Used Car Dealer Pissed Me Off

Just have to rant for a minute.

Helping the girlfriend hunt for a new car, and getting pissed at dealerships. Among other things we went to look at the only GTO we could find at a local dealership.

We get there, and it's up on a low stand. Ask the salesman (a young spiky-haired moron) if we could test drive it. He starts moaning about how he's the only one there, and he'd have to get it down (there are no other customers), and the other guy isn't there. Then asks us if we plan to buy outright or finance.

I inform him that's the wrong question to open with. All he needs to know is that we're serious and are able to afford it if we want it, and he just needs to get it down. If getting it down is a big deal, we have other cars we're planning to look at that afternoon, and why doesn't he get his buddy out to help him and we'll be back in a couple of hours.

He repeats his question about buying outright vs. financing. Says it's a routine question and his friend will want to know the answer before he comes out.

So... we walked, and aren't planning to deal with those jerk-offs again. (Problem is now, trying to find another GTO to test drive.)

I sold new and used cars for a couple of years after the turn of the century If thats really the only GTO in the area, just go back to that place, that alone will show the idiots you are serious. Actually call a day ahead and tell them to get the GTO down off the rack, you are coming to look at it tomorrow and are a serious buyer. when they push you for a deposit, tell em no and hang up. Show up the next day, and if it's not off the rack, MAKE THEM GET IT OFF THE RACK. Does the guy want to sell a car or not??? Trust me, if you buy the car the little a-hole won't care that he had to do extra work after its all over with.

Not the only GTO in the area, just the only one at a dealer. We're comparing doing test drives to compare a few different cars now, and I'd feel a bit presumptuous asking a private party to let me test drive his car just to see if I like it.

I'm prepared to play hardball with the dealer, but my girlfriend is the one really looking for the car, and she's decided she wants nothing more to do with them.

fair enuf. if the g/f is that steamed, write em off.

I wouldn't go back to the dealer either.

The one time I was actually really had money in my pocket serious about buying a car, I went to a stealership to test drive one that I though I might purchase. The guy decided that an 18 year old kid shouldn't be allowed to test drive one, especially "a manually shifted clutch," and he wouldn't be able to afford it. Nevermind that it was only stickered at $2500. I still haven't seen a manual shifted clutch on a car (manual, root word is man, man means hand.) I tried to reason with him. He wouldn't budge. I went back to the car I was in, got in it, started it, locked the doors, and pulled out my wad of 20 hundred dollar bills. I fanned it out, and made sure to drive by with a very specific finger sticking up, smiling at the salesperson. I had already, unfortunately, given him my number (learned not to do that again) and for the next three weeks was getting phone calls from him. shiny happy person.

I wish I had 20 hundred dollar bills again

Kinda thinking of contacting private parties and just being up front that we have never test driven one before and may decide we just don't like the car at all, but that we are serious and not just joy-riding.

mtn wrote: I wouldn't go back to the dealer either. The one time I was actually really had money in my pocket serious about buying a car, I went to a stealership to test drive one that I though I might purchase. The guy decided that an 18 year old kid shouldn't be allowed to test drive one, especially "a manually shifted clutch," and he wouldn't be able to afford it. Nevermind that it was only stickered at $2500. I still haven't seen a manual shifted clutch on a car (manual, root word is man, man means hand.) I tried to reason with him. He wouldn't budge. I went back to the car I was in, got in it, started it, locked the doors, and pulled out my wad of 20 hundred dollar bills. I fanned it out, and made sure to drive by with a very specific finger sticking up, smiling at the salesperson. I had already, unfortunately, given him my number (learned not to do that again) and for the next three weeks was getting phone calls from him. shiny happy person. I wish I had 20 hundred dollar bills again

Only "manual clutch" I've ever heard of is the left bumper button when playing Forza 3 with the hand controller.

I love used car dealership stories. Usually I comfort myself by the thought that when things go wrong, it makes for a good story. Not too wrong, though.

I had a dealership that wouldn't give me a cash price on a Jeep without running my credit first. The funny thing (and I wish I would have been able to do something with this knowledge without repercussion) was that they left the keys in the visor and the doors unlocked. The doors were unlocked after the place closed down at 9 that night. There was a slit in the rear window, so it didn't matter. Keys were still there. I REALLY should have gone on a joy ride, or at LEAST moved the Jeep to the other side of the lot.

friedgreencorrado wrote: Only "manual clutch" I've ever heard of is the left bumper button when playing Forza 3 with the hand controller.

