Irwin Motors

Pepper · 03-22-2010, 11:42 AM

Well, age and frost heaves took their toll on my '01 Maxima, and for the past month or so I've been scoping out numerous area dealerships and their pre-owned inventory. I spent a lot of time researching the reviews, and examining pricing, etc. This morning I purchased an '07 Ford Edge from Irwin Motors. I had purchased the Maxima there, and so they were the first stop when I began my search. My salesman, Geoff Cunningham was a GEM! He listened to me, and helped me narrow down which vehicles were going to be satisfy my needs and stay within my budget, then patiently explained the various features and benefits of those I chose to test-drive. That was three weeks ago.

When hubby and I stopped by Irwin's on Saturday morning to make our selection, Geoff not only remembered my name, but also exactly which vehicles I had shown interest in. As it was a Saturday and the weather was fine, both showrooms were mobbed with people, and the there was only one finance manager on duty. Since I had to be at work by 2, Geoff suggested that we wait until Monday to finish up, so as not to waste our entire morning.

This morning when we arrived, the car was completely ready to go, and all of our paperwork was underway. Our Finance Manager Dennis Marhefka had us in and out in under 30 minutes, and worked hard to get us the best possible financing rate. He also helped us make decisions regarding extended warranties, gap insurance, etc.

In this economy, the way you treat your customers means the difference between success and failure. Geoff and Dennis KNOW HOW TO TREAT THEIR CUSTOMERS!!! These gentlemen are true professionals, warm and friendly, and truly worked hard to put me in the right vehicle, at the right rate, and with the appropriate coverages for my needs.

So if you're in the market for a new or used vehicle, I wholeheartedly recommend you go see my new friend, Geoff!

... oh and one more thing ... if you see Geoff, tell him I'm deliriously happy with my fabulous Ford Edge!

robmac · 03-22-2010, 11:46 AM

Good luck Pepper with you new Edge.

BroadHopper · 03-22-2010, 11:49 AM

He use to be a reporter for either the Citizen or LADASUN.

Irwin is always looking for sales people.

WeirsBeachBoater · 03-22-2010, 12:11 PM

Broadhopper, Geoff Cunningham Sr. Has been in auto sales in the lakes region for many years, Geoff Jr is the reporter. I know both Geoff and Dennis at Irwins, they are top shelf.

Belmont Resident · 03-22-2010, 05:14 PM

I'm all done with Ford though. I've gotten some good service from Irwins but over all very disappointed with the level of help I've recieved with my 04 super duty over the years.
The best dealership for service for us was Cantins, to bad Banks blew them away on pricing by a lot on the 3 trucks my wife purchased.

Lakesrider · 03-22-2010, 06:46 PM

Yeah good luck on the Service.. Toyota service there sucked for us. I had to bring in my '06 Rav4 for a leaky front cowl that was letting water into the cab. There was a recall on it that we never got. But because the car had over 36K on the odometer they would not cover it. This despite the fact that I had an extended warranty, and they still said no. I could have fixed the problem myself had I known it was going to cost me over $300.00 for them to fix it. (The directions to fix the recall are all on the internet.) So when they sell you a car it is all smiles and yeah I am going to be an Irwin family member. Suuuuure!

The true mark of a good dealership is not sales. It is the service department.

Eagle · 03-22-2010, 06:51 PM

Well, here is my experience with Irwin Motors. I sent this letter to the salesman 16 months ago:

You probably won’t remember me, but I was the person from XXXXXXXX that bought a 2005 Sienna from you in the spring of 2008 when Toyota bought back my Tacoma with the rotted frame.

The Sienna had a problem with the rims peeling and Toyota arranged to refinish the rims in the fall of last year. The process involved your dealership dismounting the tires, sending the rims out to be refinished, and then reinstalling the tires.

As you can see by the attached copies of letters I recently sent to your dealership and to Toyota, I had a rather disturbing experience with this vehicle because of the damage caused to one of the tires by your dealership. I was extremely lucky that this tire did not fail in the middle of an eight mile long, two-lane bridge while driving to PEI.

As I somewhat expected, I never received a reply from either your dealership or from Toyota. Because of this incident, I now will have a major expense to correct the problem cause by your dealership which is totally unjustified and unacceptable.

I want you to know that, since I am being ignored by Irwin Motors and Toyota, I will no longer bring my vehicle for service at your dealership and will instead take it somewhere else for service. While I have always had great respect for Toyota and the vehicles they produce, I will make it a point to never again buy a Toyota product and get rid of this one as soon as possible. It is obvious that neither Toyota or your dealership cares about the satisfaction of their customers. I will also make it a point to publicize this incident on internet forums and to my friends and acquaintances to make them aware of the lack of quality and service of your dealership.

