Some of you know that I have been driving a nice 2003 Chrysler Concorde, gold, that some of us like to call my hoopty. Well, sadly, the transmission in my hoopty decided to start acting up on my drive home from Dayton. First thing that I think of is, "oh great, I need a new car now because this is going to cost a fortune to fix!" While I'm hoping the issue is a simple sensor replacement, I am aware that transmissions can also give false hope at times. Well, while it is still in the shop with the technicians attempting to pinpoint the issue, I like to be prepared for the worst case scenario.
Time for some car shopping! I typically love to go look at cars and occasionally get the opportunity to take one out for a test drive so I can keep up to date on the trends in automobiles. Mainly a hobby though as I'm not filthy rich and can't buy new cars all the time. This time it's a little bit different. Since my budget has me not getting a new car until next year, I can't currently afford the vehicle I want. Of course, maybe this is a good thing as it could force me to purchase something that costs less... we shall see.
“And old Dave, he’d go up to his room, y’understand, put on his green velvet slippers – I’ll never forget – and pick up his phone and call the buyers, and without leaving his room, at the age of eighty-four, he made his living. And when I saw that, I realized that selling was the greatest career a man could want.” ~Arthur Miller (1915 – 2005), Death of a Salesman, 1949
It is interesting to see the different tactics the salespeople use in attempting to sell me a car. First, the popular "puppy dog" tactic. While this is supposed to be used as a closing technique where the salesperson lets the buyer use the product while closing the deal, it's a big opener for car salespeople. Go straight for the jugular! I'm ok with it because I love driving cars... the fact that the salespeople ignore me when I blatently tell them I'm not going to buy a car today doesn't seem to bother them, so I might as well enjoy driving a new car.
The next tactic is one I really don't care for and it usually gets a salesperson or dealership blacklisted in my book: high pressure sales. I tell them I'm not looking to purchase a car today because I am doing research just in case the repair estimate on my hoopty is more than it's worth. They say, ok. Then they proceed to push on the sale.. "what can I do to get you in this car today?" My response is often, "well, I'll tell you what, if you cut the price in half, I'll buy it right now." They never go for that. But that doesn't often stop them. "What if I give you $3000 for your car as is?" A generous offer no doubt, but, as I told them, I'm not wanting to buy a car today, I'm really hoping my car doesn't cost that much to fix.
So, as good as car salespeople are at selling cars, they can be quite pushy. If they used a bit more tact and understood that sometimes the sale of something that is $20k+ might be a longer process than fifteen minutes and a quick drive... they might get more sales. At least, they might from me down the road.