Now Ye're Talking - to a Car Salesman

carsfan2

What would you say are the lowest depreciating car models and what are the worst on the market?
Is there a ”sweet spot” of age to buy and sell at ?i.e. buy at 3 years old sell at 5?

the sheriff is HERE

What are your favourite everyday cars?
Have you ever refused to sell a car?

SCOOP 64

Have you ever sold a car that you knew had a reputation for having problems and felt you should warn the customer but didn't, or should the customer do their own homework to look into the car they are buying.

wyf437gn6btzue

Do you think pcp finance should be more regulated than it currently is?

ba_barabus

I drive a 131 Avensis I bought last year. I purchased it with 75k kms from a reputable main dealer and by July I'll be well on the road to doubling this. I've had it serviced every 15k at the main dealer and had no issues.

Given the mileage I'm doing should I upgrade again in order to get a decent trade in value or would the value lie in holding it.

It's bland as hell but comfortable, dependable and has a big boot. I don't want anything from VAG as they've always been unreliable and expensive to repair which somewhat limits my choice.

madmaggie

Do you have a different attitude to female customers? I have been patronised, ignorned and talked down to in garages in the not too distant past. I won't be bothering with them again. One place the salesman talked all the time to my male relative, even though I made it clear I was the one doing the buying.

Cookie_Monster

carsfan2 wrote: »

Why do manufacturers care about market share and being number one etc?
Surely selling more cars at no margin is a waste.

because the cars get produced either way. so it's sell them or have them sit in a receiving yard in whatever country until they do finally sell them.

FanadMan

Have you ever met or worked with an Arthur Daley type salesman? You know the type - great spiel, smokes cigars and is a real conman?

Manic Moran

Apologies if not applicable to my situation in the US, but we get 'sales pushes' every few months here. Winter event. President's Day Sale, etc. For those of us looking for a certified used car, I assume a bunch of trade-ins happen in these sales, and the cars get inspected, fixed up, and put on the used car market. Since I would like the largest selection to choose from, how long does it take between a car getting traded in, and its being back on the lot as a 'Certified Pre-Owned'?

I'm a Car Salesman, AMA

Widdensushi wrote: »

What do you think of PCP and what incentives are you getting to sell it?

Personally I am a fan of PCP and if buying a car myself I would buy it using PCP. It makes buying a new car more affordable for some people.

It also depends how long you are going to keep your car, if you are someone who keeps it for example 1 years then PCP may not be suitable

The majority of people change their car once they have bought a new one more frequently.

With PCP if you can afford to pay more per month then do and put in less of a deposit up front. Also make sure the final value / payment is not too high. PCP fails where you end up owing more than its worth at the end, this will also discourage people from doing it.

Yes a dealership does receive commission for organising the PCP finance but not as much as you would for organising regular hire purchase finance

bucketybuck wrote: »

Have you ever apologised to the lads in service that regularly have to deal with the fallout caused by salesmen making bull**** claims at the time of sale?

Personally I have never had to however I have seen it happen. Two things tend to happen first is yes the sales person over promised at the start and also some customers will try and claim they were offered and given certain things as part of the deal

Max Prophet wrote: »

Whata your basic salary and your sales bonus ?

I don't want give exact figures, on a good year though you could 3.5 - 4 times your basic salary in commission

Harika wrote: »

Cars depreciate, where is the sweet spot when you get most bang for your money nowadays?
Like 2013 I was told that a five year old car would be best as depreciation already took most of the value but not much repair work will be expected.

It depends on the brand but I would say 3 years personally as the dealership will want your trade in to sell again and make money from. Once a car hits 5 years some dealerships will not sell the car on themselves and simply sell on to a third party dealer

DrPhilG

What are your thoughts on Electric Vehicles? I'm not sure if you work for one of the common EV sellers, (mainly Nissan, Renault and Hyundai) but the common theme for those interested in buying electric is that (a)the dealers are shockingly badly informed and (b)they simply don't want to sell electrics because they won't make as much money long term as they are more reliable and cheaper to service.

PS I don't mean the "shockingly badly informed" bit as an attack. It's more an issue with the dealership than the individual salesmen.