Well, there ARE manual clutches on some portable pumps, and carnival rides sometimes have them, but I doubt the shiny happy person in question had a clue about them either.

VanillaSky wrote: I had a dealership that wouldn't give me a cash price on a Jeep without running my credit first. The funny thing (and I wish I would have been able to do something with this knowledge without repercussion) was that they left the keys in the visor and the doors unlocked. The doors were unlocked after the place closed down at 9 that night. There was a slit in the rear window, so it didn't matter. Keys were still there. I REALLY should have gone on a joy ride, or at LEAST moved the Jeep to the other side of the lot.

I have a buddy who owned a wrangler, and was notorious for leaving the keys in it. One day we made a bet on some stupid sporting event or some such, and he decided on a technicallity that he didnt owe me the $50 I had won. He worked in a pizza place in a strip mall several hundred yards long, and the pizza place was smack in the middle of the strip. When he wasnt looking, I pulled his jeep up about 6" from the front door - which swung out to open - therefore door-ey no workey. I then called the pizzeria and requested my friend to look outside, at which point he politely and eloquently told me where I could go and what I could do to myself there. Its was a long walk around the place from the back door all the way around front...probably 500 yards in all. The funny thing is as soon as he walked out the back door, I pulled the jeep back into its parking spot and left, leaving the front door open. A prank war causing much hilarity ensued...

Im wondering if a similar set of events couldve unfolded at the aforementioned dealership

Datsun1500 wrote: If you are not going to buy it from the Dealer, what is the harm in going back and driving that one to see if you like it? Might as well waste his time instead of a private owner. Drive that one, buy another one.

I am a BIG fan of this idea!!! you could probably string him along for quite some time if you really played it right

Mikey52_1 wrote:

friedgreencorrado wrote: Only "manual clutch" I've ever heard of is the left bumper button when playing Forza 3 with the hand controller.

Well, there ARE manual clutches on some portable pumps, and carnival rides sometimes have them, but I doubt the shiny happy person in question had a clue about them either.

Don't be so sure. Carnival ride operator to used car salesman isn't that big a jump...

My story is similar to mtn...it was 1969 and the chebby dealer had a '63 Vette convertible. At the time, it was just another used car car. The salesman didn't think I should drive it, couldn't afford it, was ticked because he lost his 'turn' with a punk kid. I asked to see his manager. Pulled a wad of hundreds out of my pocket, told him how his salesman treated me, and told him(and the salesman) to kiss my posterior. He actually ran out into the street following me of the lot. BTW, the car was an automatic and they wanted $1800! I went to a different stealer and ended up with a new Camaro for $3k.

As someone selling a car privately I would expect potential buyers to take it for a test drive. I might want to tag along depending on the person, but normally I would just hand them the keys. If they decide they don't want the car...well.. hopefully somebody else will...

Likewise - buying from a private seller - I would expect to drive their car - even if I'm familiar with the make - just to confirm that this is the one I want...

minimac wrote: My story is similar to mtn...it was 1969 and the chebby dealer had a '63 Vette convertible. At the time, it was just another used car car. The salesman didn't think I should drive it, couldn't afford it, was ticked because he lost his 'turn' with a punk kid. I asked to see his manager. Pulled a wad of hundreds out of my pocket, told him how his salesman treated me, and told him(and the salesman) to kiss my posterior. He actually ran out into the street following me of the lot. BTW, the car was an automatic and they wanted $1800! I went to a different stealer and ended up with a new Camaro for $3k.

In the early 70's my Dad, having settled in SC after returning from Vietnam a year prior, walked into a Ford dealer with the intention of buy a new Mustang with the combat pay he had saved. But since his discharge from the Marines, he had simply not cut his hair, or shaved. He sat in the lobby for an hour before finally one of the sales peaple walked up to him and asked what he wanted.

"Well I did want that Mustang right here but now I want to you " He then pulled a wad of bills from his jacket pocket circled by a rubber band, showed it to the salesman and walked.

He ended up buying a stripped down Plymouth Duster and going to college instead.

