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I hate to say it, but this kind of service is what drove me from mainstream brands altogether. * Wanted to buy a Ford Boss 302 Mustang. $43,000 MSRP car adver
by MrFoof 13y ago
I hate to say it, but this kind of service is what drove me from mainstream brands altogether.
* Wanted to buy a Ford Boss 302 Mustang. $43,000 MSRP car advertised as track-ready. Dealer said he wanted to mark up the car $25,000, and required that $25,000 as a deposit. I said for that kind of money I'd buy a Porsche Boxster S, and walked out. I found the experience similar at other dealerships.
* Got some calls the next year about the Boss 302. They were willing to sell them at MSRP. I can test drive it right? Nope. How about with a $20,000 refundable security deposit to show I have the cash -- can I drive it then? Nope. I told them I'm not buying a car that will see track duty unless I can drive it. Again, said I'd buy a Porsche.
* Went to Porsche dealerships. Interested in a Boxster S? Well, let's take out a Boxster first to see if that might be enough power, since it'd save you money. Not enough torque? Awesome, let's go wring the neck of a Boxster S _for an hour_. You like it? Fantastic. Hey, here's some free lunch. Not looking to purchase today? No problem, you come back in February when you have the down payment you want saved up and we'll get an order going for you. We'll mail you some goodies too.
Needless to say, dealer gets my deposit ($5K, same as it'd be for a 911 Turbo S) in February to start the order.
- sukuriant 13y agoDid it look like you have money and were you in a place where people that look like you have money? As an aside, the dealers with the higher echelon cars that I've been to, even just wandering around, seem to be more awesome people. I'm especially talking about audi (used), bmw (new and used), Lamborghini (new)). Even the Subaru dealer I went to with clear motive to just test drive was very polite. Direct, but polite, and that's all I could ask for.
- MrFoof 13y agoI wear boat shots, a nice pair of Levis and a nice polo. Same as I always wear. Audi and BMW have specifically treated me like a piece of crap every time I've stepped into their showroom (maybe three times each) for the past 15 years. Nowadays I don't set foot in either because they no longer sell cars I'm interested in (R8 a bit too dear for my budget).
- Kluny 13y agoI've worked at BMW, Mercedes, and Hyundai dealerships. BMWs are just straight up nicer to drive than Hyundais. People who work at dealerships bounce around from lot to lot pretty casually, and the people who love cars do their best to bounce onto lots that have good cars. Salesmen are out to make money either way, but if you go to a BMW lot, you're much more likely to find a guy who has earned a place at a high end dealership because he likes the cars. So he's not JUST going to be after your wallet.
- thoughtsimple 13y agoHappens at the lower end too. I was ready to buy a new car after 10 years with my previous car. I researched 2013 hybrids and decided on the Honda CR-Z. A 2 seater that has an available 6 speed manual transmission which was the big selling point for me. Call my local Honda dealer to find out if they have the 2013 6MT in stock. "No but we have a 2012." I'm not interested in the 2012 model because the 13s have a better battery and electric motor--more HP and torque on a fairly underpowered car. They have no interest in finding one or ordering it. I understand that it is a new model and they don't have anything in stock yet but a complete disinterest in working with a new customer can't be good for a business. I went online and a week or so later found the car that I was looking for though I had to drive 30 miles to get it. A month later the original dealer calls back to find out if I want to buy a car. Stupid approach to business.