carlos9827

iTrader: (2)

yeah lol when i bought my 03 Infiniti QX4 (SUV) I bought it used at Lexus dealer but I drove to Infiniti get a license plate holder since I didnt want to be driving around with the Lexus one lol.

BEAR-AvHistory

As far as I know if a salesman helps you he goes to the back of the line in waiting for the next customer.

No offense but if my livelihood depended on it, I would play the odds & not waste my turn on a kid.

carlos9827

iTrader: (2)

Yup thats exactly how it works. I worked fo Carmax for a bit and there were times when there was 20 salesman in line. So yes it would suck when our turn came and we got someone who was just "looking" or who no credit/bad credit. Unfortunately we could not pick and choose our customers at Carmax though. I always tried to provide excellent service ad not stereotype any customers and you wont believe how many people who come back and ask for me

When it comes to Acura though, there aren't 20 salesmen waiting in line, there are more like 5 salesmen for the entire dealership at any one given time. (At least that's how it is at my local Acura dealerships) There is no excuse to ignore any potential customer though, regardless if they are 16-18 years old, cause chances are that kid might be in love with a car on your showroom floor and will be back with his parents if need be co-sign/buy the car for them.

When I was 16 years old, I went to local Nissan dealer. The salesman's name was Walter and he was really helpful even though he knew I was 16 and just to top things off he even let me test drive the car I wanted to get. A few days later I went in with my parents to buy a car and guess who got the sale...Walter. And then my uncle was looking for a Pathfinder....guess who I sent him to? Walter. So in the end it paid off for him to provide excellent service because he sold us a 20k Altima and sold my uncle a 35k Pathfnder

SportsJunkie

I didn't really have a problem buying my car.
I went to one dealership, but they hassled me into buying a TSX when I wanted a TL which was weird. I asked to test drive a TL and they kept telling me that one wasn't ready but I should drive the TSX first, so I said fuck it and went to another dealership.

When I went to the second dealership, I told them exactly what I wanted, what price range etc and they immediately got me to the car, I test drove it and went home with it that night. I knew my credit was good, I was trading in my civic and they gave me what I wanted for my civic. I even haggled them down a few thousand on the TL. Was a great transition and so far it's been great customer service. I was 22 at the time I bought it.

Car dealerships usually give me shit or the run around cause I'm a chick so I was happy buying my TL.

Timeless

Mercedes dealerships steal the souls of their salesmen.

Anyways, July of 05 I was looking to buy an Avalanche, which I did. Nothing eventful except when I made an appointment at the dealership and I walked in. They didn't expect an 18 year old boy/man. They were good to me and I bought the truck.

Summer of 07 I missed my old mustang and I knew I wanted a 6 speed car. Decided to start at the top and check out evo's. The Mitsubishi dealer paid me little attention until I asked what I could get their show room model out the door for. Salesman asked "what do you drive now son." I told him. He goes, "wow, thats a nice truck, how many payments are left?" I tell him, I don't believe in being in debt, cash talks, bullshit walks. He promptly asked me to come into his office. I test drove the Evo, decided I'd kill myself and didn't buy it, even though I could have gotten a great deal on it.

All my other experiences, if I dressed nicely I was approached immediately at any dealership. If I dressed eh, I didn't get as much attention. I figure if you dress serious, then they know you're serious. And yes, I bought my cars myself.

carlos9827

iTrader: (2)

You did the right thing by leaving and giong to a different dealership cause what they did to you was exactly what the first dealership did to me with the exception that at least your dealership was a lil nicer apparently since they thought of a TSX for you where as for me the sales girl suggested a Civic...lmao.

Skrewologist

I didn't get this at all. In fact Gunn Acura is the best customer service dealer in this area I would argue. They were eager to sell me a car. In fact this is my second TL

FiveLiterCheater

I know a lot of people at the dealer I go to so Never had a bad experience and I get loaners

geekybiker

Well you know there *is* another side of the story to this. They work on commission, and I'm sure they get alot of young tire kickers in. Everytime they go out on a test drive etc with someone who's not serious thats a customer they could be missing who normally is a serious buyer. Yah, it sucks, but its the way it is. Blame all the fellow people your age who *do* waste their time.

FWIW, try dealing with the internet sales people and setup appointments ahead of time. You'll probably get a better deal, and have less hassle in general about getting test drives.

myron

iTrader: (4)

I had an interesting experience at a BMW dealership. I went there with my friend to check out the new 135. I wasnt planning on buying one but I was close to the place and wanted to see it and maybe drive it. Noone walked up to us and even when we have seen a sales guy and wanted him to tell us something about the car, he just walked away with "I will be right back" and never came back outside. So i walked in and found a manager and told him that I wanted to buy a 135, for cash. I showed him my business card (I am a mechanical engineer working in the oil fields in canada at the age of 21, so I can actually afford one) and I told him that I wont be buying one from them because of the poor service I received from teh sales people and that noone even talked to us. Then I walked out and watched the manager get angry at the sales people because they just lost a potentialy "good customer". And I just laughed hahaha Asshole of me but I hate ppl that judge me based on how old I am.

carlos9827

iTrader: (2)

haha too funny, you did the right thing.

lopopo

wow im really amazed @ how all of you bought your own cars @ such an early age.. props to u guys.. im 18 and not capable of such a thing.. truely amazed.. well my experience was that shopping for a car is HELL.. but i guess its a necessary process...

