CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

So today, I was out running around test driving a couple of cars (RSX-S, which I really really like; Hyundai Tiburon, which was suprisingly impressive; Audi A3, which was suprisingly disappointing, again; Honda S2000, which I absolutely love) and I just observed some interesting things about different car salesman and different sales styles.

I'll start with the Acura dealer. The salesman was very confident, self-assured, and decently knowledgeable. However, he tended to go off and do his own thing and just kinda leave me to roam the dealership, which is not necessarily bad, but the dealership was small so there was not much to look at. On the test drive, we chatted about random things including his motorcycles, stuff going on this weekend, etc. Overall, a decent experience, but not the best I've had.

At the Hyundai dealer, I walked in and sat in the Tiburon in the showroom and the salesguy comes over to introduce himself. I tell him exactly what I want and he gets a copy of my license and we wander through the lot to find the right car. Then, we go for a test drive where I scare him practically half to death, and he kept asking, rather tentatively, if I would like to drive some more. After about 20 minutes, we get back to the dealer, I tell him I'm not ready to buy yet, and he shows me what the numbers would be if a deal could be made this weekend. I repeat that I'm not ready to buy yet and he says, it's not a problem and sends me on my way. I rather like the fact that he wasn't pushy about the sale, though he could have been a little more amicable.

The Audi dealer was right across the street so I thought I'd stop in and try the A3 in a stick. They had a lot of traffic in the showroom, so the guy sets everything up for the test drive, tosses me the keys, and sends me on my way. With a half tank of gas, I really play around and romp on the A3 (which still understeers way too much and the shifter is terrible). When I get back, he gladly accepts the keys and plate back from me and we chat for a bit. He really tries to convince me about how good Audi is, in general, but doesn't talk about the A3 much at all. He then proceeds to bash on Acura (I hate salesman that talk down on other brands; leave that to me, the consumer). This immediately puts me in the wrong mood so I gracefully bow out, collect my brochure and info, and then head for the door.

Finally, the Honda dealer, where I couldn't find any parking. There were about a hundred people milling around the showroom. I finally catch the attention of a salesguy as I wander outside and they agree to show me the S2K. Immediately, the guy starts asking me if I'm buying today.

We go check out the car and the salesguy brings another salesguy with him to talk about the car. The second salesguy pops the hood of the car and can't figure out how to get the prop rod in the hood (so I show him). Then, he starts talking about the car and how it has double-wishbone suspension (check), 240 hp (check), tons of torque (he's starting to get me look), macpherson strut front suspension ( ), and liquid filled engine mounts (then points to the strut mounting points). That was an immediate red flag. I hate car salesman who try to sound smart, but don't know shit. If you're going to sell me on a car, you better know what the fuck you're talking about. Anyhow, he asks me if I'm going to be buying today and I say no. We look at the interior and he can't figure out how to get the top down (so I show him). He again, asks me if I'm going to buy today (that's 3).

Then, the original salesguy and I go for a test drive, during which he asks me if I'm going to buy today (that's 4). We get back to the dealership and I park the car back in its space. He then asks me if I'm going to take it home today (that's 5). We go back inside and he grabs another guy he had been talking to earlier (a manager, apparently) and asks him to talk to me. This manager asks me if I'm going to take it home today (that's 6). I put on my smug face, tell him no, and get the salesguy's card and leave.

So from all this, I thought it was interesting how many different sales styles there are and how they are all fundamentally flawed in some way. I understand the desire of a salesperson to close the deal, but annoying the shit out of me isn't going to do it. And not talking to me while on the test drive, while nice, indicates a lack of good communication skill. Bashing the car that I drive isn't going to help you make a sale either, espeically when I've told you it's going to be a second car. And finally, don't totally ignore me either because that just demonstrates a lack of interest in the customer.

