Horrible Salesmen.. WHAT NOT TO DO

I would personally write a review, say if you dont want to spend a dime dont waste your time as the title
 
I had my truck in for service the other day, I was walking around the lot when a salesman approached me and we started admiring a 13 charger srt8. I asked him if he had ever driven one, when he said no I said lets go. We split the test drive and returned 30 mins later. We had a blast, and the car had a little less rubber on the rear tires.
 
First my bad story. After moving to Ft. Worth and leaving the air base one day, I decided to pull into the Suzuki car dealer sinc my brother had just bought one. I looked around the lot a bit, no one bothered me. There were also no prices on the windows! First time for that. I went in and a salesman jumped up. I asked him how much the car was because I was doing price checking,,he said come back when your ready to buy after I refused to sit down for a credit check. an hour later,, about the same thing happened at the next place I stopped at. Have not been back since to the second one. the first one went out of business less than a year later.

THE GOOD! Wife did her homework, ordered the price point from Consumer reports, went to test drive her selection at the closest dealer (a Subaru Cross Trek), told them to give her a written offer. then went online to a different dealer and asked them for a written offer. With that price point form, she was able to get it at the rock bottom price. We ended up going with the second dealer since they were willing to play ball. ( it was the show room car too! Had only been in the store a few weeks)
 
Interesting story and thread...


One thing I've learned in the car detailing industry is don't help other people spend their money...

People are all different and often times a person wants what they want... let them buy it. In other words, don't spend other people's money...



:)
 
This is an interesting thread indeed.

For an opposite to this story. We went to the Acura dealership and started talking with the sales manager.

He took us out in a TL SH AWD, no word of a lie, we did donuts in it to prove that the car could transfer power to the rear wheels! :D

Best drive ever!
 
I think the bigger the dealers get, the crazier their rules get, for the same reasons that big business sucks in all (most?) other respects.

I think it has just gotten worse in the internet age, where dealers can get beaten out on a deal for a few dollars by a customer sitting at home getting email offers.

Sure it's great you can get your best deal and shave the dealer's margin down to nothing. Then you have to live with them trying to actually make some money by putting tape stripes and roll vinyl door edge molding on all the cars and charging $700 for it (yes, really), or raping you in the service dept.

The best bet is stay away from the highway/high volume dealers...but of course there are some makes that are ONLY sold by those dealers.
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Interesting story and thread...


One thing I've learned in the car detailing industry is don't help other people spend their money...

People are all different and often times a person wants what they want... let them buy it. In other words, don't spend other people's money...



:)
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Mike, I am sorry, but I cannot see how this fits the tread?

I do not know if you are correct. I would not let a friend throw away his money, without saying something. I would not hound him, but would warn him if I thought that he was getting ripped off.
 
I've been rejected for test drives before. They were for the NSX and SLS AMG however :D
 
Bunky said:
When I was test driving, at several dealerships the salesman just gave me the keys and let me drive it alone. They just wanted to see your driver license just in case.
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That is what led me to buy a new RX8 over the 350z in '07.

Nissan wouldn't let me breathe near the car for fear of "putting unnecessary miles" on the vehicle, where the Mazda dealer gave me the keys and said 'it's got about 100 miles in the tank, have fun"..

:)
 
Circa40 said:
I've been rejected for test drives before. They were for the NSX and SLS AMG however :D
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You need go to the dealer dressed nicely,sport jacket etc and having a spouse ( or any women who the salesperson thinks is your spouse). I have never been refused a test drive. In fact most people insist that I take a ride.

If you are 20-30 years old you absolutely need to play the part in order to get a test ride on a high end car.

Would you let a 25 etc take your 200,000 car for a ride?
 
slimnib said:
You need go to the dealer dressed nicely,sport jacket etc and having a spouse ( or any women who the salesperson thinks is your spouse). I have never been refused a test drive. In fact most people insist that I take a ride.

If you are 20-30 years old you absolutely need to play the part in order to get a test ride on a high end car.

Would you let a 25 etc take your 200,000 car for a ride?
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Oh sooooo true!!
 
BillE said:
I went thru the very same thing last week.

First thing he wanted was to see my drivers license. Why I ask, replies with, "So we can run a credit check." I didn't get nasty (but sure wanted too), but in such terms I told him he just lost a sale.

Bill
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I have no issue with letting car dealers see and copy my DL. I look at it as a personnel safety, issue for them. Sorry to say, there are a lot of crazies in our world today. If a salesperson is harmed during a test drive and the prospective customer flees, management at the dealership knows "who dun it." Yes, they also run a credit check. So what? Once they see my FICO, they fall over themselves to get my business.
 
