Are We Senior Villagers A Targeted Group?

[falcon1]

This happened six months ago but I'm still outraged over it. Took my 2016 Honda CRV to Jenkins in Leesburg for servicing. After about 45 minutes waiting a young man said he wanted to talk about my vehicle. First, let me say it was a beautiful vehicle and we loved it! He said our CRV was 4 years old and had been in an accident. Which I knew as I had been sideswiped and the CRV repaired by my insurance co. He said the value had dropped greatly. Wanted me to buy a new CRV. I didn't want to. He then brought another man over, now 2 hours, then brought a third man over, 3 hrs, then a fourth salesman over, now nearly 5 PM. I am 90 years old and was very confused on what to do, as was my wife. I finally gave up, too mentally drained, to learn I could not have a candy-apple red one, they only had 2020's left, and would have to take a silver one. I wanted to have my brand new Michelin tires put on it; told I could not as different size. I wanted heated seats, not available. Did it have my old reliable GPS...no, had to use a cell phone but I only have a flip-phone. Totally unhappy with the pressure to take the car I now have. I'm too old and tired to deal with all that. Yesterday even with my wife's cell phone I couldn't get the navigation to work. Why do we have to be targeted by dealers like that? Jenkin's is great for service but low bar for harassment of seniors!

[Dana1963]

Wait til they suggest the air in your tires needs to be changed because it goes bad.

[GrumpyOldMan]

Answer - YES. In every way imaginable and some that you have never thought of. Seniors are one of the most targeted groups for spam, con's, and more. Always be cynical and question ANY cold contacts. Here in The Villages never do business with a door knocker. On and on and on... It seems instead of honoring our elders, we are now a nation that exploits our seniors. #SAD

[billethkid]

Yes!

Just say NO!

[bluedivergirl]

A few years ago we were in the market for a more comfortable SUV. We wanted to check out the Toyota Highlander at Jenkins Toyota. The young man who snagged us would not show us the Highlander. Wanted us to pick out our options.

We weren't ready to pick out options. We needed to pick out a base model. He wouldn't budge. Policy, have to pick out options, then pick vehicle. Nope. We left, a bit noisily.

I think the game is once you pick out options, in some minds, the car becomes more 'theirs' and they are more likely to purchase something.

We won't be back; we don't spend money where we are treated like stubborn children.

[retiredguy123]

Not just seniors. Young, inexperienced car buyers are also targeted by dealers. I think that car manufacturers should require their dealers to advertise and sell cars like most other retailers. Set a price for everyone to pay and that would make it fair to all customers. But, I would pay a lot more for cars. Because, when I buy a car, I tell the dealer how much I will pay, and if they don't accept it, I'm gone. They don't intimidate me at all.

[Dana1963]

A few years ago we were in the market for a more comfortable SUV. We wanted to check out the Toyota Highlander at Jenkins Toyota. The young man who snagged us would not show us the Highlander. Wanted us to pick out our options.

We weren't ready to pick out options. We needed to pick out a base model. He wouldn't budge. Policy, have to pick out options, then pick vehicle. Nope. We left, a bit noisily.

I think the game is once you pick out options, in some minds, the car becomes more 'theirs' and they are more likely to purchase something.

We won't be back; we don't spend money where we are treated like stubborn children.
I think you might mean Phillips Toyota Jenkins does not sell new Toyota’s. Both are bad to do business with.
Get out of the BUBBLE when shopping for a new vehicle.

[LateBoomer]

its why I wouldn't go to a dealer for service unless I had to. the sales harassment. but yes, very old people are probably seen as an easy mark

[graciegirl]

This happened six months ago but I'm still outraged over it. Took my 2016 Honda CRV to Jenkins in Leesburg for servicing. After about 45 minutes waiting a young man said he wanted to talk about my vehicle. First, let me say it was a beautiful vehicle and we loved it! He said our CRV was 4 years old and had been in an accident. Which I knew as I had been sideswiped and the CRV repaired by my insurance co. He said the value had dropped greatly. Wanted me to buy a new CRV. I didn't want to. He then brought another man over, now 2 hours, then brought a third man over, 3 hrs, then a fourth salesman over, now nearly 5 PM. I am 90 years old and was very confused on what to do, as was my wife. I finally gave up, too mentally drained, to learn I could not have a candy-apple red one, they only had 2020's left, and would have to take a silver one. I wanted to have my brand new Michelin tires put on it; told I could not as different size. I wanted heated seats, not available. Did it have my old reliable GPS...no, had to use a cell phone but I only have a flip-phone. Totally unhappy with the pressure to take the car I now have. I'm too old and tired to deal with all that. Yesterday even with my wife's cell phone I couldn't get the navigation to work. Why do we have to be targeted by dealers like that? Jenkin's is great for service but low bar for harassment of seniors!

Old or young we are gonna get the pitch from slick Eddie. Get outa there. Don't eat that Elmer, it's bovine excrement. Don't buy from door knockers. Don't let salesmen/women twist your arm.

Yes. Lots of people think old people are stupid. Prove them wrong.

[bluedivergirl]

I think you might mean Phillips Toyota Jenkins does not sell new Toyota’s. Both are bad to do business with.
Get out of the BUBBLE when shopping for a new vehicle.

Uh-oh, you may be right. *wipes egg off face*

We did get out of the bubble.

[Stu from NYC]

Never let a salesman take control of a situation, will never end well for you.

[DAVES]

This happened six months ago but I'm still outraged over it. Took my 2016 Honda CRV to Jenkins in Leesburg for servicing. After about 45 minutes waiting a young man said he wanted to talk about my vehicle. First, let me say it was a beautiful vehicle and we loved it! He said our CRV was 4 years old and had been in an accident. Which I knew as I had been sideswiped and the CRV repaired by my insurance co. He said the value had dropped greatly. Wanted me to buy a new CRV. I didn't want to. He then brought another man over, now 2 hours, then brought a third man over, 3 hrs, then a fourth salesman over, now nearly 5 PM. I am 90 years old and was very confused on what to do, as was my wife. I finally gave up, too mentally drained, to learn I could not have a candy-apple red one, they only had 2020's left, and would have to take a silver one. I wanted to have my brand new Michelin tires put on it; told I could not as different size. I wanted heated seats, not available. Did it have my old reliable GPS...no, had to use a cell phone but I only have a flip-phone. Totally unhappy with the pressure to take the car I now have. I'm too old and tired to deal with all that. Yesterday even with my wife's cell phone I couldn't get the navigation to work. Why do we have to be targeted by dealers like that? Jenkin's is great for service but low bar for harassment of seniors!

