My experience with car dealerships

Guy1ncognito · 13-06-2026 06:33PM #1

Recently I’ve been in a few dealerships across many brands and in every location I’ve found the experiences dismal. I was in agriculture parts and sales for years both here and in Australia and if you didn’t know about the product and or didn’t make an attempt to inform the customer about the ins and outs of a product or service you would not get far.

I’ve gone into places knowing a bit about the car I was interested in but was met with a void where information should have appeared. How is anyone meant to understand what’s right for them if the people selling the stuff can’t be arsed.

Pat734 · 13-06-2026 06:41PM

If you could write that piece again, maybe explain in plain English what your issue is and I for one might understand what it is. Thank you

User1998 · 13-06-2026 06:41PM

I think with AI and the internet you can easily do your own research. You can have an answer to all of your questions within seconds. Do you really need a salesman explaining every feature of a car to you?

Guy1ncognito · 13-06-2026 06:56PM

The long and short of is your selling a high priced item, it doesn’t matter if your in a lada dealership or a bmw dealership if you don’t know about ever facet of that product or are unwilling to engage with a customer you should not be in that role. Lads going round in suits looking like there busy, pathetic no wonder people end up with cars with basic spec

Guy1ncognito · 13-06-2026 07:00PM

No

Guy1ncognito · 13-06-2026 07:02PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124548614#Comment_124548614

The experience in car dealerships is pathetic across the board.

Pat734 · 13-06-2026 07:10PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124548668#Comment_124548668

I haven't found them like that. Like most retailers, some suck but can't label all like you do. I don't suppose you work, or worked, in that industry and had a few knocks along the way?

Guy1ncognito · 13-06-2026 07:21PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124548685#Comment_124548685

I have, I mentioned that in the op

Guy1ncognito · 13-06-2026 07:30PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124548618#Comment_124548618

Ya you can but then what’s the point of salespeople, get rid of them and get cheaper cars.

chrisd2019 · 13-06-2026 08:26PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058439705/my-experience-with-car-dealerships

If you visit midweek you may get more attention from the staff.

amdaley28 · 13-06-2026 11:08PM

When I go in to buy a car I make sure I know as much as possible about the model. If I wasn't interested in the vehicle I wouldn't be there in the first place. I certainly wouldn't depend on the sales person to tell me.

All I'm interested in is what sort of deal they will offer. Only a fool wouldn't do his / her research first. If you walk in blind you deserve to get ripped off.

adgib · 13-06-2026 11:27PM

Agree with user 1988

Bought a new van in January

New everything about it before talking to salesman, through research

Megastreisand · 14-06-2026 12:19AM

I have direct experience of buying 10 cars from main dealerships, 9 of which were new. The main purpose of interacting with the sales person is to obtain a trade in value and to get an accurate timeline for delivery depending on any preemptive dealer orders and whether the spec on those orders would be acceptable.

Having said that we did wander into Joe Duffy BMW , relatively clueless, one Saturday morning in November and the salesman was canny enough to bring us on test drive in a 330e without any prior communications or appointments. I was sold within minutes if not seconds.

Guy1ncognito · 14-06-2026 07:04AM

I knew about the thing I was interested in I had specific questions which at were googled in front of me.

XT1200 · 14-06-2026 07:15AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124548614#Comment_124548614

Are you one of these car salesmen who can't be arsed to understand the product which is for sale,

Guy1ncognito · 14-06-2026 07:20AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124549220#Comment_124549220

I never said once I didn’t research the cars. I had specific questions most of which were googled in front of me. The job of a sales person is to sell not sit on there phones and expect the customer to do all the work.

Hailtothethief · 14-06-2026 07:47AM

Salesmen not knowing their products have always been there. I remember accompanying the father on a car buying trip to one Opel garage. Father was enquiring about Vectra's and the salesman showed him a Astra!

...Ghost... · 14-06-2026 08:19AM

Car salesmen at main dealerships haven’t been in the business of selling cars for years. They sell finance and know almost nothing about the cars. Their knowledge is usually limited to the name of the car and whether it’s the big one, or small one. Bonus points if they know what the car runs on.

