<VV> Re: Car Salesmen - Victory buying a backwards Corvair ! !

[Charles Lee]

When I bought my year-old used 2000 Ford Escort ZX-2 in 2001, marked 
$12,999, the salesman asked "How much do you want to pay ?"

I said, "$8000," to which replied "no, really."

After test driving about twenty-seven new Miatas and a variety of used 
Miatas (which I liked except for 3200 RPM at 60 MPH), the manager said "OK, 
if you take it in the next 30 seconds."

I waited about 25 seconds, knowing he thought I wasn't serious, and that I 
would leave, and then I started to leave, but turned and said "OK."  4999 
off for only 2 1/2 hours work seemed reasonable, but the salesman and 
manager exchanged glanced that said that I won that round.

He should have saved some time (and the first 43 miles on a brand new Miata) 
and just sold it to me when I first got there.

It now has over 115,000 and has required no work at all. (OK, a timing belt, 
and it will probably fall apart tomorrow !)

A backwards Corvair !  Everything is on the wrong end !  Who built this 
thing ????!!!!???



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Elliott" <corvair at fnader.com>
To: "J R Read_HML" <hmlinc at sbcglobal.net>
Cc: "Virtual Vairs" <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 7:45 AM
Subject: Re: <VV> Re: Car Salesmen/Manufactures (no Corvair)


>I don't buy new cars, but I do buy the occasional used car from an 
>established dealership.
>
> When I decided I wanted a  Suburban, but didn't want to play the standard 
> dealership games, I went to the local Chevy dealership, spoke to a sales 
> manager, and told him if he would basically sell me a used car at 
> wholesale plus a reasonable profit for them, I'd but it direct. He just 
> laughed and asked why should he sell at wholesale to me when he could make 
> several thousand more by waiting for the right buyer. I knew then I was in 
> the wrong place.
>
> I went to another Chevy dealership, made the same offer, and the saleman 
> enthusiastically agreed to the deal... then proceded to jerk me around. 
> But I don't think it was his fault...it was the short-sighted manager. The 
> bright salemen was sweating and veins bulging before he got what I wanted 
> from the not-so-bright sales manager. I tried to explain that they both 
> wasted a lot of their time (and mine) as I had made my expectations 
> perfectly clear when I walked in.  The salesman profusely apologized and 
> quietly acknowledged that it was absolutely a systemic issue and that he 
> realized that they could greatly increase their sales by catering to folks 
> like me as well as the more usual (read "high profit margin") customers. 
> Getting a better website up and running was one of his goals... Then he 
> asked if my organization had any sales openings... that he'd like to work 
> for folks that negotiated like I did...
>
> Fast forward a few months... my kid totalled the Suburban, so I walked 
> back into the dealership. This time my bright salesman WAS the sales 
> manager. I told him what I wanted, he showed me three vehicles, gave me 
> the bottom line price on all three (interestingly, the bottom line price 
> was based on what they had invested in the truck...so the best truck was 
> not the most expensive...). The prices were actually LESS than I had 
> anticpiated and I bought a truck within 30 minutes of walking in. From 
> that point on, the salesman would routinely call or email when they got an 
> interesting car in (or when they were offered something non-mainstream as 
> a trade... the salesman ended up with a top of the line Range Rover as his 
> personal car when I told him what a deal he had on his hands...) I ended 
> up buying several more vehicles from him over the years... all at prices 
> less than I estimated... and though I'm now 1000 miles way I always check 
> with him first before I buy something...
>
> While he never made a huge profit from me, he gained a steady repeat 
> customer. I'll always take a steady income over a one-time bonus... but 
> too many sales reps (many not even remotely in the car business) try to 
> live from big bonus to big bonus... they usually burn out and disappear...
>
> Bill
>
>>
>
>
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