Hum at 90. I've not made that yet but, perhaps I would tell him, I just lost my job shoveling manure and for only a few bucks, cash of course, I will give him lessons.

Perhaps, the reason why when they call they ask for my wife.

[bimmertl]

Close friend had an identical situation a couple of years ago. Fairly new Cadillac got sideswiped in parking lot accident. $5,000 damage. While at the dealership sales manager approached and had the same song and dance. Tremendous loss in value due to damage. Even alleged it would show up on a Carfax report, despite the fact they don't release customer information to Carfax.

Fortunately she blew him off and got the car fixed and kept it.

So I don't really doubt the basic premise of the story or the possibility of some gullible senior falling for it.

[JohnN]

Jenkins , Leesburg. As soon as I read that, I already knew the rest. Bad place and just stay away. Been there (once) done that.

[MrFlorida]

Not only seniors, we live among many who are more than willing to separate us from our money.

[Chi-Town]

Jenkins Hyundai in Leesburg plays all the tricks that new car sales has in their bag. Once you wade through that and then survive the post sale add-ons presentation you can count on an excellent service department.
Buying a new car is not for the faint of heart.

[Fredster]

I’ve bought many new cars over my lifetime and 98% of the times I experienced the dealership hard sell, but it wasn’t until lately down here that while I was having some warranty service done on my car that a salesman sat down next to me in the waiting area, and proceeded to tried to sell me a new car.
In my opinion which is based on mucho experience you must do your homework and be on your guard when entering a car dealership wether for service or to buy!

[justjim]

There are some Seniors who can’t say no and get confused and “rattled” by sales pressure. I can only wonder how some salespersons can sleep at night. Unfortunately, OP is right that sometimes older people are targets.

[zmannscz]

Not just seniors. Young, inexperienced car buyers are also targeted by dealers. I think that car manufacturers should require their dealers to advertise and sell cars like most other retailers. Set a price for everyone to pay and that would make it fair to all customers. But, I would pay a lot more for cars. Because, when I buy a car, I tell the dealer how much I will pay, and if they don't accept it, I'm gone. They don't intimidate me at all.

My husband does the same thing:
1. This is what I am going to pay for this specific car;
2. Yes, I know it will need to be ordered;
3. Do you want the sale or not?;
4. If not, another dealer will help me out.

[JoMar]

I think you might mean Phillips Toyota Jenkins does not sell new Toyota’s. Both are bad to do business with.
Get out of the BUBBLE when shopping for a new vehicle.

Phillips Toyota is outside the bubble. Purchased a car there almost 6 years ago, go there for service and have NEVER been approached by a salesperson, in the store or on the phone. Now Phillips Buick GMC was a different story when we were looking to trade in the Lexus.....high pressure, didn't listen, wanted to escalate to bring a manager in.....we left. The sales guy at phillips Toyota was low key, easy to talk to, responsive....even the finance guy was great even though we weren't using them....part of the process. Sales guy was old school, he retired two years ago. Approaching 100K miles, assuming we are about half way to trade in time.

[vintageogauge]

We had an experience like that at Jenkins Honda when we were there to buy a new Honda. I finally stood up and said you have my offer, call me if you want it. They accepted it on the spot. The best dealer I have dealt with down here is Phillips Buick, salesman's name is Scott Hall. No pressure, no tricks, great discounts.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Phillips Toyota is outside the bubble. Purchased a car there almost 6 years ago, go there for service and have NEVER been approached by a salesperson, in the store or on the phone. Now Phillips Buick GMC was a different story when we were looking to trade in the Lexus.....high pressure, didn't listen, wanted to escalate to bring a manager in.....we left. The sales guy at phillips Toyota was low key, easy to talk to, responsive....even the finance guy was great even though we weren't using them....part of the process. Sales guy was old school, he retired two years ago. Approaching 100K miles, assuming we are about half way to trade in time.

Yeah I get my Scion serviced at Phillips. I'm positive that it costs more than taking it to Jimbob's Auto Repair in some other area. But I'm also positive that I've never met Jimbob, I don't know if he's reliable, or if he'll swap out my bad oil for worse oil, put sugar in my gas tank, and tell me that "fixing" my car just exposed all the previous damage that'll cost only $2000 to fix.

I know Phillips won't do that, and to me. I'll pay $100 for a danged oil change, but at least I'll know that's all it'll be.

When it comes time to buying a car, I'm pretty cut-throat. Jaguars are really the only cars that I can actually fall in love with. If it's not a Jag, it's just a form of transportation. They won't impress me with pretty, shiny, color, cupholders, 20-way electronic massage-chair reclining seating, blah blah blah. I'm someone who lived in my VW Bus and did my own (crappy but functional) bodywork on it. I don't need fancy. I need reliable and affordable.

And they never expect a woman to care about that stuff, so it usually puts them off script. Which is fine, and my intention.

[MrFlorida]

If you are a member of Costco, use their car buying service, they send you to a dealer that is in the program , and the price is set, no games.

[SkBlogW]

This happened six months ago but I'm still outraged over it. Took my 2016 Honda CRV to Jenkins in Leesburg for servicing. After about 45 minutes waiting a young man said he wanted to talk about my vehicle. First, let me say it was a beautiful vehicle and we loved it! He said our CRV was 4 years old and had been in an accident. Which I knew as I had been sideswiped and the CRV repaired by my insurance co. He said the value had dropped greatly. Wanted me to buy a new CRV. I didn't want to. He then brought another man over, now 2 hours, then brought a third man over, 3 hrs, then a fourth salesman over, now nearly 5 PM. I am 90 years old and was very confused on what to do, as was my wife. I finally gave up, too mentally drained, to learn I could not have a candy-apple red one, they only had 2020's left, and would have to take a silver one. I wanted to have my brand new Michelin tires put on it; told I could not as different size. I wanted heated seats, not available. Did it have my old reliable GPS...no, had to use a cell phone but I only have a flip-phone. Totally unhappy with the pressure to take the car I now have. I'm too old and tired to deal with all that. Yesterday even with my wife's cell phone I couldn't get the navigation to work. Why do we have to be targeted by dealers like that? Jenkin's is great for service but low bar for harassment of seniors!

Sorry this happened to you, same thing a neighbor experienced.