SIKSUKR · 03-23-2010, 08:02 AM

Good luck with that Edge Pepper.I rented a nice looking orange one in January to drive from Ft Lauderdale to Key West.It had more headroom than my Denali which this big guy enjoyed.I liked it a lot.I think you will also.

sa meredith · 03-23-2010, 09:44 AM

Eagle
While I can understand your frustration (assuming your accusation of the dealer damaging your tire is accurate, as opposed to a road hazzard....I'd love to have a nickel for everytime a customer came in to say "I have no idea what happened to my tire", only to see a two inch gash, from the curb they hit) I must say I find it ironic saying you would never buy another Toyota. Full disclosure: I am not a Toyota fan, as I worked for a domestic dealer for 22 years. To me, they have always been the enemy.
Anyway...anyone even remotely familiar with that frame rot recall, knows Toyota STEPPED WAY UP! Did far and away more than they ever had to. Offered 1.5 times the KBB vehicle's value, in a check. Not a voucher to buy another Toyota. You could actually take the check, and say "thanks, bye." Many/most people got 2 to 3 times what their old vehicle would ever had been worth. And some were 10/11 year old vehicles, where frame rot would have been normal anyway. In the industry, their recall is regarded as the most "customer friendly" of all time. A measure of good will that went above and beyond.
While your frustration over the damaged tire is understandable, you may have lost sight of the "big picture". The reason you went and bought in the first place, was due to Toyota's good will.
On another note...this seems strange. Are we to understand you went there right away, showed them the tire and damage, and they said, "sorry, not interested?"
Letters don't always work best. You simply have no idea of the volume of false accusations/ basless lawsuits that a dealer is hit with on a weekly basis.
With regard to tires...my experience was, over 90% of tire damaged that customers claimed they had no idea what happened, were caused by road hazzard. 90%! But, who wants to pay for their own tire when the dealer can be scammed into doing it.
Did you take this damaged tire to the dealer, state what you believe caused it, and discuss the matter?

Pepper..we have had two Edges since they came out in 2007, and they have been far and away our favorite vehicles..out of over 20 Fords in the past 15 years or so.
Great riding car.
The only issue woth the 2007, was a slight issue with the cooling system. Keep an eye on your temp gauge, and be wary of the sweet smell of anti freeze. It was not a recall, but rather a dealership TSB (Technical service bulliten) as it affected a very small percentage of vehicles. The fix is quick and very minor.

Eagle · 03-23-2010, 10:02 AM

SA, when this happened I had to buy a replacement tire on PEI. Since they didn't have run-flats I bought a regular tire which I am still using. The mechanic at the tire shop where I bought the tire told me that the bad tire had a damaged bead which was done at a previous service. I could not bring the damaged tire back with me because I simply did not have enough room in the vehicle. We were on vacation.

I think most people know that removing a tire and reinstalling it has to be done with great care to avoid damage. Obviously, care was not used in the removal and reinstallation.

Irwin could have simply replaced the tire they damaged but they didn't care.

sa meredith · 03-23-2010, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eagle

SA, when this happened I had to buy a replacement tire on PEI. Since they didn't have run-flats I bought a regular tire which I am still using. The mechanic at the tire shop where I bought the tire told me that the bad tire had a damaged bead which was done at a previous service. I could not bring the damaged tire back with me because I simply did not have enough room in the vehicle. We were on vacation.

I think most people know that removing a tire and reinstalling it has to be done with great care to avoid damage. Obviously, care was not used in the removal and reinstallation.

Irwin could have simply replaced the tire they damaged but they didn't care.

Eagle..I understand, and am inclined to believe everything you say...
However, I'm sorry. Not trying to get you fired up here. But to expect the dealer to simply give you a new tire at their expense...with no chance of seeing the old tire, or inspecting the potentially shoddy work done by one of their employees...just take your word for it, and say, "well, yep, here's a new tire now."...is a bit unreasonable.
It is simply something they see every day...a customer wanting re-imbursement after the fact...and 9 out of 10 times it is a scam.
It's like this....every single year, when winter came, and we had the first sleet, freezing rain over night, we would get a pool going, as too how many poeple would either show up or phone in that morning saying..."hey, my windshield wipers just stopped working"...as if our technicians had know way of telling that what really happened was the customer turned on the wipers while they were still frozen to the windshield and blow the wiper motor (sometimes just the fuse) and we would never know. Just lie and lie and lie..because, hey, they're a big dumb dealer...they have the money.
Your frustration over the tire is understandable. But I would think any dealer or shop in the country would want the chance to inspect the damage, and then take responsibilty.Especially with "run flats"!!!! HUGE MONEY!
I would also bet I was right about the amount you got for your trade in???
It's all good. PEI is a great place.Lucky to have a place up there.

Argie's Wife · 03-23-2010, 12:30 PM

Pepper - I am glad you had a good experience and like your Edge. I've been looking at them; looks like a nice car!

However, like Eagle, we also had a negative experience with a vehicle we purchased at Irwin and a repair that was needed just days after we drove it home. We experienced the exhaust pipe and muffler - over 5' long - dropping off a RAV-4 we'd bought just five days prior to the incident.

The RAV-4 had less than 40K miles on it and was just two years old. We got it back to Irwins and thought we'd have some warrantee or something on it. No such luck. It was as if we'd made a private purchase. I would have expected some cost, perhaps, maybe parts or something? The exhaust was badly corroded and someone should have noted that when it was inspected by Service. We were not impressed and won't darken that door again.

robmac · 03-23-2010, 01:15 PM

AW,you did and do have recourse. That is a NH inspection item and state law is clear you can't even put a 20 day plate on a vehicle that has inspection issues. It should have been a covered repair.

Argie's Wife · 03-23-2010, 01:24 PM

I wish we had known that then... we bit the bullet and paid for the repairs. The timing was horrible - just put a down payment on a house and a kid on the way. There's a country music song in here somewhere, isn't there?

corollaman · 03-23-2010, 01:30 PM

I've only had a problem with their body shop, the paint didn't come out smooth, it was all orange-peel effect. I had them re-do it free of charge, and it still didn't look quite right, but I just left it. I didn't want to have my car tied up another 2 days. I've never had a problem with their mechanic shop though. They found bad engine mounts and I looked at them myself, and they were indeed shot, so I replaced them myself, but at least I know they weren't trying to sell me something I didn't need, but I knew how to do the job myself, so I saved money that way. It was in for just an oil change when they saw the rubber separating from them during their 32 point safety and drive ability check.

robmac · 03-23-2010, 02:12 PM

If it wasn't long ago you still have recourse and any smart business owner ( or one with the fear of litigation from the state ) will try and work something out.

sa meredith · 03-23-2010, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robmac

If it wasn't long ago you still have recourse and any smart business owner ( or one with the fear of litigation from the state ) will try and work something out.

