Whats your experience of car sales people

Ian Bairds Ears

Ian Bairds Ears

Well-known member
Mine is bad overall...What is it about the car industry that seems to attract smarmy salespeople....
It's almost a standing joke but there are lots of sales arenas where the staff
aren't like that
What is it about car sales?
Anyone know...
I've met some smarmy lying f@@@@ during my time buying cars but also one maybe 2 quality people over the years
 
I’m met good ones and bad ones…

Best I had was a guy that told you exactly how it was… pulled no punches and did a deal if there was room to manoeuvre. Everybody loved him and he was the best in the business until the day he sadly passed away far too early.

he didn’t need to sell you a car… if you wanted to buy it he would assist you in your purchase… he had the best sales record in the country at one point and won numerous awards and prizes for sales and service.

that guy was my uncle and I will never see another guy like him in a showroom.
 
I deal with a lot of sales professionals in my job (not cars though) and my favourite is when they say “this bit is honestly not a sales pitch this is my honest opinion”. It comes up during about 50% of conversations. I usually joke that it must mean that the rest of what they’ve said WAS a sales pitch and WASN’T their honest opinion. They always pretend to find it funny but I know they don’t.
 
VW are normally a bit more laid back. Seat are OK, but yes quite a number in general are over assertive. DC Cook were particularly bad. Some of the big second hand dealers had their sales people competing with each other for the same customer(s). They are always male, with usually a young woman on the reception desk.
 
I once had a car salesman in a Ford dealership in Leeds tell me loudly to fxxx off in the middle of the showroom because I asked if he could knock £500 off the price. He didn’t get a sale.

South Cleveland Garages (Rover dealership at the time) once refused to sell my wife a new car unless I was present (I was at the Riverside watching a match).

The Greaves garage at Hutton Rudby once wanted a bodywork specialist to come and check the car we were putting in as part exchange hadn’t been in an accident because he couldn’t believe the paintwork was so good! He didn’t offer more in exchange once it had been confirmed…!

On the other hand I’ve come across plenty who have been polite and helpful, we once got an absolute bargain second hand car for our daughter at the old Ford garage in Stockton, it’s still outside on the drive now.

I suppose they all have their job to do and see all cross-sections of the general public.
 
I forget his name but there's a guy who works at the Porsche garage in Stockton who's decent. I test drove a 718 and fell in love with it. Sadly I couldn't quite afford it (anyone speccing up a Porsche will know the list price isn't the price you end up with!) He actually tried his hardest to get a deal that would work for me. I know it’s to get him a sale, but a sale of their cheapest vehicle when he could probably have been selling 5 Macans. I really appreciated the work he put in and when I can afford a Taycan crossover I'll be on the phone to him!
 
I only deal with Newcastle Audi and they are spot on. Saying that it’s the business development manager who looks after me, had three cars from there now. In the same vein, I walked into Teesside Audi and back out again as the staff didn’t seem interested.
 
I genuinely find that in 'this day and age' they are only there to take the money and fill in the paper work.

I think the large majority of people do so much research about what they are buying.

I watch YouTube videos and reviews online. I would say by the time I buy a car I probably know more than them (that seems to be the case). I even check a cars mot history online before I go to view as you can check for advisorys etc. I suggests everyone does this as selling with a years mot doesn't mean its not got 8-10 advisorys including tyres and breaks that will cost a few quid.

I imagine pre Internet the actually tried to 'sell you a car' and I think that's were they got a bad rep going for a hard sell. Also a lot more regulations about selling you actual bangers.

