A day at the dealers.

[Bob D]

You might have read in Scotty’s “Thrill of the day” post where I added a blurb about driving a new Mercedes AMG SL55. That is, after my wife and I drove a new SL500. ( I might add that the SL55 had the 5 speed “Speedshift” auto tranny, the SL500 had the 7 speed tiptronic, my typo) Anyway, we’re out test driving cars for her for a business lease. On our list which we drove that day were a Cadillac CTS, ( for the XLR, you needed “an appointment”)..whatever…An Audi A4 3.0 Quattro convertible, Infinity G35, a Lexus SC430, a Nissan 350Z convertible. so far..She really wants a convertible that fits an overnight case and a laptop bag in the trunk, with the top down. Corvettes C-5’and C-6’s do really well, they’re just too wide and low for San Francisco driving and parking where some of her offices are.

Anyway, after a rare Saturday with enough time to spend together we look all over, and on the way home just for a lark we stop in at the Mercedes dealership which is in the town next to us. After some uninterrupted strolling and looking inside and out, (a Maybach, and a twin turbo V-12 SL 600 caught my eye..) among others, we stop to look at my wife’s favorite, the SL500 . We find as nice sliver one with all the goodies she likes, so I beckon a salesman over in order to ask a few questions. (They had very respectfully left us alone until then..) This guy comes over and after the usual exchange takes my drivers license( to run a copy, standard procedure before a test drive) and get the keys for that particular SL. He comes back, and we initialize the first procdure..open the trunk! Cool. (Now let’s push the button, watch the roof go away, and check the trunk again)…cool! Plenty big. My wife gets in, and with a few pointers pushes the button and lights the thing off. That 302hp V-8 sounds nice… Now time for a ride! (This is where the story breaks away from any other car shopping experience so far..) The guy says “Take it out and have some fun, I’ll be here when you get back”..Uh,…Ok….Unlike any other dealer where cars cost as much as one third as this SL, they just let the two of us drive away in a new 112,000 car (not demo) with 12 miles on it..

We take it for a nice country ride up and down some fast hills and out around a vast new business park that is empty. Both of us romped on that thing, I had it up to a 120 mph burst (top down the entire time) Nice, btw. You could have a conversation or talk on the phone easily at 80 mph..Sooo we come back in about a half an hour,( with me driving now) pull up to the front of the dealer, smiling of course, and our salesman finds his way over. “How’d you two like it??!!” Well, you know the answer. His next statement is “If you really want to step up, let me bring around an AMG SL55!” ‘Got a few more minutes?” Duh…”Well be right here.” He brings around a silver SL55, just rumbling as it’s idling. He goes on to tell me that you understand that this has almost 500 hp, and it requires even more respect than the 500..(Actually that’s 493hp, 516 lbs torque….) “Yes I do”.

We took off on a respectful ride in a true modern muscle car, through what is now familiar territory. Awesome. That, (like I’ve said before) is not a word I use liberally…

The moral of this story is, why will most dealers (almost all) require “by policy” to have a salesman in the car with you and your wife, or if it’s a two seater have one of you wait at the dealership while the other goes off for a ride with the salesguy..

Or…if it’s an exclusive XLR, you have to “Make an appointment” Or..if it’s a new C-6 Corvette you practically have to twist the guys arm and kiss his butt at the same time, just to get him to unlock the door so your wife can sit in it. Start it? Go for a ride?? JUST THE THE TWO OF YOU???

Then, you go to a Mercedes dealership, they toss you the keys to a $100,000++ exotic and tell you to get lost and have some fun…

And we wonder why we’re getting beat in sales…

[acklac7]

Now I know this is a different situation, but when I bought my 95 Eldorado (from a dealership) They took a imprint of my license, checked my credit, then gave me the keys and told me to take her for a spin...Not exactly a $80,000 car though...more like $14,000 lol.

[TDK]

Bob D - I agree, there are differances in marketing madness.

For one better, live in a small town where they recognize you and simply toss the keys to a near-new CTS-V. Only questions asked when back 30-minutes later were "did you get on it OK?"

Nice that you had a great experiance!