Tom Mann Centuria

When you go to ask your boss is there anything else you can do to improve the deal, what do you talk about really?

ba_barabus

A couple of more questions:

Have you ever had a very negative customer experience which was outside of your control?

Have you ever had a strange customer request?

How do you deal with tyre kickers?

Why do some sales people be at pains to stress they are making no money/loosing money on a deal? It's a big turn off for me when someone says it and has caused me to walk away.

GavRedKing

More of a personal one,

Money no object, what would be your ideal daily and weekend 2 car garage?

Tell me how

What has been the weirdest item which ye have found in a trade in?

What has been the largest sum of money also found in a trade in?

Have you ever seen a car which has been traded and bought multiple times through the same garage?

Veloce

Generally - how many people purchases their cars by way of finance versus buying outright with cash?

Obviously you can't determine if cash buyers sourced their money from a credit union or whatever but just generally speaking.

SEPT 23 1989

Is selling a car really like making love to a beautiful woman?

I'm a Car Salesman, AMA

redbel05 wrote: »

Probably showing how little I know about car sales... Have you ever had a customer come in and get you to order in "the works"/ the most expensive customised model and then not be contactable afterwards or decide to buy elsewhere?

Is it very competitive in your dealership as to which salesman gets the most sales? Is there much of a turnover of salesman there due to people not being able to cut it?

What's the longest that you've gone without selling a car?

1, It someone is looking to order a very specific car generally we will look for a minimum 10% deposit up front to cover ourselves. It has not happened to me thank god but I have heard of cars being ordered and then the customer deciding they don't want it or want something else

2, Yes all sales I believe are very competitive but my dealership would be very competitive for two reason first to sell more than everyone else and the more you sell then the more you earn. It depends on the dealership but surprisingly some of the bigger dealers have a very high turn over

3, Probably 5 weeks without selling something which really is a long time as it plays on your mind every day. You can come across as desperate because it is playing on your mind so much

carsfan2 wrote: »

What would you say are the lowest depreciating car models and what are the worst on the market?
Is there a ”sweet spot” of age to buy and sell at ?i.e. buy at 3 years old sell at 5?

The lowest depreciating cars tend to me the most popular models and any new model. If something is scarce or new to the market it will tend to hold its value very well over the next 3 - 4 years.
If you look at some of the favourites such as the VW Golf and Nissan Qashqai they hold their value very well
Yes if buying second hand buying a 3 year old car and changing after 2 years can work out very well if you get the right car

the sheriff is HERE wrote: »

What are your favourite everyday cars?
Have you ever refused to sell a car?

I supposed everyone's version of an every day car is different but I drove the Peugeot 5008 recently and was very impressed with it both the level of extras it came with and the drive of its petrol engine

No I have never refused to sell a car but I have tried to discourage someone from buying a car if I didn't feel it was right for them or was suspicious about them

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

Have you ever sold a car that you knew had a reputation for having problems and felt you should warn the customer but didn't, or should the customer do their own homework to look into the car they are buying.

Personally I would prefer to be up front and honest about a car and give people my opinion on it so if I felt they were going to have problems with a car. For example if someone was doing extremely small mileage I would advise them about the build up of carbon in a diesel and tell them to be wary if buying one.

I would always recommend a customer doing their own research because as a sales man there is only so much of their wants and needs I can gain an understanding of

Gunnar Tight Clipboard wrote: »

Do you think pcp finance should be more regulated than it currently is?

I don't think more regulation is needed but I think more information needs to be given both to the people selling it and to the people buying it

ba_barabus wrote: »

I drive a 131 Avensis I bought last year. I purchased it with 75k kms from a reputable main dealer and by July I'll be well on the road to doubling this. I've had it serviced every 15k at the main dealer and had no issues.

Given the mileage I'm doing should I upgrade again in order to get a decent trade in value or would the value lie in holding it.

It's bland as hell but comfortable, dependable and has a big boot. I don't want anything from VAG as they've always been unreliable and expensive to repair which somewhat limits my choice.