Robmac...be carefull about giving out info unless you know for certain of what you speak.
In MA...every vehicle sold for over $799 must have a 30 day lemon law warranty, and be inspectable. The consumer does not have the right to waive this warranty, even if both buyer and seller enter into such agrrement (to waive the warranty)...either in writing, or a simple gentleman's agrrement...it does not matter. The law does not care. In MA, the consumer cannot waive their warranty.
However...you are speaking about Irwin Motors, which is in "Live Free or Die" NH. NH law is quite different. If a bargained upon price of a used vehicle in NH is agreed upon by both the buyer and seller, to be an "As Is" sale, the state or NH is fine with it. If the paperwork is in order, the consumer does not have a leg to stand on. The car can break into two pieces when it leaves the lot and you now own 2 cars. The paperwork actually states, "I realize the car I am buying is being sold 'as is' and may be uninspectable and therefore unsafe" etc etc. I'm not saying this is the case here, but if AW made the purchase and entered into an "as is" agreement, then there is not responsibilty on the part of Irwin...nor should there be.
Otherwise, you are right, and the repair should have been covered.

robmac · 03-23-2010, 05:39 PM

SA,I have and am in that business and it's next to imposible for a retail customer to go into a franchised dealer and buy as is. If they put a 20 day temp on any vehicle it MUST pass inspection,not a guess but the law.

NoRegrets · 03-23-2010, 06:09 PM

I read your posts and can not disagree with any of them. What ever happened to a deal based on a hand shake? It is a shame that open communication and the spirit of commerce has been relagated to lawyers and contracts. My first new car I bought (1982 Olds Toronado) just got out of warrenty and the transmission failed. I had the car towed back to the dealer and needed to rent a car for the time it was going to take to fix it. At the end of the week the car was repaired so I went down to the dealership with my checkbook to pay. The owner pulled me aside and apoligized for the problem and did not let me pay anything.

Are we making progress or letting scammers and unscrupulious businesses ruin events that should be exciting like major purchases.

Irwin's is one of the old established historical businesses in the area and there are bound to be a few mistakes. I bet the percentage of happy customers is much higher than the few problems they had. Of course if the problem happened to me.....

sa meredith · 03-23-2010, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robmac

SA,I have and am in that business and it's next to imposible for a retail customer to go into a franchised dealer and buy as is. If they put a 20 day temp on any vehicle it MUST pass inspection,not a guess but the law.

I guessed I missed the part where she said Irwin plated and inspected the car. My bad. If they put the sticker on it, something does not add up.

BroadHopper · 03-23-2010, 06:55 PM

Many folks had good luck with Irwin Motors and they do a lot of repeat business. I enjoy doing business with them but Ford products do not live up to my expectations. And when contacted, Ford Motor Company just give you a run around.

I bought a '79 Ford LTD from Irwins and three years later the rear wheel wells were comepletely rotted out and will not past inspection. I bondo the wheel wells and sold the car shortly after I was able to past inspection.

Fool me, I gave Ford another chance and bought an '94 Ford Bronco. At first I was blowing head gaskets like crazy until a factory rep suggested that the motor be replaced after I had sent an angry letter to Ford. Then I started having electrical problems and Ford extended the warrantee to 4 years bumper to bumper. Funny thing the Bronco lasted 4 years and the front seat fell through the floor! Ford refuse to pay for a new floor even tho I had a bumper to bumper warrantee. I ended up replacing the floor with sheet metal, hide the repair with the rug and traded it in for a Dodge. The Dakota is still with me and I have not had one trouble with it.

Poor Irwin Motors, they did their best to please me but their hands were tied because of defective products. I wish them well.

SAMIAM · 03-23-2010, 08:13 PM

Don't get me started......I was dumb enough to buy a Dodge truck.

Argie's Wife · 03-23-2010, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sa meredith

I guessed I missed the part where she said Irwin plated and inspected the car. My bad. If they put the sticker on it, something does not add up.

They did inspect it and give us our temporary plates. I am quite certain there was an "as is" clause on it but it was several years ago and three cars ago for Argie.

We traded it for a Land Rover - huge mistake. Count your blessings, those of you with problems with your Dodges or Fords - that you've never had a Land Rover.

Argie now has a Jeep Liberty and loves it. We got it from AutoServ in Tilton. I've heard a mixed bag of opinions that others have had about them but we had a good experience, overall.

Irish mist · 03-23-2010, 09:26 PM

I must have the luck of the Irish

I purchased a Ford Taurus wagon new in 1988 & ran it 16 years. Got a 2004 Taurus wagon & have not been in the shop yet. Sad thing is they stopped making them in 2005

jmen24 · 03-24-2010, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Argie's Wife

They did inspect it and give us our temporary plates. I am quite certain there was an "as is" clause on it but it was several years ago and three cars ago for Argie.

We traded it for a Land Rover - huge mistake. Count your blessings, those of you with problems with your Dodges or Fords - that you've never had a Land Rover.

Argie now has a Jeep Liberty and loves it. We got it from AutoServ in Tilton. I've heard a mixed bag of opinions that others have had about them but we had a good experience, overall.

AW, you are not even kidding regarding Land Rover. The one we had was only 2 years old and was in for repairs every month ($$$$$). We had that rig for 6 months and the wife traded for a Saab (lost just shy of 9K on that deal) and that was 4 years ago. Granted the Saab has had its issues as well, but everything was under warranty and handled without issue.

Lakesrider · 03-24-2010, 11:24 AM

I didn't think you could get an inspection sticker with a temp plate.
When I bought my new truck last year they told me to come back within ten days of registering it and they would give me a sticker. I thought the sticker was based on the registration and in the State computer system that way...
Goes to show how often I buy a new car eh?

dpg · 03-24-2010, 11:37 AM

Do what I did last year, buy a Honda.

Seriously, everyone has their issues but when I was looking Chevy wouldn't budge on their Malibu. They were offering 0% financing and because of that wanted to take only 400.00 off the sticker. Granted I only looked at one Chevy dealer and didn't try others. Got my Honda at 5,250.00 off the sticker and financing well below 2%. I don't care what the financing is but (almost nothing) off of a 30,000 sticker is insane.

sa meredith · 03-24-2010, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmen24

AW, you are not even kidding regarding Land Rover. The one we had was only 2 years old and was in for repairs every month ($$$$$). We had that rig for 6 months and the wife traded for a Saab (lost just shy of 9K on that deal) and that was 4 years ago. Granted the Saab has had its issues as well, but everything was under warranty and handled without issue.

It's funny you would write that...a Saab and a Range Rover.
At the domestic dealer I worked at for many many years, we would take neither in trade... Saab? No thanks. Range Rover? yeah, you'll have to sell that one yourself...
Wholesalers never ever wanted them...at any price. Too problems...issue after issue after issue. But, worse than the amount of problem, was the cost to repair them. They are both pretty much "dealership only" when it comes to repairs, and the parts alone are just plain foolish.
At one time we actually did take a fairly new Saab in trade...5, maybe 6 years old. Well, while it was still under our used vehicle waranty to the next buyer, the A/C went, and the digital display on the climate control went with it. We sent it out to a Saab dealer...and it set us back $3800..OUR COST...DEALER TO DEALER. Retail would have been close to 5K, for A/C!
Very few non- Saab dealers will take a Saab in trade. They just don't want to deal with it.

jmen24 · 03-24-2010, 12:58 PM

SA, I will not disagree with you regarding the Saab, its my wife's car, she likes it and "A happy wife, is a happy life, and a happy life for Me"

. The Rover was complete garbage and to boot she traded our 2000 Jeep XJ limited for it, which was the best vehicle we ever owned, no issues at all with that one and completely bulletproof for a Chrystler product

. That was before they really messed up that brand. Still do not understand why you would discontinue making the best selling model of that brands history (XJ that is, Wranglers change every few years so its is essentially starting over) with models that do not live up to the name, but most look like the XJ, so they must be realizing the mistake they made.

I bought my 09 Tacoma new from Irwin's and was happy overall with the deal, other than the amount of time spent at the dealership. Traded an 02 Silverado for it (second best vehicle I have owned) and like DPG did so because the chevy and ford dealers would not move away from sticker price and I would not survive very long without a pick-up in the stable, so Honda is out for me, I do like the cars though.

Happy Gourmand · 03-24-2010, 01:53 PM

Honda has the highest rated pickup....Ridgeline...

jmen24 · 03-24-2010, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Phantom Gourmand

Honda has the highest rated pickup....Ridgeline...

Not for me, thanks.

sa meredith · 03-24-2010, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Phantom Gourmand

Honda has the highest rated pickup....Ridgeline...

Not going to get into a debate here, because this thread has already turned WAY away from it's intent, but Phantom, a Ridgeline, although possibly a handsome, reliable automobile is in no way a pick up truck. Not really a truck a all. It is an SUV/Crossover. Much like a Ford Sp Trac, or Chevy Avalanche. These vehicles can in no way be considered trucks, and if a contracter/ plumber/ mason tried to use one as such, any of them would last a very short time.
Strictly built to used as SUVs with light capicity to carry or tow (small amounts) from time to time.
Let me know the next time you pass a constuction site, and see a laborer emptying the cargo of a Ridgeline.

One more note...to anyone who was looking at a Chevy or Ford last year....when the business completly died two years back (gas 4.25/gal), and the economy tanked, both domestic manufacturers cut way back on invetory. Stopped building completely for a while.
Then, last year, the government came out with the cash for clunkers program...which was without a doubt the best deal for a consumer I had ever see in my 22 years in the business. People with old gas guzzlers worth 200/300 were getting $3500/$4500 real money for them from the government.
Just insane...and when the program caught on, we (dealers) quickly realized that our supply of vehciles would fall way short of the demand. Peope started to realize that the program was legit, and flocked fom dealer to dealer looking for what they wanted...but inventory ran out quickly. During this time, most dealers stopped offering discounts of any kind, as they were going to sell out anyway. I remember the last weekend of the program, having 5 or 6 vehicles left, as opposed to a normal 250/300. So, if you shopped last year, odds are a domestic dealer offered you little or no discount. It is just what the market dictated.
Even now as things are coming back a bit...the days of each dealer undercutting each other are going away. The days of the 3000/4000 rebate/discount are gone. Inventories are tightly controlled, and the market will never again be flooded.

