GRPFAN

.................sell you a car??

My car buying experience always leads me to a sales person that's new to the business, or doesn't know
much about the model your interested in.

Also, when making a deal, is it normal for sales people to keep checking with their sales manager or someone outside the cubicle your sitting in?

Always makes me feel that maybe I'm talking to the wrong person,,,,,,,,,,,,

InRBigness

I dealt with the general manager of the dealership so my guess is yes they can sell you a car if that is the way the dealership is set up. It will all boil down to how they split the commission.

Evitzee

Sales staff usually have to have the Sales manager sign off on a deal, that's just the way it works. If there is too much going back and forth between your sales guy and the manager tell them to bring the manager into the cubicle to deal directly with you or you'll walk. It's a game, don't let them play on your emotions.

GoHuskers

It is often easier to deal with the sales manager. Be respectful but firm to what you want.

Good luck.

TampaOwner

its a psychological game... it creates this power heirachy.. you establish some rapport with the sales rep who is your "equal", and when the "manager" comes by, hes in a position of authority and youre more inclined to accept his BS... its the same reason they always ask you to sit and wait in some office.. its psychological to convince you that youre a visitor and to hopefully break you down some... the waiting game is intentional as well... i never do what they ask me to do, no matter how simple, ie have a seat....

MX5NES350

I was in motorcycles sales (same as auto). I come up and greeted the spot (you) as if you were my long lost best friend, start up some chit chat (maybe about what bike you currently ride, the weather, whatever), talk about the bike you are looking at, compare it to the competition, get you into a cubicle then do the running game back and forth with the sale manager. Now... the sales guy gets beat up by the sales manager since the sales manager is looking to get a good bonus based on the amount of money he can make on a deal. So don't think the sales guy is having an easy time of it - he's not (or sales lady - sorry ) When the sales manager appears that is usually when the spot is going to walk. "What can we do to make this happen today" type thing. Then the pants drop to get you to purchase the thing that day which works a small portion of the time.

As for me, coming from that type of previous employ I don't bother. I walk when I want to walk. I met the SM in my RX buying experience and he was polite, no pressure and I made it clear I wasn't going to buy that day. Followe dup with the sales guy for a couple months and he followed up with me and we came to an accord. Now I'm in my new RX and all is right with the world.

Can the SM sell you a car? Yup. But there needs to be a sales person assigned to the deal. They would be the ones delivering the vehicle and doing all the grunt work.

Art3

I've purchased about 30 cars in my life (I'm amazed as I write it), and by far THE MOST annoying part of the transaction is the good ol' handoff from sales guy to sales manager or "finance director." Most of the time these guys are skilled in double-talk, must-haves, deception, general BS, and legerdemain. One of the cute tricks is the "Oh, dear, the salesman was mistaken" gambit. Two years ago I had one of these characters straight out lie to me about recalls (as he chewed gum, I might add)! Sorry to be so disgusted about a part of the auto business - after all, we're all "car people" or we'd not be on the Forum - but that's been my experience. I realize, too that generalizations are dangerous, and that there must be exceptions to my theory; but I doubt if there are many. I swear, half of these guys were trained on the Manhattan streets with a pea, three walnut shells, and a cardboard box.

Oh, and how did I forget the used car manager if there's a trade-in? There's another swell experience. "Friend, there's this thing called the Internet out there - you might want to check it out some day, because ALL of us buyers have the numbers on our trade-in from KBB, Edmund's, or whoever. Do you really think we're stupid, uninformed, or both?" Absolutely maddening.

When I bought my RX 350 a couple of weeks ago (the subject of a separate post), I insisted from the start that we not play the game, that I deal with someone with knowledge and authority. I got a superb salesman that was very much focused on me and my queries, he answered every call, question, and email; and though he did obviously check with "management" along the way, we made the deal without my stepping foot in the dealership, and I never spoke to another soul! Result: great car, fair price, and a happy customer who wasn't treated like a moron.

InRBigness

All my purchases have been done in the following manner. From my appliances to my lexus. I figure out what I want and am willing to pay for it. I approached the sales person/Manager/ whoever as it does not really matter as I plan to negotiate on my terms.

I told them what I wanted and what I was willing to pay. On my car I left 2k worth of room and when they started eating away at that I balance it out with stuff I would like to be included (trailer hitch). At first they will tell you that they can not do it and I smile and say, "thats fine, thank you for being upfront with me. I dont want to play the game." And I leave. The most powerful tool in your arsenal is not your wallet or your cash but in your will to leave the building. They dont know if your going to come back or not and therefore if they are smart and they are able to do the deal they should.

