Had a wonderful experience at a dealer today.

the worst part is some dealers list stuff at msrp. some list things at 4k below, some at 8k below, and a few that just do massive volume at 14k below, making probably very little per unit but making it up in hundreds if not thousands of units moved per month. one dealer i found claims they move 600+ units a month on ebay alone.

then you read the fine print. some of them show "dealer discount" and "factory rebate" and say "the price advertised is the price you pay." some of them say "must be returning lessee, trade in '13 or newer with exactly 8.625 miles on it, be active military, FFA member, AARP member, work for Case IH, AAA member, finance though our rapist bank, have a brother that works at the dealer, and give us a beej to get the advertised price"

I just bought my Sonic from a dealer in Scottsdale, AZ. While the overall experience was fine, it was really clear that they don't have any systems in place for out-of-town buyers.

For example, it took 3 people 3 tries to properly scan the Purchase Agreement and send it to me via email. Seriously!

When I asked the "Internet Sales Manager" for the PA so I could bring it to my Credit Union, he halfheartedly offered to finance it for me, but didn't give me hassles when I told him "no".

The F&I guy also gave a halfhearted attempt to sell an extended warranty... for $1200. I explained to him that cost was 12+% of the price I was paying for the car, and he realized the silliness of the offer and let it go.

All in all, it wasn't a bad experience. They even picked me up from the airport. Dealers just need to understand that if they advertise on the "World Wide" web, people from all over might want to buy what they have on offer, and they should be prepared to deal with that.

When shopping for my Miata, I found the dealer experience to be best when I called ahead of time and told the dealer the exact car I was interested in. In all cases, they had the car out front and keys in hand.

calteg wrote: When eager, qualified buyers only purchase a car 15% of the time, where is their incentive when the customer is telling you "eh, maybe in a few weeks." It doesn't excuse E36 M3ty behavior, and a small lot certainly can't afford to let customers slip by, but I understand why the sales guy wasn't doing backflips to help you

First off, this is a specialized sales lot. All they sell is used 3/4 and 1 Ton pickups. I can't imagine that they are flying through inventory and I know they aren't.

Secondly, I told the guy within the next two weeks. That should be enough for him to want to push the truck on me. If I said a couple months, then yeah, ok, I could understand why he would say that.

If asking to look at the interior and hear it run is considered doing back flips, then he's an Olympic Gymnast.

I don't like the games. They're stupid and counterproductive. If they're not concerned about trying to get someone to buy their cars, then maybe they need to go into a different line of work. They have to expect that people are just looking. I don't know a single person who has ever walked onto a dealer lot without shopping around and are ready to purchase on the spot. If that's what they're waiting for, then they are delusional.

Many years ago I sold cars for a foreign car dealer. My first month I outsold the rest of the dealership combined by not being "that guy". I treated everyone with respect and sold a new Fiat to the first customer whom I spoke with who was looking for a used one. There are many so called auto salespersons who don't have a clue as to what it means to be a professional. Unfortunately that has ruined the car buying experience for many people. Rant over.

Mitchell wrote: When shopping for my Miata, I found the dealer experience to be best when I called ahead of time and told the dealer the exact car I was interested in. In all cases, they had the car out front and keys in hand.

i did have that happen, once, at a mercedes/saab dealer last year. they had a super low mile 08 9-7x that i called about. when i got there it was out front waiting for me, i opened the back doors, saw rust, said no thanks it isn't quite what i'm looking for and was thanked for my time. probably best dealer experience i've had outside of buying the 9-7x that we ended up with. that was from a small one-man show and i used a credit card to float the cost until the insurance $ from the totalled buick came. the guy let me drive it, we made the deal in a few minutes, and he met us at 9pm to sign the papers and pick up the car as my wife was working late and it was going into her name.

there are some good dealers out there, the problem is from all the bad experiences we've had it seems like they are just way too few and far between for the sheer amount of them out there.

In reply to SyntheticBlinkerFluid: I sold cars for a while. First when I got back from Vietnam and second when the economy crashed in 2008 and I was desperate for any job.. Dealing with the public is a royal pain.. yes there are some who treat salesmen like human beings but most people are convinced they are going to be cheated and that colors their conduct.

The best way to sell is to let yourself be treated like dog feces. However you won't make any money.. To sell and make money you are forced to play the game of letting people think they are getting the best deal ever, all the while you mentally count your commission..

Selling used vehicles is the best way to make a lot of money and you need to learn to size up your opponent. Are you going to make a lot of money from him or not. You don't waste time on the latter.

New cars are simple.. Most people know the dealer cost and accept that a reasonable profit must be made.. Depending on the type of dealership the salesman may make a hundred or so and count on numbers to earn enough to pay his bills until he finds the right buyer for the high profit cars.. (limited edition cars with high prices)

Eventually you either wind up getting out of the field because of burnout or you become one of the many troubled who seek relief in alcohol/ drugs/ gamboling or womanizing..

In reply to Stefan (Not Bruce):

I'm waiting for the "I just ordered a Focus RS " thread.

Idk. Ive had generally positive experiences. Threw the last dealer for a loop when the finance goober sat down, went to shake my hand, and i just pointed to swmbo and said "dont shake my hand, shake hers, shes doing all the work." He didnt know what to do with it. I just sat and played games on my phone and scared a sales guy.