My Take On Car Shopping - callmetaternuts's Blog

callmetaternuts's Blog

My Take On Car Shopping

Posted on December 8, 2008 at 08:56 AM.

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I HATE looking for new cars. Its a completely broken process. First as soon as you get there, the Velociraptors jump right on you after about 3 min of stalking. Seriously. you get out of your car. I usually wander over to what i want to see and all of the sudden, you see a salesman come outside and try to head you off. As you turn to take a different angle, you see another salesperson coming from the middle of the lot. Then, as you head towards the SUV/Trucks, you realize that they have been plotting this. They are funneling you right to the biggest chain smoker in the place who pounces on you before you know what happened........."Clever Girl"

Then you talk features, what you want, dont want etc. They upsell, you say no. They try to get you in for a test drive, you dont want one. Even if/when you settle on color/model/features, you test drive, they INSIST on blaring the music to say "see how that sounds?" Yes, i have ears, i know how music sounds.

The test drive is an awkward 5 minutes of them pressing every button to prove that there windows are power (whoopie), the sun roof opens, and that the air is colder than a snowmans nipple.

You get back to the lot, thankful that you can now get out of the car and get away from the human ashtray and you go to talk numbers. You know you start low because they start high. This proceeds to make everyone look like a complete douche. Trade-ins couldnt be much worse. Every scratch becomes a crater and bird poop becomes an irrepairable blemish.

And when you finally get close to numbers, they decide to screw you on financing, at which point you get up to walk out, they chase you down, and you start all over........Fun Times

Comments

# 1 nyisles16 @ Dec 8

ROFL - you nailed it right on the head. I had a recent experience going with my fiance to get her car. From the disinterested "looking at other things in the office" salesmen, to those just trying to get you to buy, the whole thing is hysterical. At one point, we went to a Hyundai dealer (in one of those "auto malls"). The guy had us there it seemed forever, going back and forth to his "sales manager", each time coming back with an offer. It got to the point where the sales manager came over himself and kept throwing in free service for the car, and some $300 gas cards. In the end, my fiance settled on a Honda Accord from a dealer basically the whole family has used at some point in our lives. Not pushy at any means, and very helpful and respectful.

I think the trend is going to get worse with the auto makers and car dealerships worrying about how they will survive the economic mess.