SportsJunkie

was only able to do that with mom's help when i purchased my first car (honda civic); needed her to be co-signer
had to save all my pennies to buy it though

Clean>Rice

bought my car prior to my senior year in HS. i was 17. basically, i negotiated online after finding the emails of all the dealers in the OC. then i emailed them all and told them what i wanted and for THEM to give me the best price. told them i wanted a 07 TL (back in 2007, august), didnt specify the color. told them cash, they said they would take an additional 2.5k off. they ran both my credit and my parents the day i walked in to get my car. deal was sealed before i got there, no annoying salesperson trying o squeeze you.

DONT BE TOO SPECIFIC FOR WHAT YOU WANT, at least dont tell them. then its easier to make it look a little less interested, walk away (fake), and then let them try to entice you with a much bettr deal.

Clean>Rice

So true, this happened to me (thats why i negotiate through email with the sales manager) when i went with my friend to the BMW dealership in SoCal. This one guy, possibly the ONLY nice guy in the dealership, came up to us and asked us if we needed help on a car. we said yes, just then, he got a page from the manager asking him to go back to his office for a phone call. then, no one walked up to us for like 10 minutes, and then one other guy comes up and asks...'are you lost? do we need to help you find your parents?" when we heard this, we were sooooo angry. we told him we were looking to buy a car for my friend's 19th bday and also for HS winterformal. the guy asked us what car (about 1.5 years ago) we wanted, like a used car or something. my friend said he wanted an M something. the guy looked at my friend, and walked away.

after this, we walked into the dealership and asked to talk to the manager. we told him what happened, showed him my friend's credit and a blank check. the manager called the bank, and was answered by an embarassing laugh at the manager's call. the operator at the bank told the manager my friend had enough money to upfront the cash for basically any car. the manager froze...dropped the phone, and yelled at the (mean) salesperson to come over.

when he walked in, he was arrogrant and stuff. then me and my friend walked out of the room, closed the door, and listened. . the manager threw a fit and yelled at the man for like 10 minutes. then we went looking for the nice salesperson, Mike. we told him we wanted a M series, a new model too. he said the only one they had was the M6 and the older version M3. my friend calls his dad, asks him to transfer a little more money (much of an understatement), and tells the man he wants the m6. the man almost faints.

yea, we walked out happy, and so did Mike. Not so much for the other guy.

anx1300c

iTrader: (2)

Your friend's Dad bought him an 80k car to go to a High School dance? Damn....I thought that stuff only happened in the movies!

Anyway, it sounds like alot of you younger guys need to stop letting dealerships pull your credit when you're just shopping around. You're hurting your score everytime you do this. In theory, all hard pulls in a 30 day timeframe which are auto related should count as a single inquiry, but that's only if they're coded properly, and I can assure you that most finance managers at dealerships could care less about proper coding. If they say or even imply your credit needs to be checked before a test drive or further consideration for negotiations, then run, don't walk away. If your credit's good, you'll only need one hard pull per vehicle purchase, and that should be AFTER you've negotiated the sale and given them a nominal deposit. Personally, I still prefer my own credit union, but I can understand the allure of having the dealer do it all for you.

carlos9827

iTrader: (2)

I agree...my cousin just went to his credit union, got a letter from them saying he was pre-approved for a 35k auto loan, went to the dealership and not only did he have better negotiating power since he pretty much had a blank check but it saved him hours of time that he would have been sitting in the sales office/finance office, etc.
I also agree with the fact we shouldn't let dealerships run our credit, I found this out the hard way because its not only the dealer who runs your credit, but all the banks they send "the deal" to who also run your credit, I had 20 inquiries once from when I bought my TL, I could not believe my eyes, I went back to the dealership and yelled at the finance manager because I specifically told her I did not want additional inquiries and she promised me she would only send it to couple banks, I came back a couple days later with a check from my credit union (after the fact) and I guess the other person in the finance office did not know I was already approved with a local credit union so they sent my deal to 20 banks This is when they told me that it only counted as one inquiry because it was within a 30 day period or whatever, but I still called Equifax, Experian and Transunion (credit bereaus) and let them know these inquiries were NOT AUTHORIZED because they weren't. All inquiries were removed except for the dealership's inquiry and my credit score went back up!

Rugel

I'm 28 years old but I look very young....I bought my car last December. Every dealership I went to they wouldn't want to help me...was starting to piss me off...anyways I finally got my car after.

WalkerUA6

iTrader: (1)

Well, I never had a bad experience with acura, I however did with lexus. I was walking around their parking lot for 20min, then i walk up to a salesmen and said, "do you guys even have salesmen?" he responds "oh, we do, Go wait in the lounge for one" I just left after that, wanted to smack that foo

Cat97

I have a slightly different take on this...