NoRegrets · 03-24-2010, 03:51 PM

Thanks for the inside perspective on the business drivers at the dealer level. No inventory - If the economy was better last year they could have had bidding wars!

MAXUM · 03-24-2010, 04:21 PM

The Ford and Chevy mentioned at least have full frames under them, the Ridgeline has a unibody like a passenger car. So put any weight in that bed it'll fold in half. The drive train on those I'm not familiar with but my guess is probably retrofitted from one of their car platforms.

It may look like a truck but it's far from it.

Argie's Wife · 03-24-2010, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sa meredith

Just insane...and when the program caught on, we (dealers) quickly realized that our supply of vehciles would fall way short of the demand. Peope started to realize that the program was legit, and flocked fom dealer to dealer looking for what they wanted...but inventory ran out quickly. During this time, most dealers stopped offering discounts of any kind, as they were going to sell out anyway. I remember the last weekend of the program, having 5 or 6 vehicles left, as opposed to a normal 250/300.

Now I'm wondering if there's a 'cash for clunkers' included in the new healthcare bill by the same administration you mentioned...

BroadHopper · 03-24-2010, 07:31 PM

I read in the Wall Street Journal that the govt is going over the paperwork and found a number of discrepancies. Dealers may not get paid. Also there are folks going into bankruptcy as they took out loans for new cars that they can not afford. On the long run, this program will cost the taxpayers even more money.

sa meredith · 03-24-2010, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

I read in the Wall Street Journal that the govt is going over the paperwork and found a number of discrepancies. Dealers may not get paid. Also there are folks going into bankruptcy as they took out loans for new cars that they can not afford. On the long run, this program will cost the taxpayers even more money.

To claim the money was strictly the burden of the dealership...with no recourse to the customer. We were required to approve the deal at our own discretion,front the money, and allow the customer to take delivery of the vehicle.
Claiming and receiveing the money was the most painful month of my life...bar none. Remember, each deal as worth 3500/4500, so every every 10 deals averaged $40,000...when we got to 120,000/150,000I was told everyday by the owner, "I hope you're sure we're getting this f****** money!"
12 documents had to be submitted with every transaction, and each and every one was bounced the first time. Took forever, but every dealer that I know, got all their money.
As for defaulted loans...
I would say that is inacurrate information. A year or so back, there were no banks...none, zero, that had any interest in subprime auto lending. During this program, the banks, as well as the dealers, had their pick of the litter with regard to quailty of customer. I can assure you, back then, if the credit score was not 650+ the banks would not even look at the paper. To be approved, a customer needed a great score, have the proper income/debt ratio, and a very strong equity position on th vehicle. My honest, educated opinion is that there is just no waythisprogram will lead to many repos. Regardless of what a third party writer of some article says.

NoRegrets · 03-25-2010, 07:25 AM

Cash for clunkers was a charitable donation by the tax payers to help keep money flowing in the economy and prevented a total colapse of the auto industry. Some good and some bad came out of the program.

Now that I see how easy it is to give taxpayers money to charities I am going to try to become a charity case.

I do realize I will be at the back of the line behind - Lawyers, politician family members, wall street, bankers, insurance companies, foriegn terrorists, foriegn countries, foriegn health care, foriegn welfare, ACORN, senators pet projects, medicare, medicade, Social Security, Health care, welfare, fannie mai, freddie mac, stimulas projects, green energy companies, schools, FAA, SEC, IRS, Amtrack, ........ Oh heck, never mind, I have to go back to work so I can buy gas for my boat next week!

03-22-2010, 11:42 AM	#1
Pepper Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Laconia, NH Posts: 1,284 Thanks: 409 Thanked 155 Times in 40 Posts	Irwin Motors Well, age and frost heaves took their toll on my '01 Maxima, and for the past month or so I've been scoping out numerous area dealerships and their pre-owned inventory. I spent a lot of time researching the reviews, and examining pricing, etc. This morning I purchased an '07 Ford Edge from Irwin Motors. I had purchased the Maxima there, and so they were the first stop when I began my search. My salesman, Geoff Cunningham was a GEM! He listened to me, and helped me narrow down which vehicles were going to be satisfy my needs and stay within my budget, then patiently explained the various features and benefits of those I chose to test-drive. That was three weeks ago. When hubby and I stopped by Irwin's on Saturday morning to make our selection, Geoff not only remembered my name, but also exactly which vehicles I had shown interest in. As it was a Saturday and the weather was fine, both showrooms were mobbed with people, and the there was only one finance manager on duty. Since I had to be at work by 2, Geoff suggested that we wait until Monday to finish up, so as not to waste our entire morning. This morning when we arrived, the car was completely ready to go, and all of our paperwork was underway. Our Finance Manager Dennis Marhefka had us in and out in under 30 minutes, and worked hard to get us the best possible financing rate. He also helped us make decisions regarding extended warranties, gap insurance, etc. In this economy, the way you treat your customers means the difference between success and failure. Geoff and Dennis KNOW HOW TO TREAT THEIR CUSTOMERS!!! These gentlemen are true professionals, warm and friendly, and truly worked hard to put me in the right vehicle, at the right rate, and with the appropriate coverages for my needs. So if you're in the market for a new or used vehicle, I wholeheartedly recommend you go see my new friend, Geoff! ... oh and one more thing ... if you see Geoff, tell him I'm deliriously happy with my fabulous Ford Edge! __________________ Never waste time lamenting what was. Simply celebrate what is!

