What’s your worst car dealer story? I’ll start.
I had a good friend who years ago was given $27k in cash his boss won in Reno to deposit in his boss’s bank in Oakland. He stopped by the Porshe Dealer on 27th and walked in. He was a bricklayer so you can imagine how he looked (cement spattered Carhartt).
No one would come out to wait on him. Finally, he found the sales manager, pulled out the $27 grand wad of bills, and showed it to him. The manager asked if he wanted to buy a car. He replied, “Since no salespeople came out, no I don’t.” He put the money back in his jacket pocket and left.
He said the last thing he saw was the salespeople all getting their asses chewed out in the showroom. I still laugh to this day.
This post was last modified on January 12, 2022
View Comments (13)
https://i2.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/joe-isuzu.jpg
This last summer, I took time off from work and drove 54 miles through road construction with the wife so she could test drive a car at Shaheen Chevy in Lansing,Mi. We were told, "it'll be parked right out front for you when you get here". Well guess what? It was parked out front - until it was given to someone as a loaner about 15 minutes before we got there.We were not happy campers and I felt like sending them a bill for $250.00 for my lost wages and wasted gas.
Back in 1976, I wanted to buy an Alfa Romeo (my car was totaled by a drunk). The salesperson would not let me test drive it. I was in my usual jeans and t-shirt. So I left in a huff.
The next week I got a 1976 Lancia Scorpion.
My sister wanted to look at a Fiat 124 Spyder. Same dealership. It was after work, so I had a 3 piece suit on. We hopped in the Lancia and drove over, I parked right in front.
We walked in and a different salesman helped us. The asshole was over BS'ing with another salesman.
I loudly proclaimed that I was there the last weekend but that guy (I pointed at him) wouldn't let me test drive an Alfa. I loudly stated and pointed at the Lancia and said so I bought that instead. The dude looked like he wanted to puke.
Such fun.
I don't think that would happen anymore. We are all so casual in our attire now that you really cannot judge anyone by what they wear.
Oh I beg to differ. Here in W. Michigan, if I walk into a dealership in my Carhartts, I can walk around 2-3 times longer in the showroom or on the lot before getting help vs. wearing street clothes. I like to wear the Carhartts though so I can watch them shit their pants when they see my credit score and then hear them say they didn't realize you could have one that high, Then they find out that info is useless since I could pay cash for three of their vehicles on the showroom floor - priceless. Not all, but most car salesmen are just this side of Hell - right after politicians.
LOL. They are silly to act that way because I know farmers who never wear anything but work clothes unless it's Sunday church, but could write a check for the whole dealership and it would clear.
Yes, there are indeed times when you should not judge a book by it's cover. LOL
Not for a new vehicle, but a good used one. The windshield was cracked, but otherwise it was in really nice shape and low, low miles. I told the salesman we had a deal if they would replace the windshield. After waiting twenty minutes I went to check on him and found him in the office with three other salesmen and the owner with them trying to decide if they could replace the windshield or not. I said don't bother. If it takes this kind of meeting to decide something as simple as that I don't think I want to do business here and walked out with the salesman trailing me. And this was a major car dealership.
They were wondering if they could afford to replace it, or they were wondering if they were capable of replacing it?
The boss was carping about the cost to replace it. I used to replace my own windshields and the cost of a windshield at that time was around $120 for me whereas for a dealership it would have been around $85. Installed it likely would have been $250-$300 to a customer. They would have had labor cost on that $85 also.
A long time ago, I would guess about 1980, my then-wife and I bought one of the first Isuzu Troopers sold in this country. The back opened out like a normal door, not up like a hatchback, and the spare tire was hung on the outside, which was apparently too much weight for the hinge because a couple months after we bought it my wife came home from the grocery store and when she opened the back to get the groceries the whole door just fell to the ground. If she hadn't been quick she could have been hurt because we're talking a lot of weight.
Well, I strapped that big door to the roof and took it back to the dealer, who said doors were not covered in the new car warranty. I'm like WTF, in very impolite language. We argued. I left. The next day in the newspaper was the announcement that Isuzu was recalling all Troopers to fix the back doors which were falling off. THE NEXT DAY. I drove back to the dealer prepared to destroy him. He says, "I knew about the recall coming today. Ye
sterday you leave the car I have to charge you some money for repainting the door and stuff. But today it's all covered because of the recall."
In other words, he's trying to claim he did me a favor by acting like a prick the day before. I didn't know whether to believe him or not.
I almost bought one of those. Glad I didn't.