Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Stories from the Sales Frontlines
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Can I just say .....
OMG!
I think a salesman just made his / her month on that deal.
Back to our regular discussion of Bluetooth and American muscle cars.
Are you kidding? In some neighborhoods the SUV owners are getting so desperate that they will jack your 4-cyl Kia and leave you the keys to their guzzler.
Some folks just crack while on that hybrid waiting list. :sick:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Can I just say .....
OMG!
That sounds about right when you add Warranty, taxes, credit life, registration, doc fee...
It was probably sold at sticker. Which is what you are paying on Hybrids :shades:
Plus it had Nav...
It probably had a sticker around $32k or so... than add those extras in and wulla $38k.... Don't think the kid made his month
You just plug it in like your swimming earplugs. Comes with 3 different plug sizes - S,M,L.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
I'll email him.
He uses my isellhondas email which I don't check very often. He sent me one at 9:38 this morning so he's out there.
Someone here tick him off?
A lady I worked with bought her Jaguar in Detroit. She didn't like the Dayton and Cincy dealers.
I was at the local Infiniti store a few years back. I got the "too good for you" treatment. I had on jeans and the older car. I joked about that store at work for years. Guys need to learn the cover doesn't indicate the checkbook.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Probably most of us.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I went shopping in old sneakers and an oil-stained ski parka. Wore a Timex watch.
The only salesman who was real friendly was the SM at the Pontiac store. One acted as if I had peed on his rug. Most were neither one way or the other until I pulled out my 800 credit score.
That's what the best-dressed are wearing this season.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
That's because he probably forgot what a potential customer looks like. :P
Seems to me that a Mazdaspeed3 wouldn't blow the doors off a car (Mustang) that has 15 more power (both in HP and Torque) but only weighs about 5% more.
FWIW I have blown the doors off of Mazdaspeed3 repeatedly.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
""btw, they say it is cardiac arrest, not heart attack."
Same difference.
Nope. Cardiac arrest can be an electrical event (arrythmia) in an otherwise healthy heart. Heart attack is death of heart muscle due to interruption of the oxygenated blood supply to part of that muscle tissue.
They are related, but not the same. "
I almost had a coronary when I read that.
The stories about being ignored based on appearance really hit home. Example: A few years ago, my wife got her first post-law school job with a big firm in Philly and wanted to upgrade her Xterra. She had always wanted a Land Cruiser, so we showed up at the local Toyota dealer and chatted up the salesperson about a test drive on one of the several vehicles they had on the lot. I guess we must not have looked like we could afford it (a young chick and a rocker-type dude) so the guy actually told us that all the Land Cruisers on the lot were sold and awaiting delivery. However, he would be glad to let us take out a RAV4 or maybe a 4Runner. We walked.
The next day I called and inquired and was told that all 3 Cruisers were indeed available. We ended up at the Nissan dealer next door, where we bought a Pathfinder LE. A couple of weeks later, with the money we saved from not buying the Toyo, my wife convinced me to buy a year-old BMW 330ci.
Being young and immature, I took pictures of us with both cars, copied the window stickers, and mailed them over to the salesperson and GM of the toyota dealership. I included a nice note thanking for not wanting to sell us a Landcruiser, as we ended up with two nice cars for the same amount of money. I doubt they even gave it a second thought, but it certainly made me feel better.
1) New Range Rover Sport Supercharged
2) CPO 2006 or 2007 Range Rover (full-sized) Supercharged
3) New Porsche Cayenne GTS
4) New Jeep Commander Overland
I know the Jeep doesn't really fit, but we've had one as a rental and liked it. Plus, it's half the price of the others and has the lifetime powertrain. In fact, the first three would actually be leases, given my terrible experiences with reliability of marquis brands. The RRS has great lease numbers right now, and the CPO RRs are selling for pretty cheap (compared to initial MSRP). The Cayenne GTS not so much, but it is supposedly a great performer and I love the fact I could get a a manual tranny.
Regardless, we're not driving the Pathfinder to the dealers in hopes that will curtail any chance of us actually buying something else. I know the best I could do in trade is auction value anyway, so I may opt for craigslist or ebay instead.
If folks are interested, I'll happily provide an update of our experiences.
In my admittedly biased experience. I have found that ;
Value is what other perceive worth is.
Real Value is what you, yourself perceive worth is.
But True Value is of course a hardware store.
Sorry that joke goes over better in the SW and West than the NE.
But back to Suv's, given you and your wife's circumstances you can afford to drive whatever you want .Luckily for you , in this environment you can drive a hard bargain on an Suv. Best of luck to you.
Ps. Can you fed ex me a cheesesteak from Pat's ? I'll of course pay all charges.
OTOH, reading the "problems" forums will turn you against virtually every model on the market now. I guess no one bothers to post how trouble free their car is but love to complain when they get a :lemon:
Your post about shopping for a TLC hit close to home. I got snubbed at a Volvo dealer once. My vehicle had been totaled and with safety on my mind, I was interested in a new Volvo S70 as a replacement. I picked one to test drive. Thinking that the salesman would have a regular test drive route, I asked him to tell me which way to go. (I wanted to get off the busy "motor mile" so I could concentrate on the car and not be paranoid about traffic.) Before I realized what had happened, we made a nice 10 mph circle around the back of the dealership and were right back at the spot from where we started. At the time, I was probably 28 years old and I suppose the salesman presumed me to not be "Volvo material" LOL. Just as well I suppose because the 5 (?) cylinder engine sounded like a Ford Maverick and I knew right away that I didn't like it at all.
In contrast to the Infiniti store, the Honda Acuras were big at the time and the salesman there treated me like a normal person. He offered a test drive if I thought I was interested or stop back later for one he suggested.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
If I spy a car I think I may like, they toss me the keys and tell me to take it for the afternoon, if I'd like.
Where we come to a parting of the waves is when I throw out numbers to them. I think they're doable numbers, but they don't see it that way. It's one thing if they've got a model that may have just been released, or one that is a very hot item. I can understand them not wanting the get into a few hundred net deal, if that's the case. Plus, from talking to others who have bought from them, they like to roll nearly $1,000 into the deal as fees on the back end.
That's OK! They've been in business for awhile. Somebody is buying from them. No matter how many cars I may buy, nor what my financial status is, I'm obviously not their target. It takes two for a deal. It's their store. They can deal however they want.
I chalk that up to the store to being the only game in town. If I really want an Infiniti, I'll go to where there is some competition.
I remember when I was shopping the the BMW. I mentioned to that Infiniti store personnel how both BMW dealers in town were aggressively bouncing numbers back and forth on me like it was a ping-pong match. The Infiniti GM (the one you hear on their radio ads) told me he didn't consider BMW competition. He was nice about it, but I thought "he can't be serious". He said he wanted my business. But, "his cars" were more advanced than the BMW. As such, he didn't feel the need to compete in the pricing competition.
I disagreed, but so be it.
Lexus was even worse. They wouldn't even entertain any pricing competition.
Both dealerships are clearly going to hold large margin dollars. Neither has a competing same brand store in the same city.
My guess is someplace like Chicago, with several competing brand stores, might be more amenable to pricing competition.
Must have been the Ralph Lauren Polo loafers I was wearing, if I've learned anything from this forum!
'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...)
I sold cars to your regular blue collar Joes who paid $20k cash (draft) and drove 25 year old beaters.
I had customers who came in with their sugar daddies who also paid cash for the entire purchases.
I had (and still do have) young guys who come in blinged out with chains, and shorts hanging down by the knees (mostly suburban white kids), talking a lot of game and BS, who look like they have dough, but with credit so lousy that they couldn't get approved for a ham sandwich.
Not worth pre judging on clothing, cause you'll miss out a lot.
I can usually tell if someone is full of crap about who they are by having a few minutes of conversation with them.
The best one yet: I've had a well dressed 70 year old guy with 4 teeth total in his mouth who pretended to be a millionaire, and was ordering 2 300C SRT8s from me, who after 2 hours of chossing options left to get cash deposit from the bank and never came back. The business card he gave me was not his (he had a stack of them, from some high end investment firm), but the guy who's business cards he had, told me he tried to order 50 pizzas under his name a few days before.
The old millionaire pretender told me he's building a yacht to go across the Pacific, that he has houses here and there, and that he's throwing some gala dinner and will invite my wife and me to it.
I though to myself, for a guy who's so loaded, couldn't he afford to buy himself a set of dentures? But then who am I to judge? There's a lot of eccentric rich people out there.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
I’m with you 100% and don’t let that immature thing both you either, I was over forty when I had to let a SM know he wasn’t the only show in town.
Here’s my tale:
I t was a Thursday night and I finally came to terms on an 86’ Grand Prix in 88’ but by the time that happened it was too late for me to take a final look at the car and they said they would have to clean it up before they would turn it over to me anyway (it had rained earlier that day and it had those typical rain dirt spots). So I thought that since it was already closing time, looking at it the next day would not be a problem. I offered a deposit but they didn’t like that idea, they wanted me to wait until they cleaned it up and take it home that night. I had both of my sons with me and I said they had to go home and get ready for school the next day. They said take them home (they knew I only lived about 3 miles away) and by the time I came back the car would be ready. I told them that I wasn’t going to run around like that and once I had gone home I was staying there. They didn’t like that either and said we’ve already pulled it around to our indoor cleaning area so I should just go over there and look at it again. Again I told them no but I would check out the trunk before I left because when I first looked at it I didn’t think it had a spare tire. I was right, it didn’t have a spare tire and the salesman said he would have to find one and I said fine, I wasn’t buying the car until I saw it in day light.
I told the salesman I would give them a $100 deposit, take a half day vacation and come back at 1 PM the next day. He said great, that would give them enough time to find a spare, clean it and do the state inspection so I wouldn’t have to come back for the inspection.
When I show up the next day the salesman can’t be found so I go see the SM who had been coaching this greenpea though the transaction. As soon as I ask the salesman about the spare and who was going to handle the paper work he said there wasn’t going to be a need for that because I was supposed to take the car the previous night and this sale was already a PITA. I said are you telling me you aren’t going to put a spare in that car and he said, “I’m not selling you that car, with or without a spare. I asked who I should see about getting my deposit back and when he told me and I turned and walked away, he now says, “Oh, hold on, I’m sure I can find one of those spares (doughnut type) around here somewhere”. I continued on my way to get the deposit and said, “keep the spare and the car”.
Got my deposit back, went home and told this sad tale to the family when they got home. I said, “I’m thinking about taking the car I buy over to show that GM when I find one”. Mrs. jmonroe goes off the deep end saying, “Why would you lower yourself to something like that”? Son #1 is upset because he liked that car and Son #2 is just standing there is disbelief. I’m the bad guy here because I didn’t buy a car. I told them not to worry. There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, more out there and I’m sure I can find another. I was right, see below.
At work the following Monday, several guys say, (as is the tradition when someone buys a car) “Lets go take a looky at that thing at lunch”. I told them the tale and several of them said they would take the one I eventually buy over to show it to the ‘game playing’ SM. Darn, there must be something our employer added to the water fountains in that building.
I buy an 85’ Grand Prix at the store across the street a few days later; save a few bucks because it’s an 85’ vs. an 86’ but to this day Son #1 tells me the 86’ was a nicer car. I tell him the store where I bought had ‘nicer’ people and on top of all that ‘nice’ stuff I paid the bills and that was the end of that except this one last thing.
I doubt they even gave it a second thought, but it certainly made me feel better.
I take the car over to see the SM that wasn’t so nice, about a week later, and when I ask for him another guy shows up. I ask where is that other SM? I’m told he no longer works there :surprise: and this new guy (rather nice) asks what he can do for me. I tell him the tale and he says he’s sorry about that and that sounded like the ‘not so nice’ SM and I wasn’t the only one that complained about him and it got to the point where they finally had to send him on his way.
I’ve said it here before “when you come across a problem it should be fixed ASAP by letting those responsible for it know that all is not well”. Walking away upset won’t do it. Things don’t fix themselves.
Sorry (just a little bit) for the long tale (but since Mack hasn’t been around lately) someone has to do it and I did it in one post.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
That's all I'm telling.
Some people have this odd way of adjusting to things.
Just today, I heard someone say..."Wow, gas is "only" 3.99 a gallon now"
Some people won't deny themselves the gas guzzing SUV that they really feel they need.
I don't think values will "skyrocket" on cars like this nor do I think they will ever be as popular as they once were but I do believe prices have hit their lows and will now be going higher.
But, I could be wrong...
I should have kicked him out the minute he opened his mouth and I saw that he had no teeth, while he wants to spend $120k cash on two rides. But once again you never know. :confuse:
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Called a Suby dealership about a new STi (4 months ago, they had just come out), talked to a salesman who went to check what they had coming in, never heard back from him. Called another Subaru store 25 miles or so away, talked to a sales guy who assured me they had 3 in stock, all available for test drives. Told him we're on our way down...
Fast forward 45 minutes... We get to the dealership, our highly trained sales professional is nowhere to be found. As we're checking out a STi on the floor, another sales dude comes by. We tell him we're interested in driving one, possibly taking one off their lot or ordering... He giggles and says they're not available for test drives... I enlighten him that an hour ago they had three cars presumably available. He then gets the sales manager, who proceeds to tell us we can drive one if we consent to a credit check??? WTF... I nearly blow a gasket right then and there, kindly advising him that we just drove across metro Denver based on what his sales guy #1 told me, and at no point in our conversation we said we needed financing... He goes to check with the GM, we walk out the door to our other car.
A week later the fiancee is the happiest camper out there in her shiny new BMW 335 coupe. It's been very tempting to stop by that store again in the new car and share the story... I'm sure they won't care though...
Anyway, lots of interesting reading here, keep it up!
I know sometimes this sounds silly and almost insulting, but that's how it goes for any SRT models we have (300C, Charger SRT8, Challenger, Caliber SRT4). We have to have some sort of a deal in place, or at least the buyer has to be somewhat serious, otherwise we'd have a hundred kids in every day wanting to take them for a rip. It's a catch 22 for the buyer because how can you be serious about buying it if you haven't driven it to know if you like it; and yet you can't drive it until you're serious about it.
