This isn't going to sound polite, but I don't mean it that way to the individual who posted this. I just have a strong opinion about the car buying process from the consumer point of view. Thank you for your write up, it was interesting.
I don't care. I just don't care. I don't want to care about a sales man and what he makes or doesn't make. I care only about the car that I am either evaluating or after decision has been reached, purchasing.
- When I am trying to find out information about a car I want to be able to do this in a way that I trust and on my own terms.
When I am ready to hands on evaluate a car, I want to be able to do this quickly, conveniently and at my own pace.
When I am ready to buy a car I need the process of trading money for vehicle to be easy, transparent, trouble free, and then have the car delivered quickly.
Never in this process do I want to think about the mechanics of the transaction, worrying if I have played the game right or wrong.
This is what is so fundamentally broken with the automotive dealer system in this country. It fails in nearly all of these ways.
I have had two extremely negative experiences at dealers.
#1 at a Chevy dealer, where they wouldn't let me test drive a sports car, because I was a young man I guess, type cast as someone who couldn't afford such as car and only wanted a joy ride. I bought a sports car from another manufacture in the same price range two weeks later.
#2 at a VW dealer. I told them I wanted a particular model, with particular options and that I was willing to pay appropriate for it. Dealer said "great Mr. P71, I have one exactly like that on a boat right now inbound for the dealer. It is due here in about 10 days. I'll give you a call." I ask if they want a deposit, they say no. 11 days later, no call and they sold the car out from under me. I bought a car from another manufacture in the same price range two weeks later.
Both of these times, incompetent independent dealers soured me from a whole brand. This whole terrible brand tarnishing system is what Tesla is trying to up end and I applaud them for it. They meet almost all of my requirements above, except delivering quickly after ordering with their whole reservation system.
I have been able to buy computers configured the way I want them and delivered shortly there after with no sales man involved for over 15 years now. Why can't I do this for a car?
So Mr. Sales man, I'm sorry, but I just don't care. Get out of my way and let me buy a car. Your employer hired you to preform a role in a sales process that is broken, and as car buyer I just don't care and don't want the transaction to work the way it does at all. You profession has been deprecated, at least for me, and other customers like me.