The best drivel to come out of a dealers mouth.

[MRobbins1987]

Thankyou4calling said:

MRobbins1987 said:

When I was searching for a 335i last year I visited a dealer in the Telford area, took the car for a test drive then got talking to the salesman, 'it's the same as the M3 without the badges' needless to say I walked away.

Why on earth would you walk away?

Yes, the salesperson was wrong but were you really relying on their judgement and expertise anyway.

I would do my own research prior to, know what i was looking for and pretty much only use the staff to determine payment options.

I nearly always know more about what I'm looking at than the sellers. Same goes for watches, white goods, holidays etc.

I just don't like bullst, if they are bullstting about the car in order to get a sale what else could they be making up?

Nothing wrong with dealers not knowing the model inside out, obviously I do my own research before buying a car.

[daveenty]

mikecassie said:

Once had a salesman try to tell me that the car I was test driving could go round any corner as fast as I wanted because of the traction control

Just thinking out loud, but I wonder if some of the "non-car" people he comes across actually take this on board? Seems a recipe for disaster really.

[Type R Tom]

MRobbins1987 said:

When I was searching for a 335i last year I visited a dealer in the Telford area, took the car for a test drive then got talking to the salesman, 'it's the same as the M3 without the badges' needless to say I walked away.

Doesn't the F80 have a high power version of the N55 which comes in certain 335i?

[93DW]

If you think a car salesman is spouting manure then try being a car salesman speaking to customers! One of the first things i was taught when I started selling cars was buyers are liars! It has prevailed on more than one occasion.

[IanCress]

Save Ferris said:

I've been spelling New/Used Toyota's for 12 years, and still make the odd mistake.

Yes you do, don't you.

[Leins]

Only quite recently, upon entering a dealership and shaking out my umbrella, I was greeted by a "Good morning sir!" from the salesman. I thought to myself "Chancer ", turned on my heel and promptly vacated said establishment. That'll teach him not to try those sort of tactics on me for that car I really wanted

[Palms]

Leins said:

Only quite recently, upon entering a dealership and shaking out my umbrella, I was greeted by a "Good morning sir!" from the salesman. I thought to myself "Chancer ", turned on my heel and promptly vacated said establishment. That'll teach him not to try those sort of tactics on me for that car I really wanted

No way!
Bet you're glad you went 5 miles down the road and bought a better car for half the money.

[CS Garth]

Leins said:

Only quite recently, upon entering a dealership and shaking out my umbrella, I was greeted by a "Good morning sir!" from the salesman. I thought to myself "Chancer ", turned on my heel and promptly vacated said establishment. That'll teach him not to try those sort of tactics on me for that car I really wanted

Quite right - he was obviously "mugging you off" in the vernacular.

I once viewed a car: Ferrari F40, up for 50 grand, however the car salesman couldn't tell me which side the gentleman who assembled the dashboard dressed to. He was clearly a total chancer who knew nothing about the Ferrari F40 which as it happens I invented.

I told him to fornicate off. Fool

[Thankyou4calling]

Palms said:

No way!
Bet you're glad you went 5 miles down the road and bought a better car for half the money.

Actually he went and bought a car he didn't want and then did a few doughnuts on the offending dealers forecourt.

That'll teach em.

[Leins]

Palms said:

No way!
Bet you're glad you went 5 miles down the road and bought a better car for half the money.

I actually took myself off down my local friendly Honda dealer and, after a brief discussion on their latest VTEC technology, he called one of their in-house race engineers who took apart the motor in front of my very eyes to demonstrate the inner workings. Marvelous stuff the way it can shut down half its cylinders when not required

I then went and bought a Hyundai i10

[andy-xr]

ThatHalfWelshBloke said:

TheLuke said:

Thats not that far from the truth, I suspect he was dumbing it down for you.

He clearly has some idea of what VTEC is, because other than "capacity" that explanation is sound.

Variable valve timing activated by an oil pressure sensitive solenoid, which controls locking pins that activates an extended cam-lobe causing the valves to stay open for longer. I didn't need it dumbing down and the lack of technical confidence completely shook our buying experience. In person it sounded as though he was trying to sell us a car with cylinder-deactivation. If it was a turbo-diesel he probably would of told us how quickly it accelerates because of its torque.

I completely take your point though, it was just the primary school delivery of the statement that made it funny / worrying.

Oh God, you're one of those...

[Theophany]

There is something weirdly masturbatory about these types of threads. You know more than a salesman about a car and feel the need to create a thread on an Internet forum about how standards have fallen and things aren't as good as they were when you were a nipper and we all holidayed at Butlins, ate strawberries and ice cream not just at Wimbledon and cricket was the national pastime.

Yawn.

[Type R Tom]

Theophany said:

There is something weirdly masturbatory about these types of threads. You know more than a salesman about a car and feel the need to create a thread on an Internet forum about how standards have fallen and things aren't as good as they were when you were a nipper and we all holidayed at Butlins, ate strawberries and ice cream not just at Wimbledon and cricket was the national pastime.

Yawn.

A private dealer selling multiple cars I'd agree. A one manufacture franchise I'd hope knows the cars inside and out and in particular the halo model.

[KTF]

Save Ferris said:

I've been selling New/Used Toyota's for 12 years, and still make the odd mistake. Specs change, engine derivatives change, and for some of the slower selling models you do lose track sometimes.

95% of our customers aren't interested in tech features, they just want something with good mpg, cheap tax, long warranty, and a good PX price!

I guess this highlights that from a non-PH point of view, some people do actually have to be 'sold' a car as they want one thats blue or can fit the dog in the boot or whatever.

When I am looking to change, I do all the research in advance to narrow if down to a make, model, trim, options type combinations then wait until one appears on AT to go and have a look at. I know if the engine is in the front or the back, what wheels are driven, etc. and I dont expect the sales person to have an encyclopaedic knowledge about every single unit then sell either - you cant expect them to have as the majority are not 'enthusiasts'.

If they say something silly then who cares if the car is what you are after and the price is right, etc.

[stuckmojo]

Type R Tom said:

A private dealer selling multiple cars I'd agree. A one manufacture franchise I'd hope knows the cars inside and out and in particular the halo model.

This. For sure.

[em177]

Put it this way, I sell cars.

I'd much rather sell cars to the general public than to the majority of the people on PH

[KTF]

Type R Tom said:

A one manufacture franchise I'd hope knows the cars inside and out and in particular the halo model.

Why though? If you go and buy a carpet do you expect the sales person to know everything about every one they sell?

[Steven_RW]

Type R Tom said:

MRobbins1987 said:

When I was searching for a 335i last year I visited a dealer in the Telford area, took the car for a test drive then got talking to the salesman, 'it's the same as the M3 without the badges' needless to say I walked away.

Doesn't the F80 have a high power version of the N55 which comes in certain 335i?

Even if it does, isn't the point that there is quite a few differences between a real M car than other models. The suspension, the diff, the brakes, the general dynamics of the vehicle.

Even if the other model has as much power there are many more factors making a real M car a real M car.

RW

[Peanut Gallery]

This car has a four star Ncap rating, it was only dropped from a five star because the font on the warning label on the sun visor was too small.
(Dacia Sandero)

[Theophany]

Type R Tom said:

Theophany said:

There is something weirdly masturbatory about these types of threads. You know more than a salesman about a car and feel the need to create a thread on an Internet forum about how standards have fallen and things aren't as good as they were when you were a nipper and we all holidayed at Butlins, ate strawberries and ice cream not just at Wimbledon and cricket was the national pastime.

Yawn.

A private dealer selling multiple cars I'd agree. A one manufacture franchise I'd hope knows the cars inside and out and in particular the halo model.

Really? I don't expect the guys in Currys or Maplin to be able to explain to me the benefits of an i7 CPU over an i5 or whether 802.11a is better than 802.11n in a large, concrete walled house. Dealership salespeople are just that; if you really care about what VTEC is, chances are you'll have researched it beforehand and know what it is, in which case why the hell are you asking unless you're an anorak just looking to willy-wave and say 'look how clever I am'? The vast majority of potential buyers give precisely zero fks about what VTEC is and are more preoccupied with concerns about how close they can get the driver's seat to the steering wheel and where they can store the mint imperials in that beige Honda Jazz on the forecourt.