Stories from the Sales Frontlines

isellhondas

I got thrashed on a survey recently over a "bad" wiper blade the lady noticed two days after buying the car.

It had a pine needle under it causing a streak!

I MAKE SURE the customer inspects the car and we have a form they sign off on. I tell them that if they notice a scratch or something the next day, they are on their own!

MAN, does that EVER make some people look hard for something wrong. This is the only way to deliver a car.

They might stop for milk on the way home, get a door ding, and think the car came with it.

isellhondas

" I am in the process of looking for a nice high mileage E.B Explorer right now for my daughter to drive"

Ah, is there such a thing?

joel0622

Ya and I don't even have to worry about faulty odemeters being put in by the manufacture either

jmonroe

…and i told her i'd sell her my 03 Nissan Sentra Spec V (bright yellow!) when she turned 16 for $500, and she just gave me this look like..."eew...why would i want that? its oooolllddd!"

Look at it like this; you have a couple years to get a few of your view points across to her.

i guess she can walk everywhere then

That would be a very good starting point.

jmonroe

cccompson

No need for a map - I believe that the posters who suggested something other than an Explorer were not so much concerned with their own safety as with your daughter's.

But I could be wrong.

mikes2

Well, you KILLED the salesperson. So I understand her anger over that.

Is that always the case? A few years ago, I had a similar experience as the original poster, when buying an Acura, but the result didn't seem to affect the sales guy.

In my case, the sales guy was great - couldn't have been happier with him. Unfortunately, the F&I person was an idiot from begining to end - amongst other things, he got truly angry when he found out I was paying cash and wasn't leasing or financing with him - I mean really grumpy and annoyed, snarky, etc. It only got worse when I declined the VIN etching, paint protection and extended warranty. Then, when I declined the offer of rust proofing, he tried to scare me into buying it by saying my brand new Acura was a "Japanese rust box" (I kid you not - his exact words!). He would not stop and made it clear I was nuts not to buy an extended warranty and rust protection :confuse: , until I told him that if it was such a "rust box" and needed more warranty, perhaps I'd better cancel the sale (or course, I knew otherwise). It was awful :mad: . So.... when the survey came in, I also gave high marks all around, but panned the F&I process (and person), and wrote in his specific words. He too called my wife at home a few days later, and really upset her. I then called Honda Canada....

Long story short, the sales guy called a few days after that with the usual follow up, and I actually needed a small thing fixed (no big deal) and he met me at the dealership. He was happy and cheerful, and said he'd heard I hadn't been happy with the F&I person (with a grin on his face). If he got killled by my survey, he sure didn't show it - so much so, that I'd be amazed if it affected him much (or at all). Do the sales guys always get hit? If so, this guy's a hero - he got hit, but grinned and beared it so well, that I hadn't a clue.

joel0622

THATS WHY I AM BUYING HER AN EXPLORER. Because I am concerned for her safety. Read all the post people, I have already stated the reasons why I think she will be safer in it. You all disagree, thats fine, thats what's great about living in America.

Lets drop it now, what my daughter drives or does not drive has nothing to do with the topic. Unless Moo or Isellriceburners has something else to say and I will smoke them

madmanmoo

I think what your daughter smokes and drinks in the vehicle is the most important part of this topic. I've found that Purple Haze is a great beer and smoke to combine while driving. It gives you that extra edge that you need on the morning commute.

Train them early and you will reap the benefits.

Good luck out there!

-MOO

andres3

What about at night or if it is overcast? You can't see dings and scratches well without bright sunlight.

You don't test wiper blades (normally) unless its raining.

snakeweasel

Whats wrong with buying your kid a car?

because this is the time kids should be learning to pay their own way or do without. The longer parents keep giving them stuff the longer they expect things without working for them. The 16 year old driving around in their brand new Civic that their parents bought them will have a greater chance of being the 45 year old with lots of things including 60K in credit card debt and barely living ay check to paycheck.

lrguy44

Let's drop the subject - this is not the place to try and invoke one's values on others

volvomax

(shaking my head ruefully)
Well, I'm glad that you enjoy drinking Ford kool-aid.
Lord knows they need folks like you.
Good Luck

explorerx4

i'm with you. my daughter currently drives my '02 eb explorer. it will get passed down the the next kid too.
once that happens, kid #1 will need their own vehicle.
it will be fun having them experience the sales process when that happens.

joel0622

Do they still make Volvo's

Every time I think of a Volvo I think of that movie with Dudley Moore. "Volvo....Boxy but safe"

Moo, the way I figure it is, that when I was growing up the best my dad could do for me was ditch weed, you know the stuff that grew in the ditches from people throwing a joint out the window. I just want to do one step better for my daughter and make sure she is smoking the good stuff.

