Locate an Auto Repair Shop in Lincoln City, Oregon

Lincoln City, OR Car Consumer Discussions

Re: the fun of living in a small state [dallasdude1]

by dallasdude1 on Thu Sep 18 21:13:34 PDT 2008

McCain: The Most Reprehensible of the Keating Five The story of "the Keating Five" has become a scandal rivaling Teapot Dome and Watergate By Tom Fitzpatrick published: November 29, 1989 You're John McCain, a fallen hero who wanted to become president so desperately that you sold yourself to Charlie Keating, the wealthy con man who bears such an incredible resemblance to The Joker.Subject(s): John Mc John McCain, Keating FiveObviously, Keating thought you could make it to the White House, too. He poured $112,000 into your political campaigns. He became your friend. He threw fund raisers in your honor. He even made a sweet shopping-center investment deal for your wife, Cindy. Your father-in-law, Jim Hensley, was cut in on the deal, too. Nothing was too good for you. Why not? Keating saw you as a prime investment that would pay off in the future. So he flew you and your family around the country in his private jets. Time after time, he put you up for serene, private vacations at his vast, palatial spa in the Bahamas. All of this was so grand. You were protected from what Thomas Hardy refers to as "the madding crowd." It was almost as though you were already staying at a presidential retreat. Like the old song, that now seems "Long ago and far away." Since Keating's collapse, you find yourself doing obscene things to save yourself from the Senate Ethics Committee's investigation. As a matter of course, you engage in backbiting behavior that will turn you into an outcast in the Senate if you do survive. They say that if you put five lobsters into a pot and give them a chance to escape, none will be able to do so before you light the fire. Each time a lobster tries to climb over the top, his fellow lobsters will pull him back down. It is the way of lobsters and threatened United States senators. And, of course, that's the way it is with the Keating Five. You are all battling to save your own hides. So you, McCain, leak to reporters about who did Keating's bidding in pressuring federal regulators to change the rules for Lincoln Savings and Loan. When the reporters fail to print your tips quickly enough--as in the case of your tip on Michigan Senator Donald Riegle--you call them back and remind them how important it is to get that information in the newspapers. The story of "the Keating Five" has become a scandal rivaling Teapot Dome and Watergate. The outcome will be decided, not in a courtroom, but probably on national television. Those who survive will be the sociopaths who can tell a lie with the most sincere, straight face. You are especially adept at this. Last Friday night, on The John McLaughlin Show, which features well-known Washington journalists, the subject of the Keating Five was discussed. Panelist Jack Germond suggested that three of the Keating Five were probably already through in politics. So you spend your days desperately trying to make sure you will be one of the survivors. You keep volunteering to go on radio and television stations to protest your innocence. Last week you made ABC's Nightline. Not long before that you somehow managed to get James Kilpatrick, the national columnist, to write a favorable paragraph about you. Last Sunday morning, you made it to national television again; this time on ABC's This Week With David Brinkley. You smiled at the panel with your usual studied insouciance. Sitting next to you was Senator John Glenn of Ohio. Brinkley, Sam Donaldson, and George Will were the interrogators. It was a sobering scene. There you sat with Glenn, both sweating before the cameras, waiting to answer questions: two badly tarnished American icons. No one forgets that Glenn was the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth. You won't let anyone forget that you were a prisoner of war. But you have played that tune too long. By now your constant reminders about your war record make you seem like a modern version of Arthur Miller's tragic failure Willy Loman. Clearly, both you and Glenn sold your fame for Charles Keating's money. It was a Faustian bargain. It was also a bad joke on the rest of us and a disaster for many old people who lost their life's savings to Keating. The money was never really Keating's to give. But he never would have got his hands on it if you and the rest of the Keating Five didn't halt the government takeover for two long years while Keating's people continued their looting. And now, the tab for the Savings and Loan heist must be paid from taxpayer pockets. On Sunday, Senators Dennis DeConcini, Alan Cranston, and Riegle refused offers to appear on the Brinkley show. What must we make of that? You, the closest of them to Keating and the deepest in his debt, have chosen the path of the hard sell. You may even make it out of the pot, but to many, your protestations of innocence taste like gall. You are determined to bluff your way. You will stick to your story that you were acting to help a constituent and intended to do nothing improper. The very fact you attended the meeting makes you guilty, just as every man who entered the Brinks vault went to prison. You insist that an accounting firm Keating hired told you Lincoln was sound. Alan Greenspan, who Keating also hired, wrote a report saying it was sound. Why shouldn't you believe the people Keating hired? You were, after all, fellow employees. Perhaps you might silence your own conscience about all this someday. Just keep telling everyone that it was your wife's money invested in that shopping center with Keating and that you knew nothing about it. Keep saying that cynical newspaper people don't understand that every move you make has always been for the enrichment of Arizona . . . the education of our Native Americans on the reservations . . . for the love of the elderly in Sun City and Green Valley. Keep telling them that it wasn't that you were bought off but that Charlie Keating got special help only because he was one of the biggest employers in the state. Just keep sitting there and staring into the camera and denying that Keating bought you for money and jet plane trips and vacations. So what if he gave you $112,000? Just keep smiling at the cameras and saying you did nothing wrong. Maybe the voters will understand you took those tiring trips to Charlie's place in the Bahamas in their behalf. Certainly, they can understand you wanted to take your family along. A senator deserves to travel on private jets, removed from the awful crush of public transportation. You sought out a master criminal like Keating and became his friend. Now you've discarded him. It shouldn't be surprising that you are now in the process of selling out your senatorial accomplices. You're John McCain, clearly the guiltiest, most culpable and reprehensible of the Keating Five. But you know the power of television a

