Last night I went out with my 19 year old son car shopping. I promised to help buy him a car after his first year of college if he got good grades. He apparently took me seriously as he proceeded to rack up straight A’s two quarters in a row. On the way to the first dealership, I explained that there was no correlation between the grade point average and the dollar value of the vehicle we were in search of. That conversation went really well as you might imagine.
We proceeded to visit 6 dealerships, Ford, Chevy, Toyota, Chrysler, Audi and another Toyota store. The depressing fact is that I was only introduced to one manager (Chrysler store) and not any one, and I mean no one recorded our name or telephone number.
Holy shit, what is going on out there? The last I checked, these are tough times and we were about as good of an up as they come. What about all the CRM solutions in these dealerships? What about all the management supervision? What about all the sales training?
I went home thoroughly depressed and drank scotch to overcome my sense of despair.
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11 users responded in this post
So the interesting thing to me is that you shopped for a vehicle by driving to 6 dealerships… Don’t we buy cars online these days
So does that excuse thier poor performance on the lot? Last time I checked Imotors failed.
We don’t buy cars online - we conduct research and submit quote requests. And for most people, part of the research process is offline: we look at, sit in, test drive, etc. to get a better idea of what we want.
Eric,
Please see Amit’s reply, it’s dead on. My son and I went out to look, touch and drive a handful of vehicles that were in his consideration set. Specifically, Ford Explorer, Chevy Tahoe, Toyota 4Runner, Jeep Cherokee, and even an Audi A4. While the experience was painful, we came home with a clear understanding of what each vehicle had to offer, their strengths and weaknesses. While much information can be obtained on-line, there would be no way for us to have had the appreciation that we derived from the physical experience.
Make no mistake, however, from this point on it will be all about finding the specific vehicle that he wants and the best deal on the internet. In fact, the process has already begun. Yesterday I made multiple calls to dealerships as far away as California and Denver. Having been a dealer for so many years, and now only a mere mortal car buyer, I’m positive that everyone that owns or works in the sales department of a dealership should put on civilian clothes and go out and do what we did. I guarantee that they would be better for having had the experience.
Dale,
The real saavy consumer sits in and drives the vehicles on those lots and then orders a pre-owned one for thousands less from Auctiondirect.com.
Good luck, Dale, even if you have to buy one under those circumstances.
Dale, two things:
First, since you considered Toyota, I would like to remind you that Certified Pre-owned Lexus is a far better value considering the warranty coverage, roadside assistance, red carpet treatment, etc, etc…so, please give me a call.
Second, was the scotch blended or single malt?
I am a single malt guy myself, on the rocks
George,
Please now! For some reason my son of limited means already has his head in the clouds with respect to what he thinks he should be driving. Please don’t tempt him with Champagne when he barely has beer money.
In all seriousness, I completely agree that a used certified Lexus is probably one of the finest vehicles and investments for anyone in the market and I have the ultimate respect for the service that the Mcgrath organization provides. Its a real privilege to hear from you. By the way, I’m a single malt guy too. Do you think maybe that’s where my son gets his tastes?
Dale
Hey Neal,
Sorry for the way that came across, I was totally kidding and i think it got lost in text. Tons of respect for you and the work that you do in the industry. KEEP IT UP!
Dale,
Sounds like a made to order situation for a pre-owned lease! 36 months, you can pre-pay it, you have all the options at the end, and none of the exposure. Let someone else, like US Bank guarantee the value. If its worth more, you can cash it out and take any overage. If its short, you walk away and get another one. The arbitrage opporunties on the vehicles you mentioned are unbelievable these days. With a lease, the price isn’t the most important thing, its the relationship between selling price and residual. You might find a more expensive vehicle actually has a lower lease payment. And don’t forget that pre-pay option for those who don’t want to make payments! I believe in IL you also get a break on sales tax… might only have to pay on the payment and not the whole ammount.
Dale -
How lucky is your son to have you sitting shot-gun on his dealer visits. The dealers probably just see a green 19 yr. old looking for a car and have no idea who’s coaching him…
Let me know if we can lend a hand when you make your final decision.
Our inventory guys are using this great program to help keep our prcing in check. Wink:)
Eric
If anyone only asked our names, it would be much more fun!
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