I didn't buy the car. While it got to that speed fairly easily, the seat position was very uncomfortable to me, and I didn't like the center stack positioning of the speedometer. The xA seat sat high above the steering wheel when I tested it - almost like you'd expect in a truck. It was also noisier than the other cars I tested that day (Ion, and maybe an Aerio).
And regarding that "other drivers doing me a favor", well, I got the Elantra I bought with 67 miles on it. Some of which I put there myself, and I tested it similarly. The freeways in San Jose (near the dealerships) encourage fast driving - on the weekend at least.
My normal daytime cruising speed is between 75-80. So I was really testing for "normal" operating conditions for me. And until you're bobbing and weaving like a boxer, through lanes of traffic, 75 is a generally "safe" speed, CHP-wise. 80 is pushing it a bit.
I'm about to start work at the area's premiere Nissan dealer. Any advice for a greenhorn from the panel's experienced (and hopefully successful) salespeople?
I've zero auto sales experience. I am very eager to do a great job.
Ideas for creative networking would really be appreciated.
My previous experience is in computer based training development and video production. This is a dramatic departure from those areas.
I hope to leverage electronic media as much as possible. I understand making appointments is best for improving one's closing rate.
Good luck to you. I've been a loyal Nissan customer for 26 years now; you're associated with a good product and that's always a good start.
I've never been in car sales but I did sell insurance (for Equitable Life) some years ago, so can sympathize with the strugges.
Will you be dealing with Internet requests? If so, do your level best to answer the question if the person asks for a price quote. DO NOT say "come on down and we'll talk about it" as those responses get tossed immediately. DO NOT just repeat the MSRP. Same response by the customer. Give as good a price as you can, include any fees, etc., and then make it clear that's the no haggle Internet price.
This is assuming your GM allows it, of course, but as a buyer, that's what I'd want to see.
Creative networking: who do you see as being your natural customers? Obviously you want to tell your friends and family where you are now working. You may want to give a call to the largest credit unions in your area and ask to speak to the auto loan department. Tell them you would welcome visits from their members and ask if you can drop off some brochures and information about your dealership.
Some credit unions have big twice-yearly sales events composed of numerous dealers (mostly trying to unload their slow selling cars, I suspect) with the credit union ready to write immediate financing. If your dealership participates, that might be a good avenue for you. If they don't participate, find out why.
Follow-up service: call the buyer a week or so after the sale and ask how everything is going.
Be polite, be respectful, be prompt. If a couple comes in, remember that something like 85% of all car sales are influenced or purchased outright by a woman. Don't just talk to the man. And don't assume the woman only cares about the color: talk about mileage (she probably controls the checkbook), safety, reliability. And if they're looking at a Z, talk about fun.
Good luck, keep posting here and let us know how it's going for you.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
To be perfectly honest if I can't get the car up to highway speeds (at least speeds that I would normally drive it) I will not buy the car. Thats because one time I bought a car that handled well enough on the test drive but once I got it on the highway it was abysmal.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I am a firm believer in the extended test drive. Overnight if possible. I like to have the car by myself for a while so I can really pay attention to the details: ride, power, noise level, sight lines etc, without having to answer the "qualifying questions" on the test drive.
When I'm shopping, I'm usually down to 2 candidates so I'm a pretty serious customer when I step onto the lot.
One that I haven't been able to lick is seat comfort on long trips. Obviously not going to go on a 200 mile test drive, but that bit me in the rear (no pun intended) on an Accord and 4Runner I bought. Both were fine running around town, but on a road trip, they were 2 of the worst seats I've encountered.
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited Velvet Red over Wicker Beige
2024 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Daytona Gray over Beige
2017 BMW X1 Jet Black over Mocha
Mark, which dealer will you be working for? It's OK to name them in these forums, it's just that I live in Metro Denver and cannot think of which dealer would be considered the "premiere" one.
You'll get lots of good advice from the veterans here, and, I suspect, some nuggets of wisdom from the buyer's side of things.
So do I and when I was test driving the MKX I asked Lincoln to let me take it on a four or five year test drive they said no.
But I do agree you can't tell everything about a car on a 3 or 4 mile long test drive.
without having to answer the "qualifying questions" on the test drive.
I have never been on a test drive where I was asked "qualifying questions" most of the time it was me asking questions about the car. Occasionally we have been allowed to test drive without the salesman.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I am a firm believer that test drive should be conduct without a salesman present. I think there are more and more dealers start to do that. However, most of them are luxury brand though.
I wouldn't call you an idiot for driving the speed limit and holding up traffic - I might call your actions ill-advised and dangerous, but I wouldn't say that is being an idiot.
85% percentile speed - drive at least that or risk your life.
Advice from the buying side, know your product and know it well. Case in point, a long time ago I was looking at Subarus and the salesman was showing me the 6 cylinder engine, I replied that it was a 4 cylinder engine. He insisted it was a 6 cylinder and when I pointed out there were only 4 spark plug wires the salesman started looking for the other two. :confuse:
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
OK, I reread my 'risk your life' comment and it is just silly hyperbole. Tons of people drive way too slow (or too fast) their entire lives without consequence.
But to answer your question, from a purely theoretical standpoint yes. If other people are driving too fast, you are safer to speed up to the 85%. The 85% rule is what the 'experts' have decided is safe speed to keep up with the flow of traffic.
"Also depending on the locality law enforcment might be more or less linent on someone driving a vehicle with a dealer plate. "
During my 3-month stint as a salesman I had the father of a former co-worker come in to look for a used sedan. The referral was a Baptist preacher. A Maxima caught his eye (the one with the 255-hp 3.5L V6). Nearing the end of the test drive, he punched it while cruising on a four lane, 45-mph road in the city but with no traffic at the time. That car caught a lower gear and absolutely blasted to about 85, so quick. He got off the gas and let it coast back down to cruise again, surprised by the power. Well, it was a few minutes and almost 3 miles down the road when the cop caught up with us at a stop light, stating "Were you the white blur I just saw shoot down on Oleander? Have you been speeding tonight?" Being a pastor and not wanting to lie, the man just replied "I might have." I said nothing the whole time, althought the cop kept looking at me. Well, he left it at "Be careful!"
"If I was with someone driving like that it would be my job."
Now, I did get scared one time, by two young guys who wanted to drive a Mustang GT. They were sustaining freeway speeds before we ever got to the freeway, and were having a lot of scary fun getting there. I made sure we didn't get close to the freeway and they drove responsibly back to the dealer.
That's a great idea, but I've only experienced that once. I understand why a dealer doesn't want to turn someone they don't really know loose in a brand new vehicle, but it's distracting to have to engage in conversation with a salesperson while you're evaluating the aspects of a new vehicle.
Remember, we have no idea who you are or what your driving skills are. No matter how good you drive, going 90-95 on a test drive is just nuts.
I have had people tailgate at 80 MPH, I have had people turn left in front of oncoming cars and do other just stupid things.
A month ago, I had a newly arrived immigrant steer directly into oncoming traffic for a reason I'll never know. Actually, she did it twice! When she ran a stop sign, I had her pull over. Her little test drive was finished.
Last year we had another woman suddenly veer off the freeway in a brand new Civic. She put it in a ditch, up on it's side. Nobody hurt. Another new civic and a used BMW got wrecked when the people driving them decided to turn left into oncoming traffic!
And, last summer, a motorcycle cop yelled at ME for allowing a customer to drive 40 MPH in a 30 MPH zone.
I've experienced it 3 times: first time at a Saab dealer, second time at a Toyota dealer and last time at Lexus. I went to my local Acura dealer 3 times and was disappointed that they never let us do that.
Usually, nothing good comes from letting customers take cars on extended test drives. the cars get miled up and our exposure is tremendous.
One store near us allows customers solo test drives. I know they have had cars wrecked and otherwise abused to the point they have severely cut back on this practice.
Some of these customers actually have the nerve to drive these cars into our dealership! They want to compare them to what we are selling! We have been known to install our licence plate frames on some of these cars while the people are out driving ours!
When I bought my two previous Jeeps ('96 and '99 Grand Cherokees), the salesman let me take them out on my own. I was careful and didn't drive more than 10 miles with each.
The Mercedes salesman didn't let me go alone, not that I requested it or anything. He even wanted to pull the car out of the parking spot for me. He is retired now and probably 20 years older than me... but, he HAD to move the car for me.
He was a great guy, didn't know much about electronics (navigation, etc)... but he sold a lot of cars to repeating Mercedes customers. In fact, he had such a repeat business, they moved his office away from the sales floor to an upstairs office.
I ran into to this guy at the DMV recently and we were chatting,... he still had both of his mid 70's Mercedes (an 450SL and a 240D) but was driving a new Mazda Tribute as his daily driver.
Mark
2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
Of the three test drives I've gone on, two (one Honda, one VW) were by myself. Those were also the most recent two experiences. I was pretty young on the first one, and it was raining, and the salesman barely let me drive around the block.
In all cases, I was a serious buyer and it was probably pretty obvious. (I bought all three cars.)
A couple of weeks ago, I had a customer call me from another dealership! He had struck a deal, had shook hands on it and then he asked if he could use the salesperson's phone.
The salesperson had no idea he was going to call me!
Oh, by the way, this guy had made an "appointment" with me but hadn't showed. He had gone to the other store instead which was closer to his house.
" Hello, I sell? this is Mike the Mooch. I'm about to buy a new Civic and I want to know if you can beat the price I have?"
" Are you the same Mike that had an appointment with me two hours ago?"
" Ah...yeah...but I "just happened" to stop by ABC Honda on the way."
" Are you there now??"
" Ah...yeah, I'm sitting at my salesperson's desk and he's going to sell me the Civic for $X dollars...can you do better?"
" Why don't you just buy it from him?"
" I don't want to pay too much!"
" Sorry, I don't like your tactics. Buy it from them!"
My local honda dealer lost a sale on a 06 accord LX-v6, becuase a cheesy test drive I was given. I told the guy I'd love to drive a V6, while on the drive I told him I've always wanted a accord V6, his response was "really?". He acted liked I was wierd because I craved a family sedan(he was young 20's,single). He drove it half way and let me take it 5 blocks back to the store, I was left with a very unfavorable impression of the car and dealer.
Maybe you can tell me how plausible this is. I leased a 06 crv ex awd in march, i got a little taken on the deal by paying msrp. I now want to trade the lease in at a dealer and buy a less expensive used car from the lot. The payoff is right around 21500. I've not been too happy with the car because of the poor deal and would like a lower payment. At this point given the current value of the car with 9000 miles would a dealer buy the lease from me if my intentions were buy another vehicle from them? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks.
As some of the posts following yours, Michael, pointed out, our dealership is associated with a famous local sports figure. I used the word premiere to allude to the fact that we have the most sales of any nissan dealership in the area. If the planets align properly for me, I should be starting next week at John Elway Nissan South store on Arapahoe.
I want to thank the other posters for their responses as well. As for networking, I grew up on the east coast in Westport, CT (is this where British Rover marks his territory?). I do have a number of friends and former colleagues in the area that I will certainly apprise of my new position.
I also understand that highest sales also means largest allotments of new (and probably scarce) models. I'm really excited about the new Sentras and Altimas that should be hitting the lot soon.
I like the Nissan approach of adding a little verve with their reliability.
Does anybody do a demonstration of the Bluetooth while on a test drive? Is it easy to configure? I'm thinking that giving a call to the desk at the dealership ("call dealership") would demonstrate a nifty creature feature that most people would really appreciate.
