rant: car-buying
Jan. 31st, 2005 07:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cellio![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
rectangularcat asked for a rant about "new car buying"
(before ducking and running :-) ). Ok, here goes.
Attention, people in the new-car industry! Look, guys, I don't see why this has to be so difficult. A new car costs roughly 10-20% of a house; why does there seem to be so much more slime in the auto-sales industry than in the realty industry? I've bought two houses, and neither transaction involved nearly the degree of bad conduct that I experienced in buying my latest car.
I suppose it's gotten harder for the sales guys now that everyone has ready access to better data. When I bought my previous car (in 1989), I had to go to a library to get access to the dealer pricing info, and it was obvious that most people didn't do that. Now you can look it all up on the web, and comparison-shop among dealerships. If the folks at the dealerships weren't so slick I might feel sorry for them.
They seem to have forgotten that the customer is important. They say the words -- I heard "I hope to be able to earn your business" more than once -- but, at least, the dealership I ended up with did not follow through. They have a big sign on the wall that says "customer satisfaction is our number 1 goal"; their behavior is inconsistent with that stated goal. Maybe a different dealership would have treated me better; I certainly had a good feeling about the Ford dealership, and next time they and Toyota will get more of my scrutiny. But I also had a good feeling about the VW dealership, so what do I know?
I ask relatively little in a new-car transaction. I expect to be able to get the configuration I want (waiting is fine), and to be able to test-drive something that's functionally equivalent to the car I'll buy, and to get it at a fair price (I'm not after an amazing deal, just fair), and to have the freaking dealership stand behind its product and its promises. I understand that defects happen, but you don't get to take it out on the customer. And I understand that it's tempting to promise the moon, but you shouldn't actually do it. In the future I will not believe anything that a salesman isn't willing to put in writing, even if it sounds fairly harmless like "yes, of course we'll give you a loaner car if you need work under the warranty".
I am, I think, reasonably good at negotiation. I know I scored one win on the price that the dealer didn't realize he was giving up. He probably took me for something I didn't know about too, but such is life. But why does the whole process have to feel like a duel? Can't a customer and a vendor sit down and have a direct, mature conversation among adults, without playing games or making promises that won't be kept? Hell, just about every job interview I've had that got to the dickering-over-numbers stage was a real joy comapared to this, and employers have a lot more at stake than car dealers do. Sheesh.
Next time I might just buy via the internet. It won't save me any hassle with the car itself (and defects therein), but at least it'll be a better use of my time if I can conduct most of the transaction via email.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-01 05:49 am (UTC)-- Dagonell
(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-01 04:33 pm (UTC)I like your comparision to real estate!
Last time I car shopped, I had to bring a token guy just so I could be taken seriously during negotiations... Sheesh!
(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-01 08:42 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-01 10:13 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-01 10:18 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-02 10:42 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-01 10:17 pm (UTC)I have walked out on salesmen who assumed that I couldn't make an informed decision on my own.
Actually, I once played the role of a friend's "token guy" (so to speak). That is, my friend had pretty much made a decision about a car but was very uncomfortable negotiating, so I went along as proxy. The funny thing? The friend in question is male. :-) (No, not Dani. He opted for a Saturn, in part because of the no-haggle rule. He might not do that again, though; he hasn't been too happy with the car.)
(no subject)
Date: 2005-02-02 10:43 pm (UTC)