Hey all,
Just thought I'd introduce myself with a little background about why I'm posting here, of course :laugh:
My posts always end up longer than planned so here's the TL;DR:
- Swung a two car deal for a fully loaded Tucson and Genesis Coupe. Two cars, so far from each other on every spectrum imaginable, but so suitable for their drivers.
And here are is the long ass story:
My better half needed a new vehicle...badly. Anything, really, to replace the tired, oxidized Chevy Cavalier she'd been bobbing around in since college. After 12 years and 220,000 miles that car had given all it could and it was clearly time to hunt for fresh rubber. Nissan's offering 0% financing so we figured, what the hell? Let's test drive a Rogue and see if it hits the spot.
It didn't. But it was enough to whet the appetite, which eventually led us to Hyundai.
The newly redesigned Tucson stood out with its sharp styling, color options, packages, and overall comfort. This thing was so much more vehicle than I anticipated. And so was its price.
Sticker shock blindsided me like a second grader with beanstalk reach and Mike Tyson anger. But thirty-six grand MSRP for a Tucson? Really? Damn.
I guess It didn't really matter since our sales rep didn't wake up until he felt my jaw hit the floor. Pokemon Go is cool and all, but I was dismayed. As a last ditch resort he offered up a bare bones Santa Fe Sport but a level 45 Squirtle and new talent pouring through the front door were clearly his new priorities.
Down for the count, we went home. That orange SUV was sharp. But that blue - that dark, dancing blue bouncing off the white showroom walls - wouldn't let me go. It wasn't from a crossover or another SUV, but from a taught little two door in the corner. The sticker on the front said "15". The sticker on the window said "fully loaded" and "37, dude. Go home."
But I sat in it and I liked it. And I thought...what if? What if things got weird? No, forget it, we have a lot to do today. Let's go home.
Many hours and a wedding later I fired up my little sport sedan, hit the back road gravel, and headed home. Almost immediately the conversation led right back to the elephant in our domestic room: Nissan? Mazda? What about that other car we tried - you clearly enjoyed that one the most, right? What about some pros and cons?
Once home, the lady of the house hit the sack. But I couldn't. I lurked this forum and others. Google was my friend - and my salesman.
Here in Virginia the July sun squats on your face with the force of a thousand turds. And it starts at 6AM. You try to fight it, everyone tries to fight it, but it's a fool's game. Everybody gives in, and so did we.
And so began the next episode of our journey. What's next? I don't think we have anything planned today. Honda and Toyota have some deals. Hmm. The CX-5 was really good, but it was missing some features. The Tucson was great. That coupe was intriguing, if unrealistic.
But what if things got weird? Maybe they could. Maybe we had our magic number.
Today's test drive was scheduled for 12:30. We showed up but our sales rep didn't. Fortunately, his better half did, and he took us seriously. Ten minutes later we had the GC off the floor and on the pavement.
Talk about visceral. Where is sport mode? Oh, it's on by default because what else is there in a car like this? I'd almost forgotten what hydraulic power steering felt like. I'd clearly forgotten what a true sport suspension felt like. This - this car - was like driving a missile.
Saying this car "rides on rails" would gloss over how it spoon feeds the driver everything they need to know about what's going on inside, outside, and under it. The brakes are sharp but linear, the throttle smooth but aggressive. The exhaust note is reminiscent of a Nissan VQ35 or VQ37, but that's hardly a complaint.
Back on the lot Mr. Better Half asked me to park about fifteen times before I finally did. I didn't want to get out. Hell, I didn't even think to ask about what options this car came with before then.
How does the NAV work? What about the parking sensors? At some point I ran out of questions I already knew the answer to. That and that damn July sun sent us inside.
So we ran the numbers and figured out that, when all was said and done, Ms. carderoni should go home with a Burnt Orange Tucson Ultimate. This thing had amenities my Lexus didn't. Nice ride, to say the least.
At that point it was time to get weird with Mr. Better Half. We really liked that Tucson. And that 2015 GC has been on the lot for almost two years and has 92 miles on it. Not a bite. What if we offered to buy both right then, right there? Combined sticker before taxes, tags, and fees was 74K.
Our first offer was rejected and countered. Not unexpected, but that counter was tossed like granny's frozen goose stew.
Let's try again. There we go, now we're in business. Now, just tap, tap, taaaap it in...
What do you mean that offer isn't out the door!?
OK, I didn't really yell like that. It was actually a very cordial affair. And, in the end, we got both cars for 64K out the door, or about 12K off MRSP after tags, taxes, licenses, and fees. Wifey drove home in a beautiful Burnt Orange Tucson AWD Ultimate - whose panoramic moonroof nearly made me stop for a fresh load of Depends - while tomorrow I'll pick up my Ibiza Blue Genesis Coupe 3.8 Ultimate. Pics to follow if that's a thing here or something :grin:
Just thought I'd introduce myself with a little background about why I'm posting here, of course :laugh:
My posts always end up longer than planned so here's the TL;DR:
- Swung a two car deal for a fully loaded Tucson and Genesis Coupe. Two cars, so far from each other on every spectrum imaginable, but so suitable for their drivers.