Disclaimer for any one who may work for any section of or know some one who works for DCS, or any other child service group. I am joking ha ha ha. I will not put a cooler in my daughters car, I will not buy her drugs, and she will not smoke. This was all said in jest in order to lighten the mood and add entertainment value to your day. If I offended anyone in the process I apologize. I was serious about none of it.

mazda6iguy

I have fond memories of when my dad brought me along with him when he bought cars. I remember back in 1972 when he was getting a Buick Estate Wagon i was sitting in the cars in the dealership. They were all white and I particularly remember sitting in a 72 Buick Centurion convertible. I was 9 at the time.

cdnpinhead

It's certainly pleasant to get a "feel good" story like this once in awhile in here.

When I begin a discussion with a car salesperson, I always give them the benefit of the doubt. It doesn't take long to figure out the lay of the land after that.

I've bought three different new vehicles with less than 20 minutes negotiation -- two on my lunch hour. I would have gladly gone back to any of those salespeople, but I doubt that they were there a year later, let alone the seven it generally takes me to get tired of a car or wear it out to the extent that I don't want to deal with it anymore.

cdnpinhead

I have a very positive feeling for Nissan -- my '73 240-Z went 223K relatively trouble-free miles before meeting its demise at the hands (so to speak) of a Suburban. I backed it out of the showroom when it had 3.6 miles on it when I was 25 -- it was my dream car & it exceeded my expectations.

Replaced it with a used '72 510 that I put an additional 106K miles on before selling it to another enthusaist who drove it up on a trailer to tow home.

Best of luck, and thanks for the stories.

jmonroe

I was serious about none of it.

I knew that. Except the Explorer part, right?

jmonroe

snakeweasel

I am not trying to invoke any values on anyone. Just stating what many professionals agree on.

jlflemmons

sheesh, after reading the last 20 or so posts I am almost afraid to tell you what I got the kid.

'99 S10 Blazer 4dr, 2WD, 77K miles, imaculate inside, a few light scratches and dings on the outside.

And now both he and his little sister know how to change tires, inspect brakes, replace shocks, replace door pins, and will soon change a lightly leaking power steering pump.

I believe the term is "sweat equity". I do the teaching, they do the labor. I believe a kid that understands how things work better understands why some things are stupid before trying them.

"You mean they don't really land and drive away like on 'Dukes of Hazzard?'"

isellhondas

I was kidding...well kinda. A high mileage Explorer can be a money pit and I'm sure you know that. I actually like them if they are a 2002 or newer.

The odometer deal is a "tempest in a teapot". I would guess the same companies that make Honda's odometers make them for others as well. I just never knew they were expected to be a calibrated instrument except in police cars.

plekto

Just say no to SUVs for their first car.

You want, slow, small, and cumbersome(yet without being unsafe). A volvo 240, used, is an excellent car. Another good choice would be any 4-banger Accord or simmilar a few years old. 140HP is the goal - with a 0-60 time of whenever and essentially an anti-sporty feel to it.

If you want a tank, though, just get an old ex cop car at an auction and enjoy. Few things beat a Crown Vic for cheap to fix and slow as a slug in city traffic.

Best large car though would probably be a used Buick Roadmaster wagon. Big, tough, overbuilt, and good for carrying half of the world(no not needing a U-Haul when they go to college - lol

isellhondas

Grumpy, aren't you?

stubborn1

I was a trouble kid at a dealership when I was 10 years old, but for the right reason.

Flash back to the year 1986 - My dad and I go to the dealership and dad signs the papers on a Ford Tempo :sick: Anyway, being a young kid I was obsessed about the radio - wow, it was digital. You didn't have to pull the button out and push it back in to set the presets. Fast forward two days later at delivery. Salesman is reviewing the car and Dad almost drives away when I notice they switched the radio to the old dial type. I said something about it, and the salesman tried to brush it off. Dad finally remembers and threatens to unwind the deal unless he got the newer stereo back. All ended up well, except the family ended up owning a Tempo.

isellhondas

We have a lighted delivery area. I hate delivering black cars. They show EVERYTHING!

imidazol97

Or the Caprice (right name?) Chevy version is popular for youngsters and collegsters around here. I'll bet every one in the metro area is in our part of the region. Even the Roadmaster sedans seem to have their place as a youngster's car.

explorerx4

i dropped the 'volvo is safer' after 4 kids in a 240 hit a tree. 3 died, but not the driver. the car split in half. i drove that street every day on the way to work. i can still see the tree, although i only drive on that street a few times a year. it is all relative. sorry.

joel0622

Not Grumpy, just stating true facts, There won't be a new or used import in the fleet. If she wants one when she is old enough to buy her own car great. This is my own personal opinion that I am not pushing on any one else or trying to incite a model war, I always have and always will own Fords.

explorerx4

it is not like we(me and my wife) have never owned other brands, but our experience has not been good.
i enjoy history, and i love 'the henry ford museum/greenfield village'.

210delray

Don't worry, I'm not talking about you! That's as far as I'm going with this.

imidazol97

Good. Thanks.

cotmc

That is a sad story, but I'm not sure if that scares me away from Volvo. Depending on the vehicle's speed at impact, and especially whether or not the occupants were wearing seatbelts, I could imagine the same sad consequences with nearly any other vehicle.

Many people believe the heavier the vehicle, the safer. For single vehicle incidents, such as a car hitting a large tree, it doesn't necessarily help to have a heavier vehicle. Remember F=ma from high school? The heavier the vehicle (m), the larger the force at impact (F) exerted on the vehicle.

In other words, in situations like this, I would rather have a lighter and more maneuverable vehicle, with good offset crash test results, crumple zones, airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, etc. Manueverability gives the driver a better chance of avoiding accidents. Heavier weight, and a higher center of gravity, reduce manueverability, as well as introduce a higher risk of rollover.

I know a strong young man who was nearly killed a few months ago when his new F350 hit some black ice on the highway. He spun out, slowed down a little, and hit a tree.

Of course, for multi-vehicle accidents, I'd rather be driving a cement truck!

benzserviceguy

These kids now a days seem to have a sense of entitlement.
As if they are "due" something. As if they have "earned it".
They have earned SQUAT. It's us parents who have EARNED it .. by working.

I have 2 girls . ... One 19 the other 14.
My wife & I helped our 19 y.o. BUY her first NEW car.
Mom got a new car in June 06
Dad is still driving his 99 ragtop import with 115K

The 14 y.o. when she is ready will (hopefully) be driving the ragtop.

The respone I got when I told her it was gonna be her car?

Thanks .. but I don't think it will still be around.
(Why I don't know.. I take xcellent care of it but the body has one dent on the pass door and the plastic rear window is hazy)

But that Super Sweet 16 show on MTV .. makes me wanna slap the sh*@ out of those parents!!
It's where these kids pick up all this sh*#

It's no wonder our society is "going down the tubes"

( STEPPING DOWN OFF THE SOAPBOX NOW)

cotmc

I might be showing my age, but here's a list of all the good things MTV has contributed to our society during the past 15-20 years:

.

kiawah

Cotmc,

You forgot to finish your list...........

smile

210delray

Many people believe the heavier the vehicle, the safer. For single vehicle incidents, such as a car hitting a large tree, it doesn't necessarily help to have a heavier vehicle. Remember F=ma from high school? The heavier the vehicle (m), the larger the force at impact (F) exerted on the vehicle.

Yes, but f=ma means the force exerted by the vehicle on the object struck is also greater. So a "fixed" object like a wooden fence may be broken by a heavier vehicle, while a lighter vehicle is stopped cold.

I'm not totally disagreeing with you, as the largest and heaviest vehicles (esp. pickups and SUVs) can and usually do have ponderous handling and often substandard braking, but I think the best compromise is a midsize sedan with all of the safety features you cite.

plekto

Ie - a late 80s/early 90s LeSabre/Regal

The GM "sled" with the 165-170-something HP V6 engine and the 3-4 speed slushomatik to make all of that power unuseable.

Cheap to insure and maintain, the 3800 engine that never breaks, great highway cruisers... and nothing else. Exactly what adults hate and loathe about cars but precisely what a first-time driver needs.

My first car was a 1981 Buick Regal. I called it the Green Glob becasuse it drove like a total POS. But it was a slow and safe POS. Fine on the highway, though - just pathetic, almost moped-like in city traffic. When you go from a stop to 35mph in 6 seconds and then another 2-3 to get to 40mph, it's awfully hard to speed or do silly things that cause you to lose traction. And it was really scary when it understeered in corners - just what you needed to tell your young brain to back off(though it could be driven three times harder, the suspension was so soft that you felt like it was already about to fly off the road well before it even started to make the tires squeek )

But some kids got fancy cars. And quite a few crashed them. We tend to get nonplussed about 200-240hp these days, but muscles and brains haven't evolved at all in the last decade or two - and that's a lot of power for a new driver.

As for new cars today that will be good in 5-10 years, that's tougher. I like an Accord VP with 4 cylinder and stickshift. Good car, actually - and with only a radio and A/C in it, less to distract them. A Buick Lacrosse should also be good, or a Pontiac Grand AM(both the base models). Cheap used and perfectly decent to get around in. A stickshift Corolla might also be good(they need to learn stick, IMO, and it also forces them to pay attention when they drive, well, to the driving) The only small car that I'd recommend might be the Honda Fit, but other than that - cheap rental-fleet midsize fodder is where it's at.

user777

i like your post a lot. do they also get to pay for the parts, gas and the insurance too?

i think you're doing the right thing by teaching them responsibility, and also imparting knowledge of vehicle repair and self which will serve them well in life.

tidester

Yes, but f=ma means the force exerted by the vehicle on the object struck is also greater.

Murphy's Law often trumps Newton's! One corollary states that "If a heavier object in a car crash can be hit, it will."

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

jmonroe

i dropped the 'volvo is safer' after 4 kids in a 240 hit a tree. 3 died, but not the driver. the car split in half.

These things happen all too often. The kids (and adults for that matter) have to understand that no matter how safe a car they may be driving, there are always limits to what anything can withstand.

I don't blame the car, any car that splits in half was subjected to immense forces. Speed was the killer here not the car.

I took physics too and I learned that if you could move a feather fast enough it could cut through steel. Kids just have to understand the total concept of F=MA. When driving a car, it's the 'A' in the equation that's your enemy.

jmonroe

dino001

Yes, but f=ma means the force exerted by the vehicle on the object struck is also greater. So a "fixed" object like a wooden fence may be broken by a heavier vehicle, while a lighter vehicle is stopped cold

Then there is a third Newton law: force exerted=response. If impacted tree/wall stay in place (which they does) they will push back the vehicle with the equal but opposite force, hence the damage. Sorry, but it's a fact - heavier vehicles are more dangerous to occupants in single vehicle crashes. When you add reduced maneuvarability and higher CG plus 20 years LESS crash zone research, benefits from multi-car crash performance and increased visibilty are pretty much offset for an experienced driver.

For a rookie that it is conceivable that a small Civic may be overall safer than Explorer. I'm not saying it's for sure, but seing safety through prism of multivehicle crash only and conditional probability of survival (once in a crash) rather than overall probability (getting in a crash at the first place and cosidering different types of crashes), I'm not so sure "bigger is better". I would say, it's likely just the opposite.

If I had to say the least safe vehicles on the road, especially for inexperienced drivers, are no doubt small pickups (when driven empty), followed by mini cars, then probably minivans, midsize truck based SUVs, compact cars, compact SUVs, etc.

Probably the safest vehicle for a 15-yr old would be a large family sedan - exactly one they don't want. But if it's the parent's money - they have no say in it, do they?

thenebean

isn't there another thread for cars for teenage drivers?

i wanna hear sales stories! i finally got a chance to watch king of cars. what a funny show! just saw the episode with the green peas...

glad i didn't work at a dealer like that, but it looks like the guys have some fun at least, and that's important!

-thene

graphicguy

OK...pictures destroyed. Still have the negatives. Now, about those payments...... :P

moo...congrats on the new job. Family owned store you went to. You sound an awful lot like someone else around here (you listening isellhondas?).

I hope no one in their right minds really wants me to get back on my soapbox about a kids first car, right?

madmanmoo

You sound an awful lot like someone else around here (you listening isellhondas?).

Thanks, GG. I can't remember what you're referring to though.

The nice part about coming back to this store is that all the goodwill that I spread among the staff 1 year ago is coming back in spades. I'm already getting cheese and a ton of referrals. In addition to that, one of the salesmen who had been here for 8 years just left to go sell Porsches. He gave me his password and now I have access to 1,400 sold customers that he had logged in the system since they started using computers. Excellent opportunity!

I'm loving the spot I'm in.

-Moo

joel0622

I had a guy come in my office, he was buying a Crown Vic putting down $8000 and financing the rest. We signed all the paper work and I said, OK Mr customer all I need now is your $8000 down payment, he pulls out a brown paper bag and dumps a bunch of money on my desk. It consisted of a bunch of wadded up $10's, 20's, and 50's. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm I think, where did this money come from. So any way I spend an hour counting it out for him. When I was done there was a total of $5000.00. I said, you are $3K short Customer. He then told me he would be back in an hour with the rest. I rubber banded together his money in stacks of $1000 placed them back in his designer brown paper bag, handed it to him and said i will see you in an hour. He asked if he could drive his new car I said no. He called me a few dirty names and accused me of not trusting him due to his ethnic back ground, told me which orifice of my body I could place are car in (which I figured was just not possible due to the size of a Crown Vic) and walked out of my office telling me in his opinion I was the son of a female dog, that I did not know who my Father was, and that I had in fact had sexual relations with my mother. Any how, I laughed it off, patted myself on the back from saving us from having a car stolen, I also assumed the money was from drugs and in the new Patriot Act/OFAC world it is better to be safe then sorry, one violation can shut you down. I told the Sales Person to put the car back on the line, who in turn started saying the same thing about the customers relations with his mother, and implied that the customer also was the son of a dog.

Fast forward 2 hours, here comes Mr Customer back with his gucci brown paper bag again, dumps the money on my desk, now I forgot to mention, this guy thought we were related because he kept calling me "Brother" and "Cuz" I have never seen him at any family gatherings. Any how I look at this new pile of wadded up $10's, 20's, and $50's on my desk and notice now my rubber bands are also in the pile, that or he was being polite and brought his own.

I will give you one guess how much money was in the pile this time............................... You guessed it $3000. now since I have some work to do I am going to shorten up the end of this tale. He implied I had kept his $5000 and that with this $3000, it makes $8000.00 I reminded him that he took his money with him, and he at that point started talking about my mom and dog again. What are young here did not know was two things.

1. When I counted his money the first time I wrote the serial # down on 5 of the $50 bills

2. We had a security camera on the floor.

After he gave me a good cursing I pointed these two things out to him, he ran out the door turned around ran back in and grabbed his cash, I have to admit when he turned around to come back I reached for a golf club I used to keep in my office.

Believe it or not, this guy has never came back to the dealership again

jmonroe

Now, about those payments......

You know I'm not a payment buyer nor am I one for long negotiations.

What's your best price..... hold it, I just remembered..... I can't get this anywhere else, so I guess this is a stick-up, huh? :sick:

jmonroe

jipster

isell has worked at a family owned dealership for many a year.

I'm already getting cheese...

You actually getting cheese? If so what kind? Or, is this some type of salesman slang? I'd hint around for a nice bottle of wine to go with that cheese.

abraindrainer

isn't there another thread for cars for teenage drivers?

GOOD point! My 2 cents on a best teenage cars: great brakes, tight cornering/steering, good visibility, slow(er), over 3,500 lbs...

I am not sure that Exploders fit all fo that... but they do a couple of criteria.

jipster

Great story joel...thanks. This thug mustn't be a very good drug dealer...I hear they usually pay in full with cash.

Interested to know how he was going to finance the rest, and what he had listed as occupation.

jmonroe

Believe it or not, this guy has never came back to the dealership again

Now this is the kind of tale that we've been waiting for.

BTW, what took you off the sales floor and put you in the F&I office?

jmonroe