Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Any Questions for a Car Dealer?
This discussion has been closed.
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
All I know is if a fellow salesman would have pulled that on me, we would definitely have had something to talk about when the customer left! :mad:
Okay guys calm down ........
I see Bobst point, that's business (very bad business) but that's the flea's that come with the dog ... I also understand Hoosiers point and agree that the idiot shouldn't have opened up his stupid mouth ... that said, you can't get bent everytime someone makes a stupid remark, "keep your eye on the prize" ........ I've been looking for some new digs, so I've been in 4 states with 6 different real estate agents, and if half of these guy's got paid for stupidity, they would be Zillionaires ..l.o.l... ... in the meantime, while they're out arguing in the parking lot about the best "appreciation" neighborhood (which I could care less about) I leave them in the parking lot and make the offer without them ... works for me, plus it saved me 3% ......
Like my great grand Daddy used to say: Common sense, just isn't common ......................................
Terry.
rroyce10 says: “ That's why is just good business to ask questions .... lets cut to the chase ”
----------------------------------------------------
So you want to query the customer to see if he might be wasting *your* time before you determine whether it’s worth your time to give him the quote as YOU offered, despite the fact that you put up the link inviting him to ask for a *QUOTE*, not to begin a negotiation process.
I have a little experience with procurement, and if I put out an RFQ for a piece of equipment or a job and the seller wants to see my financials before even quoting me, there’s NO WAY I’m doing business with that seller. Because by asking to see my financials before quoting me, he’s just tipped his hand (1) that he’s not going to give me his best quote, he’s going to try to get as much as he thinks I can afford off of me; and (2) that he's not really interested in working too hard.
What’s the thing salespeople say? “Nothing worse than leaving money on the table?” That's why, it seems to me, so many dealerships resist this 'no-negotiation' approach. They want the business of the 'no-negotiation' customer, but they don't want to do business without being able to negotiate.
So I guess when you put up the ‘REQUEST A QUOTE’ link, that’s not what you mean—you really mean something like ‘MAKE CONTACT WITH A SALESMAN SO HE CAN BEGIN SIZING YOU UP TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER QUOTING YOU IS WORTH HIS TROUBLE.’
Truth in advertising, that’s all the consumer asks.
-----------------------------------------------------
alfox says: “ They want the exposure that the advertising linkage on Edmunds (for example) gives to them, but they don't want to give the quotes .”
-----------------------------------------------------
Yep, bait and switch, just like I said.
-----------------------------------------------------
Let me ask you guys a question: how hard is it to offer a person a quote? It seems like a very straightforward thing to say, "I can sell that car for this much." But the advent of resources like Edmunds, and 'Internet Sales' departments notwithstanding, dealers--not all, but many, or even most--resist like heck the concept of giving someone a bottom-line best offer. Why is that? I think the answer is simple: many dealerships approach every deal with the SOLE objective being maximizing their profit, with very little if any thought given to working with the customer, trying to figure out what he wants or how he would like to do business.
My last two vehicles have been bought via the Internet, pre-quoted, no-haggling process. I did not counter-offer the quote, I did not shop a quote from one dealer to another. Financing and trade-in components did not enter the deal; I arranged these matters separately. I accepted the quote, walked into the dealership with a check, and walked out less than an hour later and drove off in my car.
I found dealers willing to work with me in this manner because it is so much less time-consuming and unstressful, and I will NEVER walk into a dealership and haggle for a car, try to make a deal to a number, play the old 'run back and forth to the sales manager' game again.
Who wants to do business like that in this day and age? Only someone who doesn't know any better is my view.
Seems to me that the good dealerships are recognizing that at least part of the market has changed, accepting it, and adopting to it. This is the only sort of dealer I will do business with going forward, and I predict that as time goes on these dealers will thrive and the old type of dealership will lose market share.
The conversation about on-line quotes really belongs in our topic titled Dealers Too Busy For OnLine Shoppers, so let's take further discussion about this subject there.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
Share your vehicle reviews
And my apologies if my comments sounded personal/hostile. They were intended to be neither.
Some dealers don't choose to give quotes. It is their choice. That's all there is to it.
