Dealer tactics - Page 6

gtfpv · 10-01-2013, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flappist

Well using the inside line is cheating and apart from that, the BMW for you to buy is a M6 or 750i not a 116i. Still not a problem?

Remember the whole "deposit" thing was about high end vehicles not ordinary ones but the stream has been hijacked.

In the same way that my comment about the video has been misundestood by some.
You can just throw your weight around and force the best price on the phone provided:

1) you have no trade.
2) you know exactly what the car is and what are its specs.
3) you have the money already and do not need to apply for finance.
4) you are prepared to take what they have there on the spot.

As the majority of new cars sold to private people involve a trade and finance and most have no idea what goodies are on offer it really does not apply here in Australia.

The agro attitude can also blow up in your face. I was told by a friend who is a DP of a deal where there buyer was doing all the nasties like last day of month old plate and throw in farkles etc. and screw the price down to basically just under cost.
THE VERY NEXT DAY there was a promotion with heaps of extras, reduced price and cash back.

Agro came back to complain that he could have got it $thousands cheaper.
Unfortunately DP could do nothing about it, his hands were tied.

Karma, well in this case maybe CARma......

As with most threads i use personal experience when i post , and mine seem no different to many others in here regarding this .
i have bought new cars and 2nd hand ones at dealerships and privately .
i have sat for interviews and walked out , i have purchased over the phone , and i have bought without a test drive .
at 27 i bought an EL XR8 at 4.45 pm the salesman said i didn't need to test drive it , it's late and its an xr8 and the sale finishes in 15 minutes , i agreed and bought the car on the spot , only to be told it was already sold and another will have to be ordered , 8 weeks later i picked up my new car .
this is called young and stupid , and fooled by a car salesman .
at 35 , i wanted a new mkii gt , sat for some sort of interview after i walked in to look at one , and was told to come back tomorrow at 1pm for a 1hr appointment , confused i did this , listened to dealer talk for 1 hour , wasnt allowed a test drive , and the dealer wanted another appointment with my wife before a possible drive . ( and gave me $500 off retail ) . what a waste of 2 days .
went to 3 other dealers . same story got told heaps of rubbish about these cars sell themselves , your ELXR8 IS worth $7000 as a trade etc . so i ended up pretty much walking in and out of 3 dealers .
till one young guy a came across at a dealership . i said the same thing to this guy . i have $1000 cash in my pocket , i want a MKII GT this is my 4th dealership 3 havent let me drive one , i have 3 quotes , i'm not telling you the prices ., if you want my business give me your best price and a drive , and i will buy one .
theyoung guy threw me 3 sets of keys and said go for your life , we have a GT AUTO , AN XR8 MANUAL AND AN xr8 auto . i know you want a GT MKII MANUAL IN BLACK I DONT HAVE ONE but can order one for you , in the meantime take your time and test drive the 3 i have on the lot and i will discuss a price with the DP WHEN YOU COME BACK .
AFTER DRIVING THEM the dealer comeback and undercut the other quotes by $7000 . A HAND SHAKE , $1000 DEP and an order , no fuss , no intervies and no BS . i then sold the EL XR8 privately for $14000
THE fg xr6 . BIT OF NET RESEARCH , colour decided options decided ring e'mail 3 dealers with a price i want to pay, one replies . next day test drive and sold .
THE FG GT . went to buy GS , had same BS FROM MANY DEALERS AS PREVIOUSLY , one guy over phone offers me 8000 discount on the WHITE GT in stock in the showroom and a great trade in deal unseen. test drive next day and sold .

you guys can bag buyers all you like , but most of us just want to buy a car without being rediculed and abused and taken for a turkey.

Agent86 · 10-01-2013, 04:16 PM

As a 23y/o, i was looking around at trucks.
Most at that age cant even operate one, much less afford.

The two dealers that gave me the time of day both let me test drive ( even though they were told that i wasnt intending on buying at that point, just looking ) a $220K and $280K vehicle, no muss no fuss.

when i asked why they would do that when i wsnt in the market yet, both said the same thing..
" When you are, you will come back and talk with me. You may buy or you may not, but you will give us a chance"

Truer words never spoken. They are the only two brands i would contemplate buying from due to this prevailing attitude.

I Will be in the market for something in the next year or so, and noone else will get a chance.

Its a great pitty those salesmen have moved on, because i would have enjoyed dealing with them and reminding of their courteous behavior.

GTP534 · 10-01-2013, 06:09 PM

I remember when I bought the AUII XR8 from Thomson Ford. In the morning I went to Jubilee Ford. I was very specific with what I wanted, the 220kW motor version which had just been released, auto, Liquid Silver, body kit, premium brakes, momo wheel and gear selector. We had agreed a price and my trade's value when the salesman told me his manager says that deal is for the 200kW version and for today only. I told him politely he had wasted my time and I'll shop around thanks very much.

After lunch in Parramatta went to Thomson Ford and looking over a Liquid Silver XR8 and this salesman, Michael Starr, comes over and asked me what I was after. I told him and he said "You know what you're after, what can I do to make it happen?"

He offered me a test drive but I said no need and I told him what I was after for my trade. The changeover was better than Jubilee Ford and as the 220kW motor had just been released the car had to be ordered. The deal meant he wanted my trade pretty much straightaway and he said he would give me something decent to drive while the XR8 was on order. When I returned a few days later he'd organised an EL wagon that was an ex-Channel 7 car. I gave it a good clean and I tell you, it was a genuinely nice car to cruise around in, and gave no trouble at all.

Just a pity that when the time came to get an FPV he'd left Thomson Ford and the used car manager wasn't interested in my trade.

GREGL · 10-01-2013, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrongwaynorris

" Toyota was a walk in the park, mostly sold Echo's and Corollas to teenage girls who would then trade them in three years later on a Rav 4/ Celica and then 5 years later a Camry/Kluger/Hilux. Toyota in his experience have the greatest brand loyalty out of all the manufacturers. He also mentioned they deserve it though. "

This is what goes to prove 90% of the population stupid beyond belief . Here is a company who murdered people for years with very senior execs boasting in emails to HQ how many millions of dollars they had saved by NOT recalling cars they knew to be killing their customers and imbeciles still beat a path to their door .

90 % of the population buy Toyotas ??? Why weren't these emails made public knowledge ? Why aren't the authorities targeting these vehilcles as contributing to the road toll ? Broad statememt targeting something like ( is it 20% ) of sales in Austalia . If you own or drive a Toyota you are stupid imbecile . Are you serious ?

jmac · 10-01-2013, 10:29 PM

Lmao!

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

Night · 10-01-2013, 10:46 PM

I went to a Ford dealership a few years ago purely with the intention of research. Salesman came up and gave me the usual can I help you sir, I explain that I was thinking of upgrading and was purely just looking around trying to work out if it was worth it or not. I asked about prices on a few cars and also what trade in on mine would be. He had to test drive mine first was his reply, I explained again I wasn't buying a car in the near future and just want figures but he insisted on test driving my car before valuating it. I thought well if you want to waste your time then sure I've got nothing better on today.

We go for a short cruise and he drives it out back to where I parked it. Now chose a car sir he asks me, Why? I'm not buying one I replied, just give me a figure. He tells me he prices mine on whatever car I chose, I laughed and just picked a random Falcon. I'll go get the keys sir. What! just give me a price. He responds the manager needs to work out a figure so in the mean time lets go have some fun. Stupid me forgot about my car key he still had. He comes back with the car keys for the other car and we go for the usual drive. I get the usual questions on what do I think etc etc.

Anyhow we get back to the car yard and my car is gone. Ok lets go inside he says. Hang on mate, where's my car! It's out the back, the manager needed to move it. Well go get it please I asked. He comes back with the manager and now he takes over. He's offering me a really stupid deal and I said no worries and explain to him that I've been telling the other guy all along I wasn't buying a car and was only chasing prices. The manager keeps feeding me crap and trying to get me to talk price with him, I keep asking for my key and my car and wont talk price. This went on for a good ten minutes and he keeps trying to sell the other car to me. I tell him one more time to grab my car or I'm calling the cops and reporting him for theft if he doesn't turn around now and get my keys!

He finally walks off to get my key. The original salesman who was very quiet during this time looked pretty embarrassed and uncomfortable and offers me his own car which he was going to trade in soon at a really good price and gives me his card. I played along with him with the hope that if he thinks I'm going to buy his car then all this will be over soon. Now the manager returns holding my key but is still trying to sell me the car and wont offer me my key back. I pick up my phone and tell him I'm calling the cops and he now gives my key back and tells me where the car is parked. I told him that when I did make a purchase I wouldn't be returning and walked off. He was nice enough to give me a dirty look as I drove off.

pauljh74 · 10-01-2013, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

I have never signed anything for a test drive that I can recall??

Anyway... it goes both ways. Dale Ford Bankstown wouldn't allow me to test drive a Festiva on their lot for $4990 because it was too cheap.

Seriously...

They didn't want you to find out all the things wrong with it.

Yellow_Festiva · 11-01-2013, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pauljh74

They didn't want you to find out all the things wrong with it.

Whatever the reason, the situation was a joke. Fancy having a car on display that was apparently to be sold 'as is, where is'?? It wasn't parked in or anything, and I was the only customer on the lot that I could see.

I was helping a mate out who didn't have a car and just happened to drive past when I saw it and looped around to have a look. His limit was 6k and he had the cash ready to go. Knew nil about cars and, as I had lent him my car a few times he said 'something small like yours would be fine'.

Funny thing was, about 1 month prior to their closure (Dale Ford), my sister was wanting to buy a Focus. New car, ready cash buyer. Took her there and the salesperson was useless. Limited product knowledge, hardly any customer service. We drove out and 2hrs later paid a deposit on a Hyundai.

wrongwaynorris · 11-01-2013, 12:16 AM

" 90 % of the population buy Toyotas ??? "

No and I never said they did but 90% of people out there sing Toyotas praises .

" Why weren't these emails made public knowledge ?"

They were , Akio Toyoda the Global Head of Toyota even had to front a congressional commitee over it , do your homework .

" Why aren't the authorities targeting these vehilcles as contributing to the road toll ? "

They did eventually recall them all after being dragged screaming by congress .

"Broad statememt targeting something like ( is it 20% ) of sales in Austalia . If you own or drive a Toyota you are stupid imbecile . Are you serious ? '

Absolutely deadly 100% serious , what else would you call someone who buys a product from a company that has been proven to have murdered its clients with full knowledge and totally callous indifference .

http://www.time.com/time/nation/arti...967654,00.html

richo77 · 11-01-2013, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtfpv

the couple down the road were in their 20s in 2004 , THEY WANTED A NEW XR8 . they went to a local ford dealer who said that an xr8 isnt suitable for them , it would be 2 fast for them and they dont need a big car like that , you'd be surprised if i named the dealer .
they simply went elswhere and picked out a new orange xr8 , got it lowered and upgraded the mags .

and theyre still paying it off today

calais · 11-01-2013, 10:16 AM

Ive been fed the same garbage by sinclair ford in penrith when I was scoping out a GS after selling my Octavia vRS.

The GS was a great car, no question. But after the apsolute barrels of bs being thrown my way about how the car sells itself and there was no requirement to drive it, and that a john bowe drive day would more than make up for whatever other shortcomings in the deal.... Pfft. In this case is was bs talking and my money walking.

In the end I was just so over being force fed utter garbage, I gave up. I re-invested my cash, and bought a car off a colleagues elderly father. One look, one drive, job done.

Owing to every experience I have ever had buying new cars from dealers.... Im done and dusted. My money will never, ever go to a car dealer again.

gtfpv · 11-01-2013, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richo77

and theyre still paying it off today

i wouldnt know . but they had it 2 years then traded it on a new one , then they traded that one . so since then they have had 3 cars .

chopstar87 · 11-01-2013, 04:08 PM

I think it comes down to the dealer themselves really and their processes.

I am currently in the middle of arranging a new car within the next month. I have been researching for probably 6 months now. i want to make the right choice for myself as i will must likely have this car for 5-7yrs like my current car.

I was looking at either a G6E turbo and a 300c luxury, went to my local ford dealership and wanted to test drive a G6E turbo and they wouldn't let me with out signing up, i was been upfront i was about6 months away from buying, so they just kicked me to the side, so i travelled to Brisbane and they offered me to take it for a test drive.. i loved the car, the power was brilliant!

I really like the 300c, so i thought i would look in to it more before making my final decision, can the features out way the performance of the G6E?? i started talking to my local dealership, again i was upfront with not buying for 6 months and i am cross shopping against the G6E turbo and he arranged me to have a mid-spec 300c for an over night drive, it was brilliant, the features and comfort won over the performance for me, and my partner loved the car as well. The local dealership didn't have the model i wanted, and i wanted to see the interior before making the final decision, so another road trip to Brisbane, where i went in to them and asked if they had the model i wanted, was upfront with the time line, and the next minute, they were we have now for you to by, it has everything but the upgraded stereo, which is the reason i was going for the model, they were like, you buy one today you will save heaps... i was like yea, but its not what i want and i save heaps because its missing the upgraded stereo. i left the place pretty ****ed off.. then they hounded me for a month or 2 about it all. the funny thing was the local Chrysler dealer hasn't annoyed me once since the test drive, i email him with any questions.

Dealers need to realise the high pressure tactics will lose more then gain in sales, and let people test drive the car, otherwise they might not fall in love with the car you are trying to sell.

I am blue oval fan, but i am going with the Chrysler, its more suited to my needs and at the moment ford doesn't build something that meets my needs. but if Chrysler didn't arrange a test drive or the both Chrysler dealers were like the brisbane dealership, i would be getting a Ford from Brisbane. so it shows how important a test drive really is and how important good customer service is..

saying that, every time i walk in to a dealership, one of the first questions is when seriously lookin at a car is, so what do you do for a living.. which i think is a good qualifier.. which i can understand, hey i am only 25 and the cars i am driving are a bit $$$$ for a 25yrs old to be buying brand new IMO

GREGL · 11-01-2013, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrongwaynorris

" 90 % of the population buy Toyotas ??? "

No and I never said they did but 90% of people out there sing Toyotas praises .

" Why weren't these emails made public knowledge ?"

They were , Akio Toyoda the Global Head of Toyota even had to front a congressional commitee over it , do your homework .

" Why aren't the authorities targeting these vehilcles as contributing to the road toll ? "

They did eventually recall them all after being dragged screaming by congress .

"Broad statememt targeting something like ( is it 20% ) of sales in Austalia . If you own or drive a Toyota you are stupid imbecile . Are you serious ? '

Absolutely deadly 100% serious , what else would you call someone who buys a product from a company that has been proven to have murdered its clients with full knowledge and totally callous indifference .

http://www.time.com/time/nation/arti...967654,00.html

Without turning this into a slanging match . I find some of your statements very ambiguos . You have very strong opinions on certaian brands and absolutely no hesistation in presenting them in a way that tarnishs the whole brand/s , where in fact it is a small % ( or part of the world ) of a range that is affected . This does not come to light until someone queries what you post.
Are you sayin that even a Toyota built in Australia with a large percentage of LOCALLY sourced parts is the same as a U.S Toyota or elsewhere ? I only assume this because we don''t have a congress .
Reread your first sentence of post qouted , still reads to me 90% of the population are stupid !

wrongwaynorris · 12-01-2013, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GREGL

Without turning this into a slanging match . I find some of your statements very ambiguos . You have very strong opinions on certaian brands and absolutely no hesistation in presenting them in a way that tarnishs the whole brand/s , where in fact it is a small % ( or part of the world ) of a range that is affected . This does not come to light until someone queries what you post.
Are you sayin that even a Toyota built in Australia with a large percentage of LOCALLY sourced parts is the same as a U.S Toyota or elsewhere ? I only assume this because we don''t have a congress .
Reread your first sentence of post qouted , still reads to me 90% of the population are stupid !

I have reread my post and I cannot see ANY ambiguity whatsoever . I pretty much call it like it is , speak the truth and let the chips fall where they may . How can a whole brand NOT be tarnished when the global head is ORDERED to front a congressional hearing and humiliatingly forced to apologise for knowingly murdering it's own customers by not recalling products it knows to be defective . If you recall we had a spate of Corollas and Camrys driving off the edge of multi storey carparks and killing their occupants , sadly those cars would have all gone through a crusher by now so 100% concrete evidence will never come to light , but it did coincide with the same period where these cars were killing people in the US by simply accelerating on their own . I believe 90% of people are bloody stupid , with the general dumbing down of the world populace that has taken place over the last 40 odd years . How can someone ( wether they own one or not ) who sings the praises of a product that has been PROVEN to have killed some of its customers be regarded as anything other than stupid ? That is like saying we should all be singing the praises of that Chinese company that was found to be adding small amounts of melamine into baby formula and who killed several babies because they only killed a few infants .

Gadgetman · 12-01-2013, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtfpv

LOOK MATE I'M HEARING YOU BUT I DONT AGREE .
i've turned up with previous FPV'S to trade in in my mid 30's with 2 young kids and a wife and been given the finger as far as driving , i dont have long hair tatts and flanellette shirts on when i walk in either . so the profile of me must be pretty bad . and if i had tatts long hair etc it shouldnt make a difference really .
the last test drive of an xr6 required 1 minute to fill out a damage excess form of $3000 in cass of an accident whilst driving , i signed without a problem , but even then i thought it was a little harsh seeing the sealer is in the business and should have insurance cover for demonstrators , and it was a 2nd hand na xr6 .
when a 40 year old well dressed man walks into a dealer with a tradein of a similar vehicle with a wife and two children and gets questioned or profiled about wealth and suitability to drive a car , i think the salesman should really be shovelling shyyte for a living and not selling cars . he would be costing the dealership a lot more than he is saving . and you can demolish a display home if you want to , even by accident , or fall down the stairs or whatever , they still let you in .Infact . the display homes often get worn carpet , used toilets and scratched floors , but i'm sure insurance covers things as such or the price is reduced on the display home , ohh wait , i think they do that with demonstrators too dont they . ???
of course theres tyre kickers out there . who cares . you shouldnt have to be a buyer to take a look and have a drive .

Ok. Firstly, The vehicles at most dealerships are not self insured. The dealer has a policy with their insurer. The excess would be 2-3k. The dealer shouldnt be left to pay for any mistakes a potential customer is to cause whilst in their care. I'm sure that if you ever tried to privately sell your car, Would you say? "Thanks mate I'll take care of the damage if someone biffed your car" Your wants in regards to this issue is simplistic, i presume you would like the dealer to pay for any speed camera infringements while you're out test driving.

Secondly, the whole display home comparison is just ridiculos. If you were ever to buy an exdisplay home, you're likely to ask the land rat... How old is this house? as opposed to how many humans, dogs or cats have crawled through this establishment. When a dealer sells a Demo high performance car, we get asked. Why so many km's? The less km's the easier it is to sell and the less we lose $$ wise. Customers who are geniunely interested ask questions like how long till i have to change those Brembos which will cost me $$$$'s seeing your demo has done 7000km and probably had the ring flogged out of it. So it's paramount a dealer keeps the km's low on demos

Thirdly. To form part of most dealers insurance policy, they require a salesman to go on a test drive. Unfortunately for they only find themselves in situations sometimes that put themselves at risk. Every 2nd test pilot that drives a hot rod demo wants to see what it does and 99% of the time, that's breaking the law.

I hope this helps you understand why a dealer has to qualify the high performance buyer a little more stringently than someone who is buying a new car with the intentions of being eco friendly.

gtfpv · 12-01-2013, 10:33 AM

You presume wrong about me mate . speeding infringements eh , what a joke .
i do undrstand why a dealer wants to qualify a buyer , and the salesman should go in the car .
have you ever asked yourselves why ford is being outsold ? why some FPVS sit in the dealerships for up to 18 months . ? and yes i have driven 12- 18 month old new demo cars which the dealer cannot sell ( with very low kms ) .
there are plenty of examples of lost sales here in this thread by this harsh privilidged attitude that some dealerships have . a lot of buyers simply walk into a dealership and want to look , at , drive , and buy a car . more times than not , the customer may as well walk into a grocery shop looking to buy a car in the apple section . most of these buyers simply go to a dealer where they can do this , and then they buy .
IF dealers want these cars to sell themselves unseen or driven , at a reasonable price . that is fine it just wont be me that buys these cars , and i'm sure im not alone , some dealerships of course sell many more cars , mostly to all kinds of people .not just the stupid.
i once walked into a ford dealer to buy an xr6 new under a novated lease , i'm sorry sir no one can look after you today , our fleet guy isnt in , can we take your number and get back to you , so i left my number and that was it , i never heard from them . forgive me but did that ACTUALLY HAPPEN OR WAS IT A DREAM . no; it actually happened . they knocked back the easiest sale possible .

wrongwaynorris · 12-01-2013, 11:27 AM

All due respect to those who have had the odd bad experience with a dealer ( and I am sure you have ) but until you sit on the other side of the desk and have to deal with the endless stream of tyre kickers , wannabee's , motoring " Experts " , lonely people out for a chat , people who want to tell your their entire boring XXXXing life story , knuckle dragging mouth breathers , indescribably RUDE ignoramouses and just plain outright liars you have NO clue . People are relating 1 or 2 instances in their lives , I could literally write a book about the shenanigans of " Potential " buyers . In the yard where I work we'd be lucky if 20% of the people who walk in are fair dinkum .

Dusty1 · 12-01-2013, 12:16 PM

I try not to bother a dealer until I am ready to buy. They must have to deal with a lot of idiots before getting to a genuine buyer. It's easy to say, it's their job, but they are still human, and some must get pretty jaded at the number of tyre kickers they have to del with.

I bought my Territory from a dealer on the other side of Melbourne. I said to him, if I come out I'm buying so I want a good deal. He did. Pity he left.

Gadgetman · 12-01-2013, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dusty1

I try not to bother a dealer until I am ready to buy. They must have to deal with a lot of idiots before getting to a genuine buyer .

And the Gold Medal goes to Dusty1. Wish they were all like you.

Rodge · 12-01-2013, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dusty1

I try not to bother a dealer until I am ready to buy. They must have to deal with a lot of idiots before getting to a genuine buyer. It's easy to say, it's their job, but they are still human, and some must get pretty jaded at the number of tyre kickers they have to del with.

I bought my Territory from a dealer on the other side of Melbourne. I said to him, if I come out I'm buying so I want a good deal. He did. Pity he left.

I'm normally the same but in the middle of last year I wanted to try out the new SRT8 to see if I wanted to switch brands.

Two interesting dealer tactics happened that day that I've never experienced before and I've bought a lot of cars over 35 years...
1. The guilt trip that one of his major fleet clients had turned up unannounced at the dealership just 15 mins into the evaluation even though I'd booked and organised a one hour drive.
2. The other one really blew me away when we got back...it went like this.
Me - so how much is this black one drive away ? Him: Oh that's just under $93,000 plus on-roads.
Me: What's it got that bumps up the retail price from $87,990 Kiwi. Him: Oh its got the leather dashboard and the black chrome wheels.
Me, how much are those options ? Him: $2,900 for the leather dash and $1,500 for the black chrome wheels.
Me, Seems a lot just for leather on the dashboard and I'm not all that keen on the black chrome wheels. Him: Oh they're not options, you have to order the car with those things on it.
Me: Oh really, why's that ? Him: Chrysler took those things off the base car so they could get the retail to $87,990 but you have to order the car with those things on it.
Me: Doesn't that seem disingenious to you, saying the retail is $87,990 and then saying the options have to be ordered ? Him: Oh that's just how it is if you want to palce an order that's how we're doing it.
Me: Why are they called options then ? Doesn't an option mean its optional ?
He shrugged his shoulders.

Next day I e.mailed the sales manager and reminded him of the provisions of the Fair Trading Act. E mail came back...No apology for his sales guys tactics, oh yes Rodge, we can order you one for $87,990 plus on roads, what colour would you like ? I e.mailed him back thanking him for the opportunity, telling him i was very impressed by the car but that i'm waiting for the new ZF 8 speed box and suggesting i'd like to review the 2014 model when it comes out in winter 2013. No response was received. No, thanks for coming by, you're welcome to come and review the 2014 model when it comes out Nothing.
Just gung-ho bloody cowboys, the salesman and his manager.

That dealership really made an impression on me. I'm still interested in the car when the 2014 model comes out but If I decide to proceed I'll travel out of town to avoid dealing with that dealership who are the only Chrysler dealers in Auckland and think and perhaps more importantly ACT so arrogantly like they "own" the Auckland market.

A gross breech of the Fair Trading Act like that and their attitude will cost that dealer any future potential sale to me. If they're like that when you're looking to buy a new car just imagine what a horror story it would be to deal with them if the car had problems under warranty

OTOH I have a really good relationship with the Ford dealer in Whangarei and its yet another reason to stick with the brand.

Gadgetman · 12-01-2013, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtfpv

You presume wrong about me mate . speeding infringements eh , what a joke ..

Well you did expect to test drive a car without an excess. Whats your excess on your GT?
[/QUOTE] i do undrstand why a dealer wants to qualify a buyer , and the salesman should go in the car .[/QUOTE]
Do you really? When I'm not selling, I'm buying. Have you ever sold cars to the masses? Clearly you haven't cause you wouldnt be singing this tune.

/QUOTE]
have you ever asked yourselves why ford is being outsold ? [/QUOTE]
Yup. Perception of the Brand in the broader community perhaps. Same as Holden. Both those brands are perceived to be experts at making large cars that guzzle and not smart small cars. Although the small cars are great, people flock to Mazda and toyota simply cause it's the masses perception that they produce better small cars.

[/QUOTE]why some FPVS sit in the dealerships for up to 18 months . ? and yes i have driven 12- 18 month old new demo cars which the dealer cannot sell ( with very low kms ) .[/QUOTE]

By your own admission, why are you driving undesirable cars at dealerships?

[/QUOTE] there are plenty of examples of lost sales here in this thread by this harsh privilidged attitude that some dealerships have . a lot of buyers simply walk into a dealership and want to look , at , drive , and buy a car . more times than not. [/QUOTE]
And guess what? These people generally end up buying cars.

[/QUOTE] the customer may as well walk into a grocery shop looking to buy a car in the apple section . most of these buyers simply go to a dealer where they can do this , and then they buy .[/QUOTE]
This statement has convinced me beyond reasonable doubt that you clearly have no idea of what dealers face on a day to day basis but yet your happy to generalise sales people.

