Signal Boost: Tempest Buys a Car · 5:00am Nov 10th, 2021
Rules are rules, and scummy as they are, salespony at a car dealership is a job. Actually, let me digress (but later) about that.
For now, what we have here is an unintentional entry into the Not-A-Contest which isn’t related to (but isn’t not related to) my day’s project at the shop which could very well be not a blog entry but a story. With ponies.
Confused? So am I.
Anyway, back on track, here’s the link if you don’t want to read the rest of this blog post:
What we have here is a pony trying to buy a car, and not just anypony but Tempest Shadow. And she’s got an eye set on one particular car, but the salespony doesn’t want to sell it but he’s facing down Tempest Shadow and honestly anybody would crumble under her withering gaze because she’s a pony who could just toss you or the car aside like it was nothing.
It’s also got lots of car facts, which on one hand is kinda distracting and on the other if you’re reading this y’all read my blogs and, well, pot and kettle and all that. Can’t even claim I wouldn’t do the same in a story, some of you read Buttons.
And while I’m not up on the Japanese car scene, if what Tempest bought is what I think it is, well, it suits her quite well. Also bonus points to the author for mentioning a minivan (I’ve currently got three!) and a Foxbody Mustang, a car that both furries and ponies can agree is a car which exists.
*DLC in the comments!
While I mostly buy the cheapest car I can find from whoever, and thus don’t have the full experience, I can relate in short form some tales of buying from a dealership!
My first dealership bought vehicle was a 1978 Chevy C-10 (this was in 1996 or thereabouts). It was on the back lot, it wasn’t washed, they hadn’t cleaned the broken glass out of the bed, and when I seemed vaguely interested in it, they dropped the price by more than 50% to make sure I left with it. That was a good truck.
Some years later I was looking for a cheap car I could chop the roof off for a poor man’s convertible, and they came through again. 1980 Olds Cutlass, recent trade-in, and probably shouldn’t drive it since it likes to catch fire, $150 cash and we’ll loan you a trailer to help tow it off the lot. They even helped push it onto the trailer, which was fantastic.
As it happens, some years later (like 2018?) when I wanted to spend the most money I ever have on a used minivan, I went there and had another good experience.
But not all dealers/sales
poniespeople are cut from the same cloth; I once looked at used cars at a Seelye lot in Kalamazoo with the requirement that whatever they showed me can’t be foreign and can’t be a Ford, and the salesman showed me a purple Ford Ranger they had. Okay, dude, first, it’s purple, second, it’s a Ford.We’ve got this Toyota. . . .
I reiterated my preferences, and he said that they were illogical.
Another dealer (which I only visited ‘cause I was bored and they had a nice sale on) tried to interest me in a Grand Am, but the salesman couldn’t tell me what engine it had, just that it had a good stereo. Honestly could care less about the radio, if it’s bad it’s not that hard to change. The engine is.
Some local dealer had a scammy enough promo that after visiting them I honestly thought of writing “Twilight Burns Down Brighton Ford,” but managed to restrain myself. So far. And as much as Sundance amuses me with their commercials and being an institution in my neck of the woods, the one time I considered buying a well-used car from them it wasn’t the best experience, although in the interest of full disclosure, their social media team is on point, and they quickly responded to my less-than-stellar review.
And since I should end on a positive note, for anyone who didn’t read my Dodge Ram truck buying experience, I went in with the idea that they’d advertised it on Craigslist for a thousand dollars less than the sticker price, and the salesman willingly accepted that number and I ended my Epic Trip Up North which a shiny new (to me) Dodge Ram with little haggling or inconvenience and an appreciation for good salesmen.
5605416
Oh boi do I got a story to share running along these lines
My day has been THOROUGHLY made. I haven't had a story featured anywhere, at least I don't think I have, so this is a huge first. Thank you!
But she didn't buy a Tempest though, did she? rip.
Customer complained about the excessive noise in a 20-footer the other night, so I swapped her out with another truck. I mentioned it to the boss the next morning, and the boss texted back, yeah, broken manifold bolts. I replied, is that bad or really bad?
I'm really not enough of a car person for this job.
...In your shop, or personally? I have no idea what someone would need three minivans for.
Anyway, neat story is neat, thanks for posting about it.
5605466
Storage facilities, tractor mower transport, spare parts, too good to let get scrapped, lawn ornaments, very large mobile toolboxes... the possibilities are endless!
Hm. I might take a look. Thanks, and for the commentary. :)
For the record, I'd read the hell out of Twilight Burns Down Brighton Ford.
5605431
Share it! Everyone wants to know
5605439
You’re welcome! It’s a fun story and I like Tempest being . . . Tempest.
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5605462
She didn’t.
5605465
I’m guessing its a Ford product? It’s not the worst thing, just leaking exhaust ahead of the passenger compartment and maybe an engine fire. Oh, and the fuel trims will probably be wrong.
Heh, just roll with it.
5605466
Personally. 5605468’s got some good guesses, one’s for spares and storage, one’s a backup and is still kinda drivable, and the third is the daily driver. The oldest one is gonna be scrapped when I get around to it, but it’s no big hurry.
You’re welcome!
5605483
5605534
Maybe I will one of these days. I did already write Twilight Burns Down Starbuckers, and this would be similar, honestly.
5605696
(It's been a few months but I'll try to get it right XD)
So my grandmother had gotten a 2021 Kia Sorento STI recently. The salesman was extremely kind and assisted her in getting used to all the flippin' buttons and knobs on the thing. About a month into owning Shadow (named after her long since deceased doggo back in 2002 I think, also the car is black so...), a recall went up for improperly assembled fuel pipes so she hauled down to this POS Kia dealership and lo and behold, the service department fucked around with her. She dragged my ass down to the dealer and instead of the Service Center manager, she got the SAME EXACT SALESPERSON who went to the Service guys and CHEWED them out. Long story short(too late), she didn't need the replacement and she is on the dealership's priority list and she hasn't had many issues since.
5605699
Yeah, all of our fleet are either Ford or Chevy/GMC.
5605534
You won’t believe this, but my co-worker needed warranty work done on his Taurus and he took it to Brighton Ford. He couldn’t pick it up until after hours so they were supposed to leave the key in it and they didn’t. . . .
Maybe it won’t just be one pony burning it down, maybe it’ll be a proper torch mob.
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5605715
Disappointingly, you get that sometimes with the different departments all offering a very different experience. When I worked as a tech at a dealership, there was a fair bit of friction in our department between the service writers and management and techs . . .
I’m glad that her salesperson had her back, though. That’s a good salesperson, a lot of them don’t really care all that much about your experience after they sold the car--she got a good salesperson who really cares about his customers.
5605824
Yeah, the Fords do that. I’ve put a number of exhaust manifolds on them, and one day maybe I’ll write a blog post complaining about it. Couple of weeks ago I did two sets that were both horrible.