Ever see a Vroom commercial?

commercials where guys are torchured by car dealer - Bing video (https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=commercials+where+guys+are+torchured+by+c ar+dealer&docid=608030823643185126&mid=825FE47D76327ACF1B6F825FE47D76327ACF1B6F&view=detail&FORM=VIRE)

[Stu from NYC]

Recently purchased a Camry from Courtesy Toyota supposedly the largest Toyota dealership in the State.

Agreed on a price and suddenly a finance person popped up to talk to me. All he cared about is he wanted to help me safeguard my new investment by offering me about 10 different warranties that would have added quite a few thousand dollars to purchase price.

Asked him about Toyota quality and he said it is excellent but computers he said can go bad in Florida heat.

So asked him why doesnt Toyota improve its quality than. Had no answer for that.

Finally when I told him please stop not interested in all the upsells he turns me over to his boss. Took a few minutes to get rid of him.

Sure makes car buying a miserable experience especially when they try to take advantage of older folks.

[retiredguy123]

If you are a member of Costco, use their car buying service, they send you to a dealer that is in the program , and the price is set, no games.
If you use any buying service, make sure that the actual car you are buying is on the dealer's lot. Get the VIN number, stock number, a copy of the window sticker, a photo of the vehicle, and the out-the-door price. All of these things can be sent to you in an email before you go to the dealership. If you don't, there may very well be games played by the dealer.

[Penglobal]

Greetings - Not only are seniors at risk of high pressured sales tricks by unscrupulous car salesman, but so is everyone else.
If I may provide a piece of advise on your next new car purchase. You first need to do your research ""before"" ever stepping foot into the car dealership.

(1) Know the numbers before you arrive, search online and definitely bring a trustworthy friend / advocate with you and preferably a male and never be ashamed to walk away if the deal is not exactly as you desire.

(2) NEVER EVER purchase a new vehicle from Jenk*ns. There has been many post here on how this dealership will screw anyone, including seniors out of their hard earned money. Even if you have to travel outside the "bubble" area, please explore all dealership options, no matter how much you need to drive.

(3) This is not the time to purchase a new vehicle as many new vehicles are being sold at full MSRP or higher and dealerships are less willing to negotiate a good price. Fix your current vehicle and wait until new car prices stabilize.

[GrumpyOldMan]

Now is a good time to wait to buy a car. EVs are about to explode on the scene and ICE cars will be struggling to sell. I expect sales on ICE equipped cars to start happening next year to empty the supply line.

So, my prediction is we will see a serious drop in new car prices and a serious rise in used ICE cars.

[Aces4]

Now is a good time to wait to buy a car. EVs are about to explode on the scene and ICE cars will be struggling to sell. I expect sales on ICE equipped cars to start happening next year to empty the supply line.

So, my prediction is we will see a serious drop in new car prices and a serious rise in used ICE cars.

Yeah, the whole thing is disgusting. Wait until the electric grid goes down for over a week after a horrendous storm and see how people will like living with no air conditioning or heat or vehicle to move themselves around. Life is moving to the nightmare stage.

[GrumpyOldMan]

Yeah, the whole thing is disgusting. Wait until the electric grid goes down for over a week after a horrendous storm and see how people will like living with no air conditioning or heat or vehicle to move themselves around. Life is moving to the nightmare stage.

Without the electric grid gas stations can't pump, Tank farms can't load trucks to deliver, pipelines can't deliver, etc, etc, etc. 135,000 of semi's are required to take food and goods into NYNY every day - they all are ICE today. They all stop running if the grid goes down.

If YOU have solar cells on your roof, your EV will continue to run as if nothing is going on, while all the ICE cars are standing in line to fill up at the one station that still has a little gas. Not that we have EVER seen long lines trying to fill their cars with gas before.

[jswirs]

I had a very good experience with Carvana. They do not sell new vehicles, but, there are no games, no salesman. The vehicle you see on the computer is exactly what you get, for exactly the price listed, which, usually is a very fair price.

[brianherlihy]

went for a oil change. at the chev dealer on 44 $ 90 i just left

[LizzieBorden]

We deal with Phillips buick in Fruitland park, and always go there for our car to be serviced…there are three cars in our family, and we never have been hassled by the sales folks while getting our oil changed. Its sad that you cant just say no and be done. I would find a new dealership if that happened to me… just sayin. We have been doing business with them for 12 years and had several cars )over 10) and never an issue.

[KimC060809]

I just went through the car buying process. It was worse than a root canal. You need nerves of steel to deal with the sales people and stand your ground for what you want. Soon places like Carvana will put these dealerships on notice and they will be forced to stop their aggressive sales tactics. I definitely recommend going somewhere outside our area for cars.

[togabill]

Agree.

[Laker14]

To the OP:
I've never run across this strategy of sales people crossing over into the service area to solicit. I am sorry you had to deal with this, and sorry you have regrets. Don't beat yourself up, you were conned by a pro. It's what they do, and you were caught off guard, just as they planned.
I'm sure the sales team involved felt great about themselves. "Job well done!"
Thank you for sharing this experience. I, for one, will be better prepared should it ever happen to me.

[thevillages2013]

This happened six months ago but I'm still outraged over it. Took my 2016 Honda CRV to Jenkins in Leesburg for servicing. After about 45 minutes waiting a young man said he wanted to talk about my vehicle. First, let me say it was a beautiful vehicle and we loved it! He said our CRV was 4 years old and had been in an accident. Which I knew as I had been sideswiped and the CRV repaired by my insurance co. He said the value had dropped greatly. Wanted me to buy a new CRV. I didn't want to. He then brought another man over, now 2 hours, then brought a third man over, 3 hrs, then a fourth salesman over, now nearly 5 PM. I am 90 years old and was very confused on what to do, as was my wife. I finally gave up, too mentally drained, to learn I could not have a candy-apple red one, they only had 2020's left, and would have to take a silver one. I wanted to have my brand new Michelin tires put on it; told I could not as different size. I wanted heated seats, not available. Did it have my old reliable GPS...no, had to use a cell phone but I only have a flip-phone. Totally unhappy with the pressure to take the car I now have. I'm too old and tired to deal with all that. Yesterday even with my wife's cell phone I couldn't get the navigation to work. Why do we have to be targeted by dealers like that? Jenkin's is great for service but low bar for harassment of seniors!
Just say NO. I know the horse is already out of the barn but for God’s sake just say no. In a public place if someone is harassing you like that raise your voice repeatedly and they will stop because they don’t want other customers they are trying to railroad to hear a disturbance. We went there in 2019 to buy a Honda Ridgeline. I gave them thirty minutes after the test drive to give me their best price on it. Thirty minutes later I walked out but gave the salesman my phone number. He didn’t call for a couple days so I called him. Best price was $42k. I bought the same exact truck at Ocala Honda for $34k minus the floor mats. Jenkins salesman said he didn’t understand how they could sell it that cheap but said he wanted to match the price. I told him politely to pack sand

[thevillages2013]

went for a oil change. at the chev dealer on 44 $ 90 i just left

Go to Wildwood Tire. They will do it while you wait and open til noon on Saturday.

