Stories from the Sales Frontlines

1…346347349351352…2003

Comments

  • lrguy44lrguy44 Member Posts: 2,197
    We don't badge our cars, but when Discovery was king (before LR3) our tire covers actually brought 2-3 people a month into the dealership. Kinda like Frontier Airlines, the animals helped.
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    Aerosmith is playing at it. Must be a convention of a lot of middle aged folks..... :P
  • jmonroejmonroe Member Posts: 8,989
    "You can expect a response within the next few days."

    You better get back to them now ! At their price that beauty will be gone if you wait for them. :(

    jmonroe

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

  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    but when I wear my Nike hoodie they don't ask if I work for Nike

    Ok I will help you out here.

    Hey Mack, do you work for Nike by chance? :D
  • jescuejescue Member Posts: 521
    I have to admit I peeled the dealer sticker off my truck the day I got it-no offense Joel. :shades:
  • izaclown1izaclown1 Member Posts: 118
    Now we know where the "hidden fee" comes from... :D
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    No problem, if my owner would let me I would take the sticker off mine to. Though you have to admit the sticker we use now is a hell of allot better then the old school metal things that some still use. That sticker we put on at least does not get caught on a shammie or a rag when your washing it.

    We used to have a sales person who had a tail gate sized magnetic sticker made that said.

    "Like my truck? Follow me to XXX XXXXXX Ford for a great deal on one just like it"
  • jescuejescue Member Posts: 521
    Several years ago when I sold Jeeps I did a dealer trade for a Liberty. The driver showed up and when I inspected it it had a metal badge on the tailgate. Not glued though, drilled and screwed into the tailgate. I declined the car and wondered how on earth they ever traded with anyone.
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    You think you are soooo cute don't you?

    I think it was about a 1,000 dollars retail installed. That particular type of wood is not available anymore so I don't remember exactly.
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    Gotta be can't be anyone else. Whenever I get people looking for Defenders I show them that website and say, "This is the highend of the market for a Defender as his Defenders are usually very nice."
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    Hi Mack,
    No, we didn't buy the convertible. With the $7,000 payoff on the Chrysler, the payment was more than we wanted to carry. You may remember that the dealer wanted to make amends---offered me any car on the lot with the profit margin removed and free service for three years. Well, I kept calling him and leaving messages but he wouldn't call me back. I guess it was just a sham to get rid of me. This entire ordeal has soured us on buying a car for now. I do intend to rate this dealership on this web site. I have read some of your posts regarding your illness. I hope that things go well for you. You seem like a nice salesman and person. Maybe I'll just come to Virginia Beach and trade with you when we get ready. We live in the Pinehurst area. Thanks again. You, isellhondas, snakeweasel, and jmonroe were nice to put up with my "contract" experience. I'll certainly try to read every word on all papers next time.
    Richard
  • epineyepiney Member Posts: 462
    Plus it was a former rental, I looked up its history in Land Rover's system

    I would have passed on the car for just that... BTW, did you see that Carmax's earnings are up; announced yesterday. They must be doing something right.
  • epineyepiney Member Posts: 462
    I tell GP's all the time that they need to get me a copy of the customers health insurance card because the bank wants proof that if they get sick they have insurance and it won't interfere with the car note

    Have any customers actually given them the card? :D
  • epineyepiney Member Posts: 462
    Go see the used car manager and tell him to call the used car factory and order one."

    Can you order me a low mileage Supra? When are they going bring that back anyways?
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    Oh I have no doubt they are making good profits overall but I see a lot of mistakes by them as well. The store around here is fairly new so that is probably part of it.

    Our VW dealer had this value edition Jetta that they took back from a serious repeat customer because he was being stationed overseas for two years. He had just bought the car the month before and now he was being called up again out of the blue when he was supposed to be out for at least two years. :sick:

    Anyway they take the car back but are now stuck with a used Strippy Jetta that has 2,000 miles on it. They can sell it and it sits and sits for weeks. They will lose thousands on it at the auction and wholesalers don't really want it for anymore money either. The carmax had just opened up so they bring it by there to see if carmax will but it for a reasonable amount of money. Carmax makes there written offer and it is for OVER NEW CAR MSRP. Our used car director is blown away and hands them the keys and title right then and there.
  • tayl0rdtayl0rd Member Posts: 1,926
    Oh, I like that idea! I'll bet I'm a minority here, but....

    First thing I do with a new car is pull all that dealer crap off. Screws up the appearance of the car.

    Can't believe that when I was a kid the dealer would screw their ad right on your car. I remember my folks having an old Plymouth with that.

