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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To want to buy a car off an actual honest car salesperson

27 replies

Mosschopz · 09/10/2016 21:17

I've been trying to swap my car for months but every time I get it together to visit a dealership I have to navigate bullshit. I give them a budget, the offer me a more expensive car but try to massage the figures to make it look cheap...they disappear off for half an hour to 'negotiate' with the boss...they use stupid delaying tactics to keep you on site as long as possible to wear you down (7 times I was offered a brew at Audi)...every place is the same. Why can't they do business in a transparent way?

OP posts:

AyeAmarok · 09/10/2016 21:20

Try and find a woman salesperson.

Less bullshit, I find.

There was a great woman at the Audi place in Glasgow if you're near me!

Original poster

Mosschopz · 09/10/2016 21:30

Sadly I'm not. It was at Mercedes, with a woman salesperson, that I was kept waiting for two hours while she negotiated and re-negotiated...so I'm glad you've had a better experience than me.

OP posts:

AyeAmarok · 09/10/2016 21:39

Ah, that was the only woman car salesperson I've ever come across and she was so good! No nonsense, very straight-up.

Unfortunately I extrapolated that into "all car saleswomen are better than salesmen"

I have never met a car salesman who wasn't a lying, smarmy, patronising git who, when I go in wanting to buy a car, only talks to my DP because obviously my ladybrain can't handle all the numbers and engine chat.

And this is despite DP standing there looking bemused and saying to him "tell her, she's buying it. It's her car".

alfagirl73 · 09/10/2016 21:41

A tactic I once used when they were doing this with me: they had the keys to my car that I was looking to trade in. When they took ages I suddenly got up and asked for my keys - i.e. I was leaving. They went "oh hold on...." - trying to get me to wait longer. I said "no, I've told you want I want - you're just wasting my time - give me my keys - now!". Miraculously they immediately offered me the deal I'd asked for in the first place! :-) Sometimes you have to call their bluff and threaten to walk. Works well if they've already had you there a while - they've spent time on you, know you're serious and they don't want to lose the sale.

cujo · 09/10/2016 21:46

Ah the wizard of oz tactics. The person behind the curtain who makes the decisions. Jut talk to me directly, and stop wasting all our time! Yes this drives me insane too!

I find the only way to get round this is to know exactly what you want, and exactly what you want to pay and just look at them blankly when they deviate from what you want to discuss.

Though I do think they keep an eye on you when you are sittting there waiting to see if the pressure is getting to you, I just play on my phone and get on with stuff. They seem to come back quicker if you aren't sitting there waiting for them conversely.

But it's all a big game and I don't think you'll find somewhere that doesn't do this. Just play back!

deathandtaxes123 · 09/10/2016 22:28

This is an interesting thread..

There was another thread a few days ago where a couple of women were castigated for saying they'd had a hard time at the hands of female bosses. They were told they shouldn't label their bosses as "women" but just as managers.

In this instance women are being singled out from men, again based on their sex, as being the preferred sex when it comes to sales as they have less bullshit. I'm waiting on the sexist brigade to show up...as they did the other day. Mumsnet is a strange place!

Anyhoo, YANBU OP but Personally, the worst car I've ever been sold was by a woman and the worst deal I ever got was from a man. I have faith in neither!

Take LOADS of cars out a test drive and leave the showroom acting a bit nonplussed and non committal.

Also, in casual conversation, if you can get an idea of how their targets work...monthly or quarterly etc and
Go in right before that period ends. Depending on how well the dealership is doing, you'll be getting decent offers right left and centre.

Original poster

Mosschopz · 09/10/2016 22:48

That's great advice re targets!

I do consider myself fairly clued up, I always have a budget, never allow myself to be derailed, always walk away to research how good a deal it actually is if they agree to hand over the paper copy of the quote (another shitty tactic..) and still I get played!

I'm not sure it comes down to gender, probably intelligence and experience. I was at a dealership on Saturday and was approached by a very new and bumbling salesman...I saw my opportunity to turn the tables but he unfortunately handed me over to a 'more experienced' colleague/slimeball.

OP posts:

Kingsizecrochetblanket · 10/10/2016 00:17

We played a smarmy salesman at his own game once, kept him there 2 hours after closing. We got the deal WE wanted, not the deal he wanted to give us.
He was trying to explain interest to my DP. DP works in banking and ended up explaining it to him as he clearly didn't understand what he was selling.

BestZebbie · 10/10/2016 00:18

I had my best car salesperson experience ever from walking into the dealership and introducing myself as somebody who had been intending to purchase a car from a different brand dealership that morning, but had just walked out on them due to being messed around and patronised - it was amazing how that focused their minds on customer service in the 'second' establishment.

Softkitty2 · 10/10/2016 04:37

Argh, i feel your pain. Traded in our car at a dealership and walked away feeling ripped off.

Still feel ripped off today whenever im in that car.

AmeliaJack · 10/10/2016 04:59

I find that the best way to handle it is to be very up front when you walk in the door.

Be explicit about what you want, state that you don't want to be messed about and are prepared to walk if you are.