03-22-2010, 11:49 AM	#3
BroadHopper Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Laconia NH Posts: 5,512 Thanks: 3,118 Thanked 1,090 Times in 784 Posts	Geoff Cunningham He use to be a reporter for either the Citizen or LADASUN. Irwin is always looking for sales people. __________________ Someday may never be an actual day.

03-22-2010, 05:14 PM	#5
Belmont Resident Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Belmont NH but prefer Jackman Maine Posts: 1,857 Thanks: 491 Thanked 409 Times in 251 Posts	Good luck with new edge. I'm all done with Ford though. I've gotten some good service from Irwins but over all very disappointed with the level of help I've recieved with my 04 super duty over the years. The best dealership for service for us was Cantins, to bad Banks blew them away on pricing by a lot on the 3 trucks my wife purchased.

03-23-2010, 08:02 AM	#8
SIKSUKR Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 5,075 Thanks: 215 Thanked 903 Times in 509 Posts	I always knew Pepper had an edge Good luck with that Edge Pepper.I rented a nice looking orange one in January to drive from Ft Lauderdale to Key West.It had more headroom than my Denali which this big guy enjoyed.I liked it a lot.I think you will also. __________________ SIKSUKR

03-23-2010, 09:44 AM	#9
sa meredith Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 986 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 32 Thanked 352 Times in 137 Posts	understand Eagle While I can understand your frustration (assuming your accusation of the dealer damaging your tire is accurate, as opposed to a road hazzard....I'd love to have a nickel for everytime a customer came in to say "I have no idea what happened to my tire", only to see a two inch gash, from the curb they hit) I must say I find it ironic saying you would never buy another Toyota. Full disclosure: I am not a Toyota fan, as I worked for a domestic dealer for 22 years. To me, they have always been the enemy. Anyway...anyone even remotely familiar with that frame rot recall, knows Toyota STEPPED WAY UP! Did far and away more than they ever had to. Offered 1.5 times the KBB vehicle's value, in a check. Not a voucher to buy another Toyota. You could actually take the check, and say "thanks, bye." Many/most people got 2 to 3 times what their old vehicle would ever had been worth. And some were 10/11 year old vehicles, where frame rot would have been normal anyway. In the industry, their recall is regarded as the most "customer friendly" of all time. A measure of good will that went above and beyond. While your frustration over the damaged tire is understandable, you may have lost sight of the "big picture". The reason you went and bought in the first place, was due to Toyota's good will. On another note...this seems strange. Are we to understand you went there right away, showed them the tire and damage, and they said, "sorry, not interested?" Letters don't always work best. You simply have no idea of the volume of false accusations/ basless lawsuits that a dealer is hit with on a weekly basis. With regard to tires...my experience was, over 90% of tire damaged that customers claimed they had no idea what happened, were caused by road hazzard. 90%! But, who wants to pay for their own tire when the dealer can be scammed into doing it. Did you take this damaged tire to the dealer, state what you believe caused it, and discuss the matter? Pepper..we have had two Edges since they came out in 2007, and they have been far and away our favorite vehicles..out of over 20 Fords in the past 15 years or so. Great riding car. The only issue woth the 2007, was a slight issue with the cooling system. Keep an eye on your temp gauge, and be wary of the sweet smell of anti freeze. It was not a recall, but rather a dealership TSB (Technical service bulliten) as it affected a very small percentage of vehicles. The fix is quick and very minor.

03-22-2010, 11:46 AM	#2
robmac Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Nashua,Meredith Posts: 951 Thanks: 213 Thanked 106 Times in 81 Posts	Good luck Pepper with you new Edge.

03-22-2010, 12:11 PM	#4
WeirsBeachBoater Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 709 Blog Entries: 9 Thanks: 39 Thanked 148 Times in 65 Posts	Broadhopper, Geoff Cunningham Sr. Has been in auto sales in the lakes region for many years, Geoff Jr is the reporter. I know both Geoff and Dennis at Irwins, they are top shelf.

03-22-2010, 06:46 PM	#6
Lakesrider Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,129 Thanks: 380 Thanked 1,016 Times in 345 Posts	Yeah good luck on the Service.. Toyota service there sucked for us. I had to bring in my '06 Rav4 for a leaky front cowl that was letting water into the cab. There was a recall on it that we never got. But because the car had over 36K on the odometer they would not cover it. This despite the fact that I had an extended warranty, and they still said no. I could have fixed the problem myself had I known it was going to cost me over $300.00 for them to fix it. (The directions to fix the recall are all on the internet.) So when they sell you a car it is all smiles and yeah I am going to be an Irwin family member. Suuuuure! The true mark of a good dealership is not sales. It is the service department.

03-22-2010, 06:51 PM	#7
Eagle Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Tuftonboro Posts: 48 Thanks: 24 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts	Well, here is my experience with Irwin Motors. I sent this letter to the salesman 16 months ago: You probably won’t remember me, but I was the person from XXXXXXXX that bought a 2005 Sienna from you in the spring of 2008 when Toyota bought back my Tacoma with the rotted frame. The Sienna had a problem with the rims peeling and Toyota arranged to refinish the rims in the fall of last year. The process involved your dealership dismounting the tires, sending the rims out to be refinished, and then reinstalling the tires. As you can see by the attached copies of letters I recently sent to your dealership and to Toyota, I had a rather disturbing experience with this vehicle because of the damage caused to one of the tires by your dealership. I was extremely lucky that this tire did not fail in the middle of an eight mile long, two-lane bridge while driving to PEI. As I somewhat expected, I never received a reply from either your dealership or from Toyota. Because of this incident, I now will have a major expense to correct the problem cause by your dealership which is totally unjustified and unacceptable. I want you to know that, since I am being ignored by Irwin Motors and Toyota, I will no longer bring my vehicle for service at your dealership and will instead take it somewhere else for service. While I have always had great respect for Toyota and the vehicles they produce, I will make it a point to never again buy a Toyota product and get rid of this one as soon as possible. It is obvious that neither Toyota or your dealership cares about the satisfaction of their customers. I will also make it a point to publicize this incident on internet forums and to my friends and acquaintances to make them aware of the lack of quality and service of your dealership.