Saccucci Honda vs Honda of America Latest News

by joconnor on Thu Sep 11 11:57:19 PDT 2008

Honda's family squabble Using hints from Honda field reps, a small Rhode Island dealership began taking service contract business away from Honda stores around the country. Guess who got mad. Kathy Jackson Automotive News | September 8, 2008 - 12:01 am EST PROVIDENCE, R.I. — There was something about young, apple-cheeked Gardiner Reynolds that Honda field reps liked. A couple of them took the energetic, Gen Y computer whiz under their wings. In the process, they helped Reynolds save his grandmother's small, struggling Rhode Island auto dealership, Saccucci Honda. Reynolds, now 28, oversees one of the nation's top-selling retail Web sites for Honda parts and accessories. Another site he launched at Saccucci Honda may be the No. 1 retailer of Honda-backed extended warranties. These days, the little dealership can hold its own with much larger stores. It sells a huge number of service contracts at cost and rakes in factory bonus money based on volume. The Honda execs were so impressed with the kid's online operation — which has only two employees — that they brought executives from Japan to see for themselves. American Honda Finance Corp.'s finance and insurance zone manager once stood up at a dealer meeting and called Saccucci Honda's Internet business: "American capitalism at its best." But not everyone was thrilled. When several big Honda dealerships around the country began to complain about losing business to Saccucci's Web site, Honda got the message. The automaker put a stop to the online sales of Honda-backed warranties. Saccucci sued and now the dispute is in court. Monthly supplements Internet sales have provided a nice niche for Saccucci Auto Group. Here’s how the dollars are flowing from cyberspace. WEB SITE WHAT IT SELLS MONTHLY REVENUES hondapartsdeals.com Honda parts and accessories $200,000-300000 myhondawarranty.com Honda extended warranties $200,000 myfordwarranty.com Ford/Lincoln Mercury extended warranties $60,000 The answer: The Web Saccucci Honda hasn't had it easy this decade. Honda is having a good year, but the dealership's sales and profit margins on sales of new vehicles are dropping. The family-owned dealership has a tiny customer base on the island city of Middletown, R.I., with a population of 16,000. And right down the road, Boston-based Ernie Boch operates the largest Honda dealership in the country — famous throughout New England for ubiquitous TV commercials urging customers to "come on down" for the deals. Saccucci Honda's owners — 83-year-old Cora Saccucci and her two daughters, Barbara, 56, and Carol, 53 — are a conservative bunch. For years, they knew only one way to do business — the old-fashioned way. Then in 2006, Honda executives began applying pressure. In letters to the Saccuccis, they complained about the dealership's lack of working capital and the store's outdated facility, which also houses a Lincoln Mercury franchise. Automotive News http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080908/ANA0... 1 of 4 9/11/2008 14:55 The Saccucci women worried and began looking for an answer. It turned out to be right under their noses: Barbara's son Gardiner, a 2003 computer science graduate from Providence College. The field reps took an immediate liking to Reynolds. They had begun pushing dealers to turn to e-commerce — and the kid seemed to have the right stuff. "Honda would bring people in from Japan and say, 'Look what this kid has done,' " Barbara Saccucci said during court testimony here last month. "We make very little if any net profit on new and used-car sales. With Gardiner, I felt we were on the right track to enter the new millennium." ENLARGE Computer whiz Gardiner Reynolds, the son of one of the dealership owners, capitalized on Internet sales to