My father is a car guy in his late fifties, One day, he decided to buy a sports car. Anyone who’s clocked the age of the men in the Viagra ads should realize this isn’t an unusual phenomenon. Men fifty-and-over are the heart and soul of the U.S. sports car market. And the Chevrolet Corvette occupies the bulls-eye center of that prime demographic. The ‘Vette is also one of GM’s few bright spots: the only world-class car in Chevrolet’s showroom of mediocrity. Anyway, my father tried to buy a Corvette– and failed.
My Dad’s shopping list included several German cars, a couple of Japanese roadsters and the C6 Corvette. There was only one problem with his domestic selection: he couldn't get a test drive. A little wheel time in a box-fresh Porsche Cayman? No problem. To Infiniti and beyond? Right this way. A quick cut and thrust in GM's halo car? Forgeddaboutit. Not one of the Chevy dealers in our suburban New York county would give my Dad five minutes of Corvette wheel time– unless he bought the car first.
Dealers had three explanations for this “no test pilots need apply” rule. First, “it’s not our policy to allow people to test drive a sixty thousand dollar car.” Second, “people who buy these cars don’t want any miles on them.” Third; hey, you gotta understand: we get a lot of joy riders.
Obviously, Chevy dealers have been scraping the bottom of the barrel so long they can't distinguish between "time wasters" and serious customers. Or perhaps they simply don't want to distract their highly professional sales force from far more important jobs like flogging Aveos, Cobalts and other marginally profitable machinery.
Or maybe they're just lazy, short-sighted, arrogant, amoral opportunists. Why work hard to sell a car you don't need to, or you ain't got?
How much effort would it take for Chevy dealers to create a proper 'Vetting procedure, so potential customers like my father could get behind the wheel, realize the dream of a lifetime and buy a damn Corvette? My Dad's experience– or lack thereof– highlights Chevy dealers' complete insensitivity to the over-arching importance of long-term customer relationships.
Of course, VIP ropes around hot new models are one thing. Price gouging is the next.
When the Solstice and Sky fell to Earth, Pontiac and Saturn dealers had a field day. “Market adjustments” and “demand pricing” were deployed to gouge both regular customers AND those who hadn't darkened a Pontiac or Saturn dealership in decades. Many dealers slapped a new price sheet next to the official window sticker, adding markups of three to five thousand dollars.
You’d think Pontiac dealers would have learned their lesson when the Aussie-built, suppository-shaped GTO went from hero to zero in less than year. (There are still untitled 2006 and 2005 GTO's sitting on Pontiac dealer lots.) In a sense they did: grab the cash while the grabbing's good, 'cause it'll be back to [no] business as usual in no time.
I don’t mean to pick on GM. Chrysler dealers jacked-up the prices on the first highly-horsed SRT8 variants (Charger, 300C, Magnum, and Grand Cherokee). Ford dealers added extra profit on the new Thunderbird, Mustang GT, Shelby ‘Stang and Ford GT.
And American manufacturers aren’t the only car companies hoarding hay when the sun shines. For almost a full year after production, the Mercedes SL55 AMG couldn't be had less than $60k over sticker. The short-lived BMW Z8 also commanded premiums so high you had to be high to pay them.
And yet there are some important differences between the domestics’ price gouging and that of their Euro-counterparts.
For one thing, Mercedes and BMW already have plenty of footfall for their entry level and mid-market products. For another, they tacked a premium onto premium products. Someone who can afford a $120k Benz can probably swing $160k. Try applying that logic to the Pontiac Solstice. A customer shopping for a $24k car can afford $29k? Maybe, maybe not.
In fact, it's highly likely that a dwindling number of fifty-something Ameribrand die-hards are the only customers willing to pay premiums on sexy low-end domestic models. Do they care that the extra money's destined to disappear at trade-in time? Who knows? Can the domestics afford to risk punishing their most enthusiastic customers? I think not.
From a buyer''s point-of-view, there's only one way to beat a dealer's narrow-minded "you can't touch this" refrain and price gouging. Tell them to piss off, and then send a few tell-all emails to the corporate mothership AND the dealer group HQ. Keep calling until you find a dealer willing to play ball, shop used, buy something else or just wait for reality to return to the marketplace (as it always does).