Besides, I have read several posts about obnoxious sales people at the high end stores, so I don't think it fair to generalize about the low quality of the sales staff at stores that sell cheaper cars.
We had an obnoxious salesman in the fall of 1972. Since that time, all of the sales people I have dealt with have been nice, most of them very nice. Oh yeah, some tried to cheat me out of some money, but they were nice about it.
A lot of people seem to think that if someone complains about a negative experience they have with a dealer they are "whining" or "need to grow up".
Man if someone wants to vent some...let them. Or, scroll on down the highway.
I guess I had a different reaction to the situation then most people who are not in sales would have. As I stated before, I am in sales and have been for some time. The client/salesman relationship is one that you have to build on. Especially in car sales where the potential buyer may be on the lot for a short time, and the sales person is more likely to be a newbie. So, not only did I feel the other salesman chiming in with his comment was inappropriate and unprofessional, it also was unfair to my salesman. My salesman was new, and I could see he was unsure of what to say. That to me was unfair to him as it could have cost him a sale and the commission that went along with it. I know that if my wife was with me (who is not in sales), her reaction would have been different than mine for different reasons. Her reaction would have focused on his inappropriate comment that she would have considered condescending and lewd. She would have been the type of buyer to walk out or go talk to the guy's boss. That type of buyer would have cost the salesman a sale. My reaction focused on his stupid comment and how could another "brother" salesman jeopardize another salespersons bread and butter...
Ignore bobst. He's a .....well, nevermind. He's just trying to bait you. That's his style.
I would think the high end stores ***might*** attract a higher eschelon of salesperson but I'm not sure. I once had a Lexus salesguy ask me "How can you stand to deal with the mooches and invoice buyers that buy Hondas?"
I think the higher end stores tend to sell VALUE rather than just sell cars as commodity items. I try to do this too but for many customers, all they care about is PRICE...nothing else matters.
That Lexus guy let me know that they simply don't put up with grinders. They sell value, and know their product inside and out. Discounts are minimal.
I stay where I am because I know I lack the patience in dealing with upscale buyers. for the most part, I like my customers. I work in a family owned store where they treat me like family. They are upfront and fair with their custotomers.
That's why I stick around.
Ditto on the salesmen. Some are very knowledgeable on their product and some have to go to the product literature or website to answer the most basic questions.
You ran into a bad apple. Get over it. His comments have bothered YOU more than losing your sale has bothered them.
As customer, you have the power as you decide whether or not you are going to spend your hard earned money at a dealership or whether you will walk away.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
Share your vehicle reviews
Nope. It's the same as e-mailing asking for prices. Until you actually step inside the store, you are nothing but vapor-ware for the most part.
Your age probably is the reason for not taking you seriously. If you are serious and your Dad will co-sign for you, bring him with you. Basically, if you can't buy a car without his signature it makes no sense to shop alone.
Good luck.
Have you considered trying to get pre approved before you go to the dealer? If you come in with a pre approval and a large down payment and they still won't take your money, it is time to shop elsewhere. I had a similar problem when buying my last vehicle. I'm not as young as you, but I look young. The BMW dealer that I visited was horrible, but being in the business I cut them some slack because it may have been just the brain dead salesperson I ended up with.
Conversly, a lot of greenpeas will waste an entire busy Saturday by spending too much time with a non buyer.
For every 100 19 year old unshaven kids looking at a new Corvette, I wonder how many actually buy?
Still, you never know!
I worked as a car salesman for three months. Being the "new guy" I was always made to go help people that the other salesmen thought would not be able to buy.
So one day three shabbily dressed Hispanic men in their mid-30's pulled onto the lot packed in a battered old compact pickup with the name of an out-of-town construction company, "BPR" on the side. They were dirty and covered in paint. The men started to look at a used F-350 Super Duty Diesel 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed monster we had on the corner. Of course, I was shoved towards them.
They did not speak very good english; basically all I could get was that one of the men, Bernadino, needed a larger truck. So I let him drive it and when he liked it, took him inside to talk about the price.
