Car dealers

[Rags]

Yes, there is something lower than a crook, and that is someone exactly like you. An ignorant, ill-informed, bigot.

Rags



[This message has been edited by Rags (edited 27 August 2000).]

[Brian R.]

Oh well, you must be right. Like I almost posted, try to get one other person to agree with you about the honesty and ethics of car salesman.

End of topic emotional one.

[Rags]

The topic is "Car dealers". And I would agree with you if you said it was the Dealers who are the crooks. Because they are. Not only do they set it up so you have to haggle for every penny, but they set it up, so they hit you with fees after you agreed on a price. They set it up so the guy who does all the BS gets jack shit, and less than jack shit when the sale comes down to the wire. They have it set up so the consumer believes they are getting one thing, when they are really getting more than they bargained for.

A good example is Saturn. There, when you buy a new car, what you see is what you pay. Period. Maybe a little haggling over the value of your car, but blue books take care of most of that. The sales people there were always friendly, and I never hear any complaints coming from those dealers. This proves that shit rolls down hill. And it's always the guy at the bottom who has to roll in it. People like you just pick on him, because he is the one stinking at the end.

Rags

[Brian R.]

What's a thousand used car salesmen chained together at the bottom of the ocean?

Ans. A good start.

[Rags]

Too bad the dealers will still be there in after all the little guys drowned. It's the dealers who need to change.

[Joel]

Hey Brian,

I agree with Rags for the most part. My comment in this thread, if you will look at the smilies, was just clowning around. It is us, as consumers now days that have to be more responsible and look out for ourselves, because no one else is damn sure going to do it. And I mean no one. Car salemen have a job and it is not an easy one. It's definetly one I would not want. And I don't think that all salesmen know everything about every car on their lot. Do you think the person selling or trading the car to them in the first place told the dealer everything? Hell no. They were trying to get the most money for it themselves. When you take a car in for trade what is the first thing they are going to do before they make you an offer? They are going to take it in and get a knowledgeable person to look at it. You as a consumer should do the same. If you don't then that is your fault.

Joel

[KvHagedorn]

Yeah, chill out Brian.. I know there are a lot of bad salesmen out there, but you should feel sorry for them if they suck.. I had a guy try and sell me a car for $12,000. I went and bought the same make/model with fewer miles from a rental agency for $7900. (It was really fun telling him this when he called me back )I had rented and driven this same car to Minnesota and back, so I knew it was in good shape. Don't ever trust anyone when you are buying anything like a used car. If you do, and get stuck with a lemon, don't go whining about it to everyone, because then you will just be telling everyone how dumb YOU were..

Nuf Said.. hope you learned something about life here and will shut up and stop whining.

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Kind Regards,

KvH

[Brian R.]

Don't worry about me. I'm chilled.

You have not convinced me. Since I get lied to by salesmen, they get the rap.

I'm surprized at your responses. I guess I just take getting ripped off (or an attempt at) differently than you.

I must admit that not every time I have bought a car, the dealer tried to rip me off. It is the majority of the time. I do blame the salesman since he is responsible for the deal in my mind.

[This message has been edited by Brian R. (edited 27 August 2000).]

[The PIT]

Well I just dropped my car off to get the exhaust changed and guess what I'm parked right next to my old car! I thought they'd have slapped through the auctions.

[ahartman]

I'm with Rags & Joel. You're not helpless. the reason salesmen & dealers try to get away with that stuff is because it's worked in the past.

When I was buying my last car, I got a quote (on paper, mind you), took it to another dealer and asked him to beat it. He looked at me and laughed, saying "No way can you get that car for that price". I said thanks for your time and walked out. After I bought the car, I drove back to the first dealership, asked to speak to the manager and showed him my bill of sale. When I told him the story of how his salesman cost him a customer, he was quite irate.

Also, when I went back to the dealership where I got the written quote, they tried to add costs. I started to walk out at least 4 times and they always backed down. The secret is that you have to be ready to walk away from a bad deal.

STAND UP FOR YOURSELF. STOP BEING A VICTIM.
Of course, this requires you to be an INFORMED consumer...but it's always easier to complain, isn't it?

sheesh!

[Brian R.]

ahartman - you just don't get it. I am not helpless. I do not get ripped off. I do get good deals. What I don't like is dealers (salemen) who try to rip me off. I've bought 11 cars in my life. Seven were from dealers. Of those seven, five were bought after significant dealings with salemen who did not honestly represent the work the dealer had done on those cars or similar issues. That is a bad record.

Again, you fail to convince me of the honest nature of these people. Don't you care about whether the people you buy from have integrity? Let the buyer beware is not the way to let society run itself. Maybe it is a realistic representation of the way things go, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

[This message has been edited by Brian R. (edited 30 August 2000).]

[Strahd]

Brian, I agree 100%. Regardless of what your selling whether it be cars, computers, or a fridge to an eskimo, the salesman must know what he's selling. How stupid would he look if you walked in and asked where the horn was and after 30 minutes he still couldn't figure it out? It would be outrageous and the guy would be shit canned after his first morning on the job. They should have to know exactly what is wrong on the car before selling it. If they don't know, get the dildo out of their asses and go find out. Someone's gotta know something about the car or product in question.

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[ahartman]

Brian,

You miss my point. I'm not standing up for any of the salesmen I've dealth with. If you reread my post, both of them tried to pimp me. My point is that if you don't let them take advantage of you, then whatever they TRY to do to you doesn't matter.

If more people stood up for themselves, lots of these high-pressure tactics would disappear.

As for buying used cars, why not drive it straight to an independent mechanic before buying it. It would cost, what, $100? Seems like a small sum for a little peace of mind. That doesn't make sense if you're spending $500 on a car, but then you know what you're getting...

It all goes back to being an informed consumer...

[Strahd]

But that gets expensive. Test drive 10 cars and have the inspected and you just spent $1,000.

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[Rags]

Strahd,

That is the silliest comment in this whole thread. Of course you aren't going to take every car you drive to your mechanic. Only the one(s) you are seriously considering. This means you are ready to buy, you really want the car. 100 bucks is nothing when compared to what it can cost you if things go wrong (and they almost always do). Use a little common sense.

Rags