As for my old man, he couldn't do it. He simply couldn't drop 60 large on a new sports car without a test drive. And GM wonders why it’s losing market share.
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Justin, what you are describing is classic, and the answer is in your essay.
Dealers who have no experience in high end merchandise are in a poor position to market it. The porsche, infiniti, mercedes sales depts. knows quality, how to sell it and who their customers are.
Their sales force in suits or pants suits; probably be an older retired exec or middle manager from some business now selling fine autos. These are people who can tell your father, "sir if you have to haggle about price, you can't afford it".
In fact, they won't have to say that, because the aura of the product and sales presentation including bringing the vehicle for the test drive to under their drive through portochere will be up-scale.
The shop will look like a hospital operating room and your father will feel like "he belongs (or should) belong here".
The chevy dealer can't do that, he has no other car besides his couple of corvettes a year to practice on.
They’re so silly…
Years ago I wanted to test drive a Mercury Capri Convertible. The dealer stuck me in a preprepped car with no air in the tires and told me to drive in circles in the back lot. I stopped the car in the middle of this, got out without closing the door and left the engine running right there.
Needless to say I did not buy a Capri or anything else from that dealer.
Pathetic and stupid. I always thought one of the few advantages to age was the fact you have some money in your pocket. Too bad this salesman was too stupid to know that.
I would think that every Chevy dealer would have one or two “Corvette certified” salesman that were a little higher up on the scumbag food chain. Experienced and trained to know everything about the car.
It should be no problem for such a person to be able to determine a joyrider from a serious buyer after talking to him for no more than 15 minutes. Let the kid who just starting selling cars 2 weeks ago schlep the Aveos.
And I’ve got news for guys who think that just because their new car has only 2.2 miles that it hasn’t been abused. Ever been to an assembly plant? Every car leaving the line (in domestic plants anyway) spins the tires on the way out. I also know a guy who used to unload Japanese car freighters in LA. They get paid by the ship, not by the hour. So – in short – the first mile is by far the hardest on the car.
troonbop:
It wasn’t “a” salesman. It was all the Chevy dealers in a highly populated urban area.
All of them.
I bought a Klein bicycle after a test ride. A high end bike like that is a big decision since I’m likely to put thousands of miles a year on it and own the thing for a number of years. The dealer adjusted the bike for me, it was prepped properly, and I was allowed to take my time with it. I paid full price without haggling because I got the proper treatment as a customer I deserved. Another shop was completely different with no test rides, bikes that were not assembled yet, and hairy eyeballs when I asked about warranty services.
Cars or bikes, same rules apply.
Well written illustration of a very simple matter:
In the U.S., franchise law hinders competition, and prevents manufacturers from becoming truly customer-friendly (unless they try awfully hard).
Probably, a lot of car salesmen will be posting comments, as they would, explaining that not all salesmen are bad. And so, a lot of car buyers will retort. It happens every time TTAC writes about the poor car-buying experience. What’s the difference?
I can’t blame the Chevy dealers. The vast majority of what they sell appeals to people with little money and/or brains. Would you want the average Chevy customer to go anywhere near a Corvette?
The problem here is that the average Chevy Corvette buyer is to the average Chevy Crapmobile buyer, as is the average Purdy Shotgun buyer to the average Hi-Point 9mm connoisseur.
The Corvette needs to become it’s own brand and sold through Cadillac dealers.
A couple of years ago a good friend of mine who is a bank VP decided he might like a Corvette.
So we dropped by a Chevrolet dealership where he lives, in Virginia. After at least twenty minutes of jumping through the hoops with first one, then two, then three of their people all tag-teaming him with various questions, we got up and walked out. At which point they asked my friend to wait just five more minutes and they’d pull a car up, but he was pissed.
They had at least a dozen Corvettes sitting on the front row with rusty rotors.
The reasoning behind no wheel time makes sense. Why would anyone buy a Corvette after having had wheel time in any other manufacturers equivalent (unless of course financial limitations are an issue)? It’s best to keep the mystique alive – especially for the Z06. “It’s sooo fast, it’s sooo agile, it’s sooo exotic and precious that a test drive is not needed to recognize it’s greatness. Now give us your money!” This is just a subversive psychological sales ploy that increases the seeming uniquity of a car to an unwitting buyer. A Honda dealership treated a co-worker of mine in like manner regarding a Civic Si.
