Car Buying - What Made your Experience Great? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Car Buying - What Made your Experience Great?

TF3N

TF3N

Well-known member
Hey Guys/Gals,

I read an interesting thread on a Corvette Forum I frequent & thought I'd give it a shot here, where the feedback is more local.

There have been a few threads posted here, as of late, dealing with poor dealership experiences. I'd really like to hear about the great experiences, and what made them stand out.

Lets try to keep the negatives out of here (tall order for GTAM, I know :p) Also, I'm guessing the Mods won't appreciate the posting of business names, etc (for obvious reasons)

Let's hear what you got, I'd really appreciate hearing it.


Full disclosure: I'm a manager at a car dealership in the GTA, I'll keep the name/brand off the forum to avoid any conflicts.
 
I've never had a good experience, but I do have a fantasy :)

1. Sales person knows more about the cars they're selling than I do.
2. Test drive highlights all the positives the car has compared to competition.
3. Sales person is upfront about the compromises made to the car, I.e. space power etc.
4. None of my time is wasted with bs sales tactics where trying to convince me to buy something I don't want.
5. Upon delivery I am shown every little detail to help me customize the behavior of the car to my needs.
6. The ultimate would be if the car has the option to disable all aids including ABS without having to bypass fuses.
 
It really comes down the the sales person. If they come across as their just there to sell cars and try to make money at any cost I view them as a typical sleazy salesman. When the salesperson clearly wants to see you in a vehicle from them because they care about the brand and truly believe its the best fit for you it makes the experience a positive one.

I've had two positive experiences with sales people at dealerships directly.

1. Eric Diosay @ Downtown Subaru. You could tell he enjoyed working for the dealer and was passionate about owning Subaru's as well. He was honest and straight forward about everything related to the vehicle. Their service department well that's another story...

2. Mitch Summers @ Orillia Volkswagen. He was an acquaintance and now actually a good friend. Same sort of sales tactics as Eric laid back but clearly passionate about the brand and vehicles he is selling. Not pushy but informative and that is the key.
 
Actually meeting a honest person. Rare breed these days.
 
Tell your salespeople to never say, "I want to earn your business".

People shopping for cars often go to more than one dealership. The second (and third and seventh time) they hear that line it tends to lose its sincerity.

Other lines, "I don't know if we can go that low, let me talk to the sales manager".

Everyone knows you're just shooting the sh** in there. You sell how many of the same vehicles day in and day out and you still have to "consult" on every single sale on price? Exactly what has changed since yesterday?

Treat the consumer with a bit more respect for their intelligence and they'll have a better experience.
 
I think honesty is key here, people feel it and appreciate it.

Lightcycle said:
Everyone knows you're just shooting the sh** in there. You sell how many of the same vehicles day in and day out and you still have to "consult" on every single sale on price? Exactly what has changed since yesterday?

Treat the consumer with a bit more respect for their intelligence and they'll have a better experience.
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On a new car, you are absolutely correct. There's really no need to talk to anyone if you are selling the same car/brand every day. It can be used a sales tactic to grab the customer's attention to try and bring them closer and closer to reality. On a used car it's quite different. You don't know how much profit the company is making therefore you have no idea how much you can discount. So it's not always a BS statement. 100% agree on your second point.
 
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If a salesperson can't grasp the basics, he won't be around too long. Specific past examples of great service you've received would be awesome.

When I was searching for my last car, I was looking for a pre-owned, manual BMW 3 series. I was a franchise manager for Apple at the time. Being young, and driving an old Mazda Protege 5, I didn't encounter many enthusiastic sales people - some were reluctant to even let me test drive the damn vehicle! (The cars I was looking at were all under $20,000)

Through my online searching, I found a beautiful, one owner vehicle on a used car lot in Burlington. I showed up on a weekday afternoon. The sales guy approached me, asked what I was looking for, and without skipping a beat said something along the lines of "if you think the Mazda is fun to drive, wait till you check out this Bimmer". He gave me a quick shpeel on what set this particular vehicle apart from the rest, pointed out features relative to my needs/wants and sent me off, alone(as per my request), on a test drive. When I got back we had a quick chat, and I was on my way. No pressure, he knew I had to make my own decision.

I called him up later in the day and told him I'd like to buy the car and we agreed on a fair price. The next day I went back to leave my deposit, etc.

It was a great experience all around. He connected the dots that I enjoy driving engaging vehicles, treated me with respect, and let me make my own decision, providing all the assistance I needed. He earned my business.

Edit: One of the conditions of the purchase was allowing a third-party mechanical inspection. There was no push-back on this, in fact they encouraged me to take the car for the whole afternoon to ensure I loved it(They already had my $1000 deposit)
 
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Where did you buy?

I bought my car at good fellows auto.

Most sales men were ***** but I seemed to get a good one. No pressure, answered all questions without hesitation if he had to look it up. ( car just received)

The owner pointed out somethings he didn't like about the car (a few scuffs on the rear QP) and insisted I waited until he was satisfied with them buffing it out.

But it was the finance lady that mostly helped me. As a part business owner its sometimes hard to get decent credit, and I never built any before that. She pulled some strings and made sure I was financed at a decent rate.

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk
 
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Mina said:
On a new car, you are absolutely correct. There's really no need to talk to anyone if you are selling the same car/brand every day. It can be used a sales tactic to grab the customer's attention to try and bring them closer and closer to reality. On a used car it's quite different. You don't know how much profit the company is making therefore you have no idea how much you can discount. So it's not always a BS statement.
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I am talking about new cars, and I know why they do it.

The sales guy has to remain likeable, so they play good cop, bad cop. "Sorry man, my sales manager is a real harda**. I'd love to sell you the car at that price, but he says the lowest we can go is $xxx..."

It's a stupid strategy when you're surrounded by the same models that you sell every single day. Just tell me straight up the price is too low instead of insulting my intelligence and lying to me.
 
Personally, I like the Tesla direct-to-consumer business model. I don't really see a need for traditional dealerships anymore.

Tesla sets up viewing galleries and authorized service centres, check out the car you like, and buy it online.

No BS, and no need for a middle man, and silly pricing games, back and forth shuffling to the "sales managers" office to approve the deal.

Its a business model that is working exceptionally well for Tesla and I wish other automakers would adopt.

Too make it relevant to the thread topic....this would make my car buying experience "great".
 
Cant say I have ever had a great experience when BUYING a car. But, what does make a salesperson stand out for me is the follow up. If he/she takes the time to call me a week or two after I take possession (just to see how I like the car, any issues, anything he/she can do for me) they will be the one I go back to the next time. There is one guy that calls me every few years to let me know of any deals he has coming up. I like that.
 
When I bought the evo. The sales guy was a young 'car guy'. It was the morning of his first day on the job. He was the only available guy that didn't approach and/or was lurking. He was setting up his desk and I noticed he had a nice hand drawn picture of an evo hanging behind him. I approached him. I was his first contact. Lots of real knowledge about the car and no sales pitch whatsoever... The test drive was a blast!
What made that a great experience was dealing with a guy that wasn't a salesman.
 
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mine was a bike but here was my experience.

Saw bike on line, sent an email asking for out the door price. Was given all the proper info with no BS charges or hassle. After a few more questions by email I called we talked a bit (with no pressure or BS sales tactics) and I left a deposit on credit card. Paper work was sent to me and returned by Purolator. Met sales person for the first time when picking up the bike. The Dealer was Sturgis in Hamilton.

My next car will be purchased through Costco or a buying service. I have no use for a car dealer, the sales people, the sales manager, the rust proofing manager, paint protection manager, scotchgarding manager or the finance manager.
 
When I was shopping for my car, I've had most of the dealerships asking for my credit card even though we haven't worked out a price. Excuse me?? Why would I give you my credit card?
 
As a younger guy with savings I had 2 polar opposite experiences.

Walked into a Subaru dealership just north of Yonge/Finch.

- Asked to book a test drive for the WRX and WRX STi
- Got lectured by the salesperson (in horrible broken english) about wasting his time.
- Asked to speak to the GM.
- Waited 1 hour to speak to GM.
- Was told by GM (in perfect english) that I was wasting their time and should leave before they "remove me".

Thornhill Mitsubishi (later Markham Mitsubishi, now with new staff and awful but I digress)

- Walked in asking to test drive the Ralliart and Evo X (didn't say a word about my previous experience).
- Asked what days were good for me (in horrible broken english) as they don't keep demo models of either on hand.
- Test drove both vehicles on the agreed upon day! At the agreed upon time! Only caveat was they wouldn't let me use the stick GSR, I had to use the upgraded MR.
- Was allowed to take out the Ralliart again after using the Evo.
- Spoke to the Financial Officer, Service Manager and GM that day (great people all around)
- Finalized the sale and delivery date of my used Evo X GSR. Yes, all this and they knew I wanted a used model.
- Faxed bill of sale and note to the aforementioned Subaru dealership.
 
Car salesmen are like real estate or travel agents. Thanks to the internet you don't really need them any more. That being said, a good salesman or agent will offer you a vauled service. They need to know their product inside and out, know how it stacks up against the competition. Mostly they need to more then just hear what the customer is saying, they need to actually listen and then give informed advice. An after sale follow up call is part of that service that a good salesman will provide. It shows the salesman might actually care about the customer.

I worked for years in dealerships, and far to often I would see a salesman selling a customer the car they want to sell, not the car the customer wants or needs.

In the last could of years I've bought a few new Sprinters for my business. The sales experience for these is a joke. The MB dealers have zero idea of what makes a commercial vehicle different then a private individual. They also really don't seem to care. They know they are the only ones in the market with a van of that size and it really shows. Went in to buy one at one dealer a couple of years ago and they did not want to order one for me, only sell me one off the lot. I don't want what you have on the lot. My vans are are pretty specifically optioned for my specific purpose, and anything the had on the lot would not work for the application, but the salesman woulden't hear any of it. I walked out, and never heard from them again.