As for product knowledge, I am currently boning up on everything I can. I've followed the trades, Edmunds, the NY Times auto features for years. Any new vehicle in any segment, I've read about. Watching Motorweek on the tube, playing PG Racing and Forza on the Xbox, I love cars.
Wish me luck with the hiring process. I've had my haircut for my drug panel (sadly, I was not offered a manicure as well.) My MVR was an issue for another dealership, but I'm assured the policy at this one will make it a non-issue (a bad-luck spate almost 3 years ago).
He even wanted to pull the car out of the parking spot for me.
I usually want them to pull the car out of the parking spot for me. It's a car I'm not familiar with, and often the cars are parked closely together. When I return to the dealership, I ask where I should park it, leave a very large gap between the car and the curb, and ask if that's okay or if they want me to pull up further. Usually, they send a porter to back the car back into its original space later.
don't blame the car if you paid too much, it's not her (his?) fault!
Anyway, in most situations like this, your best bet is going to be to just do the 36 months and move on. But, if you really want to, sure you can trade it in.
Leasing is essentially just another way to finance. And, as with an car that you owe on, if you are "upside down" (owe more than it is worth), you need to come up with the difference.
Plus, with a less, there may be turn in fees. that, and the way the residuals/early payment clauses are set, i doubt you have any net equity in it (unless you put down a large cap cost reduction).
If you really want to know, go to a dealer and find whatever cheap car you would rather have, and ask them to run the numbers.
I bet that when you are done, with eating neg equity, taxs/fees, etc., you will be paying just about as much for less car.
As always, the lesson is to do your research before you buy, not after!
I have had just about every expereince (solo, they did most driving, etc.). I test drove a Pathfinder this week, and the salesdude drove it to the edge of the lot, but let me take it out the driveway onto the road.
Not really an issue, and he had a good point in that the lot was really jammed (poor layout), and with a truck dropping new units, there was hardly room to get by!
Other than that, the shopping experience was pretty routine and low key, except for waiting a few minutes to say goodbye to the manager. Amaing how friendly a SM can be, wanting to say Hi to so many people!
Unfortunately, this car was allowed to sit for about 4-5 years without being started. It was pulled into the driveway one day and never started again(because it would not, it was not a choice). Recently, the gas tank was competely drained of it's full tank of gas and new gas put in, a new fuel pump and battery were installed, the fuel lines cleared and the injectors cleaned. No fuel is getting to the pump, as was the case before the fuel pump was changed. This will be a 16 yr olds 1st car if he can get it running. The car is in otherwise mint condition having belonged to grandma. Any suggestions on what to check next? Thank you!
Last year I had a brand new 2006 Mustang GT 5-speed for two full days, and put 300 miles on it. The dealer really wanted me to buy that specific car, even though I kept telling them it wasn't optioned as I wanted. They wouldn't let me leave without it, either bought or dealer tagged. So I took them up on it. It was great...
From a buyer's perspective, I wouldn't ask for a full demo of the nav system, computer, climate control, Bluetooth, voice activation, and other technology, unless I was very serious about the vehicle. A demo of all the stuff that's on a lot of new cars can take a long time!
Does anybody do a demonstration of the Bluetooth while on a test drive?
I would do nothing but give short quick concise answers to questions on the test drive. A test drive is just that a test of the car, the driver should not be distracted when evaluating the car. Demonstrate such things in the parking lot where the prospective driver can give it the attention it deserves, and then only if they want it demonstrated. Demonstrating Blue tooth, or anything for that matter, to someone who will never use it is pointless.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
It sounds like you are going to take a "poor deal" and make it much worse. Are you planning to write a check for your negative equity?
Since you will be financing and not leasing the used car you plan to buy you will probably end up with a higher payment than you already have now. In addition, the used car may end up costing you money for unexpected repairs down the road.
My advise? Quit fretting about what you may have paid for the car and ride out your lease.
People tend to get emotional and get out of cars for the wrong reasons!
Haha, yes I did, in third gear- comfortably and with a lot of RPMs left! It felt great at that speed (well, any speed really). Second gear topped out around 70. Disclaimer: there was NOTHING around, and I didn't sustain that speed.