The last couple I bought were pretty seamless. The salesmen just said have a look and come and get me if I needed anything. Also solo test drives (probably due to covid). You can be in and out within an hour. In fact tht car I bought in Jan had all the forms sent via email (again covid) . I literally picked it up and left in 15 mins👍. I bought it quicker than my missus queuing for some £3 underwear at Primark😂
 
Don’t know whether it’s an urban myth but apparently the best Time to buy a car is end of the month when they may be desperate to get their monthly figures in order , hence bend further backwards for a deal . 🤑
 
Last edited:
Evans Halshaw were so bad I swore I’d never set foot in one again. We had a toddler with us who was excitable and in her terrible two’s. I just wanted to go in, get a part ex price, agree a deal, and leave.
It shouldn’t have been stressful.
We saw the car we liked, had a price in mind and sat down with the salesman to do his number crunching. He kept us there for 40 minutes whilst he tapped away on his computer. Our daughter getting more and more curious about the new surroundings and big shiny cars. Eventually the guy looked up, spun his monitor screen round to reveal a PowerPoint presentation he’d been making with our family name in big pixel letters, and several slides on how to make our new purchased car kiddy proof. Diamond bright, 3M scotch guard, finance deals, breakdown cover, lost key cover, etc etc. Not one detail about the part ex price and how much money we’d be parting with. He was grinning from ear to ear like he was the best salesman in the land and was doing us a massive favour.
That was it, I’d had enough. We picked up our daughter and walked out.
 
I was researching used cars on Autotrader online and saved the ones I was interested in to make comparisons.

After a few months of this it became apparent that the best example was one of the first ones I'd looked at, and it had been available all that time.

So I went to the garage to check it out.

I was chatting to the sales lady, and I asked her 'How long have you had the car for sale?'

She looked uneasy, and casually called across to her male colleague to ask the same question.

He replied 'A couple of weeks', which she repeated to me.

Of course she knew all along they'd had it for many months, how could she not? But didn't want to lie to me outright, which is why she asked her colleague to 'confirm' the lie, as if it took the responsibility for the lie off her shoulders.
 
An old friend of mines Dad went into a Rolls Royce garage in Colchester and for a laugh asked how many miles to the Gallon the Rolls did. The Salesman said 'if you need to ask that question' you cannot afford a Rolls Royce.
 
Caveat emptor chaps. The problem is they are on a commission wage, I wonder if they were on a flat wage would they be more honest. My tip is always to be friendly and polite (even when they are grinding your gears) be realistic on your part ex. value and ask if they do a price match. And review the company on line, they are only as good as their worst reviews.. And if they promise to send spare keys, service books "on" to you, tell them you are holding money back untill you get them. If you go on YouTube look for high peak autos, he runs his own business and gives both sides of the story.
 
Some decent ones, but generally it's never really a pleasant experience, although it really should be and I've bought from a lot of different dealers.

The trick is to do your research, decide what car, colour and spec you want and then shop around to get the best price.

Most new cars are PCP/lease these days and more and more people are buying online, so the sales people are less and less relevant thankfully.
 
Honda off Concord Way Stockton, purchased the last 3 Jazz's for the misses on Honda Finance and agreed value px. Always polite, efficient and seamless. Same salesman too I've never accepted their initial price and always look for a discount and get it.
Now I did once go with my little one with a low value runaround to see what they would give as px late in the afternoon quite a few years back. This was prior to the later purchases. After being ignored for quite some time. I approached one of the two guys stood outside ignoring me and told them they'd lost the potential sale of a new car, the look on their faces. No offer of help or anything, crazy. I did get a good deal at a Honda dealership in Northallerton that time. They closed and being impressed with the cars returned to Stockton and found a totally different approach by the sales team, not the same guys I'd met before either.
 
I emply kitchen sales people and have been stunned with how they think. I have a background in maths and if I come up with a figure it will be right to approx 5%. The sales guys will just generate any number that creates a reaction and are often hugely inaccurate.

I can only deduce from this that there is a huge variation to telling the truth.
To illustrate the point one was telling me about a new computer system that went into her previous builders merchants. The cost of this system was £18 billion. I just had to walk away with my head in my hands.

Sales talk is just bullsh!t
 
I had a mate in Cyprus and before he left he wanted a new car. Straight to the local dealer and said 'SELL me that car, I want that car' if you cannot SELL it to me then I won't buy it and will go elsewhere. Luckily the dealer knew his stuff and my mate bought it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top