bleedorange Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Is anyone here a car salesman (or woman)? I had a terrible experience at a Chevy dealership here in Fort Worth. Although, that was my first bad one after three good ones. Is it dealer-specific? Make-specific? Any other horror stories out there? Long story short, he wanted to sell me a year-old demo with over 5000 miles on it for full price, and was being a jerk about it. Is this a GM thing due to the bailout? It's also the first time I've dealt with a domestic auto company. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Speed Racer Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Does the dealership have salaried or commission-based employees? I've only purchased at salaried dealerships, and from what I've heard from friends, that's the key difference between places. A friend recently bought a used Subaru, and of the three Subaru dealerships she went to, she ended up purchasing at the salaried place because there was zero pressure to buy. Most places with salaried employees brag to the moon and back about it because of their zero-pressure sales policies. I got my Honda at a zero-pressure place, and I was in and out in under two hours. They were super up-front about everything, and my salesman actually discouraged me from getting aftermarket crap that I didn't want anyway, and didn't even mention the higher-end Civic except to say that he never understood why people would pay $4,000 for a hole in their roof and stereo controls on the steering wheel. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 Does the dealership have salaried or commission-based employees? I've only purchased at salaried dealerships, and from what I've heard from friends, that's the key difference between places. A friend recently bought a used Subaru, and of the three Subaru dealerships she went to, she ended up purchasing at the salaried place because there was zero pressure to buy. Most places with salaried employees brag to the moon and back about it because of their zero-pressure sales policies. Is there a way of figuring that out, or do you just have to ask? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Speed Racer Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Is there a way of figuring that out, or do you just have to ask? Like I said, they usually brag if their employees are salaried, and say NOTHING if they're not. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 my salesman actually discouraged me from getting aftermarket crap that I didn't want anyway, and didn't even mention the higher-end Civic except to say that he never understood why people would pay $4,000 for a hole in their roof and stereo controls on the steering wheel.I had an analogous experience when buying my used Accord ... I had already decided that I didn't want that stuff (which constitutes most of the difference between the LX and EX models), but my salesman said something similar to me about people paying more for the sun roof and silly extra stereo buttons. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
watch me fall Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 I paid more for my Civic's moon roof and silly extra stereo buttons. I guess that makes me an idiot. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 Our previous three cars have all been Nissans and I had similar experiences with both dealers. I'm starting to wonder if it is a foreign v. domestic thing. Although I have heard bad things about Mitsubishi dealers. Edit: The only reason we aren't getting a Nissan this time is because we need something bigger. The Murano isn't big enough, the Pathfinder is small and not fuel efficient, and the Armada is too expensive. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 I paid more for my Civic's moon roof and silly extra stereo buttons. I guess that makes me an idiot.Not if that stuff's important to you. I do kinda want a moon roof someday, but not on my current budget. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
watch me fall Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Not if that stuff's important to you. I do kinda want a moon roof someday, but not on my current budget. Well the moon roof was very important, but I didn't even realize the buttons on the steering wheel were extra. I believe I got the mid-range Civic, since I don't have leather seats or a GPS. I got a pretty good deal, though, since I took my dad with me and he's been in the car business most of his life. I think the salesman was scared of him. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Speed Racer Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 My dad went ahead and got the moon-roof and stereo stuff for his Pilot. Fresh-out of college kid in entry level job paying $4,000 for a hole in her roof = idiot. Retired attorney ditching Cadillac for car that makes him look not nearly as stupid, paying $4,000 for a moon-roof = not an idiot. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
watch me fall Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Is there really a $4k difference? I honestly didn't pay attention since I knew I wanted the moon roof anyway. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 I learned with an early car that a sun roof in Texas is a bad idea. There's only a couple of weeks out of the year where it isn't too hot or too cold to use it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Speed Racer Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 I believe I got the mid-range Civic, since I don't have leather seats or a GPS. You have a lot of faith in Civics. You got the high-end Civic, with the moon-roof and stereo controls. I don't think you can even get a leather seat in a Civic, except as an aftermarket pimp job. The Civic is their meat and potatoes car, with very, very few frills. You can only get leather in higher-end models like the Pilot and Accord. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Is there really a $4k difference? I honestly didn't pay attention since I knew I wanted the moon roof anyway.I was in the used market so I wouldn't know for sure -- but in 2007 when I was buying a used 2004 Accord, EX models with similar mileage were about $2,000 to $3,000 more expensive on average than the LX models. And besides the moon roof and extra stereo controls, there really isn't a significant difference between those models. The leather seats come with the V6, I think ... at least in the '04 Accords. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenbobblehead Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 (edited) I paid more for my Civic's moon roof and silly extra stereo buttons. I guess that makes me an idiot.i did not pay (much) extra for the sun roof and the leather heated seats and the stereo buttons and the bose stereo. AND I LOVE ALL THOSE THINGS! also, the civic didn't have leather seats at any trim level and therefore I went with the mazda. Edited November 30, 2009 by jenbobblehead Quote Link to post Share on other sites
