Weekly Top 3: Things The Used Car Salesman Told Me
So my dear friend The Professor bought a car last weekend -- a 2007 Mazda 3 hatchback with 23,000 miles. It was a private sale, and he got a doozy of a price: $13,400, well below our TMV.
Before closing the deal, though, he decided to check out the offerings at the enormous nearby Mazda dealership in Van Nuys with a name beginning with "G," which shall remain nameless. I tagged along. We asked the used car salesman a simple question: "Got any used Mazda 3 hatchbacks with automatic transmissions?"
You won't believe what this guy said in response.
3. "How about this Mercury Milan? It's got leather. Or that old Mitsubishi Outlander over there? Four-cylinder engine, 30 mpg on the highway."
Comment unnecessary.
2. "Have you considered the new Ford Focus? It's really the same car, you know."
Yeah, except the Mazda 3 is based on the European-market Focus, which is a generation ahead of the US-market Focus and a good deal more sophisticated. Not to mention the fact that you can't get the current Focus as a hatchback. In other words, no, it's not the same car at all.
1. "So do you want to put down a deposit now?"
I'm not even kidding. The Professor couldn't suppress a chuckle. The guy didn't have a single automatic-transmission Mazda 3 hatch to show us, yet he suggested putting down a deposit anyway. A deposit on what? The car we want that you don't have?
Talk about confirming stereotypes.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor
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- Josh Sadlier September 25, 2009, 3:00 AM
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- Used Cars, Weekly Top 3
"Not to mention the fact that you can't get the current Focus as a hatchback."
But you were looking for a used one, which can be had as a hatchback.
Otherwise, I tend to agree. Going to a used car lot is a 50/50 opportunity to get some good lines. I especially like the last one (#1). Forget picking out a car, let's get right to the money.
yes, but he was asked to "consider a new ford focus" which is not a hatch
I love shopping for cars (new and used). It's the salespeople I hate. It's a tough job, but you have to read your customers too. If I am looking for a very specific model( like a Focus SVT for example) then I probably know a little more then your average car buyer. So don't tell me about the ABS brakes or how the car has a double wishbone suspension when it doesn't. And don't try to sell me the Focus sedan. If I could buy a car without a salesperson being involved...
creeper, ya got me. I must have read it too quick.
I've had a salesman tell me "Get out, we're closed!"
It was 30 minutes before their closing time posted on their front door.
I waved goodbye with my checkbook.
I had a salesperson make me a lowball offer on a car that was close to (but not exactly) what I wanted, in order to get me to stay in the dealership, apparently to try to sell me up to something else. Then when it became apparent that I was considering accepting the offer, they quickly shuffled me around to other salespeaople and pretended like the original offer did not exist. It was my first ever car dealership experience.
there are a lot of stupid salesmen out there. especially the ones who look down on people because of age or dress as a financial indicator.
I think car salesmen (used and new) operate on the assumption that the buyer doesn't really know what he wants even when he says he does. And I also think that for the majority of car shoppers, that's true. Because of this, I try to keep the salesfolk out of the loop until I absolutely need them (keys for a testdrive, close the deal, etc). I've never walked out of a dealership with anything other than what I had targeted walking in.
I will always deal with the internet sales team from now on. Had a wonderful experience purchasing my last car that way. F&I guy was pissed because he "wasn't making any money" on the deal and I declined all warranties, but I can tolerate 20 minutes of fussing.
I had a new car salesman tell me this is our price if you can beat it we'll match if you get the other salesman (at another dealership) to sign his business card with their price. The 2nd dealership had the car $50 cheaper a month and the guy at the 1st dealership said they must be liars if they give it to you leave and go get it.
Another great story is that I wanted to know how much it would be to lease a loaded 2009 Tribeca (my 2006 was leased for 36 months at $417). The lowest price I had was $465 @42 months. Then the next dealer told me $599 @48 months and $3000 down (all others were $0 down). In other words they wanted me to pay a total price of $31752 for a $39000 car. The best lease was the $465 totaling $19530 and it included a free extended warranty to cover the last 6 months of the lease.
I seem to recall considering a new Camaro recently but had misgivings about the steering wheel - it's hard to hold correctly with both hands while driving. I relayed this information to the Chevy salesmen and he told me "You should only drive using one hand. Only old women drive with both hands on the wheel." Can you believe that?
Oh now I remember, that was just 1487. Nevermind.
People like that make my job as a salesperson that much more difficult.
Customer come to the dealership hating the sight of you before you even say hello, and with stories like this on the internet it makes it worse.
Why cant people just treat people with respect...