GS650G:
I disagree that selling cars and selling bicycles are the same. I think there is a huge difference between the type of person who works in each field. A typical bike salesman is an enthusiast who loves the sport and enjoys sharing that enthusiasm with others. A typical car salesman is someone who, well, probably has different motivations.
This isn’t an unusual phenomena.
Virtually everyone in the car business that ever bought new went through the Car Nazi’s,”No test drive for you!” experience.
My late father-in-law was in the market for a Porsche. The dealership looked at his lack of ostentation and decided he wasn’t a credible customer. So…. he bought two at the nearest dealership and brought both of them up there. From what I understand, the salesman’s jaws literally went through the floor.
I would have similar troubles when I was writing auto reviews for the school paper. The most frequent offender was the Toyota dealership in Saratoga Springs. Sad part was, I already had a Celica GT-S as my daily driver.
I think it’s a local thing. Out here the Chevy dealers are literally dying to have someone test drive a vehicle like the Corvette. They’re actually pretty popular out here in North Atlanta.
I know ‘no test drive’ is laughed at in the auto industry, but it is very common in the motorcycle world.
In most areas, the only brands that allow test rides are Harley and BMW. Most others will not allow you a test ride. Dealers won’t even let you test ride a used bike, unless you are willing to ride around uninsured and with full liability should anything happen to the bike.
While there are other reasons for its collosal failure, the Corvette reminds me a bit of the Phaeton. They’re both WAY outside everything else their respective brands offer, and the dealers have no idea how to sell and service them (and by “service” I don’t just mean oil changes and repairs.) Further, some fence sitters who really might like to own a Vette or Phaeton simply can’t grasp having to deal with a Chevy or VW dealer for such a premium car. WTF does a VW dealer know about making a $75,000 car buyer feel like writing the check? VW’s epic quality problems with the rest of their line doesn’t help either. There’s little confidence to instill in a buyer to sign for a Phaeton.
The end result is there are lots of lightly used 2 year old Phaetons on the market for $30-$35K. And it’s not a bad car at all, really.
Back in 1976 or so, after Honda had introduced the Accord, I stopped by Herson’s Honda in Rockville, Md. I wasn’t in the market for a car, but several of my friends were thinking about buying Accords. I wanted to see what the fuss was all about.
As I was walking around the lot looking a salesman approached and asked if I’d like to take a test drive. I told him I was only looking. He then tossed me the keys. “Take it for a spin and let me know what you think,” he said. What, no fingerprints, no familay member as collateral, no I’ll drive it off the lot for you. Just here are the keys.
Well, I took that Accord for a drive. I told the salesman I was much impressed. I didn’t buy a car then, but, over the years, my family and I, and close friends that I’ve advised about, or assisted in, buying a car, have purchased eleven Honda’s. And I still tell people it’s hard to beat Honda engineering and build quality.
That first experience may not be the only reason I favor Honda’s, but, had it been a negative one, I’m sure they would have had a much harder time getting my business.
When Chevy was having its “Employee Pricing” give away a while back I thought I might be able to pick up a Cobalt SS for cheep to replace my ageing Jetta commuter car. I stopped by my Chevy dealer after work, in my work clothes (slacks, dress shirt, tie and sports coat) after wandering around the lot for 20 minutes, finally gained the attention of a salesman. I told him what I was looking for and that I wanted to test drive it. He gave me some song and dance about none being available, and “would you like to try the base model, they drive the same?” The guy made it clear that he felt I couldn’t afford the SS option and/or I was just there to take out a car for some recreational hooning.
In comparison, I walked into the MINI/BMW dealership owned by the same company, located on the other side of the parking lot, a few days later wearing old cut off jeans, sandals, and a t-shirt and had exceptional service, test drove a MINI and 3 BMW’s and no one questioned my ability to pay for any of them.
Now I am not a rich guy, but I do have a good job and a moderately good income. I can definitely afford to purchase a Cobalt SS and I just don’t appreciate some car salesman letting me know that he thinks I can’t.
Any guesses which dealership I will be buying from in the future?