He had $10,000 cash in a bag and said he'd bring the rest (also in cash) back the next day. He was Bernadino Pena Rosendez of BPR Construction.
The "you never know" kind of story.
In my case, my instincts are usually right on target.
Yes, an experience salesperson can usually tell after a few minutes if they have a non vs. a serious buyer on their hands but by then, they can be stuck.
And, even then, they can be wrong.
It's all about resource allocation. In this case, it's the salesmans time that's the resource. Of course, this brings up a point that I find interesting:
-what's good for the Salesman vs. what's good for the dealer.
That is, the salesguy wants to maximize sales per contact, so they profile to (hopefully) increase the odds they make a sale. But, the dealer wants all the sales, even the % of drop-kicks that are legit.
it actually seems like giving the marginal prospects to the greenpea makes sense. It's a low-cost employee, hopefully generates a few sales, and gives the pea some hard-knocks experieince to cut their teeth on.
isn't that why some places seem to be overrun by salespeople? Throw enough on the wall, and hope some stick?
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Customer X goes to his friendly dealer (persian bazaar, no haggle, whatever), gloms onto a favorite car, discusses price, buys the car. Dealer Sales unit then makes its profit from that and other sales (won't go into what is "reasonable" or not here).
Now, does any of this SALES profit go to the SERVICE department? Or is the latter a stand-alone operation that makes __its__ profit from efficient warranty processing and/or after warranty service and parts sales?
Also one general comment: most "Professionals" (the ones that get college degrees, etc - not that it makes us "professional" __all the time__, but that is what we are classified as) despise dishonesty in a car dealer. Example: If I go to a dealer and agree to a reasonable price, then I expect that to be the price and not get jerked around at the last minute by finance or others at dealership.
1. new car department
2. used car department
3. service department
4. parts department
5. body shop
6. rental department
when the used car department sends a car into the shop the used car department is often charged close to retail for their work...when the new car department wants a tube of touch up paint they are often charged the same or close to what joe blow pays off the street....when I get a loaner car for a used car customer who is in for service the rental department charges the used car department..... etc
so when a sale is made...the profits stay in the sales department but they might get charged by the service department to clean it.
essentially its like a bunch of business that operate under one roof and they all stand alone and often don't get along.. (you never find a used car manager who likes the his/her service department, lol) Of course, there are exceptions and variations to this at each dealership but it gives you and idea.
1. Find a good local service department for your proposed car (BBB, referrals, forums, etc),
2. Find another dealer, anywhere you can get to, that will not "play games" with selling you the proposed car.
In some (rare ?) cases, you may find 1 and 2 are at the same location.
To me, this is ridiculous. Most other retail businesses do sales __and__ service, with the two complementing each other. How the car business got so screwed up here is beyond me. But what is, is what is.
Several years ago, my wife's stepfather's mother passed away, leaving a bit of an estate. Said stepfather decides to replace my mother-in-law's car.
Goes to the Cadillac dealer one Saturday in fairly grubby clothes. Salesman, like those who post here, sizes him up as a potential sale. Buys an Eldorado ETC for cash (IIRC, something like $40K).
A year later, he does the same thing at the Jeep dealer with a Grand Cherokee Limited for himself. Cash deal, grubby clothes.
Now, this was in Cheyenne, WY, so I'm not sure that he was dressed out of the ordinary for the town.
I think there are three kinds of customers.
1. Buyers. These people are out to buy a car.
2. Strokes/Non buyers...Thse are either joyriders, flakes, time wasters, bad credit or too buried in their trades to do anything.
3. Casual shoppers.
These are the people where the abilities and people skills of the salesperson can make or break a sale.
What is the best way to approach this with a dealer? I have been to a few lots and told the salesman who greeted me that I was just looking. They have handed me a card and said to let them know if I have any questions. I'm okay with this. If I do have questions but have no intention of purchasing a car right then am I wasting their time? Will I also just be wasting a salesman's time when I have narrowed down my choices and want to test drive a few cars that I have no intention of buying at that time? What sort of information should I be obligated to give a salesman or dealership in order to be allowed to test drive a car?