In the end, I think the experience at the Acura dealer was the one I enjoyed the most, though it was not perfect.

matelot

Are you seriously shopping for another car with one of those in mind or you're just "having fun", killin' the day ?
Cause from what you said before how you almost test-drove the demo TSX to pieces, I just dont think that was entirely right if you weren't half-serious

Guy Legend

Were you planning to buy the S2000 that day?

heyitsme

Not a big fan of the honda dealer, started out fine, I wasn't really into the car after the test drive. Salesman asked to go inside just for some info , already told him I was in the process of looking only. All of a sudden he has the manager there next to him and they are try to double team me into the car, finally convince both I'm going to continue looking. Receive like 6 messages on my cell phone from the salesman stalking me, and a number of letters from the salesman and manager. After the experience, I would have gone to another dealer altogether or bought online.

Toyota salesman was a laid back younger guy, maybe 20s. Messed up some of his facts but he was an easy going guy so the experience was still fine. He had his own little test course set up around town which allowed me to test the car in a number of situations which was great. Had no problem with the fact I was only looking, was interested in what I wanted, and gave me a card and sent me on my way. Received one follow up letter. Overall I'd go back and buy the car from him.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Actually, I am contemplating the possibility of a second car due a possible change in my job situation soon that would allow for it. The thing is that a lot of sales are going on this weekend and it's the end of the month so some salespeople are really pushing to close deals.

And I always test drive cars hard. No point in holding back on a demo car. I need to know if the car will stand up to the worst I can throw at it.

Savio

So when you buying the S2000?

Minch00

Try being 19 and attempting to do what you did today..........

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

I'm not that much older than you, Minch. And I was always out test driving cars when I was 19. It's all about having the right presence.

Minch00

I agree. My ultimate goal is to get an SL55 out of the Benz dealer's stable........

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

As much as I love the S2000, I don't know if it will necessarily be within my budget. I gotta sit down and play around with the numbers first. I probably won't pull the trigger on a car until the end of next month, that is if I decide to get another car. There is still a possibility that I may decide to save the extra money towards grad school.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Speaking of new cars, my parents just signed for a 2005 RL

cob3683

You won't at the 2 in Orlando.

Besides, they're not THAT fun to drive

cob3683

How do they like it? I'm thinking about driving up to Atlanta one day to test one out.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Dunno yet. So far, they like it, but they haven't really taken delivery of the car yet. It'll be another half hour or so.

synth19

x 2 !!!!!! Know your fuckin product line for crying out loud!!!!!

Minch00

I got close at MB of Orlando.............they were closing so they wouldn't allow me to. I'll be back someday.

cob3683

Well I stand corrected.

When I lived in Orlando last year I took the 32 up to South Orlando (this was before the service incident we talked about in a past thread) and the idea of allowing me to test drive a CLK55 was too much for them.

However, I think the guy I had the 2 dealings with has since left/been fired.

But kidding aside, if you get the chance to drive it, don't pass it up. And make damn sure the top is down because the sounds really come alive with top behind you.

srika

good read. definitely, pushy salesmen = a big

what did you do to scare with the Tiburon to scare the guy?

Sarlacc

You were disappointed with the A3???

Go post why in my drove an A3 thread. Cause I was surprised as hell. I did not like the stick sadly...but the DSG with paddle shifters was great...did you drive one with the sports pkg?

And being a former car salesman who could not and would not pull shady shit...they pretyt much all suck, with a few exceptions. But At leeast i know how they are going to try and play me...its easier to cut them off at the pass.

darrinb

i know what ya mean, the biggest bullshit i heard from a salesman was that the nsx weighs 2200 lbs, and the fwd tl handles better than a g35c

cob3683

Worst salesman I ever met was when I was 17 and my dad and I went to look at Mustangs. The guy kept calling us "bruda's" and constantly recited the Cobra specs even though we were looking at the GT. During the test drive he told me to "be careful, cause this baby be stupid fast." My dad confused the shit out of him when he asked "well do you have any cars that are smart fast?"