I had a dealer do something similar once. I showed up at a dealership, separate from my wife. We had planned to meet there, and look at some cars. Well... the ol ADD struck me, and I was off staring at an Evo they had on the lot, while she was looking at Montero. (I suggested it, she wanted an SUV at the time). Well, the sales dumbasses were nowhere to be found, naturally. We started kinda pokin around, and finally got fed up and left. When I jumped into my car (Brand new at the time Mazdaspeed3... still had temp tags on it) The sales dude figured out what was up, and went running after me. I rolled down my window long enough to tell him that my wife in the beater Prism was the one he shoulda been talking to. We ended up with a Mini Cooper instead.

Wow, I never realised how "lucky" I was/am? when it comes to car shopping. I've NEVER had a salesman question whether I had the money/good credit to pay for a car I was looking at, or if I was REALLY able to drive a car with a manual transmission. Usually, the reverse has happened. That is, salefolks try to get me to commit to a dollar amount I will spend/have in mind to spend...then they try to get the commitment to even MORE of a car. I've also had salesfolks try to get me to "wring a little more horsepower" out of a PERFORMANCE car I was looking at. "See how much rubber you can lay with this here 'Vette."

My experiences with private sellers has been somewhat mixed. No one never said I couldn't take a car for a spin, but they either insisted on going along, or the car I was looking at was so much of a beater...maybe they hoped I wouldn't bring their car back?

Ooops, I forgot THE ONE TIME I was not allowed to drive a car I was looking at. It was about 1972 and the Mazda RX-2 hadn't been on the market long. I went to look at this "wundercar" but the salesman INSISTED he would do the driving. And no, I didn't buy the car. And that dealership "died" when the oil crisis of the '70s killed a lot of Mazda dealers.

went to the local shady nissan dealer when the g/f was trying to figure out which car she wanted, sales guy was a total douche when he wasn't talking on his cell phone. she picks out a 350z roadster to test drive, he goes in to get the keys, comes back out and says "we're going to need some, uhh, qualification, before you can test drive this car. because this car costs 32 thousand... i say what? like a credit check? thats not gonna happen. the guy ends up "letting" her drive it, we come back she tosses the keys at him and says next time you imply someone can't afford a car, you better think twice, and we walk.

In reply to Salanis:

It's hit and miss at the smaller dealerships. There is one thing that all of the dealers do around here that irritates me to no end. They always ask, "What am I going to have to do to get you into this car today?" after I've told them that I never, ever buy a car without thinking it over for a day. It's become second nature to just tell them, "Ask me that tomorrow if I come back."

integraguy wrote: Wow, I never realised how "lucky" I was/am? when it comes to car shopping. I've NEVER had a salesman question whether I had the money/good credit to pay for a car I was looking at, or if I was REALLY able to drive a car with a manual transmission. Usually, the reverse has happened. That is, salefolks try to get me to commit to a dollar amount I will spend/have in mind to spend...then they try to get the commitment to even MORE of a car. I've also had salesfolks try to get me to "wring a little more horsepower" out of a PERFORMANCE car I was looking at. "See how much rubber you can lay with this here 'Vette."

I've had that more often than not, which is nice as a young guy (still only 20). I've only had that one bad experience. But I won't be going back.

ggarrard wrote: As someone selling a car privately I would expect potential buyers to take it for a test drive. I might want to tag along depending on the person, but normally I would just hand them the keys. If they decide they don't want the car...well.. hopefully somebody else will... Likewise - buying from a private seller - I would expect to drive their car - even if I'm familiar with the make - just to confirm that this is the one I want...

I would too. But typically, every time I've looked at private parties, I've known what kind of car I wanted and was prepared to determine if that particular car was good and ready to make an offer if it was. I've never done a test drive of a private party car to decide between two models in my head. Using a private party's time just to gather data seems a bit jerky.

The girlfriend gave me her blessing to do some test drives of different cars and report my impressions. I think I will go back to that dealer sometime this week. (Although, they've pretty much guaranteed they've lost the sale.)

Salanis wrote: I think I will go back to that dealer sometime this week. (Although, they've pretty much guaranteed they've lost the sale.)

Try to use that as a buying tactic during the test drive if the salesman is with you. Sometime during the middle of it, try to slip in there "this is such a great car, too bad I'm not gonna buy it from you". See what he does.

I'd always relate those types of stories to the owner, not manager but owner. You'll get a HUGE reaction, and an even bigger discount most of the time.

Best movie line used when buying a new car:

"How much are you willing to pay? A DOLLAR, OKAY?"

Richard Dreyfuss(sp?) "trying" to buy a new Cadillac in Tin Men.