Sales phrases that this thread brings to mind:

NO demo = NO sale

Everyone's money is the same color

Buyers are liars


LOL
 
I had blast with my last test drive (and I bought the car). I had called ahead after checking the dealer's stock and told him that he had a white 2013 2SS Camaro with all the options I wanted. I showed up, the Camaro was right up front (in horrible shape) but with a HUGE white balloon tied to the passenger side mirror. We went on a test drive. I assumed the salesman would remove the balloon, he didn't. Before we pulled off the lot I said "that balloon's gone before we clear the dealership" he didn't say anything. Punched it, 3 seconds later the balloon was gone, salesman goes "good job, there it goes."

Best. Test drive. Ever.
 
Several years ago Mercedes Benz was promoting its new C-coupe entry level hatchback. I received a postcard from the company with an invitation to drop by the dealership, take the vehicle for a test drive, get the card signed by the salesman, and receive a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card after sending it in. So I went to my closest MB dealer and got the card signed off.

But when I asked for the test drive, the salesman refused, making up a bogus reason, saying that you have to make an appointment for a test drive. I looked around, and the dealership was empty. I think the salesman thought he had me pegged, seeing something about me that made him think I was not a serious buyer. It's true that the offer for a gift card was what drew me in, but I really was in the market for a new car. And you'd think a salesman with any sense would understand that anyone who receives one of these invitations falls into the company's target demographic. It's not like I was asking for a joy ride in an S-class. I didn't argue with the salesman, but I left with a pledge never to buy a Mercedes.

I ended up shopping for a VW. I went for a test drive at one dealer, but they didn't have the color I wanted. The guy said he could order my color, but he'd charge me extra for it, and asked me to sign a paper saying I was committing to buying that vehicle for X price. I thought that was truly ridiculous. Why would I buy from this guy, commit today to buying a vehicle he doesn't have, and pay extra? I ended up buying from another dealer for a much lower price. A few weeks later the first dealer emailed me and asked me how my car search was going. I told him I purchased my car from another dealer and matter-of-factly told him what I thought of his sales approach, and also that I would be sharing my experience with my friends who were looking for a car.

The experience at the Mercedes dealer kind of bugged me at the time, and I considered complaining to the corporate office but didn't. In the end it was MB that lost out, not just on that one sale but on my future car purchases, not to mention all these years that they could have been overcharging me for service on a MB vehicle. I ended up with a VW that I love and own to this day, and am looking forward to purchasing another VW in the near future.
 
A few years back, I was in the market for an A4. I pulled into the dealer on my street bike and asked the salesman if I could take a look at the A4 id had my eye on. The salesman was quite arrogant, and basically told me to take a hike. I'm guessing he thought I was full of it.

To make a long story short, about 2 weeks later, I went back to the same dealer, and spoke with the same salesman, this time in my new A4 I purchased elsewhere :)

That A4 is now totaled courtesy of a 96 year old man.


Sent from my futuristic Apple device while in my office doing nothing.
 
I have never had a problem when asking to take a car for a tesat drive. Hell, when I was 17 I walked into a chevy dealership and asked to take a camaro for a test drive. They copied my license and proof of insurance and tossed me the keys. I stood there for a minute and the guy asked if I needed anything else. "Aren't you coming with?" He said no and to have fun and be back before closing (was early evening).

I had the car for about an hour and a half. I picked up a couple friends and just drove it around for a while. Then I took it home just to freak out my parents. When I dropped the car off the salesman asked me what I thought, if I was interested in buying it. I told him not right now but would be a little later that year. He handed me his card and my car keys.

I walked to my car and saw that they had washed and waxed it while I was gone. I bought 3 cars from that dealership over the course of the next five years.

Some people just "get" what customer service is all about.
 
jsgntulok said:
I have no issue with letting car dealers see and copy my DL. I look at it as a personnel safety, issue for them. Sorry to say, there are a lot of crazies in our world today. If a salesperson is harmed during a test drive and the prospective customer flees, management at the dealership knows "who dun it." Yes, they also run a credit check. So what? Once they see my FICO, they fall over themselves to get my business.
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It isn't the fact he wanted to see my license (I understand wanting to see if I truly was a licensed driver etc) it was when he walked (or tried to) with my license (that, to me, is like watching your passport leave your presence). He did have my wife for collateral (oh so many 'jokes' come to mind with that statement) plus my present truck was sitting there.

Also the thing that torqued me was the attitude of money first then we talk.

Not trying argue, just explain.

Bill
 
BillE said:
Also the thing that torqued me was the attitude of money first then we talk.
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I think some of this is an attempt to manipulate and intimidate buyers with limited knowledge etc. (and of course some attempt to weed out buyers who can't actually afford to buy a car).

I mean, on the face of it, how ridiculous is the line, when you are trying to leave, "what will it take to get you to buy a car today?" as if it's an impulse-buy candy bar on the way out of the supermarket.
 
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