BUT......
When a serious customer such as yourself comes in and really wants to buy one, what are we going to do? Sell him the only car in the city with a 1000 heavy driven miles on it because 25 kids before him wanted to drive the crap out of it to feel the power?
It's a difficult situation, but on any limited production or availibility cars, especially fast ones, that's how most places do it.
I know it sucks, but that's how it works in many places.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Fair enough. But don't tell the customer on the phone that they are available for a test drive just to say "sorry, you can't test drive them" when he arrives at dealership.
And the people who buy them tend to be very sensitive about how many miles are on them.
Also, with the wrong person behind the wheel, they can be downright dangerous. This is why I really avoid S-2000 customers.
Most car dealers are like Home Depot - used to be staffed by knowledgable, professional sales reps, but the "Walmartization" of the American shopping experience expects little or no service, and a rock bottom price.
Go into Home Depot today - it is understaffed by people with less than a year's experience, and really don't know their product. Same for most car dealers.
Incorrect statement. It should read, "...after labor day. people start thinking that winter is on the way in a few weeks.!"
'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...)
"...after labor day. people start thinking that winter is on the way in a few months."
Incorrect statement. It should read, "...after labor day. people start thinking that winter is on the way in a few weeks.!"
As in a winters day in a deep and dark December. But regarding Suv sales, I think residual memory will continue to depress sales even if gas prices continue to fall. Tough being a Hummer salesman with buyers uneasy on who will be doing the service. Not to mention you're selling an apc. Or at least a pc. Poor Gm, no longer the rock.
" isellhondas......I just can't bring myself to wear those bluetooth ear "thingies". I realize they're becoming ever prevalent. But, I'd feel extremely weird if I were to use one. Maybe I look just as weird when I'm talking on the phone in my car, and people look over and think I'm talking to myself. "
I as well, just too old school. Besides feeling like I've been assimilated by the borg, I've just never been comfortable with ear buds or anything inside my ear.Occasionally outside my office building someone will come up behind me and announce, "Hey how's it going ? " Inevitably I answer "fine" and then I see they are wearing a blue tooth gadget where upon they display the thumb and pinky hand gesture and leave me feeling like I've somehow screwed up.
First generation bluetooth :
Once again I am wrong. Another re-inforcement, from me, to not believe everything you read/see on the internet.
Not that a C6 topic exists here
Little humor here to add: last weekend I was in HD trying to find replacement head for string trimmer from there 3 years ago... the guy in the department had only been there 5 weeks. He said his regular work is to "flip houses." I didn't have the heart to rub it in by askin why he was working at HD. There's gotta be more money in flipping houses, except that house prices have dropped like a rock!!!
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
duke....a couple of the most humorous incidences I've seen regarding the use of the bluetooth ear pieces happened within the last year. The first one, I was in a high rise building going to see my lawyer. While waiting for the elevator to take me to his office, there were 3 people wearing them and talking at the same time. All 3 of them were gesturing in an animated way while they were talking. This continued while we all herded ourselves in the elevator. Most people stand stoic in an elevator. These 3 looked like they were carrying on conversations with themselves. I'm sure their self-important conversations couldn't be interrupted for something like a brief elevator ride. I found that amusing.
The other amusing time run in with these bluetooth ear phone wearing folks happens at airports. You've got a 100 people waiting to board a plane. Invariably, there are always 5 or 6 of them pacing around the boarding area, all having a conversation, seemingly with themselves. Hearing only half the conversation, watching them pace, is truly comical.
I'm not immune. I'm sure it's comical to see me apparently talking to no passenger while using an integrated bluetooth speaker in my vehicles while stopped at red lights.
They say clothes make the man. But, if I'm shopping, for anything other than a suit, I'm in casual clothes. Do I wear Hilfiger? Yep. But, I usually buy them at Costco. My favorite casual clothes come courtesy of Old Navy, though.
If I'm shopping for a car, I'm in casual clothes. Don't see any particular need to "dress up" to spend money for a car. If I'm taken less seriously because of that, then so be it. I still speak in the universal language. That is.....money!
Yep, but now there's a conflict of interest between sales persons and dealerships since they (dealerships) expect perfect customer surveys yet they don't want to pay the sales folks for providing that service. :confuse:
I wish I would have been a fly on the wall for that, lol.
Years ago I worked for Sears and our store was run like the military. We dressed well and the store just sparkled. The floors gleamed and everything was first class.
Not now. A couple of years ago, I went back into my old store and I was embarassed. The help slouched around. The place was dirty, half the light bulbs were out and when I asked an employee a question, she barely spoke english.
I guess it's all about price now and this is what it takes to compete with Wal-Mart.
Very very sad...