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Yes, I wrote a detailed review of the last A3 I drove with the DSG tranny. I like the DSG a lot. I think this is definitely the best choice if an automatic is a must. The manual tranny sucks hairy monkey balls by comparison. My primary gripe with the A3 was that even with the sport package and performance tires, it still understeered quite a bit. I always run the identical route back to back with my own car after a particularly spirited test drive and the same on ramp was taken quite a bit faster without drama (on all-season tires, no less) where the A3 understeered me into coming off the throttle.

The car is a fantastic car and felt amazingly quick, but since handling is usually more important to me than acceleration, I just can't get over the amount of understeer that Audi dialed into the A3. I understand fully why they had to, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.

Sarlacc

I agree I was soooo disappointed in the manual tranny. I loved the DSG with the paddles.....but I have to have a Manual, I dont know why, I just do.

We differ on the handling. I was really impressed. Its no S4, but it stuck and it took the corners and I never had a problem getting the wheels where I wanted them to go. They did squeal, but I wonder if better tires wouldnt help.

I would at somepoint like to give it a more vigorous drive on roads I know better (like you) and push a little more.

I dont know why but I feel in love with th eA3...and Im not an audi fan. I still really want to see what the 1 series will bring with it.

matelot

lucky you, time to :thief:

aaronnn

i had sorta same experience you did at dealerships.

i actually have two cars (99TL and a 05 350Z).
obviously had the TL alot longer than the Z (which i purchased pretty recently, but has been causing me little problems here and there).

the Acura dealers were really laid back and awesome. one guy i spoke with was awesome he was talking about how he was always a honda/acura fan since his first car (prelude). i also share his enthusiasm since my first car was the RSX-S. so we had a great start and awesome closing ending. he actually tossed me the keys to the TL i was trying to get (trading in the rsx) and let me just take it out on my own. he didnt even bother coming along for the ride since he trusted i know all about the car and since i lived in the area. i defniitly had fun with it and the experience was great. i loved it, and bought it that same day within an hour!

after driving the TL for a while i missed having a sports car, so decided to go test drive a few cars. honda dealer. oh god was it horrible. the damn guy didnt know anything about the S2000, he was throwing numbers at me as if i didnt even know. he then degrades me by telling me things like, "do you know what this very sporty car can do? its got a lot of power and is hard to drive. its manual you know. are you sure you dont want to go look at the accord ex V6 coupe? we have a special going on." i was like.. i told you i drove a RSX Type-S which only comes in manual, and you should very well know this being a honda sales consultant. plus i came here interested in the S2000, not an accord. i felt degraded and dirty so i just left. went to another honda dealer, which was not a great experience either.

went to mazda to check out the RX8. the guy was young and respectable. he was knowledgable and i got to drive it. not the greatest feel driving it and the car looked worse in person than pictures. so i just told him nicely that i'll think about it but its just not exactly what i was looking for. he understood and didnt give me any pushy responses. great salesman, bad cars.

the nissan dealers.. all gave me some crap and bullshit too. i definitly fell in love with the car though. many of them tried to rip me off by making me sign up for bs packages and other extra features. as if getting the touring package wasnt enough. i actually went to a few different dealers beforei finally signed. but definitly.. acura has one of the best services in from my car purchasing experience. thats with both my first car, the rsx and my second, the TL.

F900

Don't get me started with dealerships. especially with 2 Mercedes dealerships here in S Florida, next time i go back, i'm going to wear a clown suit, as they play more tricks and games than a circus. Its worse getting approved and trying to walk out after you just said NO for the 10th time.

Yesterday i had to steal MY own CLS back as 1st they "lost" the keys and 2nd if i drive it just even 1 mile on the clock i'll blow the whole deal as they would not be able to give me there "special" whole sale price for my car.

Sales guy was OK, the finance guy and New car sales manager, from the 2 of them i got more BS then you can imagine.

after a week going back and forward.

$2000down + trade $2000, @ i think 6.9% payments at $428 a month for 60months on a New 2005 C230 K sport. We started in the mid 500s. By yesterday i just wanted out, even @ 0 down, they spoiled the deal by there BS.

