Notable eco-cars (old & new) spotted in the wild: post your pics!

[War_Wagon]

Hmmm. My advice is free, so take it for what it's worth. But, in the wholesale world, that car is scrap value. We all know it's a sweet ride, but I have to rescue all sorts of cool eco-cars from the crusher at the auctions, because most people don't get that they have a value. There is no money in that stuff from a new car dealership's point of view. And really, I lose money on all the ones I save, but at least they go to good homes ha ha. If you follow it to an auction, then you will end up paying auction fees. You want to avoid that if you can, sometimes they are more than the cost of the car. Dealers don't want to have to deal with selling it off their lot, then having someone come back and complain that the stereo doesn't pick up their favorite station etc, not for the few bucks they will make on it. Plus, in all likelihood it's just taking up space, unless they have a huge lot. The last thing you want is for someone there to Google "Metro XFi", and see that it is something desirable. Because their next stop will be eBay to see what it's worth. Show up with cash, say you just need a cheap beater and won't come back and bother them if the transmission, or the brakes, or the CV joints are out of it and they will never see it or hear about it again. I don't know the market in your area, but like I said they didn't pay much for it, so pick a number that you think would be a good deal and show up with it in $20 bills. You want $20s because the wad looks bigger than it would in $100's ha ha. Good luck!

[Fat Charlie]

Originally Posted by War_Wagon

Show up with cash, say you just need a cheap beater and won't come back and bother them if the transmission, or the brakes, or the CV joints are out of it and they will never see it or hear about it again.

+1. Offer to buy the beater as is. It'll take a problem off their hands.

[Insight for life]

Thanks for the advice I think I will try this approach!

[PressEnter[]]

I got passed by a Geo Metro on the highway today. It had mailbox-type lettering on the back saying "44 mpg." Didn't seem all that ambitious, to me

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by War_Wagon

Hmmm. My advice is free, so take it for what it's worth. [snip] Good luck!

Excellent. The only thing I don't see in there is they may be more amenable as we approach the end of the month. [ ]True [ ]Untrue?

Insight for life -- Let us know how this turns out.

[War_Wagon]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Excellent. The only thing I don't see in there is they may be more amenable as we approach the end of the month. [ ]True [ ]Untrue?

Month end isn't quite the same as "time in inventory", but it's a good rule of thumb. The sales people will get paid on a regular basis, i.e. every 2 weeks or whatever their setup is. So to them, they want to close a deal near the end of the month, as their commission will show up on their next cheque. But to the sales manager, he has a time frame to sell stuff within. Usually its either 30, 60, or 90 days. So if that Metro got taken in on the 12th of the month, as much as the salesperson wants to sell it by the 30th, to the boss it's not something that has to go until 30/60/90 days later. So, the salesperson will be more on your side at the end of the month, but their boss is the guy that has the power to fire sale the thing, and he might not be in a rush. And never, ever, buy a car from a dealership on a weekend. Tuesday ish is when you want to make an offer. Most people buy cars on a weekend, so by mid week the salespeople are getting hungry for a sale, so they will work harder for you. Just my 2 cents. The salesman sells you on the car, the sales manager sells you on the price. In this case, you are already sold on the car, so the sales manager is who you need to work on. He wants to move as many cars as he can, with the least amount of grief from unhappy customers. Having cash and saying you won't be an unhappy customer is the route I would go with if I were you. Good luck!

[War_Wagon]

Anyone seen anything cool lately? I haven't, not even one of the usual eco-cars I usually see. I picked up a clean '95 Civic coupe, black with grey interior and 209k KMs for a friend that needed some wheels, but it was an automatic so I didn't bother with pics. There is a rat-bagged '92ish Civic hatch that I keep seeing that has VX wheels on the front but not the back, and it's so trashed that you can't read the decal on the back anymore anyway. I sure hope it's not a VX, that'd just be a shame ha ha.

[mechman600]

Originally Posted by War_Wagon

Anyone seen anything cool lately?

A couple Teslas, if those can be considered eco. I blew by one on the freeway between Burnaby and Coquitlam - I was on my bike in the HOV lane. I gave him a giant (dorky?) thumbs up (with my left hand to him on my right side to avoid letting go of the throttle). He gave me a nod of approval. It was a moment for sure.

[Nevyn]

I passed a truckload of Model S sedans yesterday. Took me a moment to recognize them, as they were partially wrapped, it was raining, and there was one really SPECIAL vehicle in the middle of the car-carrier that really threw me.

Car-carrier had 7 Model S sedans, all surrounding...
...
...
...
...
...an old, orange VW vanagon.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by War_Wagon

Anyone seen anything cool lately?

Not really. At this point I see a couple Teslas, and several Volts and Leafs every week. They've stopped being "notable" for me.