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Choosing a Dealer - What to Look For

97 messages,  Last post on Mar 16, 2009 at 2:54 PM

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What is this discussion about? Car Buying

Messages Page 7 of 10

#58 of 97 Re: Choosing a Dealer - What to Look For [maddmike] by ilaveo

May 19, 2007 (8:49 pm)

Replying to: maddmike (Apr 12, 2007 12:26 am)
When I've talked to people who run dealerships they've told me that service, sales, bodyshop and parts are to a large extent run as separate businesses (the accountants track them as separate profit centers with different managers responsible.) You may need to evaluate the different departments separately. I've heard that service is where the most profit is.
 
My personal experience with dealerships has been that if the bodyshop and parts departments are rude or dishonest, then service and sales have the same problems, but the opposite is not necessarily true (e.g. bodyshop might be great, but service dishonest.)
 
I try to get personal recommendations for the particular department I need to use, but if I got a good coupon with my vehicle I might use it to give my dealer's service department a try. The items on maddmike's list are all very nice, but IMHO are all secondary to honest and respectful treatment which may not be available at some dealerships.

#61 of 97 Choosing a dealer-What to look for [maddmike] by unhappyshopper

May 26, 2007 (6:26 pm)

Went looking for a Kia at Keifer Kia in Eugene, Or. last fall. Spent 28 minutes wandering through their new car lot. During that time there were 6 to 7 salespeople milling around the showroom entrance. I kept an eye on them as I looked in windows and scanned stickers, and only noticed three glances in my direction. Apparently they are making enough money off of the buyers who don't care how they are treated. I won't be going there again, or their Mazda dealership either!

#62 of 97 Re: Choosing a dealer-What to look for [unhappyshopper] by bobst

May 27, 2007 (2:04 pm)

Replying to: unhappyshopper (May 26, 2007 6:26 pm)
So what's your problem?
 
If you needed help from a sales person, you could have asked one.

#63 of 97 Re: Choosing a dealer-What to look for [unhappyshopper] by jipster

May 27, 2007 (3:07 pm)

Replying to: unhappyshopper (May 26, 2007 6:26 pm)
They probably thought you were, what they call in the business, an "ice cream licker". Still ice cream or not... inexcusable behavior. You did right in taking your business elsewhere. Though I probably would have hollered at one of them to get their lazy butt over here, but that's just me.

#64 of 97 Re: Choosing a dealer-What to look for [jipster] by snakeweasel

May 27, 2007 (3:30 pm)

Replying to: jipster (May 27, 2007 3:07 pm)
To be perfectly honest we don't know what those 6 or 7 salesmen mulling around the showroom were actually doing. They could have been taking care of 6-7 customers at the time.
 
Also to be honest if I were a salesman I would wonder about someone who bypassed the showroom and went straight to the lot. I would think that they would be the least likely to buy as they are not going into an area where they can sit in a car and talk to people. In other words it takes two to tango and maybe unhappy gave to many bad signals. Maybe unhappy should have gone inside where he might have been perceived as a buyer instead of a tire kicker.

#65 of 97 Re: Choosing a dealer-What to look for [snakeweasel] by jipster

May 27, 2007 (3:41 pm)

Replying to: snakeweasel (May 27, 2007 3:30 pm)
While anything is possible snake, except the Cubs winning another World Series, it is highly doubtful that 6-7 salesman "milling around" the entrance to the dealership were taking care of other customers.
 
The fact that unhappy was looking for 30 minutes may show she was more than a tire kicker. The fact that she was unhappy with the experience shows the salemen did a poor job of picking up her "signals". I always go straight to the lot to see if they have anything I'm interested in. It's a lot quicker and less hassle than having to get a salesmen, who will then want to spend an hour or two with you.

#66 of 97 Re: Choosing a dealer-What to look for [jipster] by snakeweasel

May 27, 2007 (4:02 pm)

Replying to: jipster (May 27, 2007 3:41 pm)
it is highly doubtful that 6-7 salesman "milling around" the entrance to the dealership were taking care of other customers.
 
First of all we only know what the poster is telling us. That means there is no definition of what "milling around" means. Secondly we don't know what day or time it was. If it was a Saturday afternoon it is very possible that all the salesmen were tied up with current customers.
 
And all of this ignores the fact that he made himself a low target on their radar.
 
The fact that unhappy was looking for 30 minutes may show she was more than a tire kicker.
 
That may or may not be the case. When I was in retail sales we once had someone complain that they had been waiting nearly a half hour to be waited on. I knew for a fact it was barely ten minutes (as the manager I kept tabs on what was going on in the store). So I wonder if it was truly 30 minutes. Secondly I am one of those "tire kickers" who just occasionally goes to a dealership just to look (FWIW I tell any salesman that approaches that that is why I am there just to look) and have spend nearly that much time looking at cars.
 
My point being that 1.) the salesmen might have been busy and 2.) unhappy might just have been giving the salesmen the wrong signals.
 
The fact that she was unhappy with the experience shows the salesmen did a poor job of picking up her "signals".
 
Two things 1.) somepeople are just not happy unless they are unhappy. Any sales professional will tell you that some people just can't be made happy. 2.) Maybe the salesmen did a poor job at picking up her signals simply because she did a poor job giving out her signals. Communication is a two way street. As I said if she just ignored the showroom and went directly to the lot and just looked at cars I would expect that a seasoned sales professional would not consider her serious.
 
I mean if I were serious in buying a car the first thing I would do is go into the show room, not the lot.

#67 of 97 Re: Choosing a dealer-What to look for [snakeweasel] by geffen

May 27, 2007 (4:25 pm)

Replying to: snakeweasel (May 27, 2007 4:02 pm)
I would have to agree, if you are seriously considering making a car purchase and there are no salesmen to be found on the lot, usually as soon as you walk through the doors of the dealership there is a receptionist that can direct you to the first available salesman, sometimes they'll have one paged or you are usually greeted by a salesman as soon as you enter the dealership doors. In my opinion I dont think unhappy was really seriously considering to make a purchase at that particular lot.

Messages Page 7 of 10

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