yukit

Do you take your car there for services? How do you like the service department there?

stl0090

per my earlier (now locked) thread on St. Louis dealerships, I completely understand your frustration. There are some good ones, some bad ones.

There is a reason why you're here, and it is to acquire all the knowledge you can, then it won't really matter what the salesman knows, just how they provide the service and facilitate your business.

05TLMAN

Are we talking about all car sales people here or just Acura ones? Would you expect a Porsche salesperson be of a higher standard than the Acura salesperson?

stl0090

Probably valid for all car makes, and for all types of sales for that matter.
My experience with Mercedes Benz dealers has also included some very, very knowledgeable, helpful salespeople and some who are neither.

theElio

Not yet really. Though I had to take the car in to get the body kit installed. Dropped it off early in the morning, they shuttled me to work and then picked me up from work and took me back to the dealer. I haven't gone back for problems yet.

TacoBellSauce

what i find funny is that most of the salesmen dont know jack shit about the cars and wont really be kind to you until you pull out a duffell bag full of money (or in my case with the TSX, a jacket full of money)

Redfish

iTrader: (2)

I just have to re-post this from my former CL days, enjoy...

SO-CAL HONDA DEALERS SUCK! (story inside)

russduck

I have a good "Bad" sales experience from Colonial Honda in the LA area. Found a Honda Accord coupe at the end of the year with 5 speed. Wanted to trade a 6 year old Acccord coupe. Using their 4 square technique we agreed to a trade in price and selling price, which I was happy with, but I didn't check the math on the cash difference plus tax and license. They buried a $300 pad that I didn't figure out until I got home. Moral of the story-bring a calculator and check their math. They were slimy dirtbag sales people from the salesman, to the sales manager, to the F&I slimball. Stay away from Colonial Honda.

Madtown Acura

Thanks for pointing that out ...
- Acura Sales

Montag

Here's my favorite Acura salesperson story. I posted this once before so sorry for repeating...

I was at the lot about 3-4 months ago and I was looking over a TSX. A salesman came by and when I told him I was probably going to wait for the 2006 models, he told me that the TSX was a limited edition car and that it would be discontinued after the 2005 model year.

gt0279a

I was looking for a new car, and had a 2000 Integra, so I went to check out a leasing special they had on the MDX at my local Acura dealer. Salesguys were great, we agreed on a trade in price, price of the car, etc. I sign all the papers, but they had to dealer-trade to get the color I wanted. They kept my car, and I drove home in a loaner and would come back when the MDX was in.

A few days later, I get a call from the salesmanager saying that I was incorrectly given too much for my tradein (~$2000). He was "doing me a favor" by cutting the price on the MDX $500. I called BS since I had already signed the contract, but I was told the dealer had a right to alter the deal. WTF

Anyway, the car arrives and I go to the dealer to get my car back. After about a hour, Salespeople grab the salesmanager, and I am informed I signed the contract, and must buy the car. After 15 minutes of arguing, I am then told I don't have to buy the MDX, but I have to buy any car they have (new or used).

I spent about 2 hours test-driving literally ever car on the lot, and just didn't want anything they had. Finally I decide to go home. Best decision I made.

I call Acura customer service, and learn a contract is not binding until you drive the exact VIN# car as on the contract off the lot, and the dealer is bound to the amounts on the contract as well.

I finally was able to chew out the salesmanager on his BS and get my car back.

I just feel bad for all the people who get cornered and doped at all car dealers.

The problem is not that there aren't good people selling cars, it's the lets-make-as-much-money-as-possible mentallity at car dealers.

I would have eventually bought something at that dealer, but they changed the terms and I'll never step foot in their dealership again.

feliz

I sold cars part time, summers and weekends, for four years while attending college many years ago and saw all sorts of things go on that have forever impacted me in my thinking towards car salespeople. I don't really think it's the people as much as the system they're put into though. One dealership I worked at fired the lowest producing salesman, no women in those days, each month, this put a lot of pressure on some poor salesman with a family to support to sell a car by ANY means.

Things have obviously changed in the industry but the fact the dealer is trying to make a buck from a customer still exists. I usually refrain from posting on these threads with stories because it's not fair to any group of people to generalize. I'm sure Colin on this forum is a stand up guy with the best interest of his clients in mind but I dare say he's in the minority even today.

In my mind a good salesperson should be working on behalf of the client but that's not the reality of it and a buyer looking for the best price is almost forced into being adversarial. I've bought several cars from my local Acura dealer and have become friends with the owner and salesperson I deal with but still have to get up and pretend I'm leaving before they suddendly find room to move another few hundred or sometimes thousand dollars after they have already told me there's no room to move. Sorry for the long post.

Colin

Yeah, I've been in the business for ten years and I've seen a lot of changes even at our own store. One of the guys that started within a month of me is now the new car sales manager. It's a career path I've chosen not to follow.

When I first got into the business, I told my wife that if I ever start to "swagger" like a car salesman, to slap me on the head. I also made a promise to myself that if I was ever in a position that I needed to make a sale to make a mortgage or car payment, that it would be my last month in the business.