    I do the exact same thing. No stickers, no license plate frames, no placards, nothing. Unless they send me a check every month, I'm not advertising for them.

    And one of the Ford dealerships here still actually screws their emblem on the cars. I bought a car from them once and tried to get them to pay to have it removed and the holes repaired. They wouldn't do it. I probably could have fought, and won, in court, but at what price?
  • badgerpaulbadgerpaul Member Posts: 219
    There used to be another dealer in the Dallas area that would put his tag on before he had the aftermarket pinstriping done, so if you took off the name tag you had a 3 inch gap in the pinstriping.
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    You think you are soooo cute don't you?

    Yes. :blush:
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    Thank you Richard. It would be a pleasure doing business with you.
    Victor
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    There's been rumors about its comeback for years. They are only pipe dreams. :) There's been a Supercar tested in Germany but if we do get it I doubt it will have the Toyota badge. More than likely it will be a Lexus.
    Mackabee
  • wlbrown9wlbrown9 Member Posts: 867
    Is the 'used car factory' really the auction? :-)
  • epineyepiney Member Posts: 462
    I think they should bring it back to Toyota even if it's a stripped down version. IMO, Toyota's line-up has gone too mass market and has gotten boring. They killed the Supra, Celica and the Mister 2. Sure they were probably not big sellers, but they weren't boring Camrys or platform variants of the Camry
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    I doubt Toyota will get any more Exciting cars. The high performance exciting cars will go to Lexus and the lower performance exciting cars will probably go to Scion.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    You guys reeeally need to be communicating privately, not through the Forums.
  • gogiboygogiboy Member Posts: 732
    "Can't believe that when I was a kid the dealer would screw their ad right on your car. I remember my folks having an old Plymouth with that."

    I do the exact same thing. No stickers, no license plate frames, no placards, nothing. Unless they send me a check every month, I'm not advertising for them.

    What about the sub genre of car owners who even remove most or all of the manufacturer's emblems (make/model/engine)? I see a fair amount of this in my area--mostly confined to the tailgates of trucks, but occasionally affecting the hood emblems as well. This is in stark contrast to the young men who cover their cars with stickers. presumably informing us that the car has aftermarket shocks, speakers/stereos (Kicker is manufactured in my town), special rims, etc.

    Maybe cars should come as a blank canvas where the customer decides how many, how big and where they should be placed. For the record I have dealer plate advertisements on two cars, a small raised plastic sticker on the third and all three cars have whatever manufacturer ornaments they came with as new    . I guess I'm just not very discriminating.

    Gogiboy
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,386
    I have been known to leave such things on until I have something I like better. If they begin to look ratty I'll take them off, too.

    Back to the same old thing - as long as you aren't hurting the integrity of the body and aren't making your little ad ugly I don't have an objection - but I do prefer a clean look.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    On a '95 Mark VIII the salesman had his name on the plate frames along with the dealerships and framed in plated gold. When I brought the car in for warranty service he noticed that the frames were gone and took it like a personal insult. That is until I asked him if he obtained prior approval before having them installed.
  • 1racefan1racefan Member Posts: 932
    I live near a large lake, and one of the dealerships around here designed a small, oval shaped sticker, with a reference to the lake, a sailboat on the water, and then their name. These stickers have gotten to be kind of "trendy" (or at least a way for people to brag about living near the lake).

    I have no problem leaving a dealer's sticker on as long as it isn't hideous, and it doesn't interfere with washing/waxing.
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 18,549
    What about the sub genre of car owners who even remove most or all of the manufacturer's emblems (make/model/engine)

    A friend of mine replaced the ///M3 badge on his heavily modified E36 with a German 316 emblem. Most Bimwads knew what was up but it was a hoot to hear bystanders talk about how they wanted a 316 since it was so cool and fast. European Car even printed a letter from one sad doofus who asked where he could get a 316, since he had seen one set FTD at a local autocross...

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
    Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
    Son's: 2018 330i xDrive

  • jmonroejmonroe Member Posts: 8,989
    The carmax had just opened up so they bring it by there to see if carmax will but it for a reasonable amount of money. Carmax makes there written offer and it is for OVER NEW CAR MSRP. Our used car director is blown away and hands them the keys and title right then and there.

    You guys in the biz look for whales everywhere, even the competition. :shades:

    jmonroe

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

  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    I wouldn't call that a while I think he made 250 bucks of wholesale profit on the VW. All of that was wiped out by several months of floor pan costs.
  • tayl0rdtayl0rd Member Posts: 1,926
    ... Maybe cars should come as a blank canvas where the customer decides how many, how big and where they should be placed. ...