A familiar story. A few years back I was in the market for a Corvette. I went to the local Chevy dealer (in a small north Texas town) and they had one on the showroom floor. I inquired about it and was told they would not take it off the floor for me to test drive – and in fact they wouldn't even let me sit in it! I asked about the price and they quoted me a price that was $5000 ABOVE the sticker price. Then they started making jokes about me buying it.
And this in spite of the fact I had bought 3 other vehicles from the same dealership over a period of 3 years. (Yes, I've owned several Chevys, so when I talk about GM quality — or lack thereof — I speak from experience.)
I told them to forget about it and left.
I went home and started looking on the internet for other dealers with Corvettes in stock. This led me to Knippelmier Chevrolet in Blanchard, Oklahoma (just south of Oklahoma City). Not only did they have several new ones in stock, they had a selection of used ones as well. I contacted them via email and their internet sales manager told me they had all new 'Vettes at $4000 under sticker.
I made the 140 mile trip and found the one I wanted. (Actually I wanted the Lingenfelter they had in their showroom but that was out of the question financially.) They let me take the one I picked out for a test drive — unaccompanied! No matter what questions I asked about it, the sales person knew the answer. I returned 3 days later with financing in hand and bought it.
And much like Steve Lang's father-in-law, I took it back to the first dealership to rub their noses in the lost sale.
Kudos to your dad. I would have walked too. If they can’t even treat you right before the sale, there’s no chance of getting decent service after the sale.
this is my country….and these are our dealerships. run by the same Freuds that assemble and mastermind our chevy trucks and vettes. apparently the dealerships didn`t have a hostile net of green wobbly alien species that tried to neglect american products in favour of superbly finished adamantium coated scram-jet hyperengined teleporting pods . the same zit-favoured experience- and-wit- starving faces only embellished with glance suits and topped with glasses to simulate some expertize. yet only the nike sneakers give away their origin of shallow waters. the same yahoos serve your table , the same yahoos that had made the meal. the culture of worth-serving clients, presumtions and suspicions deplete already bulimic sales charts.
anyways, how would they now if the kid in horny torn jeans has come to take a vette for a smokey show- off wheelspin or for a serious fat-check transaction? here goes the old saying about champagne and the risk…………
oops, anorectic instead of bulimic.
I had a similar experience in a VW dealership recently. I was interested in the new GTI, but unsure as to which transmission I wanted, sure a DSG sounds great on paper, but would I miss the connection to the car of having to use both feet? I outlined from the beginning exactly how I wanted to spec out the car, and we priced out both options. When it came to the transmission choice, I stated that I wanted to test drive both the DSG and a manual to see which I preferred. I was then politely told that I had to choose one or the other, purchase the car, then if I didn’t like my choice, they would buy the car back from me IF I returned it within 24 hours. I was out the door within a minute.
The salesman sent a follow up email the next day, thanking me for my visit. I replied to him, and his sales manager, repeating what the salesman told me and outlined how I would never return to a dealership that doesn’t allow test drives, especially on a mere $32K hot hatch. It’s a shame, they could have had the sale if they wanted to play ball.
I suppose if you really want a Corvette, there are dealers out there who like Frank’s who sell high volumes and know how exactly to sell one. “Corvette Vicki” of Kerbeck in Atlantic City was always on the first page of the Autoweek classifieds when I subscribed, is she still there?
And for everyone else, there’s the past of least resistance/BS.
Back in 2000 I had a similar experience. I decided it was time for me to check out my dream car so I went to a Chevy dealer in Plano TX.
Plano is considered to be one of the best suburbs near Dallas TX. So I walk in with my wife and a salesman politely asks if he could help, I said yes, I told him I was interested in buying a brand new Corvette. He immediately took my wife and I to his office and we started to chit chat. To my surprise he started talking about financing options without even offering a test drive.
At this point I interrupted him and said there is no point in discussing financing since I don’t even know if this car is comfortable for ME. ( I had no doubt about its performance)
He said “We don’t test drive Corvettes” and added that “I would love the car” once I bought it. To say that I felt irritated would be an understatement so we left. They assured nobody would give me a test drive on a 50,000 dollar new vehicle which turned out to be true. (Corvettes anyway).
A few days later I decided to go to Corvettes of Dallas to see what they had. After only a few minutes talking to the sales person he tossed me the keys to a used 99 with 8k miles on it and said to take it for a spin. So I did, by myself no less.