I would definitely price up trading it in and see what it is going to cost you so you can weigh up the options. However the 100,000 kms mark in this country can be a big stumbling block in this country as everyone wants a "low" mileage car so the only way it will sell if it is much cheaper than anything else which in turn will affect your trade in price

chancer007

Hi,
Why is there is so many 1.6 passats for sale in Ireland?
There used to be mostly 2L..I know VW claim the 1.6 passat has enough power, but still its a big car.
Thinking of changing the 1.6 Golf to a passat. I just think all the 1.6 passat's got dumped in Ireland while most of the 2L are in the uk.
Thanks

jimmycrackcorm

madmaggie wrote:

Do you have a different attitude to female customers? I have been patronised, ignorned and talked down to in garages in the not too distant past. I won't be bothering with them again. One place the salesman talked all the time to my male relative, even though I made it clear I was the one doing the buying.

I was also wondering this after a female friend of mine was told by the salesman that he wouldn't warranty the clutch on the car she was interested in because she was a woman.

amtc

When i bought my first car (from new) I was told 'a little car for a little lady' in one garage. This was dg opel...and i went straight over to crossan and bought there.

I thought about trading it in for a Peugeot and sales guy spoke exclusively to my boyfriend. He and I both said it was me buying the car.

Have a Hyundai now and the clutch went. Proved to be mechanical fault. They only spoke to my dad.

Gavin "shels"

Is there a particular time of year which is easier to get a salesman to negation? Always heard Nov/Dec were easier to get a good deal as people would wait til Jan/Feb so targets were harder to meet.

ba_barabus

What would you recommend as a good value used purchase right now?

I know saloons aren't desirable and represent value as long as you are happy to have one. Any models or brands that make wise purchases?

mickdw

When buying new I try to be in a position to do the deal in the last couple of weeks of the first quarter. Is this really worthwhile or if a salesguy has met his targets, will he not be in a hurry to deal?
Do main dealers have quarterly targets too for used sales?

Is there any order re who gets to approach a customer?
It looks pretty shabby to me that nobody approaches customers on forecourt in most places. There will be sales guys sitting at desks and customers not being spoken to.
Can an eager salesguy make it his business to greet everyone and see whaty he can do?

eviltimeban

Is high mileage on a car really that big a deal?

Alicano

I'm in an 05 Golf. I's never let me down but needs some TLC now due to the age. Didn't get one call when I tried selling it last year. Doubt a dealership would want it? What would you do in this situation? I live in the city now and just want a 1/1.2l little bipper that is great for parallel parking! Something that's cheap to tax and is bluetooth enabled would be my only requests. But should I just run my Golf in to the ground? Or try a trade in? Many thanks for the AMA. You sound decent

What will you do when there's no longer a need for you to be involved in selling new cars? For instance, you already mentioned there's a limit to how many of a customers needs and wants you can understand.

When technology can help address those customers concerns more effectively than you can, as is already quite often the case, how exactly will a car salesperson bring any value to the deal? Looking at Tesla's model, would you recognise the threat to your future as a salesperson?

ForestFire

At what point to you believe that you are entitled not to accept a car order with extras as below:-

1) (Real) Ordered standard spec car with upgraded Audio (€500 add on), Car arrived as standard spec only.

When I arrived the car already had reg plate, but in hindsight, I have since discovered they can registered the car again, and since it was standard it could have gone back into stock, should I have refused?
Basically I waited 8 weeks for a car they they had already parked in the lot ready to go!!
I was never really happy that I accepted this car in the end.


2) (Real)New car order with plenty of extras - Over 2K - Was missing the rear leather protection on the seats (€50 add on). I had no problem taking car by the way, but it got me thinking of below

3) (Hypothetical) Say similar to 2 above with 2K extras, but they forgot to include 1 of your extras, for example upgraded sound, or Xenon lights. Are you entitled to refuse car, as not all extras available as ordered.

Some items might be a deal break for you, but might seem unimportant to others. (E.g. Rear Air Bags - Safety, Variable floor - Don't think I would survive without one now I have it)

Sinister Kid

I'm a Car Salesman, AMA wrote: »

I don't want give exact figures, on a good year though you could 3.5 - 4 times your basic salary in commission

Any jobs going?

diomed

My dealer has got their P45 from me but they don't know it.
I'll keep the car I bought from them for another year or two but our fifteen years is at an end.
Abysmal service and attitude. Four problems with a 2016 car and they made very little effort to sort it.