That is part of the reason why I didn't get the Mustang... I knew that eventually I'd get a ticket in that car.
I almost bought an Altima from Elway Nissan South 4 years ago. I ended up getting a Saturn L300 as the price difference on the V6 models was too big to ignore, not to mention the 0% financing that was being offered by Saturn at the time.
Like others have stated above, I agree that the 'advanced' features should be demonstrated either in the safety of the dealership lot either before or after the test drive, or after the deal has been consummated and you are doing the delivery to the buyer.
That is how our Saturn dealer dealt with OnStar that was part of our daughters ION that we picked up a few months ago.
Again, best of luck ... perhaps I'll swing by at lunch - I'm only two exits north of you on I-25. Never hurts to see what's available, even though I'm not currently in the market for a new car.
Please post often .. I'll be interested in how your sales go as Elway does the 'no haggle' pricing on all the lines that they sell.
"I guess desperate stores do desperate things. Letting you take a car you had no intension of buying.
Maybe they figured you would get attached to it? "
Hey I had good intentions! The only thing that held me back on the first visit was the expensive options (leather, 6-disc changer, etc). I actually prefer cloth and single CD, and the car would have been over $2,000 cheaper. I guess they thought I'd come around, you know, show the friends and just have to have that specific car. And it is one way to make sure I come back in, I suppose.
Ironically, it was having the car for two days that convinced me I did not really need such a beast at all. That, and the reaction from my insurance agent when I called to get a quote!
When I was looking not too long ago, I test drove a Corolla. All the time, the salesman was trying to upsell me on the Camry, saying he could get me into one for only $50 more/month.
Not only did it turn me off the car, it turned me off the dealership (although I did go back a couple of times to look at a Yaris and to have some of their free food).
Comments
And regarding that "other drivers doing me a favor", well, I got the Elantra I bought with 67 miles on it. Some of which I put there myself, and I tested it similarly. The freeways in San Jose (near the dealerships) encourage fast driving - on the weekend at least.
My normal daytime cruising speed is between 75-80. So I was really testing for "normal" operating conditions for me. And until you're bobbing and weaving like a boxer, through lanes of traffic, 75 is a generally "safe" speed, CHP-wise. 80 is pushing it a bit.
I've zero auto sales experience. I am very eager to do a great job.
Ideas for creative networking would really be appreciated.
My previous experience is in computer based training development and video production. This is a dramatic departure from those areas.
I hope to leverage electronic media as much as possible. I understand making appointments is best for improving one's closing rate.
Cheers and happy motoring,
Mark
I've never been in car sales but I did sell insurance (for Equitable Life) some years ago, so can sympathize with the strugges.
Will you be dealing with Internet requests? If so, do your level best to answer the question if the person asks for a price quote. DO NOT say "come on down and we'll talk about it" as those responses get tossed immediately. DO NOT just repeat the MSRP. Same response by the customer. Give as good a price as you can, include any fees, etc., and then make it clear that's the no haggle Internet price.
This is assuming your GM allows it, of course, but as a buyer, that's what I'd want to see.
Creative networking: who do you see as being your natural customers? Obviously you want to tell your friends and family where you are now working. You may want to give a call to the largest credit unions in your area and ask to speak to the auto loan department. Tell them you would welcome visits from their members and ask if you can drop off some brochures and information about your dealership.
Some credit unions have big twice-yearly sales events composed of numerous dealers (mostly trying to unload their slow selling cars, I suspect) with the credit union ready to write immediate financing. If your dealership participates, that might be a good avenue for you. If they don't participate, find out why.
Follow-up service: call the buyer a week or so after the sale and ask how everything is going.
Be polite, be respectful, be prompt. If a couple comes in, remember that something like 85% of all car sales are influenced or purchased outright by a woman. Don't just talk to the man. And don't assume the woman only cares about the color: talk about mileage (she probably controls the checkbook), safety, reliability. And if they're looking at a Z, talk about fun.