[/QUOTE]IF dealers want these cars to sell themselves unseen or driven , at a reasonable price . that is fine it just wont be me that buys these cars , and i'm sure im not alone , some dealerships of course sell many more cars , mostly to all kinds of people .not just the stupid.[/QUOTE]

Ok I am going to paint you a picture here. You walk into a HSV dealership looking to buy a Black GTS Manual. The dealer doesnt have the car in the colour you want. You have nothing to trade so the deal is appears to you as quite simple. You then ask for a test drive. Dealer says we can so long as you happy with the price which is $90k for arguments sake. You say nah mate. Saw one on carsales for $82K. Lets just stop here for a second.
The dealer prepared to sell the car for $82k has one in stock and has had for 9 months and is desperate to get rid of it and is happy to sell just under costs to get out of it.
The dealer you're at says the best he can do is $86 built to order. You want to test drive the car. Now why should this dealer take you for a drive and spend time with you when you're clearly going to buy the car from them at $86k This is just 1 example on why a dealer is not prepared to be used up and believe me this happens a bit.

gtfpv · 12-01-2013, 08:03 PM

THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY GADGET MAN .
Your probably right . i dont sell cars .

2011G6E · 12-01-2013, 08:48 PM

Dealers vary as widely as you can imagine.
The good...the very good...are the ones you remember, but they are far outweighed by the morons you encounter at every dealer of every badge.

The poor dealership owner tries to weed these people out (as with the example I gave of the salesman who refused to let my missus drive an ordinary old SV6 Commodore), but by then the damage is done, and the whole dealership is tarred with the same brush.

We've been looking at four wheel drives, and visited the Jeep dealer in Rocky a couple of times to inspect a Wrangler Unlimited they had on the lot. I'd heard horror stories about this dealership and what they were like, but I prefer to make my own mind up.
I spent maybe twenty minutes checking over one Unlimited, and then another day both the wife and I spent maybe half an hour crawling all over one, opening doors, checking under the bonnet, looking at luggage space, etc. Through the window I could see some salesmen, but they only glanced out direction and kept on chatting amongst themselves.
This ****ed me off no end...here were two customers, obviously very interested in a $50,000 vehicle, but they couldn't be bothered to walk outside. And no...it wasn't my place to hunt the buggers up and ask them to come outside...that's allegedly their job. I was angry, and we left, swearing not to return.

However, two weeks later, I was riding past on my motorbike, and saw an orange Unlimited out the front (my wifes favourite colour), and decided to go have a look. Within a few minutes, a salesman approached and asked if he could help. I told him our situation, and what we would be trading. He was interested, and invited me inside after showing me around the Jeep. He gave me a comprehensive brochure on the Jeep, and at no time did he lay on any pressure at all. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience.

That one guy squashed all the bad image I had from the dealership on our last two visits, and is the sort of salesman you hope to strike come new car time.

However...it's up to the dealerships to get rid of the idiots, numbskulls, and rude people as quickly as possible.
As the old saying goes, once you lose someones respect, it's bloody hard to get it back again.

GTP534 · 12-01-2013, 08:53 PM

Everybody's experience will be different when they go to a dealer and that's why there's no point in trying to generalise either from a buyers viewpoint or a dealers viewpoint.

Just to show a contrast when I went to the dealer (where gtfpv bought his White GT) to look for a Territory 3 years ago I spent quite a bit of time looking over the Territorys on the yard; no one approached me. I wander into the showroom, look over the Territory and still no one approached me. Next day go to another dealer and bought the Territory Ghia.

I know Frank (gtgpv) and his experience there was great, got a great deal and a really lovely GT which is very well looked after. My experience there was not so good; the only outcome of it is I file it away in the back of the memory and probably wouldn't go back there for my next purchase.

At the dealer that doesn't get his business I've only had good experiences so it's pretty hard to pick sometimes; what works for some doesn't work for others and this is one reason why, if someone asks me to recommend a dealer, I'm pretty guarded with my reply.

2000auwagon · 12-01-2013, 09:10 PM

yep, that is why I keep away from car yards, I remember one guy at a car yard telling me 'its a great car', making out that it was his car so I said to him, 'oh really? How long did you have it for? What problems have you had with it? How many kays on the clock? He was speechless. It all boils down to one thing, and thats the coin. As I am sure that they get paid in commission. I'm not too sure but I think some car yard bigwigs probably fire any salespeople that don't make their monthly/annual quota but it is a pity that salespeople have to go to great lengths and BS to potential customers to make $. All I can say is to arm yourself with as much research about the car you are after, know what you want, and try to have more than one car on your wish list and try not to rely using car yard finance, and in my personal opinion, don't fall for the NASA approved paint and protection crap, and with every new car I have purchased, I tell them not to spray that crappy black sound deadener in wheel arches.

**Professor Farnsworth** · 12-01-2013, 09:15 PM

when the FG1 G6 limited edition came out i went to a (un-named) dealer and asked if i could test drive one. I was told there were none in stock, and that i should just buy one sight unseen and if i didn't like it when it was delivered, i could get my money back

my blank stares and queries of jocularity were met with a serious face

he was for real.

**SSD-85** · 12-01-2013, 09:16 PM

Dealerships are a good source of entertainment, especially "wholesale" ones. You can make a weekends worth of laughs just by walking into one

I bought my GT from a Ford dealer, and it was a no-nonsense, no BS transaction. And as far as dealers go, that is nothing short of perfect.

ultvict · 12-01-2013, 10:10 PM

I was surprised how lazy one dealer was when I called him up to look at a G6. I wanted to compare the G6 to the G6 LE I just had a look at. Called him up saying it would be about an hour and a half drive, was the car available to look at and possibly test drive. His tone of voice was rude, telling us it was on the racks and would be too much effort to get it down. We hung up and crossed him off the list and told him we weren't interested anymore when he rang the following day.
If he had made the car available I probably would have bought it, as it was about 6 grand cheaper than the Limited Edition I looked at, which I bought a few days later.

GREGL · 12-01-2013, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gadgetman

Well you did expect to test drive a car without an excess. Whats your excess on your GT?

i do undrstand why a dealer wants to qualify a buyer , and the salesman should go in the car .[/QUOTE]
Do you really? When I'm not selling, I'm buying. Have you ever sold cars to the masses? Clearly you haven't cause you wouldnt be singing this tune.

/QUOTE]
have you ever asked yourselves why ford is being outsold ? [/QUOTE]
Yup. Perception of the Brand in the broader community perhaps. Same as Holden. Both those brands are perceived to be experts at making large cars that guzzle and not smart small cars. Although the small cars are great, people flock to Mazda and toyota simply cause it's the masses perception that they produce better small cars.

[/QUOTE]why some FPVS sit in the dealerships for up to 18 months . ? and yes i have driven 12- 18 month old new demo cars which the dealer cannot sell ( with very low kms ) .[/QUOTE]

By your own admission, why are you driving undesirable cars at dealerships?

[/QUOTE] there are plenty of examples of lost sales here in this thread by this harsh privilidged attitude that some dealerships have . a lot of buyers simply walk into a dealership and want to look , at , drive , and buy a car . more times than not. [/QUOTE]
And guess what? These people generally end up buying cars.

[/QUOTE] the customer may as well walk into a grocery shop looking to buy a car in the apple section . most of these buyers simply go to a dealer where they can do this , and then they buy .[/QUOTE]
This statement has convinced me beyond reasonable doubt that you clearly have no idea of what dealers face on a day to day basis but yet your happy to generalise sales people.

[/QUOTE]IF dealers want these cars to sell themselves unseen or driven , at a reasonable price . that is fine it just wont be me that buys these cars , and i'm sure im not alone , some dealerships of course sell many more cars , mostly to all kinds of people .not just the stupid.[/QUOTE]

Ok I am going to paint you a picture here. You walk into a HSV dealership looking to buy a Black GTS Manual. The dealer doesnt have the car in the colour you want. You have nothing to trade so the deal is appears to you as quite simple. You then ask for a test drive. Dealer says we can so long as you happy with the price which is $90k for arguments sake. You say nah mate. Saw one on carsales for $82K. Lets just stop here for a second.
The dealer prepared to sell the car for $82k has one in stock and has had for 9 months and is desperate to get rid of it and is happy to sell just under costs to get out of it.
The dealer you're at says the best he can do is $86 built to order. You want to test drive the car. Now why should this dealer take you for a drive and spend time with you when you're clearly going to buy the car from them at $86k This is just 1 example on why a dealer is not prepared to be used up and believe me this happens a bit.[/QUOTE]

I see where your coming from and can understand the reasoning behind it. and as long as the saleperson is polite ( it's company policy or whatever ) it is their perogative after all as to who they wish to sell their cars to. I didn't request a test drive at all, just wanted to know what the damage was before I went any further and wasted their time . I certainly didn't ask for a sit down interview which was his idea.
I also didn't realise that getting a trade in valuation required a commitment to buy!!! So what do you salespeople do for the other half of your working week ? In the past it has been you are interested lets see what we can do.3 times 3 sales. This sign up beforehand is a new one to me.
I do my best not to waste anyones time regardless of their ocuppation , my tmes valuable too.