expand the tiny store's customer base. Photo credit: NEAL HAMBERG Vital to bottom line But after complaints from Honda's National Dealer Advisory Board, the automaker decided that beginning April 1, it would prohibit Honda and Acura dealers from selling Honda-backed extended service contracts online. On March 28, Saccucci Honda won a temporary restraining order. The dealer council says Saccucci's low-priced online contracts were undercutting other dealers' in-house sales of service contracts and damaging the brand image. Barbara Saccucci says the online sales keep her in business. "Honda has a pump-in, pump-out list that shows where we have sold out of market and where others have sold in," she says. "We lose sales to other markets all of the time, so we have to work hard on the phone and the Internet to bring in sales. "This is an important part of our bottom line," she adds. "We may have to reconsider keeping the franchise if they take" away the online sales. Saccucci Auto Group was founded in the 1950s by Cora's husband, Michael Saccucci, who died in 1984. Michael was the general manager of a Lincoln Mercury store in nearby Newport, R.I. He acquired the franchise from the owner and in 1968, bought 5.5 acres in Middletown and moved the Lincoln Mercury store to the site. The Honda franchise was added in 1978. These days, the store sells about 80 to 100 new and used Hondas monthly and has 53 employees in the small, aging Automotive News http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080908/ANA0... 2 of 4 9/11/2008 14:55 dealership. Cora, working alongside her husband, handled jobs in all parts of the dealership and brought in the girls to keep it a family affair. Each of the women owns one-third of the business. "My husband always told me he would die before me," says Cora, an octogenarian who comes to the store every day. "He told me not to ever take on a partner and, if I do sell the franchise, to keep the land," which court records show is valued at nearly $3 million. The three women hope to pass the franchise on to Reynolds and his 23-year-old cousin, Michael Meyer, Carol's son and the store's sales manager. Building business "When Gardiner came to the business, he knew how to make the Internet work," Barbara said. "Everybody at Honda and at the dealership were happy because they knew this was a new revenue source." Reynolds started in sales when he joined the dealership out of college. According to court testimony, he soon came under the mentoring of Dan Enderley, the dealership's parts and service rep from American Honda. Enderley "felt the Internet was the future; he lit that fire in me," Reynolds said. "He came by often and would take me out to lunch. He knew we were small and thought we were too caught up in the family dealership. He thought the Internet could help us compete with bigger stores." Under Enderley's tutelage, Reynolds launched Hondapartsdeals.com in May 2004. The Web site initially sold only accessories. The next year, Reynolds added Honda's entire parts business, which brings in $200,000 to $300,000 a month. That's the same amount the dealership sells in parts a

Re: Should I purchase a Lincoln LS or Not [steph13]

by akirby on Thu Aug 28 07:55:03 PDT 2008

Expect around 17 city, 25-26 hwy but that's on premium. Not a huge difference, but not small either. That price sounds a bit high - I think you could get a better one for less than that. 2000 was the first year and had some teething problems (heated seat elements, window regulators, etc.). A 2001 would be better and a 2002 would be better still. Expect to replace the COPs (coil on plugs) and possibly the valve cover gaskets (some leak, some don't). Front swaybar and ball joints also at some point. They're solid cars though and the overall costs are still lower than other comparable vehicles. You'll love it.