I ended up buying that car right there. One hour later I became a Corvette owner and have been one ever since, I currently have an 06, not thanks to GMs dealerships but a specialty shop that knows how to treat Corvette shoppers.
Great car but not so great customer relations.
I don’t think I’ve ever been denied a test drive, though if I’m being treated poorly I usually don’t make it to that point. I can understand telling a 17-year-old kid to scram, but a middle-aged guy? They’re Chevy’s bread and butter — the only people that even buy Corvettes. I can only figure that car salesmen who deny test drives desperately want to fail at life, that or they get off on the power trip.
Okay, I remember one now. We were at a local Mitsu dealership, and had walked into the showroom and started ooh-ing and aah-ing over the Evo they had there. I don’t even remember why we were there… maybe it was to check out an Eclipse or something when I was looking to replace my Mystique (this was at least 4 years ago, before we got the LGT). We’d never seen an Evo before, and this was in Omaha, where they’re rare even today. Husband was just a few weeks shy of graduating college and our income was going to double, and I wanted a new car, dammit. So we stood in the showroom and checked out the Evo… and looked around… there were people milling about, but no one approached us. Hmm. Sat in the car, poked around, waiting for someone to try to… I dunno, sell us something? Or whatever they do at car dealerships? Nothing. After about 10 minutes, we walked. We went back sometime last year to look at a used car for my sister-in-law, with similar results. I think they went under eventually.
Martin is right — a lack of competition makes it easy for dealerships to survive. The only people that would buy a $60k car without a drive are the ones who can afford better cars than a Corvette.
Megan,
This may surprise you but I was 29 when I went to buy my first vette and to be honest most of the vette people I know are about my age.
great story – another reason to break up GM. I hope some corporate raider gets his hands on GM and chops it into little pieces
There’s a big difference between 17 and 29. I’m sure the number of 17-year-olds in the market for a new ‘vette is significantly smaller than the late-20s market. Or the mid-life crisis market. The only ‘vette drivers I see on the roads in Atlanta have gray hair and won’t drive over 55 on the roads. Why buy that much car if you’re not even going to use it?
I’m laughing at you guys.
I had trouble getting a test drive in a Jeep Patriot, for God’s sakes.
So I’m middle aged? Damn…that sucks! LOL.
re: “Or maybe they’re just lazy, short-sighted, arrogant, amoral opportunists. Why work hard to sell a car you don’t need to…?”
i heard something very similar from my father back around 1970 after i had recently purchased a slightly used 66 e-type jaguar coupe. my father had been a gm man – and employee – almost all his adult life and was more than a little disappointed with my selection.
at some point in our many discussions on the subject, i finally challenged him and said something to the effect of, ‘ya know, if gm built a car as desirable as this one, i probably would have purchased it instead.” and then posed the question, ’so how come gm doesn’t build a car of this caliber?’ to which he replied, ‘we don’t need to offer more/better – we already sell every car we produce, just the way they are.’
and even though i probably didn’t realize it at the time, that statement was really all i needed to know. and most likely one of the main reasons why i never did purchase another car from the general or any other domestic automaker.
My mom and dad had a very similar experience buying a Corvette this spring. This is a 57 year old couple, retired, ready and willing to pay cash for a car they’ve always loved. My dad nearly had a major heart attack and ended up getting a stent placed in January, so they decided that now was the time to get back into a Corvette, having sold their beloved ‘72 coupe when I came along.
None of the dealerships near their home would allow a test drive. One dealership told them “we get one Corvette a year and the owner of the place buys it at the end of the model year…and no, you can’t even sit in it.” Another had several in stock, but was selling them for $3-5K above sticker and would likewise not allow a test drive.
They spend a few days with my wife and I in Minneapolis, and though all of the dealerships here were more than happy to allow test drives (not a big market for Vettes in January in Minnesota), no one had the “just right” car they wanted.
They ended up finding Knippelmier Chevrolet in Blanchard, OK through the internet. They had the exact car they wanted in stock, and were happy to strike a cash deal over the phone. No games, below MSRP, a 2007 analogue of their old 72! They flew down to Oklahoma City, and their salesman met them at the airport with the car.
Distance matters little if you’re treated right. Someone should knock GM on the head for letting their dealers chase paying customers out the door. Oh wait…someone has. What’s their stock at today?
GS650G:
I disagree that selling cars and selling bicycles are the same. I think there is a huge difference between the type of person who works in each field. A typical bike salesman is an enthusiast who loves the sport and enjoys sharing that enthusiasm with others. A typical car salesman is someone who, well, probably has different motivations.
I don’t think you have spent enough time in bike shops………..
The sooner we can shed the dealer concept and move to a “test drive/delivery center” the better. I NEVER want to have to deal with a Dealer ever again. They are a cancer on the whole industry.
–chuck
About 2 months ago I found a used 2006 Vette at local dealership. I called them up, told them my situation (I’m 23, just graduated 8 months ago, have limited credit history, etc.) and they told me to come down and take a test drive the next day. I was pretty shocked at how easy it was for a young guy like me to get a test drive in an almost new Vette with no questions asked. I guess not all the Chevy dealerships out there are incompetent
There’s an exact thread on the big Impreza/Subaru forum discussing the ‘turned down for a test drive’ experience people have had with the STI. Lots of guys in that thread detailed exactly the same responses your dad received, so identical I laughed out loud when I read them written above. It seems to be a highly localized, dealer by dealer phenomenon. The proper response is indeed to walk. Fortunately I was immediately given a test drive when I was shopping for mine. I guess if I had been turned down and been thinking fast I could have said, “Okay, I’ll just walk the hundred yards down the road (literally) to that Mitsu dealer with three EVO’s sitting out front.” :)
sitting on the front row with rusty rotors.
Don’t let anyone in on the secret. I remember dealing with a salesperson who kept trying the old ‘this could go at anytime’ trick at which point I gestured at the rust encrusted rotors and just said ‘I doubt it’.
Your experience is no surprise. Just this morning I dropped by Ford to look at an Edge. Apparently, it was more important for not just one, but two, salesmen to finish their smokes.
In previous posts I’ve mentioned my recent GM experience and my vow never to return.
At another Ford dealership, I was looking at a used Mustang GT convertible. The salesmen went off to figure what they’d do with the price and my trade in. He emerged from his office and screamed ‘Hey R***** (my last name)!’ across the show room, and then gestured at me the way you would if you found your dog devouring some offal he found in the grass. I am not stuffy, but screaming your customers last name across a showroom doesn’t seem very sales friendly.
Last but not least, it has now been something like three months since I filled out Ford’s online form for arranging a test drive for an Edge. No word yet! Stay tuned.
I spent years in sales having to cold call. If someone actually sent me a form asking me to come see them, I would have lept for joy. Not these guys apparently.
(As an aside, I inquired about a TRD edition Solara located in Ottawa two years ago. They offered to drive it to Toronto for me to see….that’s a 4-5 drive. I was also able to take a Lexus SC430 for a test drive…unaccompanied.)
Even if the Japanese were merely tied in terms of product, they’d still win.
From Vettefinders.com
“..found the buyer profile in 1970 to be of interest. Corvette buyers in 1970 were 93% male. The majority were single – 56%. The median age was 27. Approximately one third had jobs which can be termed professional or managerial. The family size was 2.4 and the average income $15,500, with a new Corvette in 1970 costing about one third of that figure.
Today, the median age of the Corvette buyer is 48. It’s still a predominantly male crowd; however, 18% are female, a number that has gradually been increasing. Today’s buyers’ statistics indicate that 59% are in managerial or professional positions. A change from the 1970 statistics indicates that 74% of the buyers are married. The median household income is $112,500. Currently the cost of a 2002 Coupe is at the same ratio to household income as that of the 1970 model, approximately one third.”
http://www.vettefinders.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/Vette101Story/ID/18
Oh yeah, meant to say…
If a man in his fifties walks into a Chevy dealer and asks to test drive a ‘Vette, you give him a test drive! That’s like turning down a couple with two kids who walks into a Chrysler dealer and asks to drive a Town and Country!
When I went into a Porsche dealership to test drive a Cayman S, I had the carefully-manicured style of having just slept the night on a park bench. Filthy, ratty, torn gardening sweatpants; 3 day growth of beard; tattered, threadbare hawaiin shirt dating from the plistoceane era, no socks, jail-issue looking flip flop thongs.