And here are is the long ass story:
My better half needed a new vehicle...badly. Anything, really, to replace the tired, oxidized Chevy Cavalier she'd been bobbing around in since college. After 12 years and 220,000 miles that car had given all it could and it was clearly time to hunt for fresh rubber. Nissan's offering 0% financing so we figured, what the hell? Let's test drive a Rogue and see if it hits the spot.
It didn't. But it was enough to whet the appetite, which eventually led us to Hyundai.
The newly redesigned Tucson stood out with its sharp styling, color options, packages, and overall comfort. This thing was so much more vehicle than I anticipated. And so was its price.
Sticker shock blindsided me like a second grader with beanstalk reach and Mike Tyson anger. But thirty-six grand MSRP for a Tucson? Really? Damn.
I guess It didn't really matter since our sales rep didn't wake up until he felt my jaw hit the floor. Pokemon Go is cool and all, but I was dismayed. As a last ditch resort he offered up a bare bones Santa Fe Sport but a level 45 Squirtle and new talent pouring through the front door were clearly his new priorities.
Down for the count, we went home. That orange SUV was sharp. But that blue - that dark, dancing blue bouncing off the white showroom walls - wouldn't let me go. It wasn't from a crossover or another SUV, but from a taught little two door in the corner. The sticker on the front said "15". The sticker on the window said "fully loaded" and "37, dude. Go home."
But I sat in it and I liked it. And I thought...what if? What if things got weird? No, forget it, we have a lot to do today. Let's go home.
Many hours and a wedding later I fired up my little sport sedan, hit the back road gravel, and headed home. Almost immediately the conversation led right back to the elephant in our domestic room: Nissan? Mazda? What about that other car we tried - you clearly enjoyed that one the most, right? What about some pros and cons?
Once home, the lady of the house hit the sack. But I couldn't. I lurked this forum and others. Google was my friend - and my salesman.
Here in Virginia the July sun squats on your face with the force of a thousand turds. And it starts at 6AM. You try to fight it, everyone tries to fight it, but it's a fool's game. Everybody gives in, and so did we.
And so began the next episode of our journey. What's next? I don't think we have anything planned today. Honda and Toyota have some deals. Hmm. The CX-5 was really good, but it was missing some features. The Tucson was great. That coupe was intriguing, if unrealistic.
But what if things got weird? Maybe they could. Maybe we had our magic number.
Today's test drive was scheduled for 12:30. We showed up but our sales rep didn't. Fortunately, his better half did, and he took us seriously. Ten minutes later we had the GC off the floor and on the pavement.
Talk about visceral. Where is sport mode? Oh, it's on by default because what else is there in a car like this? I'd almost forgotten what hydraulic power steering felt like. I'd clearly forgotten what a true sport suspension felt like. This - this car - was like driving a missile.
Saying this car "rides on rails" would gloss over how it spoon feeds the driver everything they need to know about what's going on inside, outside, and under it. The brakes are sharp but linear, the throttle smooth but aggressive. The exhaust note is reminiscent of a Nissan VQ35 or VQ37, but that's hardly a complaint.
Back on the lot Mr. Better Half asked me to park about fifteen times before I finally did. I didn't want to get out. Hell, I didn't even think to ask about what options this car came with before then.
How does the NAV work? What about the parking sensors? At some point I ran out of questions I already knew the answer to. That and that damn July sun sent us inside.
So we ran the numbers and figured out that, when all was said and done, Ms. carderoni should go home with a Burnt Orange Tucson Ultimate. This thing had amenities my Lexus didn't. Nice ride, to say the least.
At that point it was time to get weird with Mr. Better Half. We really liked that Tucson. And that 2015 GC has been on the lot for almost two years and has 92 miles on it. Not a bite. What if we offered to buy both right then, right there? Combined sticker before taxes, tags, and fees was 74K.
Our first offer was rejected and countered. Not unexpected, but that counter was tossed like granny's frozen goose stew.
Let's try again. There we go, now we're in business. Now, just tap, tap, taaaap it in...
What do you mean that offer isn't out the door!?
OK, I didn't really yell like that. It was actually a very cordial affair. And, in the end, we got both cars for 64K out the door, or about 12K off MRSP after tags, taxes, licenses, and fees. Wifey drove home in a beautiful Burnt Orange Tucson AWD Ultimate - whose panoramic moonroof nearly made me stop for a fresh load of Depends - while tomorrow I'll pick up my Ibiza Blue Genesis Coupe 3.8 Ultimate. Pics to follow if that's a thing here or something :grin: