Locate an Auto Repair Shop in Minot, North Dakota

Minot, ND Car Consumer Discussions

Re: Dodge Caravan Prices Paid and Buying Experience [danacling]

by scoutll on Sun May 25 14:50:51 PDT 2008

Their webpage is www.minotchrysler.com and the salesman was Terry K. I'd like to say it was due to my outstanding negotiating prowess, but honestly, it was a combination of timing, incentives and just plain the right vehicle at the right time. Mine had been in stock on the showroom floor for a couple months and they were willing to deal. The longer one sits on the lot, the lower they go. Folks around here don't seem to like leather that much, so the ones with leather go last. When I bought the GC, I had the choice between it and a T&C Signature that was pretty much identical for a little more. The only real difference was the Dodge has automatic climate control and the Chrysler didn't, but had remote start. It had also been sitting on the lot for a couple months. If you go to the web page you will see that the prices for the vehicles in stock are pretty good to start with. Not a big inventory like you may be used to in Houston, only about 25 mini's any given time and they only sell a a hundred or so vehicles a month (population of the entire quarter of the state where Minot is, is only about 75,000 or so).. As you will see when you go on the page, right now they have a SXT with the 25L package with a 29000 > sticker listed for 23999, Uunfortunately, no dual DVD on that one though, but they have several with DVD's with 31,000 or so window stickers starting at 25-26000. They have a better selection of T&C right now, a couple of 33-34000 signatures for around 28000. As far as the gas prices go, it may be expensivew..., but what a good way to break it in, huh?

Re: - [dudleyr]

by troylikesbikes on Fri May 02 09:19:08 PDT 2008

Did you go through Pierre on the way to ND, or up I29? Neither. I25 north to nearly Douglas, WY, and then all backroads, first E to Lusk, then due N on 85 to Hatford City, then due E to Minot. From Spearfish SD north its a great place to speed.

Re: Delivery of '08 PRHT! [wilzap]

by milkey on Wed Apr 30 20:38:25 PDT 2008

Hey, thanks! We definitely are enjoying the new car so far! Had it out last night w/ top down for the first time...it was fantastic! Felt like I was on a motorcycle. Definitely a more exposed feeling than the '07 Mustang ragtop we rented a year ago on vacation... which is GREAT in my book. I guess I should've posted when I knew I was picking up the car... would've been glad to meet you at Walser and talk Miata! They have an SE Icy Blue on the floor and at least 2 PRHT's in stock. Really nice people to work with... we took Amtrak from our home (Minot, ND) to St.Paul and our salesguy picked us up at the depot and drove us to Walser. Paperwork went fast and we were out driving our roadster in about an hour and a half. The weather didn't really cooperate for top-down driving, but no complaints! My wife isn't the excitable type when it comes to cars, but I've never seen her so happy about a vehicle before, so that's been fun. We're planning a roadtrip in Sept. thru Yellowstone and Arches Nat'l Parks, so it should be a blast. Have a good one in Colorado... I too will be in CO in June for a reunion w/ my 2 brothers, but I'm gonna drive my Mazda3... let the wife have fun w/ the Miata while I'm gone.

Re: Dodge Caravan Prices Paid and Buying Experience [KarenS]

by scoutll on Thu Apr 24 18:18:26 PDT 2008

I posted this in the Town and country thread before I saw the Caravan one, but here it is. I just bought a Grand Caravan SXT with 25L, leather interior group, dual screen video and satellite as the major options. Sticker price was 34,134 including transportation. I ended up paying 25,449.42 after discounts, incentives ect. Another plus, the first three years oil changes are free too (Military Appreciation). I didn't trade in, which made the deal a lot easier to make. I have bought from the dealer before (Minot Chrysler Center in Minot, North Dakota) and have never had an unplesant experiance with them. In over 30 years of buying cars, they are the only dealership where I have always left feeling good about the deal. Just about every other car I have ever bought, I left the dealership feeling "violated" at some level or another.