All your power as a consumer is in the ablitly to walk away and the knowlege of when to do it.

TampaOwner

to be honest... i do 95% of my negotiating online via email with the internet salesman.. no phone calls, no store room visits until im ready to test drive or buy.. when i test drive, its straight to business... i walk in with my drivers license, hand it to the first guy i see and ask for a test drive. i dont ask for the sales rep ive been talking to, i dint feel like wasting my time getting to know anyone there... i dont care what your name is, and I dont care for you to know what my wife and kids names are... my recent Rx450 purchase a few weeks ago.., i negotiated my best price online via email with half dozen different dealerships in the state (florida)... when i get their bottom price, i take that to the closest dealer with my price in hand and negotiate from there... im in and out of that dealership... i dint sit down to watch tv or have doughnuts... i act as if my time is a valuable commodity... again, i do all of my haggling via email

cafpaf

I stopped dealing with car salesman in 1980. From that time on I would only deal with the General Manager or the Owner of the dealership. No hand off etc. When we purchased our 2011 RX I sent an e-mail to the General Manager telling him what I wanted and what I was willing to pay and also telling him that I had no desire to spend several hours in the dealership with the "selling experience." He responded quickly and we set up a meeting the next day. He had to evaluate my 2001 RX which I knew would happen. I told him what I wanted for it and he gave me a number. I split the difference and told him that if we could agree, we were good to go. He agreed and I purchased the car. The entire thing took 30 minutes or less. Just avoid the sales person. Go to the source, know what you want, and be willing to walk away and move on. It is a lot less strain on the frame.

UCSB

There are times when the dealership will want you to work directly with the dealership sale manager or general manager. This happened to me last year. The dealership general manager approached me when I was looking at a car on the lot and introduced himself, gave me his card and asked that I work directly with him on my purchases. In fact he specifically asked me to not work with the sales staff on my purchases and call him directly. I was shopping for three new cars; one of which was for my daughter. My wife and daughter were also stopping in to check out various cars I had been considering. This caused a lot of confusion as multiple sales people became involved and this was obviously leading to some internal problems at the dealership.

My take on it ... working directly with senior management made the process much harder and less enjoyable. At it's worse, it could easily cost you a deal. Essentially, I was working with a hardened negotiator (like myself) with a strong personal interest in the negotiation. It is much easier to work through experienced sales reps where you can negotiate freely with multiple dealerships. You can take your time and let the sales reps / managers check the feasibility of various offers for you. I feel the give and take of the negotiation is an important aspect of creating a deal. It allows you to test and understand local market conditions. If you want to play serious hardball, then try negotiating with a dealership's senior management. I won't get involved with that approach again. Like anything, your experience might be different. Especially, based on how much of a discount you are negotiating on the vehicle.

One thing that I did notice on this latest round of car purchases was that dealerships now have internet sales managers. These are people that can work deals with potential customers that are shopping multiple dealerships. I found that these sales people were very helpful and they produced some great pricing for me from a dealership without the usual locked in a cubicle routine.

GRPFAN

One dealership I visited, I ask about Internet buying at their dealership and how that works.
He claims those inquiries on the Internet when received are dividend up equally among their sales staff,
so your still dealing with the same cubicle clowns.

Now maybe bigger dealerships have Internet divisions that are keep separate from "my office is bigger then your office"
type guys.

lexus4dfw

I also dealt directly with the sales manager. A few emails back and forth and a little time in between and ended up with one of my very best Lexus deals. I purchased it in Oct MSRP $44K and after rebates worked a deal for 35k + tax & lic. A deal I couldn't pass up.

TampaOwner

sounds like the fuy doesnt want to pay a commission.

UCSB

That may be the case at some dealerships. But, the ones that I was dealing with (I live in the San Francisco Bay Area) had specific individuals with business cards. They even know each other by name between the dealerships. When I was shopping, I got a really attractive price from the internet manager at one dealership about 30 miles from my house. I went to the dealership closest to my house and meet with the Internet Sales Manager there. I told him that I had discussed a specific car with the other dealership that was arriving in 10 days. I told him the price. He seemed skeptical. He asked me if I knew the name of the sales person. I told him the name and all of the games ended immediately. He said he knew him and that they would match the quote and equipment on the other car (he did need to get it approved). The first guy that gave me the original quote didn't have to play any games and seemed to have the authority to deeply discount cars with little or no negotiation. I had just stopped in at the dealership to look at a few colors.