[Bob D]

Nice that you had a great experiance! 

Well thanks, it was fun. But...those morons at the Cadillac dealership might have sold an XLR that day. Same with the idiots at the Chevy place with the Corvettes!

They were so close, and yet so blind.

The only thing they acomplished was pissing my wife off..

On the other hand, the guys at Mercedes gained a LOT of respect.

Seems simple, doesn't it?

[ted tcb]

Bob, the obvious question is, which car will your wife end up purchasing?

I agree with TDK ... In the smaller cities, they've always just tossed me the keys.

If the salesperson wants to pitch to me in a confined space, I'll take a pass and go elsewhere.

[Bob D]

Bob, the obvious question is, which car will your wife end up purchasing?

Well, actually, she'll be leasing it through her company, and it will be the one that suits her best. We're in no particular hurry, it's just good business in this case to get the co. to pay for it, and quit running up miles on our cars. She's the one that has to 'live' in it and drive many miles at times over fairly long distances, so she's being very careful in her choice. I'm just supplying technical support...

The attitude of the dealer won't make or brake the choice of which make/model, but it sure as hell will make a difference in who gets the business...

[Brad]

Bob D -

Excellent post here, couldn't agree more. I have ranted over this very topic with my father so many times I can't stand it. Now, on the bright side of things, our local Caddy dealer does let us test drive cars without a salesman - that is, if you choose the right salesman.

On the downside, that same salesman refused to let us drive an XLR (a used one at that) at all. He said it belonged to "Cadillac" not the dealership and my question became why then do you advertise that you have two used XLRs that no one can drive?? I mean, how in the world do you buy a car without driving it????

The biggest kicker is my father just bought a $60K fully blown SRX from the guy a year ago, so he knows my father has the cash to more than pay for an XLR. But still no test drive........now that I think of it, we have talked to him twice about this.

Insane.

While, I am at it, I have to throw one more thing out that falls in line with this topic. Went to the Auto Show here in January - we were able to sit in, play with an XLR, BMW's etc.....but the Pontiac GTO was roped off and you couldn't get near it!! Same with the Vette. Unbelievable.

Oh well......

[jh50]

Last summer I found a 2002 SLS on the internet at a Caddy dealership not to far from me. My wife and I pull up in our Trailblazer, get out, and start looking at the car. The salesperson comes out soon after and I tell him I would like to take it for a test ride. He goes inside, gets the keys, and hands them to me. I found this interesting as we are both in our late 20's. I figured he would want to see some ID. Oh well, didn't end up buying the car, but it sure was a nice ride.

[Bob D]

The fundamental question(s) here are...What are they in business for? What are they manufacturing? What are all the advertising dollars, and car shows for? To make money for the shareholders... TO SELL CARS!! Yet, many of these dealers seem put out if you suggest a test drive for a middle aged couple that drive up in an STS...IDIOTS! What really pisses us off is they're wasting our time. It's very difficult for most people these days to take the time out to go car shopping, especially together.

This string ought to be cut and pasted for "American Cars Sales 101." Do you think they'd get it then??

[ted tcb]

Bob D makes a valid point .... I've been in sales my entire career, and the golden rule is this: when a couple packs up their car and drives into your place of business, they have come to purchase.

The only questions that need to be addressed is when will they purchase, who will they purchase from, and where will they purchase.

It should be car sales 101 ... remove all barriers and make it easy for the customer to purchase.

I'd rather have my wife sitting beside me that some career transitional goof blabbing about his potential commision.

[Bob D]

>I'd rather have my wife sitting beside me that some career transitional goof blabbing about his potential commision.<

THAT experience right there will make a sale, almost certainly. The difference in the two of us out there together having an 'intimate' experience in a Mercedes SL 500 was unforgettable... And very well may make the difference.

..Making an appointment so she can drive an XLR with the sales manager holding her hand...I don't think so...

[TDK]

Bob,

I think you hit on a fundemental aspect of high-ticket purchases. You have to establish "TRUST".

That is a word that a lot of companies try to define and then ensure with warrantys etc - but it really has to come from the heart.

They don't understand that they won't get a second "first impression". If the XLR guy had handed you the keys and simply trusted you - then the entire outcome would have changed. Cadillac will never have that oppertunity with the Bob D's again.

Perhaps I don't comprehend car dealer insurance etc and maybe some marketing statistic guru has figured this all out. But I think they need to trust the customer.

Sure, they will get hurt sometimes - but any business has risks and rewards.

If they don't trust you - then how can you trust them? Its really that simple.

[Cad1]

Bob D,

First of all, I haven't heard someone use the word 'lark' in a long time.

Second of all, I couldn't agree with you more concerning customer service, I've had similar experiences myself. Business must be doing great if they can afford to insult customers and brush off ones of their choosing.

Lastly, what did 500hp feel like hitting the street?

Cad1

[Bob D]

Bob D,

First of all, I haven't heard someone use the word 'lark' in a long time.

Second of all, I couldn't agree with you more concerning customer service, I've had similar experiences myself. Business must be doing great if they can afford to insult customers and brush off ones of their choosing.

Lastly, what did 500hp feel like hitting the street?

Cad1

I guess I'm showing my age? I don't know where that came from, just rolled out of my fingertips...must be the 'geezer factor' kicking in..

>"Lastly, what did 500hp feel like hitting the street?"<

Well...I could say like going A/B in a F4G, but I'm not sure how many could relate to that one..

That's 493hp, 516lbs trq. It comes on like a locomotive and just pulls from 10-120+ like not much else I've ever driven. Mind you, it's their $125,000 car with my wife on board so I showed some restraint. But still. she's a good sport (our first date was a day at the races many years ago, and she's still a better fan than most guys I know..) On top of that, this new Mercedes dealership is up in our foothills, backed up against some nice , long wide open country roads that are still pretty empty, so it's a great place to 'performance drive' starting 1/2 mile from their driveway. I wound it up, using the steering wheel paddle shifters (nice secure feeling, two hands on that wheel..) and that shoving into seat with that incredible exhaust note (snarl) was...unforgettable. Again, this is with the top down the entire time.

Back to the dark side...I think it's just laziness and stupidity on the sales staff part. I don't know what else it could be. I think if the sales manager or owner of the dealership knew those guys lost a high potential big ticket sale like that there would be a boot print in their be-hinds? What else could it be? Did you listen to the news last night? GM and Ford value have been reduced to junk bond status....that's the threshold of a potentially desperate situation..And that didn't happen overnight!

BTW, the car for her (this is her decision now,) is an Audi S4 Quattro convertible with the 340hp V8. So far, it's in the top running, to the point where she has arranged with the Audi dealer to pick one up Saturday morning and return it Sunday afternoon. Piece of cake, no pressure. Once again, service and trust. Not as easy to find as one might think..

[Cad1]

I'm just imagining you getting pulled over doing 120 and getting the benz hauled off by a tow truck. The dealer sitting there wondering what the heck happened to his car?

"Back to the dark side...I think it's just laziness and stupidity on the sales staff part. I don't know what else it could be."

You hit the nail on the head, I tried not to be so blunt but it is what it is. I was looking at hogs and never got the time of day at 'most' dealerships I went to, I think it was b/c of my age. I want to support american businesses but if they don't want it I'll gladly leave. A group of sales guys were sitting there bs'n while I was trying to get some help and they were making plans to go golfing if I my memory serves me. This country could dig its own hole if we don't wake up. We're putting more jobs overseas while people here complain about job loss and continue to buy foreign stuff. Go figure.

Yeah, I read that in the biz section last night. Junk bond status, holy ____!

[OynxSTS]

In my experience this is a new development at all "North American" dealerships...

In the early 90's when I was test driving Allantes they would give me the keys and Off I would go sometimes by myself, sometimes with my girlfriend (now wife...AKA "Yes Dear", "You're so Right Dear" etc)... Never with the sales rep. And while most of them were drive with the respect that they deserved, lets just say that the 90.5 that I did buy received a very healthy test of its Traction Control System.

Mind you these were used cars, but they were the cost of just about anything new on the lot... I would guess with the advent of Photo-radar and other "impound" laws on the books, some dealer have been burned once too often...

[KHE]

Yeah, I read that in the biz section last night. Junk bond status, holy ____!

I heard that this morning on the radio. It did seem like it happened overnight as it was not very long ago that GM was posting record profits.

It is sad that all of the car magazines are so biased against the domestic automakers. All they do is rave about the Japanese cars and people take that on face value...it's flushing the country down the toilet.

[Bob D]

>It is sad that all of the car magazines are so biased against the domestic automakers. All they do is rave about the Japanese cars and people take that on face value...it's flushing the country down the toilet.<

I think there may be many dimensions to our declining sales. I’m wondering what’s happening at the dealer level, (and this is not just one or two, we’ve visited many by now).. Why, for example will Mercedes and Audi treat us with the utmost respect and ultimately trust us with their very expensive cars, when the Cadillac and Corvette guys look blankly and then stammer and make excuses when a well dressed ‘all American’ middle aged couple who show up in a STS and ask for a test drive for just the two of us? Are these German car dealers supported by the factory for all liabilities and expenses due to a wreck caused by an unsupervised customer, when American car dealers are for all intents and purposes ”on their own”? Something's dramatically different is going on here…anyone have any insights on this theory?

[KHE]

>It is sad that all of the car magazines are so biased against the domestic automakers.  All they do is rave about the Japanese cars and people take that on face value...it's flushing the country down the toilet.<

I think there may be many dimensions to our declining sales. I’m wondering what’s happening at the dealer level, (and this is not just one or two, we’ve visited many by now).. Why, for example will Mercedes and Audi treat us with the utmost respect and ultimately trust us with their very expensive cars, when the Cadillac and Corvette guys look blankly and then stammer and make excuses when a well dressed ‘all American’ middle aged couple who show up in a STS and ask for a test drive for just the two of us? Are these German car dealers supported by the factory for all liabilities and expenses due to a wreck caused by an unsupervised customer, when American car dealers are for all intents and purposes ”on their own”? Something's dramatically different is going on here…anyone have any insights on this theory?

GM needs to gain more control over their dealerships. True, they are independent business but they are the face/representative of GM, Ford, etc.. A bad dealer will sour someone on the product forever.

I am fortunate to have a good dealer in my area but I am troubled on how many dealers want to rip off people for simple maintenance - like Northstar waterpumps...etc.. Or telling people not to follow the oil life monitor just so they can sell more oil changes.... The whole business philosophy needs to change.

The local Buick, Pontiac, GMC dealer in Grand Haven, MI is a complete jackass....When my wife and I were shopping for a car (years ago - when we bought the Park Ave.) the sales guy asked us what we were looking for, I told him that we were looking for a full sized car with less than 60,000 on the odo., etc. he kept asking what monthly payment we wanted. I told hin that I NEVER buy a car on a monthly payment - I find the car I want and then negotiate the financing. He said, "Good luck. I'll be inside if you need anything." and that was it. I told him, "Don't trouble yourself - we will buy a car from another dealer"

A week later, we found the Park Avenue - Immaculate condition, 49,000 miles, etc.. from a Buick Dealer in Grand Rapids. A couple of months after buying the Buick, we were running errands and I saw the same a-hole sales moron on the lot so I pulled in (my wife said to let it go but I wouldn't...) I stopped and he came up to the car and I asked him if he remembered us. He said he did and I reminded him how poorly he treated us and that two days later we bought the Buick from the dealer in GR. He was pissed to say the least....

I bought the '96 SLS from the Cadillac dealer that is 2 miles from my office and the sales guy went out of his way to sell me a car and to assure I was satisfied. I will buy another car from that dealer when the time comes. There needs to be more dealers like that.

[Ranger]

Most of these dealers seem to be hedging their bets. I notice many GM dealers are now multi brand dealers. Patrick Cadillac in Schaumburg Ill is now Patrick auto group (Cadillac, BMW, Jaguar, Mini, Volvo & Saab). Garry Lang Cadillac in McHenry Ill is now Gary Lang Auto Group (Cadillac, Buick, GMC, Pontiac & Subaru). I see many many like this with one foot on each side of the pacific.