Re: Did I get a good deal on our new T&C Limited? [captnroger]

by scoutll on Thu Apr 24 17:12:38 PDT 2008

I just bought a Grand Caravan SXT with 25L, leather interior group, dual screen video and satellite as the major options. Sticker price was 34,134 including transportation. I ended up paying 25,449.42 after discounts, incentives ect. I didn't trade in, which made the deal a lot easier to make. I have bought from the dealer before (Minot Chrysler Center in Minot, North Dakota) and have never had an unplesant experiance with them. In over 30 years of buying cars, they are the only dealership where I have always left feeling good about the deal. Just about every other car I have ever bought, I have left the dealership feeling "violated" at some level or another. I think we got a fantastic deal as was yours.">link title

Re: cold temp problem [bmwnightmare]

by strider13 on Mon Mar 10 10:11:51 PDT 2008

I just want to start out that I am SO relieved to find others who feel my pain. I have a 2002 330xi with the same oil separator problem. I live in Minot, ND where we are below freezing almost half of the year and very often get -10F or lower temps in the winter. My car began leaking oil from the top valve cover. BMW told me over the phone that it was most likely a siezed engine oil separator which was not properly exhausting and so was causing overpressure in the engine and thus effectin the leak. The rep started to tell me how much it would cost when I mentioned that my boss had a problem with the same part. Only then did he mentioned that BMWNA knows about the problem and covers people on a case by case basis based on ownership history and maintenance records. I have the car used and some of the inspections/oil changes were done by the owner. So with my limited documentation BMW agreed to charge warranty rates for parts/labor and split the cost after that. So I ended up paying $500 for the upgraded parts which include more insulation and wider orifices so that water does not pool and freeze there. I was NOT happy considering BMW has known about the problem for at least 7 years and should have issued a recall long ago. They tell you the car is off warranty but that doesn't sit well with me considering they knew about the issue while it was on warranty and did nothing. I can also offer some more background on the problem. My boss actually has the same car as me but he has a 2003. The dealership told me that there are actually 2 different ways the oil separator can fail. If it siezes in closed position you get overpressure and valve cover leakage. If it siezes the other way you get catastrophic failure which includes all of your engine oil shooting out the back tailpipe. This actually happened to my boss and stranded his wife on the interstate. He had good documentation and he was fully covered. The funny thing that really deflates BMW's "good maintenance claim" is that he had a newer car with all maintenance records from certified dealerships and his car failed worse than mine which had DIY work done on it. Furthermore his car is garage kept and mine isn't. Even after all this his car just recently suffered the same fate again! BMW just came out with another fix to the problem, now they include a temperature sensor and a heated manifold. I guess only time will tell if this is effective. I don't think they had this fix 5 months ago when I got mine fixed. Anyway he called dealership and TOLD them they were going to ship car to Minneapolis (the closest dealership), pay for his rental, fix car and ship it back.....and they did. Now my car is once again leaking (it seems to be fine until temps go below approx -10) and when I explained it to a service guy at a dealership he immediately diagnosed it as a failed separator. When I called to have it replaced with the newly designed manifold I was told that they would have to have the car there first to diagnose. Additionally I was told they didn't even have time to deal with my car at the moment because they had so many other people dealing with the same issue. The service guy told me literally they had had 35 dead cars brought in that week alone due to the cold weather separator failure. This is a huge problem that BMW is well aware of. The sad thing is they don't put the word out unless you know about the issue beforehand. I called some import repair places in the Minneapolis area and they all told me that they replace dozens of separator parts each winter from people with the same problem. So all these people are unknowingly paying out of pocket for something that BMW should be alerting them to and paying for. I am so pissed at BMW right now, if they don't fix my car and cover all associated expenses [to include rentals] I will put this issue on every forum I can find, report it to the Better Bussiness Bureau, the local news. Anything I can do to return the ass pain BMW has sent in my direction. They can say the car is off warranty and i'm not lawyer but something has to be said for selling and MARKETING a car with all-wheel drive towards people in the snow belt and with a "cold weather package" and knowing at the same time that the the car in fact is no good in extreme cold weather. If you know anything else about this issue that can help to further this cause please let me know.