[Luggage]

F y i most newer cars respect for synthetic oil when she's generally starting at 50 bucks or more oh, if you have a large car or truck it may be $90

[MidWestIA]

I got some training at Medicare scams here is the short version - you cannot remember all the cons/scams going now but it doesn't matter. ALL SCAMS and cons RELY ON you getting in a emotional state because you cannot think straight - they pressure you, rush you, scare you...

WHEN you feel that back up and walk away from the deal. Then if you want lookup or contact the situation on your own not with anything they give you


This happened six months ago but I'm still outraged over it. Took my 2016 Honda CRV to Jenkins in Leesburg for servicing. After about 45 minutes waiting a young man said he wanted to talk about my vehicle. First, let me say it was a beautiful vehicle and we loved it! He said our CRV was 4 years old and had been in an accident. Which I knew as I had been sideswiped and the CRV repaired by my insurance co. He said the value had dropped greatly. Wanted me to buy a new CRV. I didn't want to. He then brought another man over, now 2 hours, then brought a third man over, 3 hrs, then a fourth salesman over, now nearly 5 PM. I am 90 years old and was very confused on what to do, as was my wife. I finally gave up, too mentally drained, to learn I could not have a candy-apple red one, they only had 2020's left, and would have to take a silver one. I wanted to have my brand new Michelin tires put on it; told I could not as different size. I wanted heated seats, not available. Did it have my old reliable GPS...no, had to use a cell phone but I only have a flip-phone. Totally unhappy with the pressure to take the car I now have. I'm too old and tired to deal with all that. Yesterday even with my wife's cell phone I couldn't get the navigation to work. Why do we have to be targeted by dealers like that? Jenkin's is great for service but low bar for harassment of seniors!

[Bay Kid]

Bad treatment. All they have 2020's? It's time 2022's to out.

[tsmall22204]

I took my VW motorhome to Jenkins VW. They added parts to the bill not used, labor not performed. I complained and they removed the excessive charges. I do not trust them and never went back.

[vinricci]

Jenkins Honda is the most corrupt dealership in the area. Sold them my Honda Odyssey and they said I would have a check in 5 days. 10 days later no check. Went back and they had no record of the transaction. Had to fill out new paperwork and GM promised my payment would be expedited. Another week no money. Now they told me they had to wait for the title. I was fed up and asked for my van back. Guess what, they sold it. Finally with the help of Seniors vs Crime and Honda Corporate I was paid.
STAY FAR AWAY FROM JENKINS.

[msilagy]

That happened to a 90 year old friend of mine that walked out with a new car after taking his car for service at a nearby Hyundai dealer and thought it was a loaner! He didn't believe he bought it till I showed him the transfer of title and the check he wrote listed in his ledger. Sorry this happened to you also - the family was going to get a lawyer but not sure how that went and I wrote an awful review in google. That's about all we could do.

[noslices1]

Deluca Toyota in Ocala sold me a 2018 C-HR three years ago, for $24K, $3000.00 less than what Phillips quoted me, Then to top that off, Deluca gave me $22K for my C-HR in June, in trade for a new RAV4. So my C-HR cost me $55.00 a month to own it for three years. Service there is great and nobody ever pushed me to buy something I didn’t need. I previously had a 2007 Solara convertible that they serviced for 8 years also. Great dealership up there.

[Malsua]

its why I wouldn't go to a dealer for service unless I had to. the sales harassment. but yes, very old people are probably seen as an easy mark

I am not a dealer, nor affiliated with one.

I am capable of doing every repair on most vehicles myself or at least I was before I moved to TV this year and have no real space to work. I can take an engine down to the crank, put it back together and it'll work again.

All that said, my experience with dealers is the same as yours when it comes to the non-luxury brands. Your basic Honda, Toyota, Ford, etc, they all have gotchas and rip-offs and seem to do whatever they can to lighten your pocket.

My experience with my Acura was exactly the opposite as well as my father in law's Lexus.

I did every repair the maintenance minder wanted at the dealer and all the other things such as brakes, transmission oil changes and whatnot. A 4 wheel brake job at my Acura dealer with Acura rotors and pads was _CHEAPER_ than Midas using whatever the cheapest parts Midas can find are. Not only that, Acura did the brake fluid change while they were there. Oil changes were $54 for the blend and $65 for Synthetic. I had my oil changed on my wife's Honda CRV here in FL just because I don't know where to dispose used oil, it was due and we were headed out on a road trip last week. It was $69 at Tire Choice on 441.

My father in law found the same thing at the Lexus dealer.

I asked the sales guy I dealt with about it. His answer was "The cars sell themselves, we don't pressure anyone. The more times we get you in here to see the new ones, the more likely you'll buy another one, so our service is reasonable".

Maybe it was just my dealer, Park Avenue Acura of Maywood Nj.

[Bacimom]

Now is a good time to wait to buy a car. EVs are about to explode on the scene and ICE cars will be struggling to sell. I expect sales on ICE equipped cars to start happening next year to empty the supply line.

So, my prediction is we will see a serious drop in new car prices and a serious rise in used ICE cars.
This is actually a great time to buy a new car due to the massive demand in the used car market. In the past year we replaced a CRV, Jetta and an Accord. The new CRV was $4000 out of pocket, our old one was 4 years old with 60,000 miles on it. We had just put new, much quieter tires on it and I insisted we would only do the deal with Jenkins IF they swapped out the tires between the two vehicles. The Jetta is our sons car, it was also 4 years old with 50,000 miles on it. We did move from the highest package model to the next one down…but we did that for $500 out of pocket. The Accord held excellent value, but we did upsize that to a Lincoln. All three cars bought locally. We need to do our research ahead of time and know what you’re willing to pay. My husband reached out to 4 dealerships around the state to get trade in values. He came with the best one in writing & insisted if Jenkins couldn’t meet that price, we would be happy to day trip elsewhere. He actually walked out the door of the VW dealership with my son. The manager ran into the parking lot to get them & agreed to his price. We hold the power. The sales people don’t. We also chose cars that were not on the Jenkins lot-thus avoiding the $2000+ “Jenkins package” of crap like pinstriping and a safety kit. Just BS add ons that they use to make more money. We told them IF they added that crap before they delivered the car to us we would not pay for it-and we didn’t want that detail on our car so they would be breaking the terms of our agreement.
Be tough out there.