03-23-2010, 10:02 AM	#10
Eagle Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Tuftonboro Posts: 48 Thanks: 24 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts	SA, when this happened I had to buy a replacement tire on PEI. Since they didn't have run-flats I bought a regular tire which I am still using. The mechanic at the tire shop where I bought the tire told me that the bad tire had a damaged bead which was done at a previous service. I could not bring the damaged tire back with me because I simply did not have enough room in the vehicle. We were on vacation. I think most people know that removing a tire and reinstalling it has to be done with great care to avoid damage. Obviously, care was not used in the removal and reinstallation. Irwin could have simply replaced the tire they damaged but they didn't care.

03-23-2010, 12:30 PM	#12
Argie's Wife Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Alton Posts: 1,908 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 533 Thanked 579 Times in 260 Posts	Pepper - I am glad you had a good experience and like your Edge. I've been looking at them; looks like a nice car! However, like Eagle, we also had a negative experience with a vehicle we purchased at Irwin and a repair that was needed just days after we drove it home. We experienced the exhaust pipe and muffler - over 5' long - dropping off a RAV-4 we'd bought just five days prior to the incident. The RAV-4 had less than 40K miles on it and was just two years old. We got it back to Irwins and thought we'd have some warrantee or something on it. No such luck. It was as if we'd made a private purchase. I would have expected some cost, perhaps, maybe parts or something? The exhaust was badly corroded and someone should have noted that when it was inspected by Service. We were not impressed and won't darken that door again.

03-23-2010, 01:15 PM	#13
robmac Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Nashua,Meredith Posts: 951 Thanks: 213 Thanked 106 Times in 81 Posts	AW,you did and do have recourse. That is a NH inspection item and state law is clear you can't even put a 20 day plate on a vehicle that has inspection issues. It should have been a covered repair.

03-23-2010, 01:24 PM	#14
Argie's Wife Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Alton Posts: 1,908 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 533 Thanked 579 Times in 260 Posts	I wish we had known that then... we bit the bullet and paid for the repairs. The timing was horrible - just put a down payment on a house and a kid on the way. There's a country music song in here somewhere, isn't there?

03-23-2010, 01:30 PM	#15
corollaman Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Laconia NH Posts: 181 Thanks: 8 Thanked 10 Times in 9 Posts	I've only had a problem with their body shop, the paint didn't come out smooth, it was all orange-peel effect. I had them re-do it free of charge, and it still didn't look quite right, but I just left it. I didn't want to have my car tied up another 2 days. I've never had a problem with their mechanic shop though. They found bad engine mounts and I looked at them myself, and they were indeed shot, so I replaced them myself, but at least I know they weren't trying to sell me something I didn't need, but I knew how to do the job myself, so I saved money that way. It was in for just an oil change when they saw the rubber separating from them during their 32 point safety and drive ability check.

03-23-2010, 02:12 PM	#16
robmac Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Nashua,Meredith Posts: 951 Thanks: 213 Thanked 106 Times in 81 Posts	If it wasn't long ago you still have recourse and any smart business owner ( or one with the fear of litigation from the state ) will try and work something out.

03-23-2010, 05:39 PM	#18
robmac Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Nashua,Meredith Posts: 951 Thanks: 213 Thanked 106 Times in 81 Posts	SA,I have and am in that business and it's next to imposible for a retail customer to go into a franchised dealer and buy as is. If they put a 20 day temp on any vehicle it MUST pass inspection,not a guess but the law.

03-23-2010, 06:09 PM	#19
NoRegrets Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Hudson - NH Posts: 408 Thanks: 233 Thanked 212 Times in 88 Posts	I read your posts and can not disagree with any of them. What ever happened to a deal based on a hand shake? It is a shame that open communication and the spirit of commerce has been relagated to lawyers and contracts. My first new car I bought (1982 Olds Toronado) just got out of warrenty and the transmission failed. I had the car towed back to the dealer and needed to rent a car for the time it was going to take to fix it. At the end of the week the car was repaired so I went down to the dealership with my checkbook to pay. The owner pulled me aside and apoligized for the problem and did not let me pay anything. Are we making progress or letting scammers and unscrupulious businesses ruin events that should be exciting like major purchases. Irwin's is one of the old established historical businesses in the area and there are bound to be a few mistakes. I bet the percentage of happy customers is much higher than the few problems they had. Of course if the problem happened to me.....

