Here’s a glaringly obvious statement: People aren’t getting cut out of the new car buying process anytime soon. Regardless of whether you buy from a manufacturer that does direct sales in a state that allows them or buy from a franchise dealership, you’ll probably encounter at least one salesperson, and the experience they provide can be a make-or-break for what you buy. Today on Autopian Asks, we want to know what sort of knowledge you expect to be met with when buying a new car.
If I walked into a showroom to buy a new car, I’d expect a salesperson to have decent product knowledge including which trim level offers which features and which color combinations are permitted, but that’s all stuff that’s easy to glean from an automaker’s website. I reckon it’s more critical that salespeople are knowledgable about the business and ordering side of things. Current subvented rates, special programs, lead times, if a dealer trade is possible, what options are on constraint (meaning not easily available on configured orders), OEM extended warranty options, that sort of stuff.
Let’s use Volvo as an example. Outside of current finance and lease rates, Volvo has special programs for employees of some partner companies, first responders, teachers, members of the military, members of the American Bar Association, American Medical Association, and American Dental Association, as well as people who’ve participated or volunteered in select Volvo-sponsored New York Road Runners events. Assuming a customer’s a New York-based doctor who’s run in a Volvo-sponsored event, there could be serious cash on the hood of a new Volvo that a salesperson not knowledgable about these programs might not know about.
Another example is Porsche’s one-year extended service contract that it sells on top of the existing certified pre-owned warranty. With the same coverage as the two-year unlimited-mileage CPO warranty, it can be a prudent move for someone looking to put serious mileage on a gently used Porsche, but benefits and costs must be properly explained, along with the inspection process to determine eligibility.
Put simply, in the information age, customers know more than ever before about the vehicles they’re buying, but they’re less likely to know about the intricacies of a deal. So that’s what I want to see, though my bar’s not particularly high these days. What about technical things about a car, an understanding of the car in a greater context of the industry, historical context? What level of knowledge do you expect to be met with when you walk into a showroom?
Top graphic credit: Deposit Photos, Entertainment Earth
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I quit caring what they know about cars. I know more than they do and research beforehand any car I’m going to test drive. Just don’t be annoying and convince me you actually tried to get the sales manager to accept my offer.
Knowledgeable enough to not fuck with me when it comes to price negotiation to keep me from walking out the door and on to the next dealer.
he/she needs to be knowledgeable enough to quickly realize: “shut the f..k up and leave this guy alone as he knows more than you ever will”
the best salesman I dealt once with (others were horrendous) just gave me the key, pointed to his desk and said: I will be there if you need anything or wan ta test drive….he was an older gentleman and knew that “this guy lives and breathes cars so leave him the f..k alone”
I’m less concerned about what they know than with what they’re willing to admit they don’t know and will find out. I’ve had way too many salesdrones confidently make up a BS answer just to sound knowledgeable instead of looking it up or going to ask someone.
Salespeople “know” cars. Mechanics know cars.
I’ve got the 1993 Geo Dealer Training Guide that is intended to give the salesman incredible amounts of Geo knowledge. It even includes crossword puzzles for each of the four models. Some of the info in the guide is purely stuff you’d find fascinating for a salesman to know.
For example, did YOU know Donny Osmond won the celebrity race at the 2nd annual Denver Grand Prix in a #14 Geo Storm?
Being an Autopian, and long ago a subscriber to five car mags, I had done my due diligence before setting foot in any showroom and knew what I wanted and all about it. I was always surprised that I knew more about what I wanted to buy than they did.
Most of the salespeople I dealt with are incentivized BS artists and not actual car fans.
What I expect is very little. What I feel they should know is much higher.
What do I expect them to know? Not a damn thing. In my admittedly limited experience with salespeople at car dealerships, I’ve found most to fall into two categories. The ones who know jack, but are at least okay admitting as much. And, the ones who know fuck-all, but insist they actually know every answer to every question evar even when it’s oh so painfully obvious as not to be the case.
I had to point to Chevrolet’s website to convince a salesman that, not only does the TrailBlazer exist, it is not just a trim level of the Blazer, and that they had one on the lot within our line of sight that I had been pointing to!
To his partial credit, he was on the young side, and likely pretty new to the gig.. but knowing *at least* what new cars Chevrolet sells seems like the minimum level prerequisite of a sales guy
I had to teach my salesman how residuals worked on a lease and adding more or less down money affected both and how that’s good/bad for the buyer depending on what their intent is at the end of the lease.
Asked the finance guy if I get a discount for the free training and he actually threw in an extra free oil change on top because he was embarrassed for him.
Yeah my expectations are not very high but c’mon now
I’ve never had a car salesman know more about the car I’m looking at than I do.
My brother has a friend who sold cars in California for a couple of years. Someone asked him about the used Accord on the lot, and he listed all of the problems and reservations he had about it. The couple came back and bought it, so he asked, “Why did you buy this car after everything I told you?”
“Well, with this one we know what we are getting.”
A little knowledge, even negative, was more inspiring than the BS that they were hearing elsewhere.
I keep my expectations low and am still slightly disappointed.
When I went to a Ford dealer in ’91 and told them I was interested in the new Escort GT, a Probe GT, or a used SHO, the salesman snarked, “You can’t afford an SHO.” The Escort GT stickered around $15,000, the 2 year old, cigarette burned Probe GT was also $15,000, and so I answered a newspaper ad for a 2 year old SHO with 33,000 miles for $9,800 and never looked back. I drove that thing past 160,000 miles.
This was when the SHO was still not selling, because the sales people still didn’t realize that Mustang shoppers with families were candidates for the SHO.
Back in ’93 I went back to a Ford dealer because my mom liked my ’89 SHO and wanted one. The salesman guessed four times, and still didn’t know what engine was in it. (Hint: It says 24V on the side fenders…..)
Nowadays, I tell the sales person what I want in enough detail that they usually sit back and let me look.
I expect car salespeople to be among the dumbest motherfuckers on the planet who at the same time have the unique ability to tell me anything I want to hear if it helps them separate me from my money. Needless to say, the expectation is low, and based on 30 years of car buying experience.
As I usually purchase used cars, I’ve come to expect the sales person to have absolutely zero knowledge of the cars on their lot. I once bought a 2014 Chrysler Town and Country (this was a low point for me and one of the worst automotive decisions of my life). When I asked about it he said, “That ones got the V8!” I looked at him like I just caught him eating crayons. He popped the hood to show me and immediately responded “I said it feels like a V8.” Both of which were lies.
I had to explain to the salesman at the Chevy dealer how a Volt works, how the point of sale “tax credit” works, and no, I don’t want a Bolt, and no, they don’t do “like 400 miles” on a charge. It’s the only car I’ve ever bought from a dealer.