The nonchalent salesman, looking bored, flipping the keys to me said “have her back in half an hour and try not to go over 100.”
When I expressed shock about his cavalier attitude given my mushroomy hygiene he yawned and replied “Everyone looks like that when they test drive Porsches. It has something to do with the time Janis Joplin went barefooted and scraggly haired into a Mercedes dealership and bought a new one with stacks of $20 bills.”
I took the car out and never went over 70.
Wait, so this actually happens? I thought the “no test drive” bit was an urban legend…
Contrast this with an accidental experience I had last year: I mistakenly pulled into a Porsche dealer while looking for an Audi dealer of the same name (it was just down the street, naturally). I made no pretense of looking at Porsches, I just asked the first salesman I saw where the Audi dealership was. What did he do? He practically forced me to test drive a Cayman before letting me out the door. Bear in mind that I hardly looked like a big swinger – unless jeans and a 10 year old Honda Prelude is your idea of pimpin’. Thankfully I managed to get out there without the test drive, because I’m sure I would have fallen in love immediately. Nonetheless, I had an extremely positive experience despite the fact that I was never going to buy a Porsche that day. And that matters – if I’m ever in the market for an expensive sports car, that will probably be the first place I go.
I guess the lesson is pretty obvious: high-end dealers know how to sell high-end cars, and low-end dealers don’t know how to send high-end cars.
Some good comparisons are being made between the described Corvette/GM dealer and Phaeton/VW dealer scenarios. Dealers who specialize in high volume autos are, without specific training, ill-prepared to deal with the differences in selling high end automobiles. Some good suggestions are out there as to how best to deal with this situation, but has anyone though about how effective Corvettes are as “lures”? Some young guy coming in to check out the latest and greatest from GM and ends up walking out with an unplanned purchase of a Cobalt? Probably more profitable if pulled off twice than selling one Corvette.
I guess it’s my turn to post my dealer experiences along these lines. In 2004, my wife and I were in the market for a new car. We both liked the look of the new Mustngs and decided to give them a look. The delaership we went to in Santa Rosa, CA had some Mustang GTs but wouldn’t let us test drive one without putting down a $5,000 deposit and signing a contract to buy one. Needless to say that ended that. Fast forward to late 2006, and my wife and I are once again thinking about getting a new car, this time for her. We went to the Ford Dealer in Roseville, CA-she likes Mustangs. They had a great selection including Roush and Saleen Mustangs. We test drove a Mustang GT, looked at the ROush Mustangs, and were looking at a Saleen, when the salesman asked us if we would like to test drive the Saleen. We declined, but he was practically pressuring us take it for a spin. Quite a difference.
We just took a Mazdaspeed Mazda3 for a test drive about one month ago, once again in Santa Rosa (different dealer for Mazdas). We went there planning on just looking at the car when the salesman asked us if we would like to take a test drive after talking with us for a few minutes. This was despite a sign in the window saying that the car was not available for test drives. The salesman told us that was just for the people that would thrash the car, but he couuld tell we were serious about a new car, inother words, a sensible policy. In fairness to GM, the local Chevy dealer where I live had an advertising campaign a couple of months ago that included that they would allow you to test drive any car including the Corvette.
It’s really sad to hear all these tales of lost Corvette sales. The car really is good enough to warrant researching a Vette-friendly dealer to test drive the car. After that, ordering one and taking delivery through the Natl Corvette Museum is a unique, memorable experience….and the car is prepped by people at the NCM that truly know what they are doing.
Justin, what did he end up buying instead?
“Demand Pricing” is nothing more than fleecing the sheep.
The first-gen Miata generated the same sort of wild prices; I remember ads in The Wall Street Journal for Miatas at 10K over sticker when they came out. Same for New Beetles.
The reason there are GTO’s still sitting unsold is because of these “demand pricing” games; the dealers ran off potential buyers by the truckload so they could hammer the few idiots who’d pay the premium, now they’re reaping the whirlwind.
Look at the Shelby GT500. “There’s only 1,000 being built. So you have to pay.” I guarantee within a year they’ll be selling for below sticker. Hell, they’re doing it on the Shelby GT, and it has hardly any more power than a base Mustang GT.