Good luck, keep posting here and let us know how it's going for you.
You take that chance everytime you go out, and not always by whose doing the test drive.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
If you want to drive 90-95 as someone here suggested, THAT is being an idiot!
Stay away from the negative salespeople!
Don't get discouraged and don't lose your temper.
Making appointments is important but expect at least half of these "appointments" to be no shows.
Lastly, good luck!
When I'm shopping, I'm usually down to 2 candidates so I'm a pretty serious customer when I step onto the lot.
One that I haven't been able to lick is seat comfort on long trips. Obviously not going to go on a 200 mile test drive, but that bit me in the rear (no pun intended) on an Accord and 4Runner I bought. Both were fine running around town, but on a road trip, they were 2 of the worst seats I've encountered.
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited Velvet Red over Wicker Beige
2024 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Daytona Gray over Beige
2017 BMW X1 Jet Black over Mocha
You'll get lots of good advice from the veterans here, and, I suspect, some nuggets of wisdom from the buyer's side of things.
Best of luck!
So do I and when I was test driving the MKX I asked Lincoln to let me take it on a four or five year test drive they said no.
But I do agree you can't tell everything about a car on a 3 or 4 mile long test drive.
without having to answer the "qualifying questions" on the test drive.
I have never been on a test drive where I was asked "qualifying questions" most of the time it was me asking questions about the car. Occasionally we have been allowed to test drive without the salesman.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Every year NJ state troopers write more speeding tickets than the combined total written by all the state troopers in the other 49 states.
That's an absolute fact!
I wouldn't call you an idiot for driving the speed limit and holding up traffic - I might call your actions ill-advised and dangerous, but I wouldn't say that is being an idiot.
85% percentile speed - drive at least that or risk your life.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
So if 20% of the drivers are actually driving to fast for the road we should still follow the 85 percentile rule and endanger our lives?
But since we are just ignoring speed limit laws why not ignore stop signs or go the wrong way on a one way street?
But thats a topic for another forum.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
OK, I reread my 'risk your life' comment and it is just silly hyperbole. Tons of people drive way too slow (or too fast) their entire lives without consequence.
But to answer your question, from a purely theoretical standpoint yes. If other people are driving too fast, you are safer to speed up to the 85%. The 85% rule is what the 'experts' have decided is safe speed to keep up with the flow of traffic.
During my 3-month stint as a salesman I had the father of a former co-worker come in to look for a used sedan. The referral was a Baptist preacher. A Maxima caught his eye (the one with the 255-hp 3.5L V6). Nearing the end of the test drive, he punched it while cruising on a four lane, 45-mph road in the city but with no traffic at the time. That car caught a lower gear and absolutely blasted to about 85, so quick. He got off the gas and let it coast back down to cruise again, surprised by the power. Well, it was a few minutes and almost 3 miles down the road when the cop caught up with us at a stop light, stating "Were you the white blur I just saw shoot down on Oleander? Have you been speeding tonight?" Being a pastor and not wanting to lie, the man just replied "I might have." I said nothing the whole time, althought the cop kept looking at me. Well, he left it at "Be careful!"
"If I was with someone driving like that it would be my job."
Now, I did get scared one time, by two young guys who wanted to drive a Mustang GT. They were sustaining freeway speeds before we ever got to the freeway, and were having a lot of scary fun getting there. I made sure we didn't get close to the freeway and they drove responsibly back to the dealer.
Remember, we have no idea who you are or what your driving skills are. No matter how good you drive, going 90-95 on a test drive is just nuts.
I have had people tailgate at 80 MPH, I have had people turn left in front of oncoming cars and do other just stupid things.
A month ago, I had a newly arrived immigrant steer directly into oncoming traffic for a reason I'll never know. Actually, she did it twice! When she ran a stop sign, I had her pull over. Her little test drive was finished.