Sarlacc

I had a dealer who i knew wasted my time to get me in the showroom to look at a used prelude type sh i wanted. So i went to bs around. I saw right away he was playing the usual games (older guy, horrid salesman) so I played the game right back, I knew what he was going to say and ask. And i just ran him circles and decided to waste his day.

The worst part was he didnt listen to what i was telling him....many dont. So, after wasting his time for a few hours he finally started getting pissy.

I gave him the deal i wanted. I said if you cant get it for me we are done. He comes back "good news" ( they always try this bs set up) and it wasnt the deal. I said we are done Ill take my keys back (for my CL)

He started getting upset, and I looked at him and stright said "I told you the deal I wanted, I said if you dont get it we are done, you didnt get it, get my back keys"

He started saying something and I cut hm off with "GET ME BACK MY KEYS NOW" He went inside i waited by my car for 3 minutes.

I knew he was talking to his SM for pointers to try and come back yet again. I stormed in the dealer, walked right in the sales managers office, pushed him out my way, grabbed my keys off the sales manager desk and left.


Best part.....4 months later this douche called me to see if I found the car I wanted, and wanted to deal or something. I didnt even realize who it was at first. Then I said, "oh yeah, youre the jackass who doesnt know how to listen to his customers." He got pissed and started saying something back and just hung up on him.

Bottom line.......most car sales people are idiots.

mrdeeno

It seems that the new-school salesman (ie younger dealers) are usually better for people who have heard of the INTERNET to deal with, because they know where we're coming from and what we know.

It's the old-school guys who still try to pull their old school trix that pisses people off because they are dealing with a more educated buyer. But I'm sure the old-school guys still get a lot of sales from the older customers who have no idea what "google" is.

YuppieCL

sales is a hard thing to do... as the post above states, its the newer breed of salespeople who are now more successful because they let the customer talk more and take a more consultative approach to selling. nevertheless, a good salesperson always asks for the sale, but some forget you can only ask for the sale once you're sure you've pleased the customer.

i just bought a car, so i know all too well what its like to deal with different sales tactics. my saleslady got the sale because she still took the time and effort to assist me in negotiations even after i told her i was not buying the car today or maybe even this month... i told her flat out i could care less when i got the car and that i just want a good deal... she showed me the same courtesy as if i was buying the car the same day. had she changed her mood upon me explaining that, i would not have gone back... granted she did not have to convince me as to what car to buy, but i did tell her, i will buy this car... the question is where and for how much... i wanted to crunch as many numbers with as many scenarios before i felt confortable giving her a deposit and she was completely cool with it. she genuinely made me feel like she was trying to help me out... i'd recommend her to anyone... THATS a good salesperson... the ones that get the referrals...

mrdeeno

who was she and what dealer?

I met a lady at Park Ave BMW that was cool as shiit too. Was shopping for an M3 vert, but later decided it was not the right time. She only called me once afterwards to follow up but no pressure or nothing.

Same with the dude at Bennett Infiniti in Allentown. The sales guy that was goign to meet me was busy anyway, so I got Vincent, the sales manager. Young guy, maybe 24-25 and cool as shiit too. He knew I was into the m45 but wasn't ready to buy yet (they weren't selling them yet either, just had them for test drives).

Unlike the guy from the acura dealership that sold me the cl. He kept on telling me the car had "Exxon" headlights. Or the guy at the ford/mercury dealership when I was shopping for mustangs many years ago...I never got to test drive one because the WHOLE time he kept on nagging me to test drive a mercury tracer and how much of a great car it was for someone my age (17 at the time). I just left after 30 minutes of his nagging.

It's a whole other world out there now with the internet and the dealers (and manufacturers) should realize that.

1killercls

The reason they ALL asked you if you were READY to buy and Drive today is, that is thier JOB. It is called Pre-Qualifying. Any GOOD salesman will do that.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Yes, but when you've asked once, that's enough. For the same salesman to ask that to me 3 times, it gets a little annoying.

dom

CG you test drive the RSX-S and if so impressions?