Buddy Bubs · 14-06-2026 08:48AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124549596#Comment_124549596

And RTI insurance, that interior and exterior protection product etc

Ive been pushed on them lots

Grumpypants · 14-06-2026 10:20AM

I've been shocked at how little some dealers are interested in selling cars. I don't like pushy sales, but when you are standing in a show room looking at new cars for 20 + mins before one person even gets up from their desk and says hello can I help with anything?

I've bought 3 brand new cars in the last 4 years. The Tesla was all online so no dealer involved, but the 2 MGs were wild. I've also a friend who was buying new MG from a totally different garage in a different city and had to chase them for a return phone call. It's like I was an inconvenience 😅.

Things seem to have changed because I've had 2 emails and 2 calls in 2026 trying to sell me an S5.

Gumbo · 14-06-2026 10:47AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124548736#Comment_124548736

That’s what Tesla done.
Some traditional folk don’t like that process though.

Gumbo · 14-06-2026 10:48AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124549554#Comment_124549554

You’re obviously posting after the edit. 🙈

NiceFella · 14-06-2026 10:49AM

Was just in car dealership yesterday and was taken by how laid back the sales guy was.

I was preparing myself for the complete opposite when he says to me "all cars these days are pretty much the same". Lol

To be honest I kind don't mind when they don't push too hard for a certain make or model. You should have a pretty good idea what you want beforehand anyway. But yeah I think some sales people haven't a notion what they are actually selling.

raclle · 14-06-2026 12:03PM

Totally agree with the op. Was looking at trading in my own a few weeks back and the salesguy hadnt a clue about the car I was talking about and it looking at him outside the window. Couldn't tell me a damn thing about the car and Ive had this experience with a few dealerships. It's not up to the customer to know every detail about the car. Isn't that the whole point of a car salesman?

Guy1ncognito · 14-06-2026 05:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124549839#Comment_124549839

That’s what all the western OEMs really want as there margins are increased once middlemen are eliminated. However a lot of the Chinese brands started with this in China but have gone back to dealers or probably their own employees in show rooms. The major reason people don’t have better specced cars in Ireland is obviously the ridiculous vrt but dealership care about quantity a f the customer.

Dubwat · 14-06-2026 07:03PM

I agree with the OP. If I was spending €40-60k on a car, I would expect the salesperson to know a bit about the car and why I should buy his brand instead of a competitor brand. To do that, he should talk to me - find out what's important to me, eg, top speed, EV range, child seats, cup-holders, whatever - and adjust his sales pitch.

Comhrá · 15-06-2026 09:00AM

I recently bought a new Skoda Superb from a main dealership. The salesperson was very knowledgeable and exhaustively thorough explaining the workings at handover, almost too much so. I have to say I was pretty impressed by him. A very pleasant chap too which helped. Car has a spare wheel also. 😀

Hooked · 15-06-2026 11:41AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058439705/my-experience-with-car-dealerships

I'm with you OP. Shopping for my first ever new car. Shocking experiences.

SALES rep? Finance rep more like. I came in to one main dealer to drive a Renault 5 and the rep kept trying to put me in a Renault 4. I just said - not for me. Ugly. Zero interest.

Then came my scheduled test drive… Battery at 14%. Jesus wept. Range anxiety on a test drive. Barely got to try sport mode.

Then came the mis-match of Renault's finance and pricing (on their website) VS the main dealers (and I've been to 2). The HP tops out at 20K despite the website financing options giving calculations of approx 25k. And the contrast roof being an EXTRA 400 quid.

Amateur hour. Which is probably why I haven't bought one.

positron · 15-06-2026 12:49PM

You should try visiting some car dealerships as a foreign looking person. It's absolutely shocking. Sometimes I think some folks never moved on from 1950s.

GPoint · 15-06-2026 12:59PM

I think, OP, you over emphasised the value of sales. More importantly is how after sales work and how you will be looked after come problems need to be solved. I would be looking at reviews of hear say about particular dealership service rather than sales,

If you need to be sold a car and kissed all over for your money that’s fine but I personally never understood the fuss.

tlaavtech · 15-06-2026 01:04PM

Last year I had a manager of a dealership say that EV buyers typically know far more about the car than the sales people as they have done the research. He said there are two types of sales people: The ones that want to sell anything right now, or the ones who want to get the right car for the customer, regardless of whether they can supply it or not. He said he prizes the latter, because they are the ones that get the return customers and tell their friends.

My experience with car dealerships

Comments