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Stories from the Sales Frontlines

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  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    The stories should be true since these fora are about buying & selling cars and all that goes along with that.

    That is so true, one thing about telling stories like this is that we can learn from others experience. If stories are made up the lessons we can take from them are false and may not be of any use (or may be detrimental) seeing that we have no way to tell if thats how all would have reacted.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • bmmeupbmmeup Member Posts: 29
    If someone brought the Jeep in and wanted to trade it for the Lexus that would wholesale for exactly the same $25k how much cash would a dealership typically require in addition to the trade to sell it to the customer at retail?
  • jmonroejmonroe Member Posts: 8,989
    ...right now just about any color but black and that God awful orange that Caddy had.

    If I am thinking of the same color, I've seen this on several GM cars and I've commented to my wife about it being a strange orange color. She agrees it's strange but she says the color is 'copper'. Ladies know this stuff and I ain't gonna argue with her. Who knows, she might probably is right.

    I hope she's not looking but I'm still going to call it a 'strange orange color'.

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl

  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    Well on low to mid range value cars like that, mainly stuff from right around 20,000 dollars to just under 30,000 dollars, we typicaly have less then 4,000 dollars of spread between trade in and retail after reconditioning in a car.

    So in this case just to make a quick sale and hopefuly pick up another retail worthy trade we would probably be looking for around 2,000 dollars plus tax and tag. I probably wouldni't go there right off the bat though as that is the miminium amount of profit we are looking for on a fresh used car.
  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,299
    Ahhh, don't let some of the old timers here bother you madmanmoo. This "situation" reminds me of the story you and other salesmen have told about coming into car sales as greenpeas, and a lot of your co-workers being rude... wanting to take you down a peg or two to maintain their status. It's human nature. The guys at the top of the totem pole want to stay there, and they'll try to knock you down if you start to climb to high. Just like with "psycho" literally knocking down a co-worker and strangling him.

    According to kirstie we have a pretty good following of non-posters in this discussion(I'm sure most of them are fans of the jipster). That means you/I are making Edmunds a lot of money. Like a good GM protecting their star salesmen, Kirstie and Tidester will protect us. So fear not... and post away. ;)
    2021 Honda Passport EX-L, 2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere.
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    looks like she is right this is the color I am thinking of

    image

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    I like our version of orange better.

    image

    Tambora Flame named after Mount Tambora

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tambora
  • bmmeupbmmeup Member Posts: 29
    Thank you for the helpful information. My father was a car salesman back in the old days when the salesmen actually did the negotiations. He told me occasionally a customer would come in and deal with a different sales person and try to get a better deal. Of course this wasn't supposed to happen. I have always been interested in cars and actually enjoy the car buying experience. I find the sales stories on here to be very interesting but the buying experiences less so. Thanks again.
  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,299
    That's not you in the background with the camera is it Rover? ;)
    2021 Honda Passport EX-L, 2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere.
  • bmmeupbmmeup Member Posts: 29
    I love Tambora Flame.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Kirstie and Tidester will protect us.

    Our magnanimity will only take us as far as the Terms of Use. :shades:

    tidester, host
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    BR she is wearing a gold dress not orange.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • madmanmoomadmanmoo Member Posts: 2,039
    Mike, thanks for chiming in. I appreciate your input.
  • madmanmoomadmanmoo Member Posts: 2,039
    Thanks, Jip. That's the most accurate description of what I see going on.

    I'll keep posting and sharing. I've got a ton of fun stuff that I've experienced. I'm just glad I've got the idea of having to be PC behind us now. The stories I'm posting are not meant to read in a moral sense. It's just a chronicling of what happens at a dealership.

    I hope to see you continuing to post as well.
  • traindrivertraindriver Member Posts: 328
    I generally agree with (or at least identify with) most of your posts, isell, but you lost me on the color thing. I guess my wife and I are the epitome of "color freaks."
    After I have narrowed my choice down to one particular model, the color is the #1 gotta have item. IMO, each vehicle looks its best in ONLY one or maybe two colors that the manufacturer offers. The Jeep Commander that we leased last month absolutely had to be black---would not have bought any other color at any price. My 04 F150 had to be medium wedgewood blue with arizona beige accent moulding. (basically the blue Eddie Bauer color scheme that has been around since the debut of the 91 Explorer) No AZ beige; no sale. Might have taken black instead of blue; kinda wished I had. My father's F150 without the two-tone looks very boxy and plain in comparison IMO. Before the Commander, the 04 Envoy had to be silver. Before the Envoy, the 02 Town and Country had to be gold. The 01 Mazda Tribute had to be gold/champagne/whatever-it-was. All of these sales negotiations quickly boiled down to me standing beside the SM or owner while they located what I wanted. Only the Tribute was on the lot; lucky for us I guess since they were brand new and rare and nobody likely would have been willing to DX. (ours was the first one they sold and yes, I paid dearly for the "privledge")

    At any rate, FWIW I have never asked the salesman to move it back and forth from the shade to the sunlight -- that is a little excessive.