Now if you’re wanting a Ferrari, and there’s a 2-year waiting list, then you either 1) Wait, or 2) pay the premium. But a GTO or Shelby GT500 is hardly a Ferrari.
The Corvette is now so far outside the Chevy orbit that it doesn’t even serve as a “halo” car anymore; it’s its own brand, and should be treated as such. Unfortunately, the same guy who got “ups” on the Cobalt buyer is the same one who may get you when you try to buy the ‘Vette.
I have to agree with many of the posters; I’d never buy a car I couldn’t drive first.
A few years ago, I was fresh out of college. I really wanted a 350Z, but I had no money (no job yet) and no major purchases on my credit history. I went to the local Nissan dealership just to drool and with the objective to just sit in one to see how comfortable they were. Of course I was intercepted by a salesman. After talking with the guy for awhile, and making it plainly clear I thought the car was cool but I had no money(at least not yet), he gave me the keys and asked if I wanted to drive it. My jaw hit the floor. He did ride with me, which considering I shouldn’t even have been driving the car was fine. Then he told me I should take the corners faster. I didn’t… I was too scared of messing up. A couple of years later with a really good job and with money in my account for a down payment I went back to the dealership. Talked to the same salesman. It turned out that they couldn’t get me financing (still no credit history) but the guy took me off to the side and said he saw a used one over at the local Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealership that was almost exactly the same model I was looking for. Once again, I was floored. I thanked him, went to that dealership. They tossed me the keys and told me to have fun. I bought it from them that day. I guess I’ve had good luck.
This seems to be turning into a vicious cycle.
More often than not, customers keep shopping car prices at different dealerships. This means that only one dealership does the work to “earn” someones business. (Answer technical questions, take customer on test drive, negotiate pricing, etc.) So what reason does any dealership have to take the time to take a customer on a test drive when all the customer will do is take the number and run out the door to the competition?
Find a dealer you like, where the salespeople don’t suck. Then look up the invoice price on the car you’re looking at and decide how much the dealer deserves if they treat you right. Then tell them UP FRONT if they get you your price, you’ll take the car, and won’t shop them. Understand that a dealership deserves some money if they treat you right and are straight-forward.
There are good car salesmen, and there are bad car salesmen. The good ones make friends with potential customers, whether you ultimately buy one from them or not, make you feel like you’re “the man” during the buying process, and lead you to believe that you got a great deal, regardless of how much profit you just made the salesman. These guys also rake in $200k+ a year. And then there are the prototypical horror stories of bad car salesmen.
These Chevy guys are trying to play the German game (e.g., the Z8 was asking for $240k, or 100% markup, during the post-Bond release, dot-com boom), but don’t know how the skills, and track record, to do so. Their loss.
You father can just swing by the next-door Porsche dealership to test out their $90k 911s, or to the next-door bimmer dealership to test out their $80k 6-series. And if the salesmen there give him such BS, yell at them, talk to their GMs, and have them fired.
You know what all of this reminds me of? Seeing $100 leather jackets at Ross or Walmarts locked up with security ropes and requiring someone with a key to open them up so you can try them. Yet, you don’t see the same thing with $1000 items at the higher end stores. Funny.
I had an interesting experience with High-end/Low-end the other day. I had my 325i in for service, and decided to stop to flirt with my salesman – he’d sold 3 BMWs to me so far, and since my car just hit 50,000 miles, I thought it might be time to start looking again.
Well, he’s gone. Has cancer and won’t be back, according to the young guy sitting at his desk.
Since I’m there, I tell the guy I’m there to ‘flirt’ with the numbers – see what you can do for me.
I ended up with every trick in the book. The bait and switch that was ’sold’ but still on the lot with a ‘hold’ sticker when I showed up to talk turkey; the payments matched to my current payments by stretching the term… the whole used car show.
I should have seen it coming. The guy was so new that he was still using his “AutoNation” email address.
He was trying used car salesman tactics on a BMW customer.
Wonder how long he’ll last. I miss my old salesman. Now I’ll have to try a different dealer
Had this experience with the STI. Along with improving the interior and toning down the exterior to appeal to a new demographic, Subbie needs a new attitude at their dealerships.