[TOMCAT]

This happened six months ago but I'm still outraged over it. Took my 2016 Honda CRV to Jenkins in Leesburg for servicing. After about 45 minutes waiting a young man said he wanted to talk about my vehicle. First, let me say it was a beautiful vehicle and we loved it! He said our CRV was 4 years old and had been in an accident. Which I knew as I had been sideswiped and the CRV repaired by my insurance co. He said the value had dropped greatly. Wanted me to buy a new CRV. I didn't want to. He then brought another man over, now 2 hours, then brought a third man over, 3 hrs, then a fourth salesman over, now nearly 5 PM. I am 90 years old and was very confused on what to do, as was my wife. I finally gave up, too mentally drained, to learn I could not have a candy-apple red one, they only had 2020's left, and would have to take a silver one. I wanted to have my brand new Michelin tires put on it; told I could not as different size. I wanted heated seats, not available. Did it have my old reliable GPS...no, had to use a cell phone but I only have a flip-phone. Totally unhappy with the pressure to take the car I now have. I'm too old and tired to deal with all that. Yesterday even with my wife's cell phone I couldn't get the navigation to work. Why do we have to be targeted by dealers like that? Jenkin's is great for service but low bar for harassment of seniors!

I am not quite a senior yet but close. Anyone can be targeted by annoying salespeople so do try not to think it is your age all the time when you get harassed by these salespeople. It is that they are annoying and are lousy salespeople.

I called my cable company as I needed a new box in one of my rooms. The customer service started trying to sell me a new kind of service, which would have cost more for me, that it made my head spin. Well, to put it this way, I did not buy the other service, and I did not order a new box, which is why I called for. Perhaps, I will call again and maybe another customer service agent will not be so pushy.

[BlackHarley]

Sales people are trained professionals, aka rip-off artists.
You are not going to win once you enter their play ground. Think of it this way. You purchase a new car/truck every so many YEARS. The sales person sees 10 of y'all EVERY DAY. Seasoned sales people have seen it all and heard it all. Unless, as the other poster stated, "Just walk away", you are never going to win in their backyard.

[Gpsma]

The OP may be 90 but obviously is sharp enough to post on TOTV and write a coherent message.

All salespeople are there to “target” customers, no matter their age.

I suspect the OP may be one of those people who has had difficulty, all of his life, resisting sales pressure.

[Singerlady]

Although you shouldn’t have to, recommend taking a friend with you to navigate this.

[jbrown132]

Why did you stay!!

[jimbomaybe]

My father would always take me with when he went car shopping, started when I was in the single digits, good education. When I buy a new car I tell the salesperson that I want a written quoit, out the door price, model ,color options, that I will price three other dealerships and do business with the best price, any change in the price I walk. When they appraise my car I go with so they cannot hold my car hostage,, over the years I have gotten the impression I am not the preferred customer. The few car salesmen I have know have made no secret that "they" always have at LEAST some contempt for the customer. "If god did not want them shorn he would not have made them sheep"

[KSSunshine]

Sorry this happened to you, but just walk out. I've walked out of two dealerships when they didn't want to show me what I was interested in, including the Buick dealership here in Fruitland Park about 3 months ago. Probably just a poor sales person, but I won't go back to that dealership. He kept showing us everything we weren't interested in except the one vehicle on the lot we wanted to test drive. Then followed me in his golf cart, as I walked away, yelling at me that we hadn't asked for a test drive. Some (not ALL) see seniors as an easy target.

[Goinghiway]

…. How about the Dealer add on fees, over MSRP??? Go anywhere’s else and u can purchase a vehicle well below MSRP… Where are the Consumer Policing agents in Florida???

[Jacob85]

Go into see seniors V Crime, a project of the attorney generals office, when something likes this happens. Not sure what can be done now since it’s been 6 months but we have had similar cases. We are located in the sherifs annex and handle all kinds of issues like this. Phone number is 352-689-4600 ext. 4606. You can also call before you buy to see if there are any cases against them.

[larbud]

Nothing new,In 78 got tired of the road .I Had just bought a new canalfront home in Tavares and after moving in quit My job. Not having a lot of savings I got a job as a car salesman.. Was quite good at it too but the management treated the older and younger people like pure sh#t… Soon moved on to wholesaling vehicles on My on..

[tonycirocco@me.com]

I am not a dealer, nor affiliated with one.

I am capable of doing every repair on most vehicles myself or at least I was before I moved to TV this year and have no real space to work. I can take an engine down to the crank, put it back together and it'll work again.

All that said, my experience with dealers is the same as yours when it comes to the non-luxury brands. Your basic Honda, Toyota, Ford, etc, they all have gotchas and rip-offs and seem to do whatever they can to lighten your pocket.

My experience with my Acura was exactly the opposite as well as my father in law's Lexus.

I did every repair the maintenance minder wanted at the dealer and all the other things such as brakes, transmission oil changes and whatnot. A 4 wheel brake job at my Acura dealer with Acura rotors and pads was _CHEAPER_ than Midas using whatever the cheapest parts Midas can find are. Not only that, Acura did the brake fluid change while they were there. Oil changes were $54 for the blend and $65 for Synthetic. I had my oil changed on my wife's Honda CRV here in FL just because I don't know where to dispose used oil, it was due and we were headed out on a road trip last week. It was $69 at Tire Choice on 441.

My father in law found the same thing at the Lexus dealer.

I asked the sales guy I dealt with about it. His answer was "The cars sell themselves, we don't pressure anyone. The more times we get you in here to see the new ones, the more likely you'll buy another one, so our service is reasonable".

Maybe it was just my dealer, Park Avenue Acura of Maywood Nj.

You can take used oil to Walmart.

