The Ford thread got me to thinking about corporate cultures and basic human values. A couple of years ago my 87 year old father was in the market to buy a vehicle to haul his recumbent bicycle to the river path where he liked to ride it. His GM pickup worked but he was looking for something new and also looking for the rebate from the feds for hybrid/plug in vehicles. He settled on a new Pacifica hybrid. Fold the seats into the floor and a low deck to load his bicycle. He paid cash for the vehicle after very little muss or fuss at the dealership. When he got it home my younger brother questioned his wisdom of buying an FCA product and something that wasn't AWD. My dad in his old age is somewhat suggestible so he called the dealership and they agreed to take the vehicle back and returned my dads check. My brother suggested a RAV4 hybrid and my dad went off to the Toyota dealer. He arrived when the dealership opened in the morning like old folks who get up at 5am are prone to do. They kept him at the dealership until 7pm "negotiating". He wrote the check and came home with his new vehicle. He was pretty happy about it for about a day until he went to load his bike into it. There wasn't any way to haul the bike in the vehicle without its partial disassembly. The main reason for his purchase was to make his life easier, not harder. He called the Toyota dealership and asked about returning the vehicle. They told him to pound sand. There are a coupe of lessons in my story. First off, my father should bring along someone else when he goes to make these larger purchases. Secondly, my brother is a moron. He didn't need AWD. His GM pickup is 4WD and available if he ever needed to get around in deep snow which is rare where he lives. The final lesson is that the old man needed to get a little bit more internet smart. The online dealership reviews repeatedly had condemnation for this particular Toyota dealership in all aspects of its operation. There is enough blame to go around in this tale. He still has the RAV4 and likes it. My other brother installed a hitch and platform to accommodate the bicycle so as to ease his burden of hauling the bike. I suppose everyone has personal vendettas against all types of various venues. I hate Ford with a passion which is funny because prior to 1990 I was a true blue Ford fan. Just goes to show that a little bit of good will can go a long way. The old man is now talking about a new truck to replace his '05 GMC. I suggested a Toyota and the fight was on.
Elder abuse.
- Thread starter sloinker
- Start date
Getting involved in these internecine squabbles is never a good thing. I learned the hard way.
There are a lot of things to give thanks for on this day of turkey and introspection.
87
Financially sound
Multiple vehicles
Out there riding bike
Buying new vehicles
Friend of mine is a funeral director and uses his Pacifica as his family and work hauler.
87
Financially sound
Multiple vehicles
Out there riding bike
Buying new vehicles
Friend of mine is a funeral director and uses his Pacifica as his family and work hauler.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
Good thing he returned the Chrysler he would of been broke in repairs. I would have gotten a RAV4 but it wouldn’t be a hybrid one. But I’m glad he has grown to like it and figured out a way to transport his bike.
"4 WD, one of the most over-rated features ever..."
I never tried to put it into a sentence but the term might be, "under-needed" not "over-rated".
I chatted with a bunch of young bucks all driving 4WD pick-ups. I told them when I was a kid all the small dairy farms were working (Champlain Valley-New York State) and that NOBODY had 4WD. Only "well crews" or right-of-way guys had 4WD.
They said things are different now in that many have built homes up behind the old houses and those long driveways alone are reason enough for 4WD.
Then there was the time a friend's kid went off a road and into a park drunk and slid sideways into a tree.
4WD got him out before anything blue came by.
I never tried to put it into a sentence but the term might be, "under-needed" not "over-rated".
I chatted with a bunch of young bucks all driving 4WD pick-ups. I told them when I was a kid all the small dairy farms were working (Champlain Valley-New York State) and that NOBODY had 4WD. Only "well crews" or right-of-way guys had 4WD.
They said things are different now in that many have built homes up behind the old houses and those long driveways alone are reason enough for 4WD.
Then there was the time a friend's kid went off a road and into a park drunk and slid sideways into a tree.
4WD got him out before anything blue came by.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
Here’s my rating:
80% of folks I pulled out had 2WD
20% of folks I pulled out had 4WD
Seems like everyone is a victim in your mind sheesh...
How about the brother who suggested the tiny rav4 is an idiot?
Not the dealers fault for selling a vehicle that the customer requested....?
How about the brother who suggested the tiny rav4 is an idiot?
Not the dealers fault for selling a vehicle that the customer requested....?
Nothing wrong with making a recommendation. But poking you're neck into his busisness after he bought the car is going too far.
Not every chrysler is a steaming pile and not every toyota or Honda are great.
Scarring him so that he returns a car is just wrong.
Not every chrysler is a steaming pile and not every toyota or Honda are great.
Scarring him so that he returns a car is just wrong.
Seems things worked out ok though. The Rav4 hybrid is probably the more reliable option. We were considering the pacifica hybrid a couple years ago but they had a lot of serious issues once I did more research. Also I dont think the Pacifica hybrid has the same stow and go seats that the regular Pacifica has because of using that space for batteries.
There is a transition period when a elderly person needs help but they are too independent or don’t want to admit they need the help. Family is the first stop. They need to recognize the signs.
My elderly neighbor just wrecked his Toyota a couple of weeks ago. He decided to buy a new Toyota. Fortunately his daughter went with him. The new car has lots of new features that she set up and explained to him but I can tell he is still not used to things like the lights staying on after he turns off the car and locks the door. He seems to be catching on though.
My elderly neighbor just wrecked his Toyota a couple of weeks ago. He decided to buy a new Toyota. Fortunately his daughter went with him. The new car has lots of new features that she set up and explained to him but I can tell he is still not used to things like the lights staying on after he turns off the car and locks the door. He seems to be catching on though.
I hate that stuff.
No elder abuse your dad has free choice at age 87. They’ll take back in trade if he wants to do the new car thing. Carnac seems like a way better place for a person in this position and flipping decision. Good luck !
Heck, I ski more than 20 days a year and skipped 4x4 on my truck.
It’s too big to really go off-road. I get along fine with a newish set of Blizzaks.
There are certain fairly specialized applications where 4x4 is useful, such as a farm truck that operates on muddy roads.
Buying 4x4 because you don’t want to bother changing to snow tires in winter is bad. On the other hand, you pretty much recapture the value at trade-in time if you trade in every few years which is more than you can say about most options.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Nothing quite like the mindless regurgitation of speculation and hyperbole to really add some substance to a thread
Client and friend of mine has a Pacifica PHEV and is very fond of it. It's had I believe one recall, but not been unreliable. He's also an accountant. His summer car is a 3-series bimmer, so cue the Euro-bashing. All we need is some shots at GM and Ford and we've got a full-on BITOG pile-on party.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
LOL. I have worked on too many Pacifica’s to trust or like them.Nothing quite like the mindless regurgitation of speculation and hyperbole to really add some substance to a thread
Client and friend of mine has a Pacifica PHEV and is very fond of it. It's had I believe one recall, but not been unreliable. He's also an accountant. His summer car is a 3-series bimmer, so cue the Euro-bashing. All we need is some shots at GM and Ford and we've got a full-on BITOG pile-on party.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
The recent Pacifica minivan or the old crossover one? The current gen has only been in manufacture for a few years now, so most should still be under warranty and as far as I know, you didn't work at an FCA dealership.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
The crossover ones.
