I'm starting to feel sorry for my car salesmen

I'm in the middle of the process of purchasing a new car.

I went through True Car and got a couple of quotes. One was better than the rest, so I told Car person #1 and #2 that their offer wasn't good enough.

Car Person #1 said "Let me try to beat it." And he did. So I had to tell the other salesman that I got a better offer (with free maintenance) and now he's "gonna try.....otherwise we'll just shake hands as friends."

I'm feeling guilty and bad for them.

All I've ever heard is car salesmen have no heart and no soul .... so I shouldn't feel bad .... but I do.

 

They'll still get a flat and a unit towards EOM goals. They still get theirs regardless and you'll still lose considerable value the minute you drive off the lot, so who feels bad for whom?

Nick

 

NEVER EVER FEEL BAD FOR CAR SALESMEN!!!

I work in Accounts in a Car Dealership and trust me they have no scruples whatsoever lol.

Take the better deal and move on mate as Car Person #2 most certainly already has(after cursing you to the grave).

 

I worked at a dealership for quite a while through college.. same with any business or industry there are great salesmen and then there are crappy ones that i wouldn't buy a candy bar from.
Sounds like your salesmen are pretty good though so good job finding them!
They make money on used cars not new. So if your not trading in a used one for him to make money on in the future then i suppose you can be a little sad lol.

 

Actually, I do have a car to trade in that's 10 years old. My offers have gone from $6000 to $8000. I don't think I could get $8000 trading it privately, and I don't want the hassle.

 

It's nature of sales. Make them earn your business.

 

My high school classmate is a car salesman. He usually gives me a great deal on cars and usually takes off his commission. I bought my last 2 cars from him over the past 10 years (one previous car I ran into the ground and for a 15 year old car he still gave me a trade in discount of $1000).

He is pretty much a straight shooter and doesn't haggle much, doesn't push for extras but will give me the costs if I ask him on extended warranties, spoilers, etc. He usually just gives me one price but sometimes cuts down some other costs if he can. Of course he works for Lexus so they don't give you the run around like you find with some other (Ford, Nissan, Honda, etc.) dealers. I tried to give him some $$ to tip him but he refused it so I mailed him a thank you card with $300 in it, told him to take his wife out to a nice dinner with the money. I usually steer my friends (that want Lexus' or even used cars in the Lexus lot) over to him to give him the added business.

He is a nice guy and isn't in the business to jack up prices or add costs just so he can make more money off you. He was one of the top salesmen for a few years running so guess he was doing a good job as a car salesman so didn't have to soak the customer for every penny.

 

People like honesty.

 

I have a car salesman that I like and that I trust, I have bought my last 3 cars from him. He doesn't play games and gives a fair price upfront. The last time I got a car from him I knew exactly what I wanted and went to see him. He gave me an out the door price, including my trade in, of $30,200 (or something like that, I don't remember the exact number). I told him I was going to another Acura dealer to see what they could do. He said "sure I don't blame you but if they do beat my price, and I doubt they will, please come back and see me because I don't want to lose the sale". I went to dealer #2, told him the price I got from dealer #1, he told me "we are done talking, go back to #1 and take his deal, I can't come close to his number". Both similar size dealers about 15 miles apart. I went back to #1 and told him what #2 told me and asked him if he could do it for an even $30,000. He said sure and I picked up the car the next day.

This is the same place that twice talked me into NOT giving them business. I went in for an oil change one time and they told me I needed new tires. I asked if they could do it for me. I should point out that I know pretty much nothing about cars. He said "sure I COULD put new tires on for you but you can get the same tires for about half the price from the Goodyear place down the street."

Another time there was a rattle or something I asked them to check out when they were doing the oil. They told me what it was, that is was going to be about $1,000 to fix it and that it was not a safety issue. The guy that I was talking with told me that unless it was really bothering me (it wasn't) that if it was his car he wouldn't bother.

I really trust these guys and will likely be going back to them for a new car next year.

 

I recently had a great car buying experience. We went to our local Lexus dealership where I purchased my last two cars and didn't think we were getting a very good price on the new car or on my trade in. DH called the closest dealership (2 hours away) explained his concerns with the price and asked for a quote over the phone. The deal they quoted was $5000 less! We told them to hold the car and we'd drive up the next night to get it. I was sure that when we got there the numbers would change and it would turn into the typical awful car buying experience. Nope. We drove up, signed the papers, wrote a check for what they quoted and left within an hour with the new car. I'm still stunned by how well it was handled. I even got a follow up call today to see if I had any questions about the car's features. The guy spent a good amount of time on the phone with me re-explaining every thing he'd already explained at the dealership. I'll definitely buy from them again.