Once I decide on the model I want I will try to locate the car with the options I want and contact that dealership with that car and then try to make a deal. If we are unable to come to terms I will try another dealership with the same or similar car.
Is there anything wrong with this approach.
I just don't understand some customers wasting their and their salesmen's time with silly questions that they can easily read on the web or in a brochure...
I guess I'd get pretty frustrated if I had someone waste my time and then walk away...
Also if you like your salesperson, let them locate the specific vehicle that you want. It is alot easier for us to do than you. We do it every day. Good Luck to you.
Just be upfront, tell your salesperson you have several cars on your list and you want to make the choice that's best for you.
And, don't do this until you are really ready to buy. the quickest way for a salesperson to lose interest is when they are told the purchase is a month off or more.
Ask your friends and neighbors for a referral if possible.
In this case, I think it is OK to ask questions, but keep them short.
"Will I also just be wasting a salesman's time when I have narrowed down my choices and want to test drive a few cars that I have no intention of buying at that time?"
If you think you may buy a car like that in the future (even a year from now), I think it is fine to test drive it. Don't waste much of the sales person's time. Be very straightforward and tell the sales person you are not buying a car that day.
"What sort of information should I be obligated to give a salesman or dealership in order to be allowed to test drive a car?"
They own the car. You need to give them whatever they ask for - a birth certificate, $10000 deposit, Paris Hilton tee shirt, whatever. If you don't like their policies, go somewhere else. Usually we just let them copy our driver's license.
It takes us a long, long time to decide what kind of car we want to buy. Before we bought our last car, we spent over a year thinking about the color we wanted. Yeah, that's right - over a year.
Do you let them scan the magnetic stripe on your driver's license?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I spoke with one Honda Dealer and all he did was try to sell me the 2005(Without even a test drive) and wouldn't even tell me when the 2006 comes out. I dont want to go through the same experience again when she test drives a car and I'm there for a long time with them trying to sell me the 2005. What the best way to approach a dealer with what I want to do so I can get the information necessary for 2006 purchase. It seems they are just interested in an immediate purchase. I dont want to waste his time or mine.
Any advice would be appreciated
They won't drive one bit differently than a 2005. If you drive a 2005 now, you will have forgotton how it drove by the time the 2006's are out.
So, yeah...it would have been a waste of both of your time.
Why not a 2005?
How?? Customers just want a car at a good price. Dealers and salespeople are the ones that want to push sales and want every customer to buy the fully loaded car...
The reason this came up is one of my co-workers recently had her minivan stolen. It was recovered, but totaled out. Her insurance man said he knew someone who could help her find another car at a good price, but she got impatient and went out and bought one on Thursday nite...a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer. Well, on Friday, her insurance guy said that his man found one for her, another '02 Mountaineer, with less miles, for less money. She said she'd take it if she could do an even swap.
But then, our supervisor chimed in and told her to just take her Mountaineer back to the dealer and say she wants her money back, and that the most she might lose is maybe $100.00. Is that true? I know there's no such thing as a "72 hour law" applied to cars, although it does get perpetuated. I brought that up, and my supervisor simply said that he's done it twice, himself. But, naturally, he wouldn't give us any details as to the circumstances.
For example, I'm sure if he took a used car back and decided he wanted something more expensive/higher profit, then they might actually beg to take it back. Or if he'd been such a great customer, generating plenty of referral business for them, they might be willing to do it.
And I know some used car places will actually LET you bring a car back within something like 3 days or 150 miles, if you change your mind. But I was always under the impression that that was just something they happened to offer, and not actually required to do.
So, is there a "reasonable" way to take a car back and get your money back, or is my supervisor probably just blowing smoke, or leaving a few important details out of his transactions?
Personally, the way I look at it, if my co-worker was stupid enough to buy the thing, then she needs to live with it. It's not the dealer's fault that she went out and made an impulse buy!
What (and how) should I ask them for a quote. Total cost (w/TT&L, etc); Price of the car?
Some things are constants (sales tax, registration, etc.), so maybe I don't need to have that rolled into the price.
I know I'm going to buy at the end of the month, so should I mention this in the e-mail?
Thanks :confuse: