The Sales Process of Buying a Car is the Worst!

"Tripper" (tripe46)
06/27/2019 at 11:40 • Filed to: None

If I buy an Alltrack, it will be the 16th road legal vehicle that I have purchased in my 18 years of being a licensed driver. Out of all of those, I have had one halfway decent experience ironically enough at the same dealer that I am working with now.

I tell the salesman that I want to buy the Alltrack they have, he says it’s sold but more are coming in. One is green/brown, but he would let me know when the first one arrives so I can drive on even if it’s not the one I’m going to buy.

I get several other emails asking how I plan to pay, if I have a trade, etc... I tell him. Then he sends another saying he “has a few other ideas he’d like to share with me, and would I be available by phone.” I don’t respond.

He sends another email, “we have one here but it is sold an therefore unable to be driven. I will have two more for in the next few days for you to check out ”

I say “ok, is one of those two green/brown, or is that the one that was sold?”

I receive a separate email in response not addressing my question:

“w e have had a lot of recent interest on the Golf Alltrack you are looking at. What information do you still need before getting together at the dealership? I want to make sure you have a chance to see it before someone else purchases it.”

I said, “ I need to know that you have a manual A lltrack that I can drive and a green/brown one for me to consider buying either on site or on the way”

I get it dude, you don’ t have the car for whatever reason you’re trying to do whatever you can to get me down there and sell me something on the lot. I would have a lot more respect for the guy if he just said he didn’t have it. I told the guy I can wait for the perfect one.

The car sales process is such a sleazy, pushy, bullshit fest. Why can communication be good and why does it have to take 5 fucking hours in the dealer to buy a car. I settled on my house faster than I have bought most cars.

I know the deal, how the sales guy goes back to his manager, and they make me wait, then they bring the number down a little bit, just trying to wear you down. I hate it.

Just say you don’t have it! Why is it so hard? I was so excited to buy a car, and just that fast I’m over it. All the guy had to do was communicate.

/Rant over

If you haven’t listened, “129 Cars” is an excellent podcast.

DISCUSSION (38)

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 11:45

Same shit, different email addresses . Every single time, without fail.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 11:52

The last several cars I’ve bought, I’ve negotiated everything over email, shown up and signed the papers with very little drama. All were bought out of state, fwiw (2 in Dallas, 1 outside of KC, 1 in Arkansas) . A local dealer lost a sale to me on my last purchase over $500 (and because the salesman 4 hours away was so much more easy to work with during negotiations).

TheRealBicycleBuck > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/27/2019 at 11:56

My WRX was purchased this way. They still insisted on the opportunity to beat my financing rate. They couldn’t. After that, it was signatures and driving it home!

gmctavish needs more space > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 11:56

I’m currently having my first car sales experience, trying to buy a truck for my work. They have exactly what I’m looking for listed on their website, but he said “Oh that one’s sold”. I’m looking for a weird spec of truck, he said he’d see if he could get one in, and he’d call me back the next day. Never got a call back, so I called the day after. “Oh yeah we don’t have any like that” ........so you just didn’t call? What about your other location, their inventory lists one too? “Oh that one is also sold, but I’ll talk to my guy who brings the used inventory in, he thinks he has one like you’re looking for, I’ll call you tomorrow”

Never called, so I called him the next day, didn’t answer, I left a message. We’ll see if he calls back today. If not, I’m just going to the dealer that seems to have one that’s “sold” but still showing in their inventory, and maybe they’ll have another salesman that actually wants a sale. Mind boggling.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 11:57

That podcast episode was fantastic.

No way I could live that life.

jimz > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 12:00

franchise laws protect dealerships quite extensively, to the point they’re like the SNL skit from the ‘70s/’80s (prior to AT&T being broken up .) “We don’t care. We don’t have to. We’re the phone company !”

hell, I work for a car company and I still have to go through a dealer if I want to buy any of my company’s products. yes, I get a no-haggle price but I still get run through the F&I gauntlet. it’s a bit silly when they try to push the extended warranty.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 12:02

I have been super lucky in that the salesperson I have been talking with at the Toyota dealer has been great to work with. I went in on a whim with full disclosure that I was in no position to pull the trigger on anything and he has been more than happy to work with me on my timeline to get me the car I want. Never tried to push me towards different trims, options, or colors, and wants me to call when I know the date I want to make the purchase and then he is going to find me the configuration I want.

That said I totally get the dealers suck thing. When your paychecks are based on commisions you end up more focused on making sales than happy customers. It took my dad 30 years before he bought 2 cars from the same dealership. Took him that long before finding someone who doesn’t give you the run-around. We’ve now bought 4 cars from that dealer and salesperson with plans to buy a 5th when my Mom’s lease ends in the fall.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > TheRealBicycleBuck
06/27/2019 at 12:02

Mrs. addiction and I made a bad decision on our first car purchase as a married couple. She needed something better, badly, and we knew what we wanted. In hindsight, we shouldn’t have bought new, we should have negotiated a better price, and we should have found a better loan. Regardless, it was a good car for us and sh e drove it 7 years.

Since then, I’ve been much, much smarter with my purchases, and I actually enjoy the hunt and the game. I think I could be very happy working with Automatch Tom.

nermal > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 12:03

This varies drastically depending on the type of dealership.

A domestic brand will generally give you the most BS. Followed by lower end imports. Luxury imports are generally the best experience. Go shopping at a Porsche store and contrast the experience, they are almost all amazing.

It’s nearing the end of the month. The person you are talking to is probably getting a regular reaming from their manager about the importance of meeting end-of-month numbers. They are trying everything that they can do in order to sell something in the next 3 days.

The alternative to playing stupid dealer games is to look at a “premium” or online used car from someplace like Carvana or Carmax, or just buy a Tesla.

A lot of it is regional as well. DC / FL / CA / Las Vegas are generally the worst places.

Svend > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 12:04

We’ve several ways to buy a car here.

O ne being that you can see what other cars they have in the inventory at other locations or go to the manufacturers webs ite and see what they have on inventory nation wide.

My best buying experience is rolling up to the dealership, sitting down with a sales assistant, telling them what I want, looking at numbers, getting a discount (about 19% off MSRP), sign and photocopy documents, put down a deposit and then leave. All in 30 minutes from entering the building.

Chariotoflove > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 12:10

I think the culture at many dealerships forces salesmen into behavior even they don’t like. That’s why turn over is traditionally so high.

gettingoldercarguy > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 12:14

Test drive one, then get Tom McParland to find your perfect one at a great price. Best 500 you'll spend bypassing that bullshit.

Textured Soy Protein > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 12:21

Yup , yup , yup , yup .

E90M3 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/27/2019 at 12:34

When you don’t have to make a move immediately , the hunt can be fun. My favorite is actually to car shop for others who know exactly what they want.

E90M3 > nermal
06/27/2019 at 12:34

Porsche dealers have been nothing other than pleasurable to visit.

412GTI > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 12:44

Ugh. As someone who previously sold and is still loosely involved in the industry, it’s frustrating to hear. Internet departments are only good when they are properly trained can actually answer your question. This dealer doesn’t seem like it has that. I truly hope this changes with places like Carvana popping up.

No haggle dealerships are funny, because people always say they don’t want to deal with negotiating, yet are rarely happy with the no haggle price.

smobgirl > nermal
06/27/2019 at 12:45

I hated the Jeep/Chrysler dealer I bought my Abarth from, but there’s another dealer here who sells pretty high end stuff (Mclaren/Maserati/Alfa/Infiniti...and Fiat) and they were an absolute dream for maintenance, etc. It really is amazing.

Tripper > nermal
06/27/2019 at 13:06

I’ve had great experiences at both Porsche and Audi dealers. Even a few of those “used euro” dealers have been good. BMW, Subaru, Nissan, Mini, Ford, Cadillac, Volvo for fucks sake, all trash. BMW and Subaru have been by far my worst.

Tripper > 412GTI
06/27/2019 at 13:26

This is after they just sold my mother a car. During the process my Father lobbed the guy my sale on the Alltrack that they had currently but sold . His follow up has been terrible.

I found three others at nearby dealers, but I think I’m just over the whole thing now, this has sucked all the fun out of it. I mean it’s not a special car, this was supposed to be easy. I f he had said from the beginning “come down and see if you like how it drives, and I will go and find you a green one” I would have said, “ok!” and been excited about it.

Now I feel further away from a purchase then when I started.

Anyway, I totally agree about the no haggle pricing. For me it’s mental, if Carvana had normal car prices and charged for the service of delivering it etc. I could stomach it, but when its the whole price of the car that is more I feel the same way you described haha. Either way I can honestly say that I would pay in the neighborhood of $1,000 maybe more to buy a “new” car without speaking to a person.

Tripper > gettingoldercarguy
06/27/2019 at 13:26

Yea!? He do that for real?

Tripper > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/27/2019 at 13:33

Really entertaining! I wish there were more like it or they just continued to follow those guys.

Tripper > Textured Soy Protein
06/27/2019 at 13:34

Why does it have to be like that? Shit like that reminds me of the ladies at work that don’t want to do anything different because “that’s the way we’ve always done it!? Make progress ya fucks

Ash78, voting early and often > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 13:36

I’m doing this right now...in fact, I just requested a regional transfer of a 2017 model (SEL, loaded, 55k miles) so I could take a look at it via Carmax. The car is about $1,000 overpriced, but I don’t sweat that if the process goes smoother than dealing with VW.

But I want to wait until I have a bird in hand before I go to the dealer. The leverage will be “I’ve been doing business with your service department for 15 years , want to sell me a car for the first time ? I have 2 days left on my Hold at Carmax, let’s do this.”

Ideally what I want is a brand new S model for $26-$27k (full warranty and all that) . I want to test a manual, but they’re all DSG so far ...which I’ll probably do just for easy carswapping with the fam.

functionoverfashion > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 13:39

The shop where we’ve bought most of our cars (and my parents have, too) closed up when the owner retired, and I’m so sad. The sales process for my blue wagon was like this:

“Hey I see you have a blue E46 wagon in.”

“Yeah, it’s just going through the shop now, needs a bit of work but it’s in nice condition.”

“Great, you can mark it as sold.”

“Cool , when do you want to pick it up? Or we can just drop it off at your house and do paperwork there...”

Every car I’ve bought there has been like that. They let us take the car for several days if we want, “just bring it back whenever” and then make it super easy to get the paperwork done.

I’m going to miss them.

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 13:48

Literally that’s his entire job. Aside from posting useful advice posts about car sales on FP

Tripper > functionoverfashion
06/27/2019 at 13:48

I bought one from an inde BMW dealer that was like that, those are the best! A lot of the BS I totally get when it’s a used car or a special car. This is brand new and they’re a dime/dozen, “just take my money, guy!”

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 13:49

Can’t believe a dealer would give them that much access.

gettingoldercarguy > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 13:51

Yeah, he's great. Got me a helluva deal on my wrx here in the PNW which is unheard of.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > E90M3
06/27/2019 at 13:55

Oh, yeah. Never buy a car when you need a car! Easier said than done, of course.

E90M3 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/27/2019 at 14:10

Knock on wood, but every time I’ve bought a car, I’ve had one that was already paid for.

I always wanted to buy a car long distance and road trip it home, thanks to ORLG, I got to do that without having to buy the car!

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 14:35

I’ve had a similar experience. Last Friday, I test drove an Infiniti EX35. Great little wagon, but the salesman is driving me insane. He’s texted me every day, asking what he can to get me to pick it up. And everyday my answer has been the same: drop the price by $1000 and give me 2 weeks to get my check and sell my car. And yet he still asks everyday if I can pick it up that day, knowing full well I live 2 hours away. Only reason I haven’t blocked him yet is because the car was in great shape and so far he’s talked himself down to $1500 under book, which is impressive for a $6000 car at an Acura dealer.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 14:43

This is why I only lasted 10 months as a car salesman. I’m just not that pushy, I enjoy being honest with people, and is someone tells me to shut to and leave her alone I actually do.

These are not the qualities of a successful salesmen.

An interesting note this is that every single salesmen I worked with has left that dealership in the 5 years I’ve been gone. It was bad when I was there and apparently it only got worse. The biggest problem was management 2 guys who had been in the car business for 35 years, but they worked in Minneapolis, and thought they were the hottest shit to hit this town in years. Problem is small towns don’t work the same as major cities you can’t screw people over repeatedly and get away with it.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > functionoverfashion
06/27/2019 at 14:47

The place I bought my e90 was pretty similar. Took it for a test drive, showed my wife, calls the next day and said “hey if you can take 10k for it we’ve got a deal.” (He was asking 11 but borrowing over 11,000 for it bumped my interest rate up from 3.0 to 4.5!)

Picked it up the next day. Even came back a week later saying It needed front brakes and he took care of that in two days. Ive told several people to buy from him if they are shopping used

functionoverfashion > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
06/27/2019 at 15:00

Fantastic. Actually with the E46 they addressed a ton of stuff but after I picked it up, I noticed a few more things. I had sold my other E46 so maybe they rushed a little (?) but they took it back and did another $1,700 worth of work - some on my list plus some not - all at no charge to me

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 15:12

I’ve had good results with Lexus dealerships. They are used to dealing with cranky old people with silly demands and keeping a nice face on.

Acura dealerships were fine, Honda dealerships were fine, and I can’t say enough good things about Avondale Toyota although their model is no-haggle, slightly higher price. But they will deliver the car to you for free... sometimes 300 miles.

Autonation dealers have been ok.

Carmax dealers seem aggressive about car shopping while they appraise.

#moreanecdotes

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > functionoverfashion
06/27/2019 at 15:14

Wow now that’s service

Tripper > VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely
06/27/2019 at 15:18

I wish I liked a Lexus! I helped a buddy buy a 16 IS350 that he has been thrilled with. I drove it and like it, but I like pretty things I don’t find any of them pretty.

I am sort of kicking around Toyota LCs and their Lex equivalents

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > Tripper
06/27/2019 at 15:20

Many people do not like the external grille situation. My best friend was a Lexus/Toyota diehard for about a decade and a half, but now he’s shopping other makes instead due to the latest design revisions.