    That orange color on the Caddy is heinous. I would not be caught dead at night in that car. At least 2 people in the USA must like it though; I parked beside the same car in the grocery store parking lot a few weeks ago. But strangely, I saw a very similar orange King Ranch F150 that the owner of the local Ford place was Demo'ing and it looked pretty good on it.

    A red Ferrari/Corvette/Mustang is nice and appropriate for the vehicle. A red Town Car/Avalon/Le Sabre is not.

    ---frequent reader, infrequent poster
  • jmonroejmonroe Member Posts: 8,989
    looks like she is right this is the color I am thinking of

    That's it.

    Darn it, she's right again (it's OK she's not looking), it does look like 'copper' don't it.

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl

  • jmonroejmonroe Member Posts: 8,989
    That orange color on the Caddy is heinous.

    It's been decided. It ain't orange it's 'copper'.

    Believe me, you don't want to get her riled up.

    Join the fun, post a little more.

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl

  • traindrivertraindriver Member Posts: 328
    I stand corrected....it is copper!

    Let's not rile her up; I know how it is...I must be married to her cousin from down south.
  • jmonroejmonroe Member Posts: 8,989
    Let's not rile her up; I know how it is...

    You're a wise man.

    There, see what posting does for intelligence?

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl

  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    There is a car behind her in orange. If you squint real hard you can just barely see it.
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    That orange color on the Caddy is heinous.

    I agree that orange (or copper) is simply awful. I see it and think Pumpkin and want to carve a face in it. :blush:

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    There is a car behind her in orange.

    There is? I didn't notice. ;)

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • carhag2000carhag2000 Member Posts: 207
    We didn't you (your dealership) deliver the car right then and there if it was likely your manager thought he could get financing for the buyer?

    Didnt know what interest rate these people would ( or wouldnt) qualify for. Payment was going to be vastly different then anything we told them probably.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    I hear you on the color thing.

    I just don't understand. What is so important to some people is of little concern to others like myself.

    I have had people buy cars they didn't even want or need strictly because of the color they were painted.
  • mac24mac24 Member Posts: 3,910
    It's the way we're wired as much as anything. Some people have a great appreciation for opera, others think it sounds similar to cats fighting.

    Personally, it's quite important to me in that there are certain colors on certain vehicles that I wouldn't buy, but I don't confine myself to one particular color that I must have.

    However, it's a bit like "buy the car and not the deal". Even if it's a great deal, if you really don't like the color it's going to make you pretty unhappy each time you see it in the morning.

    It's also possible in your case, that you see a car more as a means of transportation than as any kind of personal statement. Perhaps color matters less to you than comfort or practicality. To others, the color of their car might be as important to them as the cut and color of your suit is to you.

    Neither position is wrong, just different.
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    One of my clients was in a head on collision with his Range Rover this morning. He is fine but the truck is probably totalled. I guess we will find out for sure on Monday or Tuesday when the body shop gets a look at it. He only picked it up about three months ago so this is really unfortunate. Luckily it looks like everyone is ok.
  • graphicguygraphicguy Member Posts: 14,127
    j....I'm with you....no good reason to respond.....
    2024 Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD Long Range
  • jmonroejmonroe Member Posts: 8,989
    There is a car behind her in orange. If you squint real hard you can just barely see it.

    Rover,

    You've been holding out on us. Getting your wifeee to model cars for you. What you guys won't do for a sale.

    Until now you never even hinted that both of you were in the biz. I guess you never really know what you think you know about someone.

    Shocked, just shocked,

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl

  • graphicguygraphicguy Member Posts: 14,127
    isell....my mother would buy a car based on color alone. Forget about whether her feet could touch the pedals, or if she could reach the controls. If the color was right (and the size), she bought it.
    2024 Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD Long Range
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    Funny thing is that my wife and Mrs. Sharapova share a lot in common.

    Both tall, leggy blondes of eastern european and russian heritage.

    My wife is a librarian and ex-ballet dancer though not a tennis player.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    I agree, neither position is wrong.

    I have had customers buy more expensive models with features they had no use for simply because they liked the color and that color was limited to the more expensive model.

    It's really frustrating (to me)with used cars. I'll get a repeat customer looking for a certain used car. The car of their dreams happens to get traded in only to have them stick their nose up at the color!

    I'm not talking about "bad" colors either, and there ARE bad colors.

    Still, I agree, if the color is that adverse to a shopper they really shouldn't buy the car. They will hate it every time they see it.

