Home Blog Random Friday Thoughts: 5/22/09

Random Friday Thoughts: 5/22/09

Written on May 22, 2009 at 8:07 am, by Eric Cressey

Let’s get right to it.

1. First up, a few quick congratulations are in order for some Cressey Performance ballplayers.  Justin Quinn (Lincoln-Sudbury) and Sahil Bloom (Weston) were named Dual County League Large and Small Players of the Year, respectively.  They are also two of the three finalists for the MA Gatorade Player of the Year award.  LS won the DCL Large, and Weston won the DCL – thanks in large part to the efforts of these two guys.  Both were selected as league all-stars, as were CP athletes Garrett Moore (LS), Ryan Wood (LS), Derek Lowe (LS), Chris Conlon (Weston), Reed Chapman (Weston), Alex Hill (Wayland), and Scott Lueders (Newton-South).  Congratulations, guys!

2. Padres prospect and CP athlete Will Inman jumped up to AAA from AA on Wednesday.  If you’re anywhere near Portland, OR, get out to watch him make his first start tonight (Friday) at 7PM.  Will is 4-1 with a 3.05 ERA in eight starts on the year, having given up only 33 hits and eight walks in 44.1 innings pitched. Congratulations to Will on taking the next step in his baseball journey.

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3. Check out this great video content today from Dr. John Berardi about The Key to Accidental Fitness.  I can tell you that this is 100% spot on from my own experiences – and the thousands of clients and athletes I’ve seen over the years.

4. I got a question the other day about who I thought were the most important individuals to add to one’s network in the field of strength and conditioning.  My first response was “anyone who is smart, openminded, and willing to share ideas.”

That said, I realize this individual was probably looking for a list of occupations in this regard, so here goes: doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists, athletic trainers, other strength coaches/trainers, radiologists, sports coaches, researchers, sports psychologists, equipment manufacturers/distributors, and loads others that I have probably forgotten.  Basically, you’re just trying to find people who have different areas of specialization to either add to, refute, or confirm your existing knowledge.

5. Had some car and computer issues earlier this week, so I got a bit sidetracked on the writing side of things this week.  I submitted the third installment of Lower Back Savers a bit late, so it didn’t run this week.  For those who missed Parts 1 and 2, you can check them out HERE and HERE.

6. Just finished up my powerpoint for the Distinguished Lecture Series in Sports Medicine at Northeastern on June 5-6.  This is an awesome event featuring guys like Dr. Stuart McGill, Mike Boyle, Dr. David Tiberio, and others (including some schmuck named Cressey).  It’s very affordable, and I can tell you that the last two years have been fantastic.  Check it out HERE for more details.

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7. Can we please get over this swine flu stuff, people? They are closing schools left and right in Boston – and as a result, ASYMPTOMATIC kids are having to FORFEIT games/matches – and now, potentially playoff games.

8. I’m most likely getting a new car tonight.  I’ve never been a “car guy,” so it’s more of a chore than anything.  Let’s hear some of your favorite strategies for bargaining with car dealers (particularly when you’ve got a trade-in)…

8 Responses to “Random Friday Thoughts: 5/22/09”

  1. Jerry L Johnson Says:

    Eric, Pick the car and find out as much as you can about it before you talk to a salesmen. Then go on the web and find out what it is selling for, Carfinder.com, autotrader.com and others. Information is power and when you know a little about it. Find that car or atleast a dealer who has one. Usually can find it on the net first. When you talk to the salesmen tell him the kind of car you want and some of the features you want. Then a look at some and drive one or two.
    Look the car over closely and it is good to have someone else also with you to bounce things off with. Make sure the salesmen sees you looking and taking notes either written or mentally. This will put him in a better frame of mind to deal. When you have decided what you want make a rediculous offer. Let him soak with it and come back with an offer. Walk out if you don’t like it and tell him you are going to look somemore. See what happens. Never take his first offer. Walk
    Being able to walk out without buying is important. Make sure he knows your not emotional about it. Have fun. Jerry

  2. Ken Andrews Says:

    Try using http://www.carbuyingtips.com/ as it provides you with a strategy when going into the dealership. Also, cars.com and carsdirect.com can help with providing info on selling prices in your area, as well as the invoice price for a particular model. From personal experience, if you are looking at a Honda, Bernardi Honda will provide a real price quote via email, immediately, without having to “get in touch” in with you. Good luck!

  3. James Says:

    Cars–do your homework, know what you want to pay, be ready to walk away. Remember it’s always about the difference–don’t get caught up in how much they’re giving you for your trade, or how much they’re taking off of theirs. Finally, have fun–you’re getting a new car!

  4. Polar F11 Says:

    Using http://www.carbuyingtips.com is good to use like what ken andrews suggested.

  5. Jeanne Says:

    Make a deal with the car salesman–tell him that if you can lift the car he needs to knock $7000 off the price–he’ll think you are nuts. The unsuspecting dude doesn’t need to know you are an accomplished powerlifter.

  6. Steph Says:

    Take Vic; seriously. He may seem all quiet and nice but he’s like The Terminator of car buying. He wears these guys down like I have never seen.

  7. Chris Says:

    I had some pretty good success buying at a Mercedes dealership. Now the key is I was buying a used Toyota Solara, not a brand-new Mercedes. Since they were a luxury car dealership, they were making the big bucks off the Mercedes cars they sold so they were just trying to get the used cars from trade-ins off the lot as fast as they could for a small profit. So I got the car I wanted for little hassle at the price I wanted. Seriously no cat and mouse game you are used to at these places, we asked them to lower the price once, they came back saying they could do that.

    Oh and I get free car washes there for the life of the car. I do get some surprised looks when I pull up there in a Toyota and not in a Mercedes though.

    My brother used the same strategy for his used Nissan Altima, and it worked pretty well. I don’t know if you are looking for used or new, but if you are looking for a used car it might be something to consider. These luxury car dealerships seem to be much less of a hassle to get a used car from than used car dealerships are.

  8. Matt G Says:

    Do not mention the trade in until you have negotiated the price of the car. And expect them to offer you about 40% of what your car is worth selling it yourself.

    Also, use email to pit some dealers against each other. Saves you the hassle of going in if they aren’t willing to budge. You should basically be able to get the car at “dealer’s cost” these days as they still make money (though they will tell you they are not) from kickbacks.

    Look for pre-owned cars with 10k on them at the dealers–that can save you 4k or more in depreciation.

    For $20 consumerreports.com can give you a print out of what the dealer paid for the car. Use that price to negotiate up–not the sticker price down.


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