[retiredguy123]

My father would always take me with when he went car shopping, started when I was in the single digits, good education. When I buy a new car I tell the salesperson that I want a written quoit, out the door price, model ,color options, that I will price three other dealerships and do business with the best price, any change in the price I walk. When they appraise my car I go with so they cannot hold my car hostage,, over the years I have gotten the impression I am not the preferred customer. The few car salesmen I have know have made no secret that "they" always have at LEAST some contempt for the customer. "If god did not want them shorn he would not have made them sheep"
If you tell a dealer that you are going to shop and compare his price with other dealers, you will never get his lowest price. To get his best price, you need to be prepared to buy the vehicle immediately.

[retiredguy123]

…. How about the Dealer add on fees, over MSRP??? Go anywhere’s else and u can purchase a vehicle well below MSRP… Where are the Consumer Policing agents in Florida???
The only number I would ever discuss with a dealer is the out-the-door price. If you engage in a discussion about dealer fees, invoices, add-ons, etc. you will always lose. Know what the vehicle is worth, rebates, trade-in, taxes, title, and tags, and do your own calculation of the out-the-door price.

[tvbound]

Why did you stay!!

Therein lies the key. Regardless of a persons age, there will be those car dealerships that try to wear you down until they can sell a car, add unneeded warranties/options and do everything possible to keep you in their building as long as possible. What a person needs to realize, is that there is nothing stopping you from getting up and just leaving at anytime.

[Barb.callow]

Close friend had an identical situation a couple of years ago. Fairly new Cadillac got sideswiped in parking lot accident. $5,000 damage. While at the dealership sales manager approached and had the same song and dance. Tremendous loss in value due to damage. Even alleged it would show up on a Carfax report, despite the fact they don't release customer information to Carfax.

Fortunately she blew him off and got the car fixed and kept it.

So I don't really doubt the basic premise of the story or the possibility of some gullible senior falling for it.

Without knowing all of the information, I can only share my experience about “accident” reports occurring when you don’t expect them. I was transferring title, etc to FL when I was asked if I had ever had an accident with that car bc of the insurance. I answered “No” and was told that I had — I was like a deer in the headlights, trying to remember. Then it occurred to me they were referring to the claim that I made when the neighbor’s tree fell on the car. In my mind that was not an accident. So that stuff can come back to get you when you least expect it.

[ithos]

Snopes is a hard core left wing "fact check" site. If it wasn't it would not have been on Facebooks payroll. They had the good sense to break it off though. But it serves a purpose. I consult them to get the other side of an issue.

[airstreamingypsy]

went for a oil change. at the chev dealer on 44 $ 90 i just left

Do you have a diesel? I pay 150.00 for oil changes.

[John41]

Jenkins , Leesburg. As soon as I read that, I already knew the rest. Bad place and just stay away. Been there (once) done that.

I agree. Stay away. Never let a salesman have your keys.

[waynehal55]

Jenkins Honda is the most corrupt dealership in the area. Sold them my Honda Odyssey and they said I would have a check in 5 days. 10 days later no check. Went back and they had no record of the transaction. Had to fill out new paperwork and GM promised my payment would be expedited. Another week no money. Now they told me they had to wait for the title. I was fed up and asked for my van back. Guess what, they sold it. Finally with the help of Seniors vs Crime and Honda Corporate I was paid.
STAY FAR AWAY FROM JENKINS.

I recently bought a new car from Jenkins Mazda in Ocala(love the car), but the sales people seem to be typical of all Jenkins dealerships. They must send all the sales managers to North Korea for extensive training. I previously purchased
3 Acura's from Jenkins and never had a bad experience with sales or service.
Unfortunately the quality and reliability of Acura in the past years has diminished
greatly. The Jenkins name and Acura had an excellent reputation, but no more.
My first purchase was new 2002 TL and always went there for all services.
Being a little aggressive is okay but LYING isn't.

[lennythenet]

We had a bad experience with them as well. Went in to look at new CRV. Asked us to test drive a vehicle and they took our drivers license to “make copies” of them before we could drive it. Good luck in getting your drivers license back, that is their way of holding on to you until they make a sale. Even asking for them back politely does not work. You have to get really nasty before you finally get them back, which is normally not my style. NEVER AGAIN!

[Penglobal]

If we can learn but one thing from this post, I hope that all Villagers learn to expand their search "OUTSIDE" the bubble when purchasing anything from cars to medical care.

There are many reputable car dealerships outside the bubble that will aggressively solicit your business and provide you with a competitive price on a new car. Additionally, there are many medical professionals and medical facilities outside the bubble that will provide professional care at a reasonable price.

Shop around and AVOID JENK*NS !

[Bella6368]

This happened six months ago but I'm still outraged over it. Took my 2016 Honda CRV to Jenkins in Leesburg for servicing. After about 45 minutes waiting a young man said he wanted to talk about my vehicle. First, let me say it was a beautiful vehicle and we loved it! He said our CRV was 4 years old and had been in an accident. Which I knew as I had been sideswiped and the CRV repaired by my insurance co. He said the value had dropped greatly. Wanted me to buy a new CRV. I didn't want to. He then brought another man over, now 2 hours, then brought a third man over, 3 hrs, then a fourth salesman over, now nearly 5 PM. I am 90 years old and was very confused on what to do, as was my wife. I finally gave up, too mentally drained, to learn I could not have a candy-apple red one, they only had 2020's left, and would have to take a silver one. I wanted to have my brand new Michelin tires put on it; told I could not as different size. I wanted heated seats, not available. Did it have my old reliable GPS...no, had to use a cell phone but I only have a flip-phone. Totally unhappy with the pressure to take the car I now have. I'm too old and tired to deal with all that. Yesterday even with my wife's cell phone I couldn't get the navigation to work. Why do we have to be targeted by dealers like that? Jenkin's is great for service but low bar for harassment of seniors!

Sounds like they were trying to take advantage of you. Stop going there. Next time you go somewhere for something like that have a neighbor or friend go with you.

[MandoMan]

This happened six months ago but I'm still outraged over it. Took my 2016 Honda CRV to Jenkins in Leesburg for servicing. After about 45 minutes waiting a young man said he wanted to talk about my vehicle. First, let me say it was a beautiful vehicle and we loved it! He said our CRV was 4 years old and had been in an accident. Which I knew as I had been sideswiped and the CRV repaired by my insurance co. He said the value had dropped greatly. Wanted me to buy a new CRV. I didn't want to. He then brought another man over, now 2 hours, then brought a third man over, 3 hrs, then a fourth salesman over, now nearly 5 PM. I am 90 years old and was very confused on what to do, as was my wife. I finally gave up, too mentally drained, to learn I could not have a candy-apple red one, they only had 2020's left, and would have to take a silver one. I wanted to have my brand new Michelin tires put on it; told I could not as different size. I wanted heated seats, not available. Did it have my old reliable GPS...no, had to use a cell phone but I only have a flip-phone. Totally unhappy with the pressure to take the car I now have. I'm too old and tired to deal with all that. Yesterday even with my wife's cell phone I couldn't get the navigation to work. Why do we have to be targeted by dealers like that? Jenkin's is great for service but low bar for harassment of seniors!

I’m confused. So they convinced you to buy a new car when you are 90 years old because the four year old Honda—which should be good for another fifteen years—got side-swiped and so was worth less money, even though it was completely repaired? And so you bought a new car you didn’t like because the other car was worth less on resale even though perfectly safe? You actually bought the car? And you let these people pitch you for three hours until you were exhausted?

Pardon me, sir, but there is a reason why they make these sales pitches to elderly people: they work. Sometimes you have to get angry, use some blue language, and tell them to get lost. I can’t STAND sales people like that.

[Geodyssey]

Why do we have to be targeted by dealers like that?

Capitalism. Private companies can pretty much do whatever they want.

Survival of the fittest. Dog eat dog.

It's in the Constitution.

To paraphrase Ben Shapiro's comments on internet censorship, "If you don't like it, start your own car dealership".

[GrumpyOldMan]

Thread has kind of focused on car sales, which target EVERYONE not just seniors. But, seniors seem to be particularly vulnerable.

My wife and I both drive 10 year old cars, for this very reason. I drive an 2011 Jaguar XF, she drives a 2010 Lexus. Both are in very good condition, but are a pleasure to drive. I LOVE riding in my Jag, pure comfort - and there is something about having a 500HP V8 when you need it - LOL.

So, We don't plan on going through that nonsense until we have too. And hopefully that will be when we don't want to drive any more and get a Full Self Diriving Tesla - in a couple more years.

[Cindy619]

We had a similar super-bad experience at Jenkins. I'll never go back.

[Penglobal]

We had a similar super-bad experience at Jenkins. I'll never go back.

Another Jenk*ns fiasco.

Are many of us upset with Jenk*ns?

Please don't go back to Jenk*ns!

[Rosebud1949]

This happened six months ago but I'm still outraged over it. Took my 2016 Honda CRV to Jenkins in Leesburg for servicing. After about 45 minutes waiting a young man said he wanted to talk about my vehicle. First, let me say it was a beautiful vehicle and we loved it! He said our CRV was 4 years old and had been in an accident. Which I knew as I had been sideswiped and the CRV repaired by my insurance co. He said the value had dropped greatly. Wanted me to buy a new CRV. I didn't want to. He then brought another man over, now 2 hours, then brought a third man over, 3 hrs, then a fourth salesman over, now nearly 5 PM. I am 90 years old and was very confused on what to do, as was my wife. I finally gave up, too mentally drained, to learn I could not have a candy-apple red one, they only had 2020's left, and would have to take a silver one. I wanted to have my brand new Michelin tires put on it; told I could not as different size. I wanted heated seats, not available. Did it have my old reliable GPS...no, had to use a cell phone but I only have a flip-phone. Totally unhappy with the pressure to take the car I now have. I'm too old and tired to deal with all that. Yesterday even with my wife's cell phone I couldn't get the navigation to work. Why do we have to be targeted by dealers like that? Jenkin's is great for service but low bar for harassment of seniors!

They think we ALL have money.. could not be further from the truth. My 14 year old Toyota Corolla works well yes 95,000 miles on it. Mechanics keeps coming out when service time is due and offering crazy money for it. Why should I buy a new one to do no more than 100 miles a week !!! Look after your care and it will look after you. I told the "Sales guy" who started to join the mechanics ....I will come to you when I want a new car, until then leave me alone.

[Penglobal]

They think we ALL have money.. could not be further from the truth. My 14 year old Toyota Corolla works well yes 95,000 miles on it. Mechanics keeps coming out when service time is due and offering crazy money for it. Why should I buy a new one to do no more than 100 miles a week !!! Look after your care and it will look after you. I told the "Sales guy" who started to join the mechanics ....I will come to you when I want a new car, until then leave me alone.

I am confused, if you could please explain.

While at the Toyota dealership having your car serviced in the repair shop of the dealership, a new car salesman comes to you and tries to sell you a car and tries to buy your used car? I am amazed this occurs and wonder how offend this happens as I would be ****ed-off if while servicing my car, a car salesman would essentially try to steal my car claiming that my vehicle was in bad shape while it is being serviced and try's to sell me a new car.

Seems like a classic case of Arm's length transaction. Transaction between two independent parties in which both parties are acting in their own self-interest. Both buyer and seller are independent, possess equal bargaining power, are not under pressure or duress.

Here at the dealership, both the buyer and seller are the same entity, thus a customer would never win in this transaction.

[DIver0258]

I think you might mean Phillips Toyota Jenkins does not sell new Toyota’s. Both are bad to do business with.
Get out of the BUBBLE when shopping for a new vehicle.

We just went several rounds looking for. Toyota Highlander hybrid. We have been from Orlando to Ocala. Orlando attempted to hold us hostage as they didn’t want to return the keys to the vehicle we were trading in. DeLuca in Orlando acted indifferent saying they don’t have any. We had an easy time with Phillips. Went to the manager on duty…..no pressure & no back and forth dealing. Getting out of the bubble in today’s market makes little difference from our experience.

[aallbrand]

Seniors also scam business . The last thing an established business wants to do is scam a senior . Not saying it cant happen but not wide spread.

The phrase scamming seniors gets used to often when seniors make mistakes or get confused.

[GrumpyOldMan]

Seniors also scam business . The last thing an established business wants to do is scam a senior . Not saying it cant happen but not wide spread.

The phrase scamming seniors gets used to often when seniors make mistakes or get confused.


