), to compensate for their inability to go your preferred leasing route. On monetary terms, it was a real skinny deal for them. They moved a unit off their books. And, they kept you as a customer. IMHO, that's the way to weather this storm right now for the dealership. Get real aggressive. Keep the customers they have. When everything finally shakes out, those folks will keep coming back. fandi....I truly wish you nothing but success. Really, no need to be so defensive. Granted, I'm not on the front lines like you, and some of your car sales colleagues are. I don't think anyone here is trying to beat you into submission. But, it shouldn't be "us vs them" type of mentality. That just hurts in the long run. You, and your store, just have to decide, maybe even on a case-by-case basis whether they can, or can't....will or won't make very aggressive deals. Believe me, I've been told "NO" plenty of times on some of the offers I've made when trying to buy a car. No hard feelings. Sometimes it's harder to say "no" to a deal, than it is to say "yes" to one....for both the buyer and the seller. Some people won't recognize a very aggressive deal if it smacked them on the side of the head. Some dealerships recognize that this is a rough patch.....fewer people in the showroom. Of those that are in the showroom, the less of them you can write paper on. I'm sure it's frustrating. You just hunker down. Get aggressive. Move as many units as you can. Finance those you can finance. Let those you can't, walk. And ride it out. I don't think it's business as usual right now, though. From my perspective, just like in the real estate biz, currently....it's a buyers market. In truth, very few of us HAVE to buy a car. We can patch up 'ole "Christine" and drive her for a little while longer if need be.

All E-10 in Washington

by jkinzel on Tue Sep 16 09:09:46 PDT 2008

I talked with a tank truck driver at a local 76 station and was told that ALL gasoline sold in WA state is E-10. You cannot buy pure gasoline at the pump any place in WA. :mad: Thanks Christine. :sick: All diesel is ULSD and as of January 1, 2009 all diesel will be B-5.

2004 Trailblazer, Named Christine!

by tamesa on Sun Sep 14 15:46:25 PDT 2008

My Christine has 91k for mileage and other than a few small issues, no complaints until last Friday after an oil change. The service engine light was on but I thought it was because I did not tighten the gas cap enough. Then I had to get gas, that is when all the fun started. All the dash lights came on, the only gauges that were working is the speedometer and the tachometer. The gas, oil, temp and battery gauges are dead, the blower works, the a/c doesn't, the locks do not work, the cigarrette lighter does work, the front windows do not work, the power seat does work. The radio does not work. I read that it could be a relay and i changed several of them and that is not the issue..I am guessing ignition switch again? :mad:

Re: Charlotte pricing [supershawn]

by supershawn on Sat Sep 13 16:59:21 PDT 2008

Purchased my wife a 2008 CX-7 today. She just wanted a Sport, nothing too fancy, pref white with sand. As she had already driven one at "the other dealer" last week, I went ahead and did the shopping for her. Walked into dealer #2 yesterday afternoon. They had 7 of the "standard" Sports in stock, then one or two with a few extras. I chose an 08 Sport White Pearl/Sand with power seat/mats/a few basics as a starting point, sticker was 25 and change. I knew invoice would be about $23600, the $3500 would drop it to about $21000. The average around here (for the $24300 stocks) is about 19200. invoice on the options should have been around $500. I was obviously going to let them make the first move number wise, but I knew I wanted them to be around $20k max for starts. Before they gave me a number, I told them I have a trade. I am asking them to be upfront and honest, so I am going to do the same. the sales manager asked if it was the Yukon out front- I said it was. He then asked if I had gotten any appraisals so far, dealers or CarMax/Cash Buy lots. I told him that I had been to CarMax to get an estimate of what to expect. He asked if I would mind telling him what they offered- usually, in hard negotiations, that's not something I would want to spit out. But that wasn't the atmosphere here and that was definitely not the vibe he was giving off. So I told him the truth, $13500. He basically said "take it, and take it before the appraisal date runs out. I can't come close to that. He told me about an expedition he had to end up running through Mannheim because it sat so long and how he only got about $7500 for it- an easy $19999 retail a few months ago. this had no effect on his sale at all, so I appreciated the honesty. If I struck a deal there, I could still sell my Yukon on my own or dump it at Carmax. While a little disappointing, that actually earned them points in my book. If nothing else, I knew they just eliminated any chance of the "trade for" game, the "hide the keys" game, etc. So, here comes the numbers. After the MSRP fiasco with the other clowns, I had no idea what to expect. As long as it was close to 21k, I knew I had a fighting chance. He looks me right in the eye and says (paraphrasing him of course), "You said you wanted a straight up and honest experience, you have been straight and honest with us, here's what we have. You can have any $24300 MSRP Sport for $18200. If the one you want has options, just use invoice (as he handed me the inventory/invoice book) as a guide but it will probably be a little less". Crap. There goes my strategy. But in a good way I guess. So I go back to the White/Pearl/Sand Sport with Power Seat, etc. The figure comes out to a little over $18400. 21 miles on the clock. I said"I feel like a jerk even asking this, but do any of the leasing incentives apply to this if we go that route?" they said they doubted they would, but give them a few minutes and they would pull the latest programs and see. They did, and, by golly, they did. Had to ask the obvious questions- not program cars, right? No hail damage? Never been titled? Possessed by an ex-girlfriend named "Christine"? Nope, just a good deal. After a little research I decided letting the Yukon go for $13500 for absolutely no hassle was not a bad option.We had equity (but as it stickered for 49k we were lucky that we did). Called the dealer and told them to write it up and see what we get from MAC. Faxed them over an app, instant approval (didn't expect any issues), they gave me the numbers, and I called it a deal. Went to CarMax, had a check (well, draft) in 30 minutes, then went to the dealership. CX-7 was washed, full of gas, and all paperwork was prepared. Salesman (who couldn't be getting much but a crappy house deal at that price) gave us a full walk around, explained all his paperwork, gave us his card (with his personal cell number written on it), F & I did their thing without a single push for add-ons, and we were out the door in less than 20 minutes. As the "base" (and I hate to use that word on this vehicle...it's not the every option Yukon we had, but it has all my wife wanted) comes well equipped, anyone not considering one of these for the low to mid 200's a month is crazy. This is our first Mazda. But it's a 2 year lease, I am not expecting too many bad experiences. Even so, you get a loaner for overnight work. I won't name the dealer that blew us out the door (after holding us hostage for hours- literally- and calls every other hour), but the second dealer is a class act that deserves recognition. They're on Independence Ave (74), surrounded by the big boys. Family owned for 33 years and, if they treat others with the integrity they showed my wife and I, they'll be around a lot longer. Once the last bits of the transaction are complete (inspection had less than 6 mos left so they are renewing it, tags have to come in, etc), I'll give them proper recognition in the proper forum. It's just nice to see that not all dealers have let their service and integrity head 'South" or get "Rocky" (nudge nudge, wink wink).