Why do dealerships take cars home

[21st Century Man]

Chris32345 said:

21st Century Man said:

I worked at a car supermarket briefy (very briefly). The system they had was bat st mental. Sales bods could run stock, but only after it was sold (so that unsold stock was always on site and available for sale, not with a sales bod on day off). So you'd sell a car on say Monday, for delivery on say Friday, it would be immediately taxed and you'd run it until the Friday, when it would be valeted and handed over. Customers didn't know this, and every now & then they'd spot their new car knocking about being used by the sales bod, and might kick off about it.

And rightly so if they had paid for the tax to be put on the car and on collection it had 100 miles more then when you viewed it

I was only there for a month, I hated it, awful place, awful dog eat dog colleagues, terrible boss, he was a properly nasty piece of work, properly scared people in a disagreement, threats of violence that were not hollow! The only good thing was that I sold a shed load and earnt good money for that one month.

[CooperS]

Jimny33 said:

Wow, never thought it would generate this much discussion.

Haha course it would. All the salesman vultures are trying to defend their way of life.

This is how every PH thread goes when making any observation of the car sales world.

Anyway next car for me will be a Tesla or a Polester so no need to deal with slick Dave who will rattle on endless about this being the deal of the century only to call 3 weeks later and offer the BMW for £120 less a month.

[alorotom]

CooperS said:

Haha course it would. All the salesman vultures are trying to defend their way of life.

This is how every PH thread goes when making any observation of the car sales world.

Anyway next car for me will be a Tesla or a Polester so no need to deal with slick Dave who will rattle on endless about this being the deal of the century only to call 3 weeks later and offer the BMW for £120 less a month.

Same... I’m a leasing convert for how it’s ordered online, delivered to my door without any bullst sales and collected again when I’m done. Honestly the sooner car garages become service centres only the better imho.

[FA57REN]

If the Openreach engineer was using the van for his personal business, taking stuff to the dump or going shopping, then there would be disciplinary matters. He / she is permitted to take the van off-premises solely for proceeding to and from a place of work.

But apparently a car dealer's staff aren't bound by such restrictions.

[HTP99]

alorotom said:

Same... I’m a leasing convert for how it’s ordered online, delivered to my door without any bullst sales and collected again when I’m done. Honestly the sooner car garages become service centres only the better imho.

If dealers go and there are just service centres who'll manage the car sales?

[CooperS]

HTP99 said:

alorotom said:

Same... I’m a leasing convert for how it’s ordered online, delivered to my door without any bullst sales and collected again when I’m done. Honestly the sooner car garages become service centres only the better imho.

If dealers go and there are just service centres who'll manage the car sales?

It'll be online transactional purchases. Let's face it when buying new any of the big four are moving away from lots of options on cars. Its about big packages. So for me it's less important to talk face to face.

Second hand or luxury sports cars I can see why you'd need or want that face to face interaction and access. But not always imo.

[HTP99]

CooperS said:

HTP99 said:

alorotom said:

Same... I’m a leasing convert for how it’s ordered online, delivered to my door without any bullst sales and collected again when I’m done. Honestly the sooner car garages become service centres only the better imho.

If dealers go and there are just service centres who'll manage the car sales?

It'll be online transactional purchases. Let's face it when buying new any of the big four are moving away from lots of options on cars. Its about big packages. So for me it's less important to talk face to face.

Second hand or luxury sports cars I can see why you'd need or want that face to face interaction and access. But not always imo.

Ahh, through the manufactures direct?

[SAR0890]

alorotom said:

Mexman said:

Demos ran as company cars has been happening since the dark ages.
The company I work for has 6 directors that OWN the 3 site dealerships and all of its stock outright, no stocking loans, nothing.
They all drive very nice top of the range demos, registered to THEIR business.
If you thing that someone such as a director, who OWNS the business, is gonna buy or use their own personal car for business or pleasure, then you are deluded.
New car salespeople have a demo as a company car, it's one perk of the job which has been happening for ever, and in part makes up for the st basic wage.
They OWN the cars, not you and can do what the bloody hell they want with them, they have bought them and paid for them, not you.
It's always been the way, get over it.

Edited by Mexman on Monday 29th June 16:42

The business owns the cars ... the people don’t. In turn the people own the business.

Those vehicles are assets of the business not the individuals.

So the justification that it’s happened forever and always should do is enough to make it “right and proper”? That’s just unintelligent tosh!

I would argue that any car sales business is there to sell cars and therefore all assets should be present at all times to be able to be available for potential customers ... not just 54hrs out of a week ... a missed sale is a missed sale, self justification that someone else will come along and buy it on a day more convenient to the sales person is just bad business.

Ok then on that basis anyone with an active demonstrator isn’t allowed a day off or annual leave...

The cars are company cars which the execs pay tax on, they are given the car as part of the package of employment.

[Baked_bean]

FA57REN said:

If the Openreach engineer was using the van for his personal business, taking stuff to the dump or going shopping, then there would be disciplinary matters. He / she is permitted to take the van off-premises solely for proceeding to and from a place of work.

But apparently a car dealer's staff aren't bound by such restrictions.

Because the car is a benefit and is taxed as such?

[21st Century Man]

I don't think some people are actually aware that the salesperson's remuneration package is a basic salary, commission and a company car, just like anyone else who gets a company car with the job. The demo car is their car, they are allocated it and they run it and they pay tax on it and on any fuel benefit too. Overnight and on the sales bods days off and on holidays, the car ain't gonna be on site because it's the sales bods car, even though it's a demo.

Edited by 21st Century Man on Tuesday 30th June 21:30

[Mexman]

CooperS said:

Haha course it would. All the salesman vultures are trying to defend their way of life.

This is how every PH thread goes when making any observation of the car sales world.

Anyway next car for me will be a Tesla or a Polester so no need to deal with slick Dave who will rattle on endless about this being the deal of the century only to call 3 weeks later and offer the BMW for £120 less a month.

Defend our way of life?
FFS, we sell cars, not drugs, I wonder if the dealer hating posters on here, never seem to do get the deal that they were hoping for, because of the mindset that they have talked themselves into.
Some people are better off buying a Tesla, cos let's face it, as a salesperson, would you want to have to deal with bigots like this?
FRO and buy a Tesla then, who really cares, I dont, some people ain't worth dealing with, full stop.

[SidewaysSi]

Car salesmen are surely going the way of the dodo...

I can't see much need for them in the medium term to be honest. I do like have a chat to them though as in the main they know very little about the cars

[Mexman]

God, it never ends does it?
Yawn.
Every single car on the road, every single day, has been sold by someone, and that someone has been paid for selling it.

[GTiWILL]

SidewaysSi said:

Car salesmen are surely going the way of the dodo...

I can't see much need for them in the medium term to be honest. