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Comments
Yes...
He knew what I was doing and he was trying to be funny... Than another guy just tried to log on with in the same building and for what ever reason he was logged on under my name at the same time I was... The good old days...
GP
Ain't that the truth !!
gP
...
I’d say you found a good salesperson/dealership and I’d stick with them.
It wasn't the Hyundai salesperson who emailed him. It was a salesperson from Honda (or Toyota?) who he didn't buy from. I agree with gnomad, it was snotty and unprofessional.
This might have been a case of finding just the right car. I have looked at inventories at local dealerships for the car I want with all the options I would like. The local Ford dealers don’t have what Im looking for, but I might find it 50 miles away.
I might travel to another state to purchase the exact car I want if it is not locally available.
As long as I am moderately successful, I think things will be just fine. Now if I am wildly successful, I won't mind ;-)
-thene :shades:
Which is what I did too. I traveled from PA to NJ, about 90 miles.
When I read the post I saw that it was a Toyota dealer that was mentioned and I thought it was a combined Toyota/Hyundai dealer. The OP never said that he had also gone to a Toyota store but after re-reading the original post I should have known that. This is what happens when your courteous and let the other salesperson know that you bought something else.
These hit and run posters always confuse me.
But I was right about it being a Hyundai, you always gotta hold your breath if you have one of them.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Maybe the old grey mare will last that long, if not it looks like a Taurus or a Sable.
I can hear the booo's and hisses.......
My Dad has the 500 and it's a great car. It's a bit underpowered, but that has been addressed with the bigger engine. It's too big of a car for me, but other than that, I'd consider it.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Man, this traveling to get a car can be contagious. I live in the Burgh area and have two adult sons who also live here. Both of them went a lot farther than that to get the used car that they wanted. Son #1 went to Northern Virginia to get an Altima that was the exact car right down to the last option and color that he wanted then his younger brother went to Columbus and did the same thing to get his Mazda 6.
When I bought in 06’ and had to go to the other side of town I thought that was the beginning of the end of the world. You have to understand where I'm coming from. For my whole working career with the same company (other than the first three years till I got out of night school) I never had to drive more than 4.5 miles to work and most of those years it was less than 3 miles and for a couple years less than 2.
Everything is relative. I learned this in a few of my physics night school classes.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Of course, you'd never know it to look at him. The cars he drives, the clothes he wears. If you saw him, you might offer him a handout to help him get "back on his feet!"
Luckily, though, his wife certainly appreciates the fruit of his labor and puts it to use. Good use is debatable! (Kidding, she's quite a lovely woman...).
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
-thene :-)
p.s - to keep this about cars, my intention, should I make it big, is to buy a Nissan GT-R. just wanted to share! :shades:
Another go get em from me.
I hope when you blow by us in that GT-R you'll remember your roots.
Good luck again,
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
My full time phoney baloney job is doing payroll, man we could share war stories. :shades:
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Who get the car for you to test drive, cleans it up, gets the paper work ready, does the pre delivery inspection, gets the stickers off, fills it up with gas, and deliver it to you?
Also... Makes sure you vehicle gets insured and registered. State inspection sticker. ANd it is always a good thing when the right car is registered! Makes sure your remote starter is installed,.
Not to be forgotten but wait theres more.
Makes sure the mop n glo is installed, fancy pinstriping done, has your car ready and waiting for you to arrive
GP
I've never had a salesperson do any of those things... except maybe, bringing the car around for a test drive... :surprise:
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Hey these guys are professionals working real jobs they don't kid around.
ducking and running
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
As for the rest, from what I've seen: Lot personnel and back office personnel. Yes, the salesfolk do the delivery and features presentation and occasionally the salesman knows as much as I do about the car!
My point was really in response to Mack's about the salesman actually selling a car to folks that don't know what they want/need. I don't understand that, but as I mentioned I am not everybody. And that is quite the good fortune for "everybody!"
No, no salesman has ever sold me a car in that I have, after test driving and deciding upon which model was to be my new mistress, simply said, "Let's rock!" The salesman then proceeds to pick my pocket, but at least I chose the car!
Although, as GP noted, I let the salesman choose the color of the pin striping and faux convertible top. But I always go for the gold emblems and white walls. With the extended warranty for the white walls. My TL sure looks good that way... :shades:
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
My son used to live in Phoenixville and worked in King of Prussia. He had to go on Valley Forge Road, to Valley Forge Pike, to Valley Forge Avenue, to Valley Forge Lane (just kidding - a little) to get to work near the KOP Mall. He since moved to Devon.
We are from central PA and the weather is much colder and we get much more snow than you do "down east".
2025 Forester Limited, 2024 Subaru Legacy Sport
Line of the day, if not the week. Different strokes, I guess.
Also, I agree with the balance of your post in terms of how much value is (sometimes/often/usually) added by the salesperson. I bought a new car last month & the sales experience wasn't awful, it was just incompetent. The car is an Acura TSX, which has quite a bit of technology that can be customized for the driver(s). There's a 14-point (more-or-less) checklist that's supposed to be reviewed at delivery. I found it later in the pile of paper I was handed after the sales guy: 1) handed me the keys, 2) attached the temporary plate & 3) checked the turn signals (I'm not making this up).
Well, I'm pretty much a wham-bam-thank-you delivery person, but something beyond those five minutes would have been helpful, given the sophistication of the vehicle. I didn't need anyone to show me how to open the hood or check the oil, but the XM radio startup procedure (on delivery the XM is rudimentary) would have been a good thing, as well as where the radio security code was and any number of other things that wouldn't have taken long to go over. However, the sales guy needed to have a clue how the car worked -- I'm not at all convinced he did (or does now). My impression was (and is) that the car is way smarter than he.
I wasn't given a valet key or the tag with the key code on it -- learned by reading the manual (yeah, I know, but look at my moniker) that I should have. If I were paranoid, I'd be worried. I got my bluetooth phone paired and any number of other custom stuff set up, but it's absolutely no thanks to the cretin who delivered my car.
No, by the way, I didn't slam the store on the survey -- firewalled them all the way (with gritted teeth, I might add). The F & I guy was great. We got along fine. I learned today when I got some window tint installed that he didn't work there anymore. I will, however, write a detailed letter to the management of the store at some point describing all this.
I had to go beg for someone to help me the first time I walked into the store -- I knew exactly what I wanted and I knew the range I was willing to pay. All I wanted was help locating the vehicle and someone to take my money. Easy, you say? Not so much.
All that said, the car is absolutely great. The first vehicle I ever bought with my own money was a Honda 150 (red) motorcycle in 1965. This one's red, too. Isell is certainly entitled to be proud (as I am) of our company -- 43 years is a long time, at least for me. A few of the people who work there . . . not so (well, you know the rest).
The people on this board have given me an enlightening look at the view from the other side of the table, but it's important for you to realize that the professionals that you are are not at all representative of what we have to deal with out here.
Of course, this could be said of many people/professions. I myself still don't know what I want to be when I grow up (and that clock is ticking a lot louder, how did I get to be so much older than my father?). I'm on post-college career #2 or 3... But as this topic is car sales related, well there you go.
I will say that at the Lexus Plantation, over the last 6 years I have seen a familiar core of salesman. Could be that they, according to our salesguy, all earn 6 figures(as do I if you count the numbers to the right of the decimal :sick: ) .... That may be harder to obtain at your Chevy/Kia shop...
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Guess his SM caught him as he called a couple of days later. He didn't bother to ask how I liked the car or anything resembling customer service rather that he got hosed by the SM for overlooking OnStar and that I needed to come in to sign a form that he did go over the OnStar features and that I declined enabling it.
Now being the nice guy that I am I told him I would be in two days later at 10 am to go over the OnStar features that he neglected to review. More I thought about it, I truely didn't care about OnStar which in my opinion overvalued their services.
Course I didn't show up for his presentation nor returned any calls that he made to appease his SM. Two weeks later I receive in the mail the OnStar checklist and refusal form along with a letter from the SM explaining that for some odd reason the salesperson no longer worked at the dealership and he was following up with regards to OnStar. Again he didn't ask how I liked or how he hoped I was enjoying the vehicle or if I had any problems to call him. Keeping that in mind the OnStar survey along with the return envelope went directly into the trash.
Count me in... maaan...
Could you please define "piddly" ?
$50 - $500 - $5000 ? :confuse:
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Well, I once lost a sale to a lady who drove over 100 miles in her zeal to "save" 100.00.
How's that?
so do you know of any "payroll stories from the front lines" forums around? ;-)
oh, and jmonroe, thanks for the well wishes!
-thene :-)
Guessing 20 miles to the gallon, $2 gallon pre-Katrina, times 100 miles= $10 in gas... about a 1 1/2 hour drive. She saved herself $90. Don't sound "piddly" to me.
That was after three demo drives, more questions than I can count, an appointment she didn't bother showing up for.
If 100.00 was that important to her I certainly could have matched that price.
You are discounting the value of time.
You of course forgot the trip back, LOL. Another $10. But that's not all.
Lets say average new Honda buyer pulls $20-$30/hour minus taxes, say $15/hr net on average. Since 1 1/2 hr is one way, it's really 3 hours that she could spend with family or doing her favorite thing (assuming that shopping for cars is not her hobby). Applying the rate (and I think it's reasonable, as we can call the aggressive price shopping "work"), lets say it is $45 of "loss opportunity" cost - here opportunity of spending time better. So your $90 goes now to less than $50. Add then risk of the other place being dishonest and trying to pull a fast one. I know - as a self-proclaimed car buying wizz you probably won't fall for it, but average consumer might. Lets say the offer has never been there and best you could do is walk away (worst - pay more).
So what you have is an opportunity of saving $50 with associated risk of losing hundreds to an upsell or losing total of 4-5 hours of your time (commute+time at dealership if you walked away). Definitely not worth for me - risk/reward ratio is too high. Now - if it were $500 - I definitely would drive 100 miles, as as the said ratio goes much lower.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
Jip, I'm always in agreement with you, but this time around, I must resist!
If the customer needed to drive over 100 miles out of her way, as isell is stating, then you must include the round-trip costs -- gasoline, wear/tear and mileage on the automobile (which I admit is hardly worth mentioning), and the minimum of three hours of time for driving.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of taking a long drive if it saves me a respectable amount of money. In the past few years I've purchase two vehicles from dealers in Southern California -- roughly 6 hours away. Before that, I had purchased two vehicles in Tucson -- 2 hours away. However, these were all cases in which I saved a few hundred dollars by driving to Tucson, or well over a thousand dollars for the purchases in Southern California. (Note: These CA purchases included a new Lexus model and a used BMW -- both examples of large regional price differences.)
3 hours of my time is worth at least $100, if not more. Unless the local dealership provided me with poor customer service, I would never drive 100 miles to save $100. For people with busy lives, I would recommend the same philosophy. Life is too short!
$10 in Gas money and 3 hours of time @ $20 an hour comes out to $70. (Assuming 1 ½ hours drive each way) Woo hoooo $30
And if she drove on I5 to Tacoma you have the added cost of physiological trauma. That alone could cost hundreds. :surprise:
How's that?
That would indeed be a great example of piddliness! However, since this has become a subject of deep analysis, I'll simply point out that we have only the salesperson's characterization of the encounter (please don't take this the wrong way, Isell!).
A customer who has decided to go elsewhere will not want to get bogged down in justifying her actions to the salesperson she is dumping and will, if asked, provide a simple, curt and apparently plausible response. We really have no idea what she was thinking and why she acted the way she did but, in the end, she likely acted in her own rational self-interest. The rest is wild speculation.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Also, the customer may have saved only $100, but most likely didn't know how much they would save, until they got there...
For all they knew, they might stumble onto a $1000 savings.. Of course, once they had made the trip, $100 less is better than going back for $100 more.
In other words.... without shopping, how does the customer know the best price?
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Yeah, I thought about that. But, isell didn't say if it was one way or round trip, just said she drove 100 miles. But, I was also guessing that this story is and oldie, so gas was probably closer to $1 than $2. So, I'll split the difference with you and say she saved $85 instead of $90.
Opportunity cost? Difficult to even guess without knowing the buyers specifics. If she has plenty of time, her kids are grown, her husband a couch potato... then it would pretty much be gas money.
Even a cheapster such as myself, or jmonroe, probably wouldn't make the drive to save $100. I would prefer to buy the vehicle and have it serviced at the same dealership.
I don't know... something's wrong here when isellhondas is quoted more often than Shakespeare.
Regardless, report to dungeon #7... tomorrow, 0900 for reprogramming.
I must resist!
Resistance is futile!
I make sure eveything is done for the customers and delivered al ready to go when promised. The only time I don't have a reg and sticker done on a car is when someone transfers plates. We can't register the new car untill the plates are on the new car. So I ussualy have those people swing back in a day or two. Once the car is registered and the customers are her I get the inspection sticker done for them while they watch TV...
Besides I think Snake covered it when he said we were professionals
GP
$10 in Gas money and 3 hours of time $20 an hour comes out to $70. (Assuming 1 ½ hours drive each way) Woo hoooo $30
And if she drove on I5 to Tacoma you have the added cost of physiological trauma. That alone could cost hundreds.
... and if there was no trade-in involved, then she'd need a ride to and from the dealer, so it would actually COST her money!
Most people today know what they want and a good salesperson will know that in 15 - 30 seconds after talking to a customer/prospect.... :shades:
But some people are unsure. Even in today's society. They may think I want a Altima but really only can afford a Sentra... That is what you do when you qualify someone... also someone may want a Xterra and they want power seats. Well the Xterra doesn't come with power seats... just some exampless
But you ( Dad) are of the exception.... Anyone looking at a Lexus is 9 out of 10 times going to know if they can afford it or not... They already know what they want and how much they want to spend...
also ( Dad ) my theory is we are in a fast paced market ( north east ) which is a little different than other markets that may take their time.
Have a B-Back have to go
GP
You got that right.
Traveling from NJ to NY JFK (@26 miles) was a hassle.
Now in TX, driving to DFW @40 miles is just across town.
It is all relative.
and also guessing she made twice the min wage, she lost $15 in earnings.
Hmm.....so she saved $75.00.
Man, I could get that new Jawbone bluetooth headset with that money.
There is some off topic stuff here but you and ‘snake’ started it.
It’s even funnier that you say this now, cause I’m guilty of not looking at my pay stubs. I always do my taxes toward the deadline even though I usually get a refund and just last night I found a couple anomalies.
First, I remembered that back in September of 2007 I noticed on my pay stub a deduction that I couldn’t explain and I forgot to follow up on it. Last night I found that this deduction went on for 12 weeks, then stopped. It wasn’t a lot of money, less than $125 total. To stay on topic I should say (1) I wouldn’t even run across town to save this “piddly” amount (2) this isn’t even a wimpy car payment, it’s a nothing car payment and (3) pretty soon it won’t even fill the tank.
The second eye opener was when I noticed that, right from the beginning, when I started this consulting job with my old employer back in May 2007 they never took out a deduction for my local taxes. When I’ve consulted with them before this never happened, so it’s their fault. Being the honest husband that I am, I mentioned this to Mrs. jmonroe and said, “You can forget about a refund this year, I’ll have to write out a check to the Borough when I get around to doing those taxes, just as soon as I’m finished with this Federal stuff”. So of course she asks, “How much is that going to be” (as she begins to squint). I said, “1.5% of my gross”. You should have seen those saucers glaring at me then (well maybe not). All I could say was, “Look at it like this, we had the use of the Borough’s money for all this time, aint that great?
To get back on topic again I said, “It’s like that old Fram commercial, --- pay me now or pay me latter ---”. She had NO idea what I was talking about as she walked away mumbling and saying, “You better not write that check until I transfer some money into the checking account”. Do you suppose, after all these years, she’s trying to tell me she can’t manage our checking account? What does she do with that stuff?
Why did you bring this up? The good thing is, I’m going to watch those sneaky rascals from now on and her too.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Excellent point! Do we know there was no trade-in??
If there was a trade-in involved, then maybe she went to that dealership with the hope she could get a better bid on her old car? This might be one of the primary reasons she visited another dealership? :confuse:
Tidester has it right. We're only scratching the surface. Long live Team Tidester!!
ducking and running from jipster...
Well, we do keep some strange company in here, don't we? :P
Regardless, report to dungeon #7... tomorrow, 0900 for reprogramming.
I'm going to see if I can get GP to circumvent that order. He's not too happy with your decision to switch to the competition for a piddly $100! Maybe he will reprogram you, first!
Take a deep breath. The head coach apparently forgot that I have that 0900 time slot. When I'm done with that programmer you'll have him eating out of your hands.
BTW, what's with this wimpy "ducking and running" thing from the 'jipster'? Those demerits just roll off my back like they were never there and after tomorrow I'll prove it to ya. :P
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
In 2004 I was interested in buying a Trailblazer. Having bought 3 previous vehicles through the Costco auto purchase program, I went to their web site, and got the name and telephone number of their program Chevrolet dealer. I live in a very rural area, and it's a 3 hour drive to the Costco dealer. I called this woman at the dealership who was the "Costco program sales person", made an appointment, and showed up at the agreed upon hour with my wife (who hates car shopping) in tow.
The dealership was one of the national chains that handles everything from Audis to Volkswagens. The sales person had an unusual appearance, not anything you could put your finger on, but just strange. An example is that she never looked either of us in the eye for the entire time we were there. Her clothing, while not dirty was at least unkempt. She didn't do anything bizarre, but just seemed strange. She took us out back to the lot and gave us a rudimentary look and explanation of some of the features on the vehicle.
We were ready to buy, and she goes off to get paperwork started. During this time, she asks our names over and over at least ten times. Every time a new piece of paper has to be filled out, she asks our name. It's not a hard name, either.
This store has an assembly line sort of process where people who are trying to buy cars are all put into an area with tables to sit and occasionally their sales person will come with a new piece of paper to fill out, etc. There is no privacy.
The process drug on and on. This woman would have to go ask her manager every time we had a question or request. We finally felt that we were not being treated with respect, and that the sales person had problems that we didn't want to have anything to do with. So we left, along with the guy at the next table who had been trying to buy a pickup.
The next week, I went on the internet and bought the car from a dealer across the state.
Bob