    Some cars do come like that, sort of. The new Mustang doesn't have the word "Mustang" anywhere on its exterior (or interior if you don't get the aluminum sill plates.)
  • nj2pa2ncnj2pa2nc Member Posts: 811
    since the dealer i bought my cars from has been excellant-both sales and service i do not mind having their license plate frame on my cars. this dealer only uses the license plate frame-no placards, emblems or stickers.
  • jmonroejmonroe Member Posts: 8,989
    This is in stark contrast to the young men who cover their cars with stickers.

    The ones I get a kick out of are the ones that say Ford, Chevy, Toyota, etc. Are these people really that forgetful that they can't remember what they're driving? :(

    jmonroe

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

  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    Here in Denver, we had sort of the reverse problem.

    John Elway owned a number of dealerships in the area, and the logo stuck onto the back of his cars was his name and the number '7' - his Broncos jersey number.

    Well, when the Broncos won the Super Bowl, many folks went to the dealers after hours and stole the logos off the cars (they were stuck on with glue and fairly easy to remove).

    Same thing happened when it was announced that Elway was selling the dealerships to AutoNation - lots of cars started missing the dealer adverts.
  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 5,269
    Yes, sounds like y'all are familiar with him/dealership. I just thought that his bio was interesting as it fit into some of the discussions here. Sounds like he has a very good job!

    I've never been interested in Land Rovers (I do want a new XK, however), so I'm not familiar with his pricing. I've also never been interested in used/classic cars as much as next year's models, but he does have a rather nice collection. I'm actually semi-debating visiting and reviewing his Mercedes collection ('95 E Convertible for the evil wife?). I'll have to do some pricing research. And I want to see his two beagles! From articles, he does appear to cater to the rich and famous, neither of which am I. :cry:

    '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...)

  • jescuejescue Member Posts: 521
    Did you say XK? :D
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    You gotta be careful around those hungry jag salesman.
  • jescuejescue Member Posts: 521
    well you know man does not live on x-types alone. ;)
  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 5,269
    Indeed I did. Jag dealer down the road was offering an end of summer specail on 4 in stock '07 XKs, $20,000 off MSRP. I posted the link over in the Jag forums. I think they sold 'em, though. So, when I can get an '08 Coupe (no options) for $20k (or more, that's what it might take to get me into an XK today!)off msrp, I'll begin the process of selling a kidney to pay for one.

    Although, the new Maserati GranTurismo kinda makes the XK look a bit plain... :blush:

    '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...)

  • jescuejescue Member Posts: 521
    Maserati? :lemon:
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    As good as the new Masers have gotten they can't touch Jags reliability. And the Granturismo has to be close to twice what a XK coupe costs.
  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 5,269
    No, the GT is only about 50% more (msrp, but real world?)than a base XK coupe. But I'm sure the Jag will not need a mechanic to ride shotgun as the Maser might!

    Looking forward to the Midnight Madness sales at the Jag dealers... :shades:

    Actually, I hope that Ford finds a really decent new home for Jag. XK, XF are on my list, hopefully the style/quality/refinement momentum will continue and the marque will live long(er) and prosper...

    '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...)

  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    I still only have rumors about who won the bidding. Nothing solid enough for me to say anything.

    Jescue have you heard anything?
  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,299
    I also walk by GP's (males) when they have a customer and say, "Hey your boyfriend called, he wants you to pick up milk on the way home"

    LOL... that's a good one joel. But, what was the reaction of the GP and customer? Seems if the customer was a homophobe the GP could have lost a customer.
    2021 Honda Passport EX-L, 2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere.
  • greanpea68greanpea68 Member Posts: 1,996
    Is the 'used car factory' really the auction?

    Here the used car factory means a rent a car compamy such as Enterprise or Hertz. They can look in their inventory and get it to you pretty quick.

    The auction here is refered as the Mill, the Farm, etc.
  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 5,269
    But aren't most customers Carsalesmanophobes??? ;)

    '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...)

  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,299
    But aren't most customers Carsalesmanophobes???

    Good point. :)
    2021 Honda Passport EX-L, 2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere.
  • jescuejescue Member Posts: 521
    I was talking to our owner about it earlier. He said there are three possibilities and all of them should be good. He had good things to say about Tata, who I know nothing about. I know our Jag rep is anxious. Also I was curious, do you have to take those journey to excellence quizzes for Rover?
  • lrguy44lrguy44 Member Posts: 2,197
    I read in the Detroit Free Press today that Ford extended the bidding by 2 weeks (credit crunch) and 5 or 6 bidders are still alive including Tata.
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