Last year we had another woman suddenly veer off the freeway in a brand new Civic. She put it in a ditch, up on it's side. Nobody hurt. Another new civic and a used BMW got wrecked when the people driving them decided to turn left into oncoming traffic!
And, last summer, a motorcycle cop yelled at ME for allowing a customer to drive 40 MPH in a 30 MPH zone.
Wonder why we get nervous?
Went for standard 20 minute test drive with salesman present, heard his pitch, etc.
They saw I was interested and let me take car for a couple of hours (it was a demo)--"bring it back by the time we close".
Haven't bought the car (yet) but certainly left me with a favorable impression of the dealership.
Also, the fact that I read on here that owning a Lexus will make me rich and famous.
One store near us allows customers solo test drives. I know they have had cars wrecked and otherwise abused to the point they have severely cut back on this practice.
Some of these customers actually have the nerve to drive these cars into our dealership! They want to compare them to what we are selling! We have been known to install our licence plate frames on some of these cars while the people are out driving ours!
I swear one of these days I will do that with the salesman along for the ride.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
The Mercedes salesman didn't let me go alone, not that I requested it or anything. He even wanted to pull the car out of the parking spot for me. He is retired now and probably 20 years older than me... but, he HAD to move the car for me.
He was a great guy, didn't know much about electronics (navigation, etc)... but he sold a lot of cars to repeating Mercedes customers. In fact, he had such a repeat business, they moved his office away from the sales floor to an upstairs office.
I ran into to this guy at the DMV recently and we were chatting,... he still had both of his mid 70's Mercedes (an 450SL and a 240D) but was driving a new Mazda Tribute as his daily driver.
Mark
In all cases, I was a serious buyer and it was probably pretty obvious. (I bought all three cars.)
A couple of weeks ago, I had a customer call me from another dealership! He had struck a deal, had shook hands on it and then he asked if he could use the salesperson's phone.
The salesperson had no idea he was going to call me!
Oh, by the way, this guy had made an "appointment" with me but hadn't showed. He had gone to the other store instead which was closer to his house.
" Hello, I sell? this is Mike the Mooch. I'm about to buy a new Civic and I want to know if you can beat the price I have?"
" Are you the same Mike that had an appointment with me two hours ago?"
" Ah...yeah...but I "just happened" to stop by ABC Honda on the way."
" Are you there now??"
" Ah...yeah, I'm sitting at my salesperson's desk and he's going to sell me the Civic for $X dollars...can you do better?"
" Why don't you just buy it from him?"
" I don't want to pay too much!"
" Sorry, I don't like your tactics. Buy it from them!"
Click...
Maybe you can tell me how plausible this is. I leased a 06 crv ex awd in march, i got a little taken on the deal by paying msrp. I now want to trade the lease in at a dealer and buy a less expensive used car from the lot. The payoff is right around 21500. I've not been too happy with the car because of the poor deal and would like a lower payment. At this point given the current value of the car with 9000 miles would a dealer buy the lease from me if my intentions were buy another vehicle from them? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks.
I want to thank the other posters for their responses as well. As for networking, I grew up on the east coast in Westport, CT (is this where British Rover marks his territory?). I do have a number of friends and former colleagues in the area that I will certainly apprise of my new position.
I also understand that highest sales also means largest allotments of new (and probably scarce) models. I'm really excited about the new Sentras and Altimas that should be hitting the lot soon.
I like the Nissan approach of adding a little verve with their reliability.
Does anybody do a demonstration of the Bluetooth while on a test drive? Is it easy to configure? I'm thinking that giving a call to the desk at the dealership ("call dealership") would demonstrate a nifty creature feature that most people would really appreciate.
As for product knowledge, I am currently boning up on everything I can. I've followed the trades, Edmunds, the NY Times auto features for years. Any new vehicle in any segment, I've read about. Watching Motorweek on the tube, playing PG Racing and Forza on the Xbox, I love cars.
