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Tesla has its issues, but was the easiest car buying experience I have ever had. Test drove the car, ordered it online, then showed up to pick it up. None of the regular dealer BS. All the stuff that the OP describes is what they have strategically removed from the sales process.
Get in the time machine to five years ago, when we actually bought the CRV in question. Walked into a showroom at 10 a.m. Had our money in hand. Knew what we wanted and the price we wanted to pay.
So, knowing THIS is how you buy a car, why did you go back for a "sales job" ?
How many times does it have to be said before people catch on:
ID the car you want to buy with the exact color, options, etc. Determine the price you wish to pay (usually the dealer's documented invoice cost is fair). Present the deal, take it or leave it. If you haven't bought the car in five minutes, LEAVE and go to the next dealer.
It is not all that difficult to avoid the morons that "sell" cars. If you put yourself out there for abuse, that is exactly what you get.
YOU are in control. Why would you hand that control over to someone else?
I purchased my last new car in 2018. There were none of the model that I wanted available near me so I had to buy from another state 1000mi away. I did the whole deal over text, I never even spoke to the salesperson. I was able to negotiate 15k off the sticker price. The only person I actually spoke with was the finance lady that explained how the paperwork was going to be signed. She also laid out the extended warranty options with no pressure.
They overnighted me the paperwork and I signed all the docs at my kitchen table, alone. Put a large check in the envelope and overnighted it back. A week or two later, my new car arrived at my house on a trailer. So easy.
I just cannot see how you can purchase such an expensive item without first SEEING/DRIVING it.
Once I know the dealer has the one I want (i.e. options, color) I would certainly ask for a QUICK test drive, just to get some assurance that the vehicle drives 'properly'. Of course I would also want to give it a fair walk-around to ensure I don't see any paint/body issues, etc.
There is just no way I could buy a vehicle sight unseen!
I was at a dealer earlier this year, considering a new Lexus NX. The salesman wanted me to negotiate/seal the deal right then and there, and they didn't yet have the vehicle on premises. It was scheduled to arrive there in 2 weeks. NO WAY I was going to sign a deal without seeing it first.
It may be unlikely, but...
What if the car that comes in had some damage caused by transporting it? Perhaps even minor body damage. Or what if I drive it out of the dealership and I immediately notice a clicking sound in the engine compartment? You just never know.
So why is it that car dealerships seem to be run and staffed by complete knuckle-dragging halfwits? Why do dealerships seem to operate with total contempt for their customers? Why is the process of purchasing a car such a complete nightmare?
Seriously, I'd like to know.
Because there's not a lot of outside blood infused in. People tend not to come in from the outside in a way that can "transform" the business. Most start at the bottom and work their way up, and the barrier to entry is pretty low, since they don't pay you much if you don't sell anything.
It isn't a desirable career field, on the whole. The hours are brutal; every weekend and most holidays, and the Holidays that the store is closed usually mean that you need to be there to work around the holiday itself, so you can't drive five hours to another state on Thanksgiving because you need to work a full bell on black Friday. And while you can ask for that day off, it's literally money out of your pocket in a very noticeable way. Folks that make a career out of it work their way to positions where the money is better but the schedule isn't.
The other factor at play is the economics of the operation. New car sales isn't profitable enough to sustain the operation. Taking used car sales off the table, the profitability is dependent on the F&I office where they try and capture financing, sell extended warranties, etc, and the service department, which is why they pressure the sales folks to do a service department introduction.
I just cannot see how you can purchase such an expensive item without first SEEING/DRIVING it.
Once I know the dealer has the one I want (i.e. options, color) I would certainly ask for a QUICK test drive, just to get some assurance that the vehicle drives 'properly'. Of course I would also want to give it a fair walk-around to ensure I don't see any paint/body issues, etc.
There is just no way I could buy a vehicle sight unseen!
I was at a dealer earlier this year, considering a new Lexus NX. The salesman wanted me to negotiate/seal the deal right then and there, and they didn't yet have the vehicle on premises. It was scheduled to arrive there in 2 weeks. NO WAY I was going to sign a deal without seeing it first.
It may be unlikely, but...
What if the car that comes in had some damage caused by transporting it? Perhaps even minor body damage. Or what if I drive it out of the dealership and I immediately notice a clicking sound in the engine compartment? You just never know.
I bought a car from an Atlanta VW/Bentley dealer because there are zero in my state or neighboring states for sale. They actually only made 145 for North America that year of it’s two year model run. Very surprisingly they paid for the shipping too (I know I actually paid for it via sales price, but it wasn’t an added charge and car was priced in same range of others for sale). It was a crapshoot what was coming, but when you get them to email you things you have them in print if lawsuits were to be needed.
My last car purchase (2017 Ford Escape) took me 3 visits (over 4 days) until I drove off in a new Explorer. I was quite surprised how little pressure there was on me to sign now. We got to a $1,500 difference in price. I was asked to speak to the Finance Manager. I said no, this is a cash deal. Salesman said talk to him. The conversation began with me saying unless you can get the price down $1,500, I have no reason to talk to you.
Credit Manager was rather polite and said I can get you that price. The deal was if I financed thru Ford Credit, he could get me the price. He said they will send you a payment coupon in about 3 weeks. On the coupon will be the pay off price. It will be the price you want so yo can pay it off. I had him give me piece of paper circling the price and we both signed it.
3 weeks later the payment notice came to me. I looked. The pay off was the price we agreed on. I sent a personal check in for the amount. Two weeks later my title arrived with the Ford Credit lien removed.
Many midsize ones will lose out to places like Carvana, Carmax. These are places that make money are selection and hard selling people. The small agile ones will still be around to keep customers happy but the big ones will have to offer better service to stay competitive.
I was just speaking with a woman who has built a decades long career in sales and was on staff at a very high-end jewelry store. She commented about how the first thing a salesperson should understand is to avoid assumptions, as she once had a guy in overalls and a beat-up pickup buy a $500K bracelet from her store. She said in her experience, the people who appear to be the ones of the most modest means were often their wealthiest customers.
I just cannot see how you can purchase such an expensive item without first SEEING/DRIVING it.
Once I know the dealer has the one I want (i.e. options, color) I would certainly ask for a QUICK test drive, just to get some assurance that the vehicle drives 'properly'. Of course I would also want to give it a fair walk-around to ensure I don't see any paint/body issues, etc.
There is just no way I could buy a vehicle sight unseen!
I was at a dealer earlier this year, considering a new Lexus NX. The salesman wanted me to negotiate/seal the deal right then and there, and they didn't yet have the vehicle on premises. It was scheduled to arrive there in 2 weeks. NO WAY I was going to sign a deal without seeing it first.
It may be unlikely, but...
What if the car that comes in had some damage caused by transporting it? Perhaps even minor body damage. Or what if I drive it out of the dealership and I immediately notice a clicking sound in the engine compartment? You just never know.
You refuse delivery of the car. You haven't bought the car til they have the car. The deal is negotiated and agreed on, they still have to deliver you the car.
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