View Full Version : Funny but true...


Along4TheRide
08-03-2005, 10:36 PM
Thought I'd share this one with you folks.

When my wife and I were near the final closing on the car, our salesman pulled out the manual, and proceeded to 'Mr. Roger' it in front of us. That is to say, he held the book up open with one hand, and turned the page with the other hand. As his did this, he went through a rather detailed description of what was on that page. We would have busted out laughing if we weren't so damn tired and hungry.

It turns out that when it was all said and done, we had to sign a checklist saying that we, amonst other things, were fully reviewed of the users manual by the salesperson. Okay, that explained that.

So, we leave the dealership, and drive across the street to an Appleby's. I'm in my truck following behind my wife in the new car. She kills it on the first light. I suppress a snicker, knowing that she probably could hear me from where she was. She pulls into the parking lot, and picks out a spot on the side of the restraunt that has a number of windows along the side from which the patrons inside can look out.

As we are walking away, I looked back at the car, and gently reminded her that she should watch out for the curbs, 'cause the front of the car is rather low and might just jam up the air dam. We wouldn't want that now, would we?

While we were in the restraunt, we could see the car from the window, and noticed how the people seated at the windows near the car were climbing over each other to look at it. My wife and I smiled that knowing smile. I hat to admit it, but it was rather fun having them oogling over our new toy.

Okay, fast forward to the exodus. I'm getting into my truck, and the wife is getting ready to pull out, or rather back up. I happen to glance over in her direction before I leave, and much to my horror I see the car lurch up onto the curb, not quite clearing the edge, and bounce back down again, firmly whacking the underside of the plastics. I panicked. Before I could get out of the truck and run over to her, she repeats this gut-wrenching scene. By the time I do get to her window, I find her struggling desperately with the shift-lever, trying in vane to find that elusive reverse gear. I knocked on the window, and she turned toward me, eyes wide and obviously in a mixed state of panic and fustration.

"You have to pull it over...". I was gesturing in the air when she abrubtly cut me off.

"I am, but it won't go!"

"You have to pull it over, push down, then pull back".

It snapped right into place.

By now, the crowd gathering in the window in front of us was wondering if Appleby's was going to have a new drive-through service.

"You know," she said later, "with all of that wonderful narration of the users manual that ______ gave us, you'd think that showing us how to get the damn car into reverse would have crossed his mind".

I knew better than to try to contribute anything constructive to that conversation. ;)

BlueEyes
08-03-2005, 10:39 PM
I knew better than to try to contribute anything constructive to that conversation. ;)
smart man!

that's entertaining. hope air damn is alright.

No More Oldsmobiles
08-03-2005, 11:09 PM
Funny post!

My salesman did the Mr. Rogers bit, too. Must be mandatory.

automaton
08-03-2005, 11:58 PM
I had the mister Rogers bit also.

And, I've developed the habit of telling people how to put it in Reverse.... Somehow I always buy these cars that need a little instruction when letting others borrow them. :D

Rhawb
08-04-2005, 03:55 AM
Hahaha, that reminds me of the time my mom kept getting stuck in 6th gear. She knows how to put it in reverse, but for some reason she couldn't seem to get it, so the car kept dying as she tried to back it into our driveway. Couldn't help but poke a bit of fun at her after she finally got it. :D

Labop
08-04-2005, 07:14 AM
Never done that. But I have done the rev at shutdown and put the clutch back out while hopping the car forward a few feet. Thank god there was never anything in front of me for those two times.

Sorry to hear about the damage. I got the Mr Rogers thing too, but it was quicker than yours. He held up the users manual and said "read it". ;)

rx8wannahave
08-04-2005, 07:27 AM
I agree...smart man, pick your fights wisely!

But...why did she hit the curve? Shouldn't she have accelerated slowly?

Anyway, my saleman also did the song and dance for me but of course I did not listen too much.

My first test drive of an RX8 came at Carmax (used 8) and the saleman who went with me was there like for a good long minute trying to put the 8 into reverse...it was a little funny but at least once I got my 8 I knew the trick.

Rotarian_SC
08-04-2005, 07:38 AM
I have known several people who were also unable to put the car in reverse, even after being told how to.

Along4TheRide
08-04-2005, 12:44 PM
But...why did she hit the curve? Shouldn't she have accelerated slowly?

I think that she was tyring to overcompensate for killing the engine at the light earlier. You know, rev it up a little, then let it out.

I was actually surprised to see the car climbing the curb, even though it was in 6th gear.

Photic
08-04-2005, 01:10 PM
Yikes that would have put a quick lump in my stomache.
Hope everything is alright, congrats on the purchase =)

MrJynx
08-04-2005, 02:11 PM
yeaaa. The very first time i got into my car and reverse it I couldn't figure it out either!! :) Fortunatley my very experienced standard driver friend was next to me. he just shook his head and said "IDIOT!" :P

and the car will move forward in 6th gear.. done that one to..

And i've opened up my sunroof after it rained, forgot that it rained that day. yes, i make a lot of mistakes. but i learn. most times ;)


MrJynx

josh989
08-04-2005, 02:16 PM
when i first got my car, i had to crack open the manual to figure out how to get it in reverse, my last stick car, i never needed to push the knob down, i couldn't figure out for the life of me why all the way over and down kept making me go forward. and jsut like you, no one at the dealer bothered to tell me to push down. oh well, live and learn

Along4TheRide
08-05-2005, 07:44 AM
I have known several people who were also unable to put the car in reverse, even after being told how to.
I admit that there are times when I am not sure that it really has gone in. Sometimes I have to feel the 'click', but I always let the clutch out a little and prepare myself for that tell-tale forward movement.

I think I understand why they designed it that way. When I go from 5th to 6th, I make an effort not to accidently pull it back into 4th, so I use a little outward force, that is, put my palm on the inside left of the knob, while I pull it back. I suppose that if the 'down-over-back' feature wasn't there, bad things would happen.
:D

wedge357
08-05-2005, 08:23 AM
Similar thing happened to me a while ago. The salesman forgot to tell me that to put a MB SLK230 in reverse you have to PULL UP on the stick to engage the gear. From the dealer I stopped by the post office and can't pull out of the parking lot. I keep mashing that thing down and for the life of me I can't get it into gear. Ended up pushing the car backwards with my foot with other folks wondering if I'm jacking the car. The funniest part was I tried calling Benz hotline but the guy doesn't freaking know how to either!!!

Elara
08-05-2005, 08:26 AM
I had this happen with a VW beetle i was driving for work- I could not, for the life of me, get it into reverse. I finally had to go back inside and ask a friend with a Golf how you put a volkswagen in reverse. it was a pull up move to right thing, but it had me SO confused for about 10 minutes.

Along4TheRide
08-05-2005, 08:29 AM
Ended up pushing the car backwards with my foot with other folks wondering if I'm jacking the car. The funniest part was I tried calling Benz hotline but the guy doesn't freaking know how to either!!!
Dude! You just made me spit coffee all over my keyboard! :p

vectorwolf
08-05-2005, 10:02 AM
lol... Great story. When I first got my car and pulled it into my parking space, it took me nearly 10 minutes of frantically searching the manual to figure out why Reverse wasn't working. :o :D

bmcc49er
08-05-2005, 05:15 PM
If I can say one thing positive about a salesman, the guy that sold me my 8 and my wife her 6 a month later went over the car with us with so much detail I was thinking to myself, just let me get in and drive home. He knew the inside and out of both vehicles. I knew alot about the 8 already because of my research and this forum but it was refreshing to have a salesman tell me about the oil usage, how to get it in reverse, etc.