Wish me luck with the hiring process. I've had my haircut for my drug panel (sadly, I was not offered a manicure as well.) My MVR was an issue for another dealership, but I'm assured the policy at this one will make it a non-issue (a bad-luck spate almost 3 years ago).
Cheers,
Mark
I usually want them to pull the car out of the parking spot for me. It's a car I'm not familiar with, and often the cars are parked closely together. When I return to the dealership, I ask where I should park it, leave a very large gap between the car and the curb, and ask if that's okay or if they want me to pull up further. Usually, they send a porter to back the car back into its original space later.
Anyway, in most situations like this, your best bet is going to be to just do the 36 months and move on. But, if you really want to, sure you can trade it in.
Leasing is essentially just another way to finance. And, as with an car that you owe on, if you are "upside down" (owe more than it is worth), you need to come up with the difference.
Plus, with a less, there may be turn in fees. that, and the way the residuals/early payment clauses are set, i doubt you have any net equity in it (unless you put down a large cap cost reduction).
If you really want to know, go to a dealer and find whatever cheap car you would rather have, and ask them to run the numbers.
I bet that when you are done, with eating neg equity, taxs/fees, etc., you will be paying just about as much for less car.
As always, the lesson is to do your research before you buy, not after!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Not really an issue, and he had a good point in that the lot was really jammed (poor layout), and with a truck dropping new units, there was hardly room to get by!
Other than that, the shopping experience was pretty routine and low key, except for waiting a few minutes to say goodbye to the manager. Amaing how friendly a SM can be, wanting to say Hi to so many people!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Thank you!
I would do nothing but give short quick concise answers to questions on the test drive. A test drive is just that a test of the car, the driver should not be distracted when evaluating the car. Demonstrate such things in the parking lot where the prospective driver can give it the attention it deserves, and then only if they want it demonstrated. Demonstrating Blue tooth, or anything for that matter, to someone who will never use it is pointless.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Since you will be financing and not leasing the used car you plan to buy you will probably end up with a higher payment than you already have now. In addition, the used car may end up costing you money for unexpected repairs down the road.
My advise? Quit fretting about what you may have paid for the car and ride out your lease.
People tend to get emotional and get out of cars for the wrong reasons!
Haha, yes I did, in third gear- comfortably and with a lot of RPMs left! It felt great at that speed (well, any speed really). Second gear topped out around 70. Disclaimer: there was NOTHING around, and I didn't sustain that speed.
That is part of the reason why I didn't get the Mustang... I knew that eventually I'd get a ticket in that car.
Maybe they figured you would get attached to it?
Best of luck to you.
I almost bought an Altima from Elway Nissan South 4 years ago. I ended up getting a Saturn L300 as the price difference on the V6 models was too big to ignore, not to mention the 0% financing that was being offered by Saturn at the time.
Like others have stated above, I agree that the 'advanced' features should be demonstrated either in the safety of the dealership lot either before or after the test drive, or after the deal has been consummated and you are doing the delivery to the buyer.
That is how our Saturn dealer dealt with OnStar that was part of our daughters ION that we picked up a few months ago.
Again, best of luck ... perhaps I'll swing by at lunch - I'm only two exits north of you on I-25. Never hurts to see what's available, even though I'm not currently in the market for a new car.
Please post often .. I'll be interested in how your sales go as Elway does the 'no haggle' pricing on all the lines that they sell.
Maybe they figured you would get attached to it? "
Hey I had good intentions! The only thing that held me back on the first visit was the expensive options (leather, 6-disc changer, etc). I actually prefer cloth and single CD, and the car would have been over $2,000 cheaper. I guess they thought I'd come around, you know, show the friends and just have to have that specific car. And it is one way to make sure I come back in, I suppose.
Ironically, it was having the car for two days that convinced me I did not really need such a beast at all. That, and the reaction from my insurance agent when I called to get a quote!
Not only did it turn me off the car, it turned me off the dealership (although I did go back a couple of times to look at a Yaris and to have some of their free food).
Moral: Sell the car that's being driven.