watch me fall Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 You have a lot of faith in Civics. You got the high-end Civic, with the moon-roof and stereo controls. I don't think you can even get a leather seat in a Civic, except as an aftermarket pimp job. The Civic is their meat and potatoes car, with very, very few frills. You can only get leather in higher-end models like the Pilot and Accord. Maybe I was wrong about the seats, but I know there were more expensive choices than what I got. Maybe it was the navigation system that jacked the cost up and also the hybrid cost more. The one in the show room was more than $23k (this was 2 years ago) and I definitely didn't pay that much for mine. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
myboyblue Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Frequently, the sun/moon roof comes with packages that may be appealing. For me, heated seats w/iPod hook up was a requirement. Most of those came with the moon roof. It's neat and I use it 3 times a year but I certainly wouldn't pay extra for that feature. Oh, and car dealers... I've had about 2 good ones, 3 tolerable and the other 10 or so can suck it. The harder that they try and bullshit, the more I do. Worse are the finance guys trying to sell you the warranty after you've told them 15 times that you aren't purchasing. I like the advice of using salaried but not sure how you find that out. Very few, from a percentage standpoint, work on salary I believe. I know CarMax is though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
u2roolz Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaeMJ7oMf94 I think we should be hearing the other side of the story. ^ Are those guys salaried or working on commission? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ih8music Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 I also hate car salesmen... which is why I try to use auto brokers when possible. I did that for my first 2 cars and was happy w/ the results (few hundred bucks over invoice price, incl broker fees)... but I know they're not legal in some states (not sure why). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Speed Racer Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 I like the advice of using salaried but not sure how you find that out. Very few, from a percentage standpoint, work on salary I believe. I know CarMax is though. Honda, I think, is salaried across the board. The Subaru dealership my co-worker purchased from is owned by the guy who owns the Honda dealership I purchased from, and he liked the customer satisfaction from the Honda dealership enough that he instituted salaries at all of his dealerships. I use my car so rarely that the fru-fru crap has very little appeal to me. I grew up with a car with seat warmers, and I'd get hot so quickly - even in Chicago winters - that I saw little appeal in that feature. The moon-roof is fun in my dad's Pilot, primarily because they live in Florida now, and it's that much cooler to get picked up from the airport in late December, arriving from Minneapolis, and stepping into a car with the breeze and the sun and all that. If someone had a long commute I could see the rationalization in all of the car accessories, but I will pull my own eyeballs out with my hands before I endure a 30+ minute commute ever again. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 I've had good and bad experiences. We just bought a Subaru Forester last month (from a Subaru/Cadillac dealership...which seems like an odd pairing) and were pleased with the experience. We got what I feel is a fair trade-in value for our ten year old Hyundai. No sales pressure, or perhaps they were just extremely slick about it, but we left happy. The only sort of unpleasant part was when we signed the papers, the business guy did a little bit of hard-selling for their various add-on coverages/warantees. Prior to that we bought a Scion XB. No pressure, no haggling. In and out. Super easy. Prior to that we bought a Hyundai Accent. They put us through the ringer. They refused to sell us their last 1999 model, and pushed the 2000. At that time we were financially weak, and I guess they figured the 2000 would have better value in the event they had to repo it from us. We were there for hours and hours having numbers juggled in many different ways, all in their favor of course. Since then I've read some articles about car salesman tricks, and we experienced them all the day we bought that car. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
isadorah Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 When I bought my MINI it was a no-pressure experience, but the salesman was definitely on commission. The catch is they pretty much have to special order the car / have a waiting list because they only manufacture so many a year, so that means everyone pays the same price or doesn't get a car. at least at the dealership I went to. I watched a guy try to finagle money off his purchase price and over and over again the salesman told him the price is what it is. also NEVER try to purchase a MINI in July or August. You won't be able to. They close the factory for the month of August and don't take orders then because they get backlogged from the European holiday. The customer that my sales guy was helping before me was incredibly rude to me as I was waiting on the sales guy. He felt really really bad for it and bought me lunch, didn't charge me for my floor mats, and put a stipulation on my account that I get free car washes from their dealership anytime I want (they normally charge $50 a pop outside of the carwash you get with your yearly maintenance). Of course, it is an hour and fifteen minute drive to the dealership, so I haven't really taken advantage of that part of the bargain. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moss Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 We have a Honda dealership that is "no haggle" (you pay the sticker price and that is it) and another one nearby that is the full haggle experience. I went to both and ended up getting a better deal at the "no haggle" place (for a Civic). I don't mind the haggle process if it is going to get me a better deal but that did not seem to be the case. If I know I'm going car shopping the next day I just stay up really late the night before I go in so I'm nice and grouchy, get a huge coffee, put on my game face, do my research so I know what I should ber paying, and settle in for a long process. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 We have a Honda dealership that is "no haggle" (you pay the sticker price and that is it) and another one nearby that is the full haggle experience. I went to both and ended up getting a better deal at the "no haggle" place (for a Civic). I don't mind the haggle process if it is going to get me a better deal but that did not seem to be the case. If I know I'm going car shopping the next day I just stay up really late the night before I go in so I'm nice and grouchy, get a huge coffee, put on my game face, do my research so I know what I should ber paying, and settle in for a long process. I've had the same experience with "no haggle" places. I was fully prepared the other day and I received versions of the following statements (from carbuyingtips.com): "You're stealing food from my baby's mouth""Everybody pays this fee""We're losing our shirt on this deal""The web sites you got the prices from are wrong.""This car won't be here tomorrow" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 "You're stealing food from my baby's mouth" Hyundai gave me that one. Not even a watered dowmn version...word for word. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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