The dealer I ended up buying from was also clueless but at least the salesman was willing to work with me. He played the let me go talk to the manager about that crap with me. I told him when he came back i'd already be halfway to the next dealer. He laughed and went to go talk to the manager. I left. Got a phone call 30 mins later and was told van would be on order for the price i wanted if i would come back. Never any manager business after that. Salesman was always good. Nice guy, never any pressure and he always talked to me, not at me.

Every time I go into that dealer for parts or service he comes over asks how i am, how are the van's, can he offer any help.. so on and so forth. It's just good customer service. The over all sales experience has been very good at this dealer. It's a shame the service department is so incompetent. I like the sales, but service is the reason i'll never go back. If that salesman goes to another dealer i'll buy from him there, if not there's a new Transit or a god awful Promaster in my future.
 
Torren said:
Car salesmen are like real estate or travel agents. Thanks to the internet you don't really need them any more........................................................ if not there's a new Transit or a god awful Promaster in my future.
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True..... direct to consumer is the way to go as per Tesla sales model mentioned earlier.


The new full size Transit looks reeeeeal good. Should be released soon. I'm not a fan of the MB experience, parts and service are more expensive because its a merc, and when you check few year old sprinters, they seem really prone to rust. This worries me. The ProMaster is just a fugly rebadged Fiat Ducato with the atrocious build quality and overall engineering related to Fiat and Chrysler products. Talk about double whammy punishment. Only the clueless would buy one of these.
 
SunnY S said:
True..... direct to consumer is the way to go as per Tesla sales model mentioned earlier.


The new full size Transit looks reeeeeal good. Should be released soon. I'm not a fan of the MB experience, parts and service are more expensive because its a merc, and when you check few year old sprinters, they seem really prone to rust. This worries me. The ProMaster is just a fugly rebadged Fiat Ducato with the atrocious build quality and overall engineering related to Fiat and Chrysler products. Talk about double whammy punishment. Only the clueless would buy one of these.
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The parts pricing at MB for my Sprinters I find to be pretty good over all with some exceptions. The service pricing is outrageous. One of my guys took out a turkey on a back road last year. Smashed the grill on a '10. List price for the grill at MB? $68. At first I thought that was just the emblem.

My Sprinters do rust and have very poor paint. They dropped the ball big time with that, but I only keep them 4 years max so it's not a big deal for me, but irritating none the less. I don't like the Promaster at all but it's almost half the price of the Sprinter. With the extra 20g's in my pocket I can drink away the ugly. Durability is a question for sure.

The new Transit is a straight up Sprinter clone. It almost looks the same. Who knows when it will actually be out for sales. It was susposed to be last fall, now they say this summer, maybe fall. The major downside to the Transit is that it's a Ford. Ford has not made a vehicle worth driving or owning in the last 20 years. The pickups are the worst driving of all of them, and seeing as how the Transit is going to be sharing a lot of components of the pickups I'm afraid it will drive just as poorly. Im also unsure of the pricing point. In order for me to consider it, it will have to be very close to the Promaster.
 
Torren said:
The major downside to the Transit is that it's a Ford. Ford has not made a vehicle worth driving or owning in the last 20 years. The pickups are the worst driving of all of them, and seeing as how the Transit is going to be sharing a lot of components of the pickups I'm afraid it will drive just as poorly. Im also unsure of the pricing point. .
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Appreciate your thoughts from someone who appears to have a good knowledge and experience.

I'm very sure the Ford Transit is designed by the European arm of Ford. Has nothing to do with Ford pick ups and parts, I believe. They've been making the Transit for years, and are now bringing it stateside as the incredibly outdated Econoline series is gracefully being put out to pasture.

I'll have to disagree with you respectfully, I believe Ford has a very strong portfolio of vehicles in cars and trucks. Of all the US based automakers, they are the only one I would give my money too. It helps that the gov't didn't have to bail them out either, so they must be doing something right. The new aluminum 2015 F150s will set an industry standard and its nice to see that Ford thought "outside of the box" when designing this model.

We have a fleet of Econolines, and they hold up real well except for the fact that they guzzle gas.

Ford.ca is showing the Transit series on their website, so it should be arriving soon. http://www.ford.ca/commercial-trucks/transit/

Can't make a final analysis on the Ford Transit until I see what we get for power options, fuel mileage, and pricing, so I won't give my verdict yet. But from everything I've seen so far, I think it will give the Sprinter a run for the money. I won't even look at a promaster.
 
Didn't buy a car from them, but I like how Haldimand Motors does business. They're a big volume used car dealership... you walk in, tell them which cars you wanna check out, and they hand you the keys. No sales people talk to you unless you request it. You can take your time with the car and take it for a drive on your own. Nobody is watching you or pestering you... it's the definition of no-hassle car sales. The posted price is the price, there's no haggling.
 
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