FBI says about $3B each year.

|
The National Council on Aging (https://www.ncoa.org/article/top-10-financial-scams-targeting-seniors)

[meme5x]

I use Phillips Toyota in Leesburg.. they have always been very professional and helpful.. never been pressured into anything.. sorry you had a bad experience

[wirenail444]

This happened six months ago but I'm still outraged over it. Took my 2016 Honda CRV to Jenkins in Leesburg for servicing. After about 45 minutes waiting a young man said he wanted to talk about my vehicle. First, let me say it was a beautiful vehicle and we loved it! He said our CRV was 4 years old and had been in an accident. Which I knew as I had been sideswiped and the CRV repaired by my insurance co. He said the value had dropped greatly. Wanted me to buy a new CRV. I didn't want to. He then brought another man over, now 2 hours, then brought a third man over, 3 hrs, then a fourth salesman over, now nearly 5 PM. I am 90 years old and was very confused on what to do, as was my wife. I finally gave up, too mentally drained, to learn I could not have a candy-apple red one, they only had 2020's left, and would have to take a silver one. I wanted to have my brand new Michelin tires put on it; told I could not as different size. I wanted heated seats, not available. Did it have my old reliable GPS...no, had to use a cell phone but I only have a flip-phone. Totally unhappy with the pressure to take the car I now have. I'm too old and tired to deal with all that. Yesterday even with my wife's cell phone I couldn't get the navigation to work. Why do we have to be targeted by dealers like that? Jenkin's is great for service but low bar for harassment of seniors!
Do not ever go to that dealer again. If you do, you deserve what happened to you.

[Geodyssey]

The last thing an established business wants to do is scam a senior.

Were talking about car dealers.

[jimkerr]

This happened six months ago but I'm still outraged over it. Took my 2016 Honda CRV to Jenkins in Leesburg for servicing. After about 45 minutes waiting a young man said he wanted to talk about my vehicle. First, let me say it was a beautiful vehicle and we loved it! He said our CRV was 4 years old and had been in an accident. Which I knew as I had been sideswiped and the CRV repaired by my insurance co. He said the value had dropped greatly. Wanted me to buy a new CRV. I didn't want to. He then brought another man over, now 2 hours, then brought a third man over, 3 hrs, then a fourth salesman over, now nearly 5 PM. I am 90 years old and was very confused on what to do, as was my wife. I finally gave up, too mentally drained, to learn I could not have a candy-apple red one, they only had 2020's left, and would have to take a silver one. I wanted to have my brand new Michelin tires put on it; told I could not as different size. I wanted heated seats, not available. Did it have my old reliable GPS...no, had to use a cell phone but I only have a flip-phone. Totally unhappy with the pressure to take the car I now have. I'm too old and tired to deal with all that. Yesterday even with my wife's cell phone I couldn't get the navigation to work. Why do we have to be targeted by dealers like that? Jenkin's is great for service but low bar for harassment of seniors!

Jenkins is a very unethical company. All of their dealerships are very bad. I just had a very bad experience with Jenkins Hyundai of Leesburg and Had an equally bad experience at their Ocala store so I know as a company they are bad news. I would not recommend them to anyone.

[jimkerr]

Seniors also scam business . The last thing an established business wants to do is scam a senior . Not saying it cant happen but not wide spread.

The phrase scamming seniors gets used to often when seniors make mistakes or get confused.

I’ve already dealt with more scammers here in The Villages compared to any other place I’ve lived. People certainly do prey on seniors!

[BlueStarAirlines]

Going to buy a car from a dealer shows that you think you can wrestle a pig and not get dirty. You can go there just to look, but when you want to buy use the Costco car buying service or any of the similar services offered by credit unions or community banks. There is none of the slight of hand with pricing and add-on, no discussion of financing, there is literally none of that.

My last brand new car I went to my credit union and took out my loan, picked the vehicle I wanted, the options and colors I wanted, and they handled the rest. They called a day later and gave me final prices from three dealerships which I compared to my own pricing and selected one. The credit union bought the car and had it delivered to the credit union where I picked up the keys.

[Escape Artist]

Bad treatment. All they have 2020's? It's time 2022's to out.

I heard there's low new car inventory. Same situation as golf carts - and boats, for that matter. :ohdear:

[Jaydancer]

I am so saddened to hear your story, and so sorry that you had to go through it. It is tragic that such people even try such tactics with older people. How would they like it if their mother, father, grandparents were treated in such a way!

[SkBlogW]

This happened six months ago but I'm still outraged over it. Took my 2016 Honda CRV to Jenkins in Leesburg for servicing. After about 45 minutes waiting a young man said he wanted to talk about my vehicle. First, let me say it was a beautiful vehicle and we loved it! He said our CRV was 4 years old and had been in an accident. Which I knew as I had been sideswiped and the CRV repaired by my insurance co. He said the value had dropped greatly. Wanted me to buy a new CRV. I didn't want to. He then brought another man over, now 2 hours, then brought a third man over, 3 hrs, then a fourth salesman over, now nearly 5 PM. I am 90 years old and was very confused on what to do, as was my wife. I finally gave up, too mentally drained, to learn I could not have a candy-apple red one, they only had 2020's left, and would have to take a silver one. I wanted to have my brand new Michelin tires put on it; told I could not as different size. I wanted heated seats, not available. Did it have my old reliable GPS...no, had to use a cell phone but I only have a flip-phone. Totally unhappy with the pressure to take the car I now have. I'm too old and tired to deal with all that. Yesterday even with my wife's cell phone I couldn't get the navigation to work. Why do we have to be targeted by dealers like that? Jenkin's is great for service but low bar for harassment of seniors!

Old people? A Target?

90469

[ohpogue]

I went to see a mans house today as it is for sale and he told me how a man kept bothering him about his Gas Golf Cart. The owner felt it should be sold with the house. But this man kept bothering him about his golf cart. This person who I believe lives in the Villages gave the owner of the Gas Golf Cart $400. There was nothing wrong with the golf cart. The owner of the Golf cart, is 91 years old. I feel this man was ripped off as we all know a GAS golf cart is worth more than $400. Yes, the elderly are being taken advantage of.

Sadden to know that people do things like this to the elderly.

[Aces4]

Without the electric grid gas stations can't pump, Tank farms can't load trucks to deliver, pipelines can't deliver, etc, etc, etc. 135,000 of semi's are required to take food and goods into NYNY every day - they all are ICE today. They all stop running if the grid goes down.

If YOU have solar cells on your roof, your EV will continue to run as if nothing is going on, while all the ICE cars are standing in line to fill up at the one station that still has a little gas. Not that we have EVER seen long lines trying to fill their cars with gas before.

You never saw the complete destruction of hurricane, tornado, wild fires or earthquakes to solar panels? There is no sure electrical source, ask California how sure fire their electrical grid is for them. BTW, gas engines are capable of handling many of the situations you describe as impossible. I love electricity, however, it’s not the all end all people think and wait until it’s your only source of power. You will see the light. We have to be concerned now about efforts to take out our electrical grid so let’s put all of our eggs in one basket.