I'm in my early 30s, but I look young enough that I still get carded at bars from time to time. Problem is, I'm a woman.

About a year and a half ago, my husband and I went shopping for a new car for me. Whenever we went into a dealership, I took the lead: "Hi, I'm Cat and this is my husband."

We walked into TWO SEPARATE Toyota dealerships, where the salesmen addressed only my husband and would not so much as make eye contact with me, even when I was the one to make the initial approach. At one dealership, I wanted to test drive the Rav4 and the salesman actually said, "Oh, do you drive?" Just because my reproductive organs are on the inside doesn't mean I can't drive a car!

I was treated well at three dealerships: Acura, Nissan, and Lexus. I took out the TL for a test drive, and it was so much like the Vigor I was replacing (RIP Vig) that I bought it that day. A few months later, we replaced my husband's aging Buick with a Nissan Murano (he wanted an SUV and didn't like the MDX for some reason).

pffpffpass

iTrader: (2)

I didnt have any problem with salesmen in my case.. I had done some rediculous instense research on TL's and I was certain what car I wanted.. I simply went to the Dealership, called a guy over.. And 45min later I was driving home.. :-) Easiest sale he has EVER made.. lucky guy..

Thornheezy

Went to a private dealer instead of an actual acura dealership and had a great experience buying my car. I had looked around on autotrader for MONTHS trying to find a 6-speed TL in black and out of the blue this guy just got it on the lot... so I called him up immediately and set up an appointment to test drive it the next day. I am 24 but look younger and when i showed up he just tossed me the keys and only asked to hold onto my drivers license while i was gone. i loved the car (it was literally exactly what I had been looking for).. so the next day I called up the bank, got approved for a 20k loan a couple days later and in a little over a week i met up with the guy again, paid him, and drove the car home.

he gave me good trade in value on my P.O.S. eclipse so after taxes and plate fees the acura cost me barely over 20k. The guys name is Darryl and hes a cool ass dude so I'll give him a shout out on here to anyone in the charlotte area looking for a new ride. His dealership is actually in rock hill, SC but its only 20 somethin minutes from charlotte so its not too bad. heres a link to his site (specifically my car) for anyone interested: http://www.dbrmotors.com/showcarsold...sc_219_1018712

minhtin

I really think it depends on your geographical area as well. When i was 16, my parents and i live in this higher end suburb area. I was 16 and i only had 700 dollars to buy my first beater car. My buddy and I drove around looking for a used car. For shit and giggles we decided to go into a BMW dealership.

Here we are two teen dirt bag looking like a hippy, (well we were hippy because we were beach bums) got out of the car and we were approached by a wave of salesmen. One of them asked us if they could help us and i told them i was looking for a fast car. I gave him my license next thing we knew he came back with a key to a M3. We had the biggest grin on our face. Salesperson was very curtious and friendly while i hammer the crap out of the M3.

When we got back to the dealership he asked what i wanted to do. I showed him 700 dollars and ask what i could get with that. He laughed and told me to bring my parents when i come back. We never came back lol.

mmp1214

I know this thread asks for the 18-22 car buying experience but i think ill share anyways.I was 17, when i bought my CBP TL-S, my dealership experience was great. It was around 5PM Saturday afternoon i came home from work i was dressed in the Circuit City uniform, and i don't like wearing khakis so I changed into some sweats, and slippers i looked like i just rolled up off the streets. When I got to the lot I was attended to almost immediately. The salesman came from his office asked my name, and the second thing he asked was would you like some coffee because it was fairly cold outside, i had goosebumps. I was quick to respond and said YES. We went inside got my coffee and he says so what kind of car are you looking for, i said a 2008 TL-S, he says well alright then let me get your license and well go for a test drive. He looked at my license noticing i only had a provisional, and was still 17 he said im not really suppose to let you test drive but he did anyways. I guess i got kind of lucky. So were driving around and were talking, i already knew the car inside and out if not better than him. He asks how I'm planning to purchase the vehicle and I said financed under my fathers name. He said well okay then were is your father and i said he's working right now he was about 20 miles away or so the salesman says fine than lets go meet your father were he is working, and my dad runs a private business so i thought what the hell he probably has a little time to spare. So we get there i call my father, and when my dad walked out the salesmen acted almost like a limo driver he opened the door for him and said sir have a seat please. My dad gets inside and decides to close early for a change we get to the dealership and immediately start talking numbers. I not afraid to admit it at all but my dad is probably one of the pickiest hagglers ever, and after almost 2 1/2 hours of making deals back and forth we finally got a price that i could afford. So when everything was over we left and before we left the salesmen said sorry for the inconvenience, my father said in such a polite way if anything we are sorry for the inconvenience we didn't let you close until around 10 pm. that's my story.

ikm19

I agree with you .. here some guy i don't remember him said i should not go for acura TLS because i am student.. that dumb ass even dint knew me.. and nor nothing about me i think he just checked out mine age and thought i should go for civic or something..