Quote:
Originally Posted by DP
Hello,
I will not name this dealer and I admit I have had some really bad experiences with new car dealers. But I always expect to be treated like a person about to spend thousands of dollars, hope springs eternal.
My local dealer has a FR-S on display. I'm a 50 year old guy who can afford a new car and I intend to buy a new FR-S, but new car dealers really tick me off. They all seem to be know nothing, are only interested in getting your money right now and then going moving on to the next customer (victim).
Visit One:
Met at the door and politely escorted to the display car. Told it was one of the 86 winners so it was locked up ( fair enough ). Salesman shows up, yea their taking orders, $5000 deposit (non refundable ) up front. Has no other info except that there will be some cars in the future.
No info on colors, etc... He informs me that none of the potential FR-S's are spoken for and they have no deposits. But the "inventory control manager" would be in later, he takes my contact info and says he will call me with more info. No call.
Visit Two:
Wife and I made our way to the car, another salesman shows up and informs me that this particular car was the first one in the USA and they had been chosen to display it (this is about 2 weeks after the first deliveries, I believe).
Am I on the list? What list I ask, the interested buyer list he says. So he takes my contact info, again, and checks the list, I'm not on it. So I add my name, BTW this FR-S has been on display for 6-7 days and I'm only number 5 on the list. As I'm filling out he list he informs me that this is a really fast car with 260 hp. I correct him and he suddenly remembers the truth.
He goes on to tell me that when the cars come in they will send out an email blast.
So in short, they don't follow up with serious buyers. They know nothing or what they know is wrong. As a serious buyer they intend to contact me not with a phone call or an offer to test drive the FR-S, but with an email blast. I don't even know what that is, should I duck?
As we are leaving my wife stops and looks at a Yaris which is like 3/4 of a small car. She starts asking me questions about a car I wouldn't pay the sales tax on, but within ear shot is another salesman leaning on the showroom glass window, texting, he never looked up.
As for the pricing, the FR-S is just a car, by the pound it requires no more or less machining, painting, etc... than any other Subaru. A fully equipped Toyota Avalon was on display in the same showroom. It would make at least 2 FR-S's, it was 23K, the FR-S is 25-7K with much less equipment. Seems this is what the market will bear pricing.
I wish my experience had been different, but it seems all car dealers are the same.
Hopefully an FR-S owner soon.
DP
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First of all:
I want to tell you that the way you are treated is
direct reflection your attitude. Sales people make money selling, they sell by treating you right, so think about it. Why would they treat you like garbage if you didn't ask them too with your attitude?
I sell Toyotas and Scions. And I can tell you there has been almost no training or info on the FR-S passed on to us. So if your dealer isn't into the car, then they prolly don't sit on here reading about it all day like we do. It's not their fault they haven't gotten any info on it yet.
Next, we meet a lot of people everyday. It can sometimes be a hassle to remember every single one. Your first sales person may have gotten caught up in a sale, which can take hours as I'm sure you know, after you and not had a chance to add you, then forgot. It happens, it doesn't make them a shitty person.
You also have to understand it from their point of view. You came in asking about a car that he doesn't know anything about, [because it's not out yet] to include when it will be available for you to drive or buy. And as far as the $5k deposit - thats because they most likely get a lot of kids or whatever that ask about it and want to lead the store on and waste their time, so they put a rediculous deposit amount on it so that only someone who is truly serious will bother. - Personally I don't agree with this, but that's prolly why they said that.
There were a couple other things in there that were pretty annoying/offense to read but, the last thing I'll mention is the thing about the Avalon.
I have never seen an Avalon, much less a "fully equipped" Avalon for that price. If you really saw a loaded Avalon for that price, you better go back and buy it like, yesterday, because it's worth about $40,000.
Got my flame suit on.