03-23-2010, 06:55 PM	#21
BroadHopper Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Laconia NH Posts: 5,512 Thanks: 3,118 Thanked 1,090 Times in 784 Posts	Ford Experience Many folks had good luck with Irwin Motors and they do a lot of repeat business. I enjoy doing business with them but Ford products do not live up to my expectations. And when contacted, Ford Motor Company just give you a run around. I bought a '79 Ford LTD from Irwins and three years later the rear wheel wells were comepletely rotted out and will not past inspection. I bondo the wheel wells and sold the car shortly after I was able to past inspection. Fool me, I gave Ford another chance and bought an '94 Ford Bronco. At first I was blowing head gaskets like crazy until a factory rep suggested that the motor be replaced after I had sent an angry letter to Ford. Then I started having electrical problems and Ford extended the warrantee to 4 years bumper to bumper. Funny thing the Bronco lasted 4 years and the front seat fell through the floor! Ford refuse to pay for a new floor even tho I had a bumper to bumper warrantee. I ended up replacing the floor with sheet metal, hide the repair with the rug and traded it in for a Dodge. The Dakota is still with me and I have not had one trouble with it. Poor Irwin Motors, they did their best to please me but their hands were tied because of defective products. I wish them well. __________________ Someday may never be an actual day.

03-23-2010, 08:13 PM	#22
SAMIAM Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 2,836 Thanks: 326 Thanked 1,626 Times in 562 Posts	Don't get me started......I was dumb enough to buy a Dodge truck.

03-23-2010, 09:26 PM	#24
Irish mist Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 682 Thanks: 122 Thanked 85 Times in 49 Posts	I must have the luck of the Irish I purchased a Ford Taurus wagon new in 1988 & ran it 16 years. Got a 2004 Taurus wagon & have not been in the shop yet. Sad thing is they stopped making them in 2005

03-24-2010, 11:24 AM	#26
Lakesrider Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,129 Thanks: 380 Thanked 1,016 Times in 345 Posts	I didn't think you could get an inspection sticker with a temp plate. When I bought my new truck last year they told me to come back within ten days of registering it and they would give me a sticker. I thought the sticker was based on the registration and in the State computer system that way... Goes to show how often I buy a new car eh?

03-24-2010, 11:37 AM	#27
dpg Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,560 Thanks: 149 Thanked 229 Times in 166 Posts	Do what I did last year, buy a Honda. Seriously, everyone has their issues but when I was looking Chevy wouldn't budge on their Malibu. They were offering 0% financing and because of that wanted to take only 400.00 off the sticker. Granted I only looked at one Chevy dealer and didn't try others. Got my Honda at 5,250.00 off the sticker and financing well below 2%. I don't care what the financing is but (almost nothing) off of a 30,000 sticker is insane.

03-24-2010, 12:58 PM	#29
jmen24 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 1,139 Thanks: 223 Thanked 319 Times in 181 Posts	SA, I will not disagree with you regarding the Saab, its my wife's car, she likes it and "A happy wife, is a happy life, and a happy life for Me". The Rover was complete garbage and to boot she traded our 2000 Jeep XJ limited for it, which was the best vehicle we ever owned, no issues at all with that one and completely bulletproof for a Chrystler product. That was before they really messed up that brand. Still do not understand why you would discontinue making the best selling model of that brands history (XJ that is, Wranglers change every few years so its is essentially starting over) with models that do not live up to the name, but most look like the XJ, so they must be realizing the mistake they made. I bought my 09 Tacoma new from Irwin's and was happy overall with the deal, other than the amount of time spent at the dealership. Traded an 02 Silverado for it (second best vehicle I have owned) and like DPG did so because the chevy and ford dealers would not move away from sticker price and I would not survive very long without a pick-up in the stable, so Honda is out for me, I do like the cars though.

03-24-2010, 01:53 PM	#30
Happy Gourmand Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Ruskin FL Posts: 1,025 Thanks: 187 Thanked 322 Times in 179 Posts	jmen... Honda has the highest rated pickup....Ridgeline...

03-24-2010, 03:51 PM	#33
NoRegrets Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Hudson - NH Posts: 408 Thanks: 233 Thanked 212 Times in 88 Posts	SA Meredith - Thanks Thanks for the inside perspective on the business drivers at the dealer level. No inventory - If the economy was better last year they could have had bidding wars!

03-24-2010, 04:21 PM	#34
MAXUM Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kuna ID Posts: 2,755 Thanks: 246 Thanked 1,942 Times in 802 Posts	The Ford and Chevy mentioned at least have full frames under them, the Ridgeline has a unibody like a passenger car. So put any weight in that bed it'll fold in half. The drive train on those I'm not familiar with but my guess is probably retrofitted from one of their car platforms. It may look like a truck but it's far from it.

03-24-2010, 07:31 PM	#36
BroadHopper Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Laconia NH Posts: 5,512 Thanks: 3,118 Thanked 1,090 Times in 784 Posts	Cash for Clunkers I read in the Wall Street Journal that the govt is going over the paperwork and found a number of discrepancies. Dealers may not get paid. Also there are folks going into bankruptcy as they took out loans for new cars that they can not afford. On the long run, this program will cost the taxpayers even more money. __________________ Someday may never be an actual day.

03-25-2010, 07:25 AM	#38
NoRegrets Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Hudson - NH Posts: 408 Thanks: 233 Thanked 212 Times in 88 Posts	Cash for clunkers was a charitable donation by the tax payers to help keep money flowing in the economy and prevented a total colapse of the auto industry. Some good and some bad came out of the program. Now that I see how easy it is to give taxpayers money to charities I am going to try to become a charity case. I do realize I will be at the back of the line behind - Lawyers, politician family members, wall street, bankers, insurance companies, foriegn terrorists, foriegn countries, foriegn health care, foriegn welfare, ACORN, senators pet projects, medicare, medicade, Social Security, Health care, welfare, fannie mai, freddie mac, stimulas projects, green energy companies, schools, FAA, SEC, IRS, Amtrack, ........ Oh heck, never mind, I have to go back to work so I can buy gas for my boat next week!