F23A4

You and Killer are both right: that's their job but it is annoying.

The best experience I had was with Bridgewater Acura: they just tossed me the keys to a demo 04 TL and said see ya later. When we came back, he tossed some figures at me and I mulled them over and said I'd get back to him on it. He still calls me occassionally to find out if I have any interest 'at this time'.

1killercls

jts1207

The majority of the people here are more educated than your average auto buyer. That being said, most of you will not have an enjoyable buying experience. Joe Public does not care how many ft/lb's a 4 cylinder Accord has. They care about how the car looks and monthly payments. I work at a Honda dealer and you would be amazed at the number of people who come in here on a daily basis and pay over sticker. All these stories on here of people who just go out to test drive cars for fun make me laugh when that same person wonders why they arent being taken seriously when they are ready to purchase.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

The RSX-S was so much fun. I really really enjoyed that car and it is in the top 3 of my possible choices right now. The steering was solid, the ride was solid, stable, if a tad harsher than the TSX, theere was little body roll, and the engine sounds awesome. I really liked the RSX 6MT tranny, though the seating position I chose made my arm bump into the side bolster during shifting, but that's a minor issue.

I really want this if just to keep up with my streak of Acura cars. It is a fantastic, tossible, fun to drive, solid, powerful car that can easily double as a daily driver. It's so tempting to just sign for one...

cM3go

my biggest auto purchase turnoffs: being pushy to buy and lack of knowledge of the vehicle. Now THAT pisses me off :silvermad

mrdeeno

It's not the lack of knowledge that pisses me off. If the dealer doesn't know much about the car (which boggles my mind because you should be an EXPERT on something you are working around everyday), at least admit it instead of making crap up that just turns off people who actually do know something about it.

I'd rather have a dealer tell me I know more about the car than he does than someone who's feeding me a load of BS.

Water-S

When we got our 02 Tundra. I went to about 8 different dealers.
Fort Wayne Toyota. I went in there about 8-9 o clock in the morning on a Saturday morning. I explained I needed a truck, I was wishing to trade in my old truck(95 Dodge Ram 4x4). What pisses me off is when they "horse around." for example I told him okay I want a regular cab 4x4 v-8 sr5 tundra. so by the time this is determined it's 10 o clock. he claimed they only had 1 sales manager in and he was "new." plus they weren't that busy(only 4-5 people in there other people sales people were leaning). so it took them FOREVER(like 1/2 hour) to determine if they had a truck like I said above. they came back and said "well we don't have one like you want. However we got a extended cab like what you want. however your gonna have to come up on your price about 3000-4000." I said it's like 11:00 by now. I said "look give me the keys to an extended cab Tundra 4x4 I'll take it to lunch and think about it." he did. it was nice. i came back. I said "do a dealer search for a regular cab 4x4 SR5 v-8."(took them like another 1/2 hour ) by now it's like 1 o clock. They found one in Indy. I said "what will you sell it. " he said the amount.
then I said can you find out how late Indy Toyota is open. so i ran down there. they wouldn't match Ft Wayne Toyota's price because it was the only one in price.
so I decided to stop back at Airport Toyota(in Dayton)(which isn't that far from my house) here to find out they have 5 NEW ONES ON THE LOT. He' like yeah we've had them here for a couple month and can't move em because everyone wants the extended cabs. so they gave me a great deal.
However one of his salesmen pissed me off. I was thinking about trading my car around the time gas prices went up. I was gonna trade it on a 02 4 door Tacoma 4x4 v-6 automatic SR5 it had like 30 or 40 k on it. it was a nice truck i test drove it with the dude. I said "i'm gonna think about it and watch gas prices. If gas prices go up I'll probably keep my car because it gets 30 mpg."He kept on calling the house once a night asking if I was there. finally I acted like I had a brother and said "yeah he moved man." he said"oh well can have him give me a call once you see him again." I said "okay."