    I still don't understand but that's me. :confuse:
  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,299
    Yes, I recall many of your posts in the past indicating your wife being a "tall, leggy blonde" who is an ex-ballet dancer. Congratulations! But, I believe "Mrs. Sharapova" is a "Ms. Sharapova"... unless she lives in Australia, then she would be called "Mrs." :P
    2021 Honda Passport EX-L, 2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere.
  • boomchekboomchek Member Posts: 5,516
    that happenned a while back, pretty funny too.

    A guy I've been trying to close, finally decides to buy a new Civic. He has an old ratty Neon to trade with 200000plus km, manual tranny, no air, cracked windshield, etc...

    He insists on getting $3000 for it cause "that's what they go for".

    We offer him $300 for it, take it or leave it, but that's what it's worth.

    He leaves, and comes back a week later and wants to deal some more. I finally get my manager to give me the black book to show to him, because he's convinced we're not paying enough for his Neon.

    The book for trade in on his manual tranny Neon was
    $1000 top book
    $600 average
    $250 rough

    AND DEDUCT $400 if car is not automatic.

    I tell him "look, your car is in really rough shape, and we're giving you $300 for it. If you want we'll go by the book value and give you $250 for it, BUT we'll deduct $400 cause it's a manual tranny, so you will have to pay us $150 to trade you car in. How about that?" lol :)

    He went ahead and took the $300 we offered him for the car.

    2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX

  • div2div2 Member Posts: 2,580
    Still, I agree, if the color is that adverse to a shopper they really shouldn't buy the car. They will hate it every time they see it.

    Agreed; about the only color I won't consider is black- it's just too hard to keep clean, especially when you live at the end of a half-mile gravel farm road.
    OTOH, back in 1969 Dad was about to buy a new bright orange Mercury Cyclone CJ. Mom screwed the deal by saying she wouldn't drive it because it looked like a taxicab.
    Another thing I'll never forgive her for... :mad:
  • mac24mac24 Member Posts: 3,910
    .......unless she lives in Australia, then she would be called "Mrs."

    Probably showing my ignorance, but is the term 'Ms.' not recognized there?
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    Hmh what do I sound smug???? :P

    I never kept track of the different Mrs. Ms. and Miss prefixes.

    I kind of figured I was screwing it up.
  • corvettecorvette Member Posts: 11,318
    I like Land Rover's version of "blonde," too... Is that Tony Blair in the background in front of the black Range Rover?
  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,299
    Hmh what do I sound smug???

    LOL... maybe a little smug. Or, maybe just a "very" happily married man. :blush:

    Mac & B.R, I do not believe Miss(or Ms.) Sharapova is married. But,the Mrs. VS Ms.(in Australia) prefix thing was a little parody of snakes possum vs opposum post from a few days ago. Bombs away! :sick:

    Anyhow... back to frontline stories of car colors. Anything but white or black for me. :shades:
    2021 Honda Passport EX-L, 2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere.
  • corvettecorvette Member Posts: 11,318
    He has an old ratty Neon to trade...

    Now, it's not an old ratty Neon, like the ads say, it's "the best in American and German engineering." You could have saved a ton of money by buying that instead of the Benz!
  • suvshopper4suvshopper4 Member Posts: 1,110
    For the Orecord:
    Thanks so much for the Oclarification.

    I Only wish it wasn't too late to go back
    and edit the Opost. Odang.
  • andres3andres3 Member Posts: 13,937
    The average Neon's 0-60 time is about 4.5 hours when you average in 24 hours for the average amount of repair time the percentage of Neon's out there that need repair to reach 60 MPH. Therefore, since such a high percentage of Neons are dysfunctional, you take all the 10 second neons, add in all the 24 hour neons, and you get about 4.5 hours.
    '18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
  • bolivarbolivar Member Posts: 2,316
    I've never been sure if this is for salesperson stories only, but looking closer at the 'about' description I see it' 'Car Shopping', so I think as a customer I can post one here.

    I recently decided to buy a sport car. Since all nearby dealerships talked 'allocation' to me, and not really wanting to wait months and months, I started digging into the online manufactor's inventory system.

    And found what I wanted in the next state, in what to me is a 'big city'. And yes, isell, I wanted a specific outside and inside color, along with a few other 'must have' options.

    So, I start calling dealers. In one, I get 'Felix' and start a discussion. I called this dealer because I understand they sell more of this car than anyone in the state, and they do have several in inventory, but not what I want. But they can easily find and swap across the city with a dealer that has two that fit my 'wants'. I think as the 'largest sales dealer for ZoomMobile for the state', this dealer might have the best prices. And, a close friend had bought a ZoomMobile from them a few years ago, for a decent price.