There's no shortage of Mercedes showrooms. If they mess you about - walk.

elodie2000 · 10/10/2016 06:39

I spent a long and painful 2 + hours in a dealers when I was 23 and walked.
They kept me waiting a stupid amount of time and started to haggle over 'accessories' at the last minute. ( I was buying a new car. )
I drove 15 miles to another dealer and told them I'd just wasted 2 hours of my life & explained what I wanted and at what price.
They laughed & completed the deal for new car, with accessories, at the price I asked for within about 30 mins.
I was a 23 year old woman, on her own buying a new car which was probably unusual but I always remember the 2nd garage not being the least bit patronising in contrast with the first!
The first garage phoned back the same afternoon just as I got home! Too late!

ayeokthen · 10/10/2016 06:46

AyeAmarok has it spot on, we bought our car from a woman salesperson, funnily enough in Glasgow (London Road not Audi because the salesman in Audi put me right off!) and she was great. Told her what we wanted, rough budget and she brought us in with £2000 to spare!

greenfolder · 10/10/2016 06:46

2 things.
Get up and leave. I've done this twice
If they say they have to speak to the boss, tell them they need to bring them back with them as you ain't talking to them anymore

FabulouslyGlamourousFerret · 10/10/2016 06:50

I could have written your post last year! It's the most stressful experience I ended up leasing a car, no negotiating, the price on the website is what you pay and you don't have to deal with anybody face to face! ,a couple of phone calls and it's done

marmiteloversunite · 10/10/2016 06:56

Any interest in a mini? It is the only dealership that I have not been ignored in. No messing around. Great after sales service. They talked to me when I was buying the car rather than aiming discussion at my DH. (I don't work for mini )

EchidnasPhone · 10/10/2016 08:51

I don't waste time going in. I call the dealer tell them exactly what I want & what my budget is (holding back about £800) and ask them to call me if they have anything. The whole conversation lasts about 5 minutes then they can run around doing the leg work whilst I go about life. I've bought 3 cars this way. They can then get the cars in from other dealers for a test drive if necessary so then I make an appointment to go in if I like it I ask them to do all the checks and tell them I'll be back the next day for it. Deal is done. My DH isn't fussed about cars but when we went the first time together it was all directed at him so the phone approach means that they deal exclusively with me as I drive 89% of the time.

Theoretician · 10/10/2016 09:44

I'm not an expert new car buyer so this is a genuine question: why is going into a dealership better than giving the exact specification you want to an online broker and getting a zero-effort discount from whichever dealership most wants the business?

I suppose you are looking to dodge the pain of selling the old car by part-exchanging. I've found selling outgoing cars on ebay to be fairly painless, but my old cars were worth nothing anyway, not sure how good that would be for a more valuable car. I think I would still look for painless ways to get an acceptable price on the old car so that I don't have to haggle about a trade-in though.

Theoretician · 10/10/2016 09:52

Speaking as a non-expert car consumer, I think that wanting to trade-in and being willing to go into a dealership to haggle are both huge weaknesses that put you at a disadvantage. Why argue about car prices with someone who does it for a living? There is no need for haggling in a world that has on-line auctions: ebay for used cars and discount brokers for new ones.

Hoppinggreen · 10/10/2016 09:54

I train sales people for a living.
If anyone tries the hard sell technique with me they get constructive feedback on their performance!!

c3pu · 10/10/2016 11:14

Reading this thread makes me glad I don't have enough money to buy a car from a main dealer!

Far simpler to get on Autotrader and find something I want for the price I want to pay.

Sunnymeg · 10/10/2016 11:50

Don't be afraid to get up and leave if they mess you around. We do lots of research online so that we have our facts to hand and know when we are being messed about. I'm sure that some of them expect you to fall in love with a car and then you'll pay anything for it. Be careful of trade in valuations. We had a hilarious conversation with one car sales man who saw the older registration plate on our two year old car, didn't realise it was a private number plate and quoted us 6 grand less than the car was worth Needless to say, he didn't get the deal. .

lanbro · 10/10/2016 11:59

Make sure you have a friend who is a car salesman. Even if you don't want their make the usually know someone who does. We have a friend who works for Nissan in the factory and another who sells Nissans - discounts plus freebies and no hassle!

FYI, if you're buying a new car never pay for the paint protection package. The product is available online for a fraction of the price and easily appliable, or a decent hand car wash would offer it for a good price!

Whitelisbon · 10/10/2016 12:05

I walked away from a dealership after the smarmy salesman told my fil (who'd come with me as taxi driver), that "it's an awfully big car for a little girl, she'll never manage to park it".
Told him he was a sexist twat and I had an hgv licence (which is a load of bollocks but he didn't know that) and walked out.

Keeptrudging · 10/10/2016 12:15

My last car was bought from a small local garage who obviously haven't been on all the 'car selling mind games' courses and pride themselves on straight talking. I went in, looked at the car i wanted, test drove it, they answered 2 questions, deal was done within half an hour. Easy and pleasant process, I'll go back there next time. No rip-off or feeling of having been manipulated.

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