Should I purchase a Lincoln LS or Not

by steph13 on Thu Aug 28 07:25:27 PDT 2008

Hello I found a Lincoln LS 2000 with 61,000 miles for 8900. My concern is the maintenance and gas mileage. I am trading a 96 pontaic Sunfire and I get 29 miles to a gallon highway and 19 city regular unleaded. I concerned that the Lincoln may cost me a lot more in maintenance and gas. I expect some increase but I worry rather it will be a large increase. Open to opinions

Alright, Enough...

by kapaaian on Sun Aug 24 19:39:08 PDT 2008

I've got to dispell a few things here that are just plain wrong and misguided. First, I'm a master certified Mazda Salesperson and inventory manager at my dealership. Been with Mazda for almost three years, had two first gen mazda 6's and wife has a cx-7. Okay, here we go... A. Fuel Economy. Mazda owners. Raise you hands. Okay, what's the 2009 standard EPA rating on your car? (I'm just gonna use hwy numbers because that's what most people care about and I don't feel like doing this twice) 2.0 mazda 3: 30 MPG Highway (yes, they took away another), Cx-7? 22 hwy (AWD). Mazda5: 27 hwy. Last numbers on a first gen 6? 28 hwy. What do all those numbers have in common? Oh, that's right, they are widely inaccurate. Every mazda3 owner I know of get's at least 33 mpg hwy, and most i model people get 35-38. CX-7's get about 25. Mazda5's 30 and first gen 6's 30+. Oh, and all of these numbers are going 65-70, not 60. For some godforsaken reason, Mazda's just do plain terribly on the EPA tests, but more than make up for it in real life. Check out Consumer Reports MPG numbers on a mazda3. They're identical to a civic, even with more power. Now trust me, as a salesperson, it makes me furious. I have to tell every customer that "EPA numbers are A and B, but in real life most people get C and D. For some reason...." The prime reason why? Mazda doesn't build a car around gas mileage. The civic and corolla are cars engineered to maximize those epa numbers. I invite you to tell me a single advantage either has versus a mazda3 other than that. *listens. Hears pin drop* Exactly. As for the new6? Well, my dealer trade run (yeah, first one I sold I had to get from another dealership....) turned in a fuel econ of 30 for the trip there, city included. On just a freeway test (get cruise set to 65, reset trip comp) I got 35 through hills. On flat surfaces, a lot more. Just give the fuel econ time people. You're going to hear some absurd numbers come out on the 4cyl. As for the V6, I'll end up settling at about 27 hwy from what I've seen early on. B. Steering. Honestly, I don't think some of you have driven the car, or you haven't driven a brand new first gen 6 in a long time. I still drive them everyday. The steering feel on the 4 cyl is almost exactly the same, and the v6 is, if anything, heavier. You want to know why it feels lighter? Well, it's really simple. They shaved off about 3 feet from the turning circle! So, with the same amount of effort, since they didn't change the amount of turns of the steering wheel lock to lock, the car turns about 8% more quickly. Trust me, I've almost hit things on the lot, not because the car is bigger, but because it turns so much tighter. I expect one reaction, and get another. That is why it feels "lighter". Anyone who thinks they're 2005 Mazda6 with 50k on it is going to have the same steering reponse and weight as a 2008 with 10 miles on it is delusional. c. Sun visor. As someone suggested, there aren't little cheep plastic extenders. The entire visor moves outward and lines up perfectly with the rake of the windshield. D. Convenience pack. okay, I only recently figured out the point of this. It wasn't for penalizing people who wanted leather or anything like that. It was to give people in hot climates, and those who wanted a little bit more sportiness without leather an option. The conv pack basically gives you most of the GT options for 1500 dollars less. You get Auto Xenons, Bluetooth, Blind spot, autodimming outside mirrors, rain sensing wipes, duel zone auto ac, and ground illumination and the half/half seats. No full leather, no heated seats, no memory seats, and contrary to what Mazdausa says, no heated outside mirrors (unless they just leave the icon they have on the GT off, which makes no sense). All for 1600 dollars. Wow, what a rip off. Not. So if someone in florida, california or NV wants a fully loaded car, but dreads leather, oh, wow, on a mazda6 they can pretty much get that, and they don't have to buy heating options they don't need. E. Engines. HP/ liter is such a meaningless point, I almost forgot. First, anyone who says mazda doesn't know how to get HP/liter needs to remember that they have the normally aspirated engine with the most power per liter period. Second, the 3.7 (and 3.5) has been lauded by everyone everywhere. The only complaints it get's in Ford Products are for the crappy tranny it's mated to. Read up on the Mazda6 tranny. It is just as advanced as a CVT in many ways. Active adaptive. And yes, if you run regular in something that says premium recomended, you get worse MPG AND Performance. Try it in a CX-7. Run regular, get 22 mpg. Run Premium, get 25+. That's also the bloody point. Does anyone know here what octane is/does? Basically, it's a rating of fuel's resistance to combust from pressure, not the spark. That's why turbo's usually need it. You compress more fuel and air, the gas is more likely to go off early and screw things up. So the vaunted Nissan 3.5 is basically using a higher compression ratio coupled with the higher octane to fit 3.7 or 3.8 liters of normal pressure into a 3.5. So no, it's not more efficient. That is also why in the Lincoln MKS, the 3.7 is able to put out just a little bit extra power than the 6. It just raises that compression ratio and asks for premium like every other luxury car. So all the test numbers for the Nissan go out the window without premium, and the 6 whoops it around the track even more. F. Sportiness. Get a grip. The Mazda still feels better than the Altima. No, it's not a Mazdaspeed6 which is I think what all the enthusiast were hoping for. Here's what it is. It is the car with the second most interior volume, with (thus far) the best track numbers for V6 and second best 4 cyl (to a turbo 4), it has the biggest trunk, by far the most available features, and doesn't sacrifice anything. When I sell the things, I don't even bring up Camry or Accord unless they do. And when they do, I say it actually is closer to a 2008 acura tl. Cept the 6 has more stuff for a few g's less. So in summation, is it a Mazdaspeed? No, that'll come in 2011, but it is the sportiest, quickest, most complete and future proof mid size non-luxury car on the market, bar none.

Re: Used 07 C230 [qbrozen]

by rellware on Thu Aug 21 08:53:20 PDT 2008

Good morning qbrozen, thank u for responding. Yes i was unaware of what it was called (surging) until Tues Aug. 19th after reading the dealerships copy of the paperwrk. (This was not noted on my copy???). I have reported this problem for (3)yrs now by describing what it sounds & feels like. I even noted how the lgts tend to dim & how the ac or heater power dulls when this happens but for the past 3 yrs i was told by the dlrshp that nothing happened when they test drove the veh. I disputed their findings & confirmed what was happening just by starting the vhe in frt of them. It sounds like a put put once it's running for a while, on the start up it sounds like it's taking deep breaths gasping for air & after going over 45 for any length of time it gets worse. I haven't driven on the hwy for over a year because it will shutr off once i'm back to drvg thru the city & have @ times found myself putting the veh in neutral when stopped & lightly rev'g the gas so no-one hears it. But if your in the veh its putts causing the occupants to slightly bounce fwd & back. Let me not forget the smell they claimed they never smelled before my warranty ran. rgt after my warranty ran it was checked for the smell & wrk was done @ my expense even though it was an ongoing problem. The dlrshp @ one point had my veh longer than I had it avail to me to drive I've paid just as much in repr costs as i have for the veh itself. I've never had a veh give me problems like this, none the less straight out the gate. Prev vehs owned: Lincoln Town car, Chevy cavalier, Corvette and a Chrysler Sebring.