Tuesday Tip: Car Salesman Confession
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Tuesday Tip: Car Salesman Confession
| Tue, 02-21-2006 - 9:34am |
This is a terrific must read for *anyone* who is planning on buying a car.
| Tue, 02-21-2006 - 9:34am |
This is a terrific must read for *anyone* who is planning on buying a car.
I enjoyed reading that story. We just bought a new car last year, and I got a laugh when he talked about the salesmen standing outside waiting for "ups". When I went shopping for my new car, I arrived in my husband's car (a 2000 model) because my 1995 model (the one being replaced) was in the dealer's service center, having been towed there. No sooner had I pulled into the parking space, did three salesman who were standing outside smoking, butt out their cigarettes and stand right in front of my car, smiling at me. I was afraid to get out of my car! LOL! It was like they were going to pounce or something.
I did test-drive a car while I was there (same model that I bought, but different color and less safety features), and as soon as I got into the vehicle, the head salesman ran out and excitedly exclaimed, "Here! Let me have the keys to your car and I'll have a trade-in price ready for you when you get back!". He motioned towards my husband's car. I said, "Uh...No. The car I'm trading in is sitting dead in your service center lot over there". And with that, his expression changed. LOL!
We still bought the car, but they really didn't like my husband's no-nonsense attitude when it came time for the paperwork to be done. My husband questioned every single line-item on the papers, and at one point, he looked up at the Sales Manager and said, "I hope you aren't planning to put a sticker anywhere on that car that has this Dealership's name on it...or you're going to have to pay ME for advertising". With that, the Salesman's face went pale, and his jaw dropped, and he stood up from the desk and screamed over the heads of all the other salespeople, "HURRY!!! TELL THEM NOT TO PUT ANY DEALERSHIP STICKERS ON THAT VEHICLE!!! DO IT NOW!!!!"
Two days later, I went back to the dealership to purchase some touch-up paint for my new car, figuring that if I ever needed it, I'd have it handy. I parked in front of the showroom again, and would you believe the same salesman who approached me first to sell me my new car (that I was driving that day!) came up to me and began his sales routine again?!?! As if I was going to come buy another car just two days later! LOL! I was kind of disgusted by this point. I told him I didn't need any help, and I walked into the showroom, towards the restrooms and the parts center. Would you believe this man FOLLOWED ME?!? I realized I was being followed as I neared the bathroom, so I turned and said, very loudly, "Ya know, I've been using the bathroom all by myself for quite a few years, Sir! What is it, exactly, that you feel you could do to help me in there?!?!" Then I turned and went into the restroom. When I came out, he was loooong gone, and after purchasing my little bottle of paint, it was as if the salespeople made a path for me to leave the showroom and never said a word to me as I left.
So all in all, the article gave me a big smile and a few laughs as I remembered how my last car purchase went. :-D There were a lot of similarities. :-D
Pat :-D
Wow, very interesting article! I started reading it yesterday and just finished reading it. The most surprising part for me was that they use the phone intercoms to eavesdrop.
I'm trying to save up so that the next time I buy a car, it is with cash. And I'll definitely do the internet thing.
Thanks for sharing the link.
I was fascinated by the article! I loved the way the author neither made the salesmen out to be all bad or good. When we bought my car we did so much research on what we wanted that I could have quoted extras and prices in my sleep and I think we got a great deal on the car. We bought my husband a car about a year ago and it was somewhat impulsive and it made the deal very difficult to make because we didn't know what we were doing. My son drives an older car that we provide for him but when he graduates from high school he will need to buy something for himself. I am trying to teach him the "Dave Ramsey method" of only buying a car for cash, even if it's not exactly what you want. I wish someone had told me that it's possible to not have a car payment in life. I don't think I ever knew anyone when I was younger that did not have a car payment.
Thanks for the link to the article. It was great!
Thank you, Danni. That was a great article. I am pretty sure that the second dealership the author worked at was Saturn. We have 2 Saturns, a '98 SL2 and an '03 VUE, and that place sounded pretty similar to our dealership. While we've never been called to be asked about trading in our car, we have gotten a couple of letters over the years advertising that. And, as the author mentioned, while the price is set, all the haggling comes in the trade-in and the financing. We have 0% on our only car payment (the VUE), but I'm sure we won't get that whenever we have to buy our next car. I am hoping that by then, we will have our CC debt paid off and can put down a substantial cash down payment. I would also like to look into being preapproved by our credit union for a car loan. We won't have a trade-in on our next car, as we will drive the SL2 into the ground before we buy anything else. So, if I have a big down payment and am preapproved for financing, we won't have anything to haggle about. Plus, we love our Saturns, and we will be happy to buy another one when the time comes. Hopefully that time is still far off!
-Sarah
Sarah
Mom to Gina & Tony