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I don't get taken seriously for some reason. I am often ignored (which I actually don't mind) but when I start trying to talk to sales staff to get more information, it's frustrating. And then when I do talk to them, they don't seem to listen to me.
Last time I went looking and test driving, I went with my boyfriend and they all mainly listen and talked to him (which was frustrating since I was the potential buyer). At one dealership I went on a test drive with the salesman and my boyfriend (who sat in the back). The salesman kept referring to my dad in a way that was confusing to me (my dad died of cancer a few years ago and the salesman kept referring to him, which was weird enough to me, and also referring in the present tense). It took me a while to figure out that he thought my boyfriend was my dad!
Granted my boyfriend is older than me, but only by 9 years! My boyfriend knew all along what was going on and told me later, "I was sitting there not knowing whether to be flattered that he thought my girlfriend was that young looking or insulted that he thought I was that old looking."
In my 20's, I bought a brand new Mustang GT, a 1 year old G35, and leased a new C300 Benz. Believe it or not, I was treated the worst buying the Mustang. First dealer wouldn't let me test drive it unless I bought the car first. Since I wasn't going to buy a car I couldn't test drive, I passed and had to go to another dealer where they hesitated a bit, but finally let me drive the car. And yes, I bought it after that. They never really questions if I could afford it, but I sense they didn't want me joyriding in a brand new Mustang at age 23/24.
That behavior isn't specifically related to your age...I think it's gender-related as well. I'm an older woman who currently owns 3 sports cars and has considerable track experience incl a racing license, and I can't find a dealership that will let me test drive a 370Z Nismo even when I waive my checkbook around. I usually get treated like an idiot when I walk into any dealership just because I'm a woman, and how expensively I'm dressed (or not) makes no difference at all.
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Originally Posted by BostonMike7
I've had my keys withheld from my per my request requiring me to make a scene to get them back.
I had a meltdown in a dealership one day over the key hostage routine.
I live in an affluent area, and it seems that an awful lot of people own their own businesses or work from home. Consequently, we don't all have to dress up for work and you'll rarely see us in suits/ties.
It's common to see people walking around in jeans and a t-shirt at the local Porsche dealer, or Aston Martin, and even the Ferrari dealership gets people in there dressing very casually.
A friend of mine was a long time car salesman, he told me that it wasn't necessarily the type of clothes that tip you off whether someone has money, (someone may be wearing a suit, but there's a world of difference between a cheap suit and a custom tailored one) and he said he looked at shoes for brands, but he said his number one "tell" when working with a client was a watch. You can dress casually in jeans and a t-shirt, but if you're wearing a Rolex or Omega on your wrist, chances are they'll pick up on it.
I haven't had a bad sales experience since my 20's. I was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt when I went to buy a Porsche Boxster S. It had been a trade in on a Maserati, I was at the Ferrari/Maserati dealer. They didn't give me the time of day. But I wanted the car, so I had to flag someone down to work with me. Put a bad taste in my mouth that I had to work at getting them a sale! Now that I'm in my 40's, and they see me pull up in a nice car, I don't have any problems, even though I still couldn't afford a brand new Ferrari.
It is interesting how sales people will take the keys and hold them hostage. I guess I never thought about it, because by the time I'm sitting in the sales office, I know that I'm leaving with a brand new car - whether if the deal is favorable or not. So, I probably never paid attention to it. The first car I traded in, I knew I wanted out of it and I wasn't leaving until I got something else around the same monthly payment (yes, even back then I was making stupid mistakes in negotiations). So, I probably wouldn't take the keys back if they said absolutely not. The second time, which was me trading in my GT for the Accord, I honestly can't remember if they held my keys hostage or not. Again, I think I was so bent on trading at that point (momentary lapse of insanity), that I honestly don't remember if they even kept my keys to the Mustang or not.
Saw a listing online, called the dealership to be sure the car was still available and scheduled an appointment to view it the next day. The dealership was an hour away, arrived there around noon and they couldn't locate the car. They had moved it to a different location earlier that morning. While they were trying to figure out which location (they have about 15 locations in MD and VA), the salesman tried his hardest to get me to try out other cars.
Found out where the car was now located, drove another hour to the different location and they had increased the sales price by $1000 or so.
At this point, we're super frustrated but I really like the car. It's pre-owned, and it would take time to find another like it so we decide to buy it. During the "financing" talk, the finance manager gave us the hard sell on the extended warranty. We said "No,thanks" three times - she kept on and got very snarky. I have a pretty mild temperament but after all that BS and hours spent, my frustration bubbled up and I lost my temper with her.
We closed the deal but I feel like we were so mistreated that it's likely I'll never buy a vehicle from that dealership again.
But you just taught them that you'll roll over for whatever they want to do to you. Why would they change?
What kind of used car was it that was worth driving for hours, having them jack the price up a thousand dollars, and getting jerked around by the dealer?
I can offer a story from the other side when I sold cars.
I worked with several older salesmen and they had a habit of sizing someone up as soon as they pulled onto the lot but not me I would talk to anyone.
One day I noticed a young black guy checking out the big SUV's and one of the older salesmen passed on him and told me he is all yours. The guy was dressed in his baggy"gear" with gold chains, hat on crooked and I think he even had a gold tooth. The long story short his mom owned a couple of business's and he (rather she) ended up buying a $50,000 Denali.
Salesmen are always on the lookout for the easy score and they will judge a book by its cover.
We were at a campground for the weekend and decided to check out some RV's at a nearby dealership.....pulled up in our Tahoe, nobody approached us....the next weekend, went to the same dealership in a Porsche, we were bombarded with sales people....go figure
if the Tahoe was new it may have cost more than the Porsche
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While they were trying to figure out which location (they have about 15 locations in MD and VA), the salesman tried his hardest to get me to try out other cars.