    Felix starts out with the 'I think I can get you into a Zoommobile for $600 or $700 a month'. I tell Felix this is a price discussion, and let me worry about paying for it. I also tell him if we can come to an acceptable price and they will fax me a manager signed agreement, I will give them a credit card for a thousand or two 'hold' amount for the car.

    Felix and I did the back and forth for three days. He tells me these are just flying off the lot, people are buying over MSRP, and I start at invoice. We play phone tag some across these three days, but the process is proceeding, at least in my opinion. Felix gets a discounted number and I come up $500 over invoice. Felix goes away, comes back lower, and I come up a little, all the time re-inforcing that I'm buying a Zoommobile, will give a credit card for anything reasonable to hold the car, etc, etc.
    A while goes by without a comeback from Felix. My phone rings and a new voice appears. Not Felix. His first words out are something along the line of 'Do you know this car, with tax, tag, etc will be about $xx,xxx dollars'?

    I think 'Who are you and why are you calling me?' I ask NewGuy what he knows about the deal Felix and I were working on. He doesn't really seem to know much. I tell him that first, I'm not instate so I will not be paying tax and tag on this car, I can drive it out without that; second, Felix and I were already far south of the number he seem to have hit on to restart a negotation. I ask again if he know what has happened already and where the offers are at. He couldn't answer anything about this. So, I told him that I really didn't understand what was going on, why he had called me, and why wasn't I talking with Felix or some 'Sales Manager'.

    He didn't have any answer for these questions so I told him that my process of buying a car from his dealership was over and not to call me back again.

    A couple of days later I got a followup call from the old 'Customer Survey' girl. About how my car buying experience went. I unloaded bigtime on her. I did tell he I knew she was just making phone calls and didn't have anything to do with what happen. But I thought they have a rather stupid approach to selling cars, didn't understand what was happening, why did someone decide my saleman needed to be replaced, restarted negotation at MSRP +++, etc etc. She said she would pass this on to 'management' and would be sure someone will contact me about it.

    No one did.

    I'm tossing the dealer in, it was Frank Pharra Chev in Dallas/Fort Worth (this blob of big city always seems the same to this little ol country boy), and yes the ZoomMobile is a Corvette.

    I think 'someone' decided Felix wasn't getting the job done, and called in a 'closer' on me. A closer that didn't do any homework, appeared to me to be stupid, and overall much less talented than my original salesman Felix.

    Why does a dealer so something like this? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    Still beats my Zephyr. :P

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • mikefm58mikefm58 Member Posts: 2,882
    Why does a dealer so something like this? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

    You answered your own question.
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    It is my understanding that Vettes sell for sticker with no problem. My guess is that Felix was a new salesman or at the very least new to selling Vettes. What most likely happened in someone said "what you selling this car for less than what everyone else is willing to pay?" and took over to correct the situation.

    Felix gets a discounted number and I come up $500 over invoice.

    Since Vettes go from 5 to 8K over invoice and are selling for sticker I am surprised that he continued with you offering only $500 over invoice. Man even Fitzgerald is selling regular Vettes for 2K over invoice and the Z06 at MSRP.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    It sounds like he didn't do his research if he offered 500.00 over invoice on a Corvette. You won't be taken seriously if yo make a offer that's nuts.

    And since it was a Chevy store, "Felix" probably had been working there two weeks.

    Z06's are selling for 10,000 to 15,000 above MSRP in my area.
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,592
    It sounds like he didn't do his research if he offered 500.00 over invoice on a Corvette.

    Either that or he is one of these people who keep on posting that you should start at invoice less rebates an other incentives. Or we are being had again.

    And since it was a Chevy store, "Felix" probably had been working there two weeks.

    The guy I bought my Chevy from some 16-17 years ago is still there. Members of my family are still buying from him.

    Z06's are selling for 10,000 to 15,000 above MSRP in my area.

    Seeing that Fitzgerald is selling them at sticker it doesn't surprize me much.

    I think invoice for a Z06 is insane but thats just me, if Chevy gets that more power to them. I remember when Vettes went for $8,600. :sick:

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • neile457neile457 Member Posts: 65
    Forget paying over sticker, just buy on ebay, if no one is willing to deal. I just saw an 07 convertible with a buy it now of $8000 off sticker, and an 06 coupe with 800 miles for $10000 off sticker. Even if you get it transported, you come out ahead. Or you could fly to wherever to get it, sign and drive it home to get to know your new Vette! Good luck!
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    20,000 over sticker here for a fresh one and 10,000 to 5,000 over for a demo.
  • mark156mark156 Member Posts: 1,915
    I honestly don't see the attraction to a Corvette (just my opinion). I would put my hard earned money towards a Mercedes SL convertible (even used), especially, if I was paying a premium price for a Corvette. :confuse:

    Mark :D
    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
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