My poor little car isn't feeling very well. I've been thinking for a while now that it may be time to buy a new car rather than constantly having repairs done on this one.
So this weekend, while my car was in the shop getting some work done, a couple of friends of mine took me to a local car dealership to test drive a car.
I was kind of looking forward to it.
I had a guy there so that I wouldn't be treated like a little lady and I had a girlfriend there so we could talk about girl stuff while the guys were being all car-like. Alloy? Drive-train? Huh? How about some of that there free hot-chocolate? So yeah.
I hated it.
The dude who cornered us in the lot explained that he wasn't a car salesman but an access specialist who was there to empower me to make the best choice and that since their cars had no markup and there wasn't any negotiating to be done how much did I want to spend?
I didn't know if I should laugh at him or run away from him but I just hated the whole experience. I had to sign away my life to take a car for a drive. After I'd signed a contract in blood promising him my first born child he told me to remember that they closed at six. I looked at my watch and seeing as there was half an hour til six, I told him I'd be back in fifteen/twenty minutes. "Take your time" he drawled. Uh, dude? You just told me to be back at six. I can't "take my time" if I've only got half an hour. Make up your mind.
I don't know if this is the experience I'm going to encounter with all car salesmen... or... comfort specialists, or whatever they are, but I'd really rather they just came out and said "Hi. I want you to buy a car from me. I know you'll be spending lots of money and that's kind of scary so let's make it fun and easy. Help me make a sale and I'll help you get a good deal."
Telling someone that there is no sales pressure on a car sales lot... well, that just doesn't work. It's baloney. I've worked commission sales, I know how it all works.
So, yeah. I may just not bother with the whole new car thing. Maybe I'll win one instead. That'd be fun.
PS. "I'm-not-a-sales-dude" dude just called to check in! LOL
6 comments:
Try the internet car-buying thing. It could not be easier. Check out edmunds.com (etc.). There you can find the right car, find out about price, read some articles, get some quotes by email (I don't know about their coverage of BC but there must be something comparable). Also google car buying tips. Once you get some quotes by email you can negotiate against the various dealerships by email or phone.
Do the same thing with financing. Find out what your bank will give you and then see if the dealer can beat it. If you are armed with info and quotes its easy to get a good deal.
It sounds so simple but I just did it over the summer and I could not believe how well it worked out. Good Luck!
I don't know Ryan! lol I just know I didn't make it up : )
K! Thanks Cocoa!
(just as long as buying on the internet doesn't mean I have to drive an e-car!)
(heh, that was funnier in my head)
Maybe he was just over-eager? I went to a specialty cheese store once (only the once) and the lady behind the counter was like that about the parmesan I was buying....
LOL! That's SO funny dilling!
I love it. Parmesan sales lady, wheee!
Um, and he just called again. *rolls eyes*
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