 

Last year saw a car I liked on the local Toyota dealer webesite...Just stopped in before work one saturday to ask what they would give me for my trade -in..
Ok the salesman has someone drive it around maybe to the repair dept.They come back with a quote of $6000...Forget the KBB # on it,but it was super low-mileage for a 6 year old car..
I told the salesman ok thanks gotta get to work... as I am getting in my car (He followed me outside) says if we get the deal done today I can do $7000 for the trade-in..But I say no have to got to work,maybe see you tomorrow..

Go back the next day,test drive the new car and I want it..But trade-in 24hrs later was back to $6000 and not $7000..I ask why and he says they thought it was Auto tranny and the the Manual it is....Cmon Man..someone had to DRIVE that car the day before..Just a lie...
So I like the new car that much and say F it.... a few days later on the website I see my old car listed for $12000 or $13000...Could not believe the markup and all that was replaced was 2 tires and and air filter...
Salesman calls me a couple days later asking how I liked the car...He ended up hanging up on me after I told him how pissed I was..haha..

(Germain Toyota,Naples Fl)

 

As someone that has worked in a dealership for 18 years I find the replies on here interesting and quite funny. I have done everything from selling, finance, and now I manage a dealership. Someone said earlier that the dealerships don't make much money on the new car sales. That is true there is not a large mark up on new vehicle sales with most manufactures. Also the competition is so strong in new cars most dealers now will advertise their lowest price upfront right away. Just think, you can jump on your phone and in two minutes get the price on the car you are looking for at every dealer within 300 miles from you, and most of those dealers will deliver for free. So as a dealer we must be competitive or we don't even get a chance these days. In no way am I telling you to pay more than you should but I will say this, if there is a sales person that you enjoy talking too, is knowledgeable, does what they say they are going to do, and treats you fair. Is it worth beating them up over a few hundred dollars or so. That money you saved was probably the little bit of markup they have on the deal. So now they are stuck with a mini that they probably get paid $100-$150 to sell that car. The national average for salespeople is eight car sales per month. So if you have 5-7 minis it can be a tough month. Now as far as used cars the national average gross is $1600 per unit. Just because they take it in for 8k and then put it on the lot for 13k they don't just magically make 5k on that deal. They send the car to the shop for an inspection. Most cars have something that needs to be addressed. Even if you think your cars perfect it still probably needs something. Then it goes to the detail department to be thoroughly cleaned. After that it goes to the body shop too get touch and buff and any body issues addressed. It amazes me that when someone's trading in a car and it has a body blemish it's never a big deal. But if there buying one it better be spotless. All of those things cost money. At my dealership if a car is perfect and doesn't need any service work or extra body work it cost $1600 to get a car lot ready at minimum. It amazes me that somepeople don't complain that there is markup on everything we purchase in life. But god forbid if any car salesman make any money on me ever. I only put this out here to give you the other side of the story. As far as feeling bad I'm guessing you may be feeling bad because you probably know that's the salesperson you really want to work with because you either enjoy working with them or they treat you well. I say use that intuitive instinct do what your guts telling you. I hope you enjoy your new car

 

It's always funny when people start dividing expenses for a dealership to figure out costs per car. You're going to paying these people even if you sell no cars, if you only sell one car it doesn't mean it cost 100k to get it ready. Now it costs a lot to run a dealership, and you need to make money(a lot of money), the best way to do that is to be honest, and not pretend that a used car that comes in perfect cost $1600 to "get ready".

Car salesman are not the enemy...but they are certainly not your friends. A friend deal means he thinks you're not stupid, nothing more.

 

It isn't calculated that way. It is avg per car. As a guy who was a fleet manager at a Lexus dealership moving well over 450 new and used units a year for 16 years (also managed) I can tell you the avg "Recon" (reconditioning) of each pre owned car was 3400 (for lexus). That number had nothing to do with taking in one car or two hundred. Each car must be certified, nine out of ten times paint the bumpers, new tires, servicing, detailing, fix dings, repair curbed wheels (not tires) and so on. Between certification, tires, dings, detailing and bumpers which is done to 90% of the cars you already have 3400. In other words there are fixed cost. Yes some of the trades are the minimum to go through recon which is 2500 ish (lexus) but those are few and far between. Sure, a non lexus which isn't certified is much less and that's what brings the avg to 3400. If it were only lexus the cost would be much higher. And yes, the dealership is paying itself for the most part for recon but really doesn't matter unfortunately. It still cost the sales department 3400. It is also true a dealership will take a trade in for 6000 put 1500 into it and ask retail which might be 14k or whatever depending on the car. That is called a suggested asking price. They can ask 25k but that doesn't mean they will get it. That car is worth as much as someone will pay for it. Realistically they will take anything over 7500. But what about the car they take in for 6000, put 1500 into it and ask retail which is 8000. That is more the norm. Golfnut is absolutely right in what he said. I thank him for his honesty.
For me, the last many years I have been on the other side. As an "Auto Advocate" I find, negotiate and have the car delivered to my clients home or business and they never see the inside of a dealership. I even bring the test drive to them! I save my clients time, stress, money and did I say time and stress? I squeeze blood out of a turnip and save clients 100s if not 10s of 1000s of dollars in some cases. I don't make one dime from dealerships so the more money I save my clients the more money my company makes.
I deal with guys like golfnut all day from all over the country and totally understand where they are coming from. I also understand where the salesperson is coming from and realize he is just trying to make a buck. But, don't feel sorry for that sales guy as it is his job to service you. He will win some but mostly lose some. It is just a numbers game. If I were you OP, If the sales guy was genuine, nice, respectful, not pushy and professional and I didn't but a car from him I would buy him a 50.00 gift card or something like that. You did take his time and usually when you are in a dealership you are with him for many hours over many days. That's just what I would do. Everyone including you are just trying to make a living and that's ok.

 

My daughter and I leased our fords from a very nice gentleman recommended to me by a friend who used to own a dealership. He sent my daugher a $50 check for recommending him to me. He just sold his 12000 unit so he must be doing something right.
The aftersale guy really pissed me off however

 

I'm the OP. Interesting reading all your posts.
I feel bad for the salesman because this is his second run - in with me ... lol. Last year I visited his dealership (Infiniti) and then went to see the new Mercedes C300's. However, the saleswoman there drove me crazy with telephone calls after my visit (the RWD model wasn't available yet), but that didn't stop her from calling me twice a day. I ended up lying and telling her I bought a BMW to get her to stop. I waited till now, the end of the year, and I read on a Infiniti message board that they were discounting about $7000 on the 2015's so I thought I'd try again.
Again, I got the original salesman, and he remembered me (or so he said). I feel he put in a lot of work for me, that's why I feel bad for him and guilty. His boss, howevr, is another story. When he comes into the room or on the phone my head spins. He fast talks, numbers are switched from buy to lease and I really feel uncomfortable with him.
The other dealership is where I originally bought my car (10 years ago). The salesman is matching the discount and beating the trade-in. Also they offer free maintenance for two years.....but they're 51 miles away. A long way to drive for an oil change. The car at the second dealership also is optioned slightly better for what I want, but I can certainly live with the first one. (just rather have a tire package vs. 60/40 seats).

Hope you're not too bored.

Waiting to go to the bank to get my title. I'm also not looking forward to learning (or trying to learn) all the new technology.

Thanks for listening.

 

You know, I've been on "the other side" for 8 years now and it sure isn't the same at dealerships. Way to many mediocre young salespeople who just don't care. They just want the immediate gratification. Management too. They just don't think about the long term. When I was at a dealership I didn't care if they bought that day at all. I knew my clients would always come back to me. Come back to me when they were ready. Sure, I would always "ask for the sale" but NEVER push. Treat people as you want to be treated is how I worked and lived. I think that's why the 5000ish clients/friends that I've built up over the years still to this day come to me for their automobiles. Now however it's not just lexus, it is any car in the world. So thank goodness I'm busy. It has snowballed over the last many years as they have their friends/family and acquaintances come to me and they know if nothing else I will point then in the right direction.
Bottom line there are some good salespeople and mgmt types out there and when I come across them I reward them with a sale, a spiff or simply let them know I appreciate what they do. When I walk into a dealership and come across a fake, egomaniac who only wants to sell you something that day, doesn't answer the question I ask and tries to turn me to some car I don't want or need, I simply either stop him or walk out or both.

Merry Christmas to all!

 

I thought you can get an oil change at any dealer or do you have to do all maintenance at the original dealer that sold you the car? Somebody please clarify...

 

Sure you can go anywhere. In my case my dealer gives free oil changes as long as you own the car so that's why I get the oil changed there. I get all of the other maintenance done there because I trust them.

 

Each dealership can offer "free" service in the deal but the service has to be done at that dealership since each dealership is independent of the other. They just add x amount of dollars into the deal to cover 2, 3 or 4 years of service. (The client is paying for it essentially in the pmt or in the sale of the car anyway but they usually don't know it)
Kind of like casinos. If I want to play cascata but staying at aria not GEEZERS aria can't comp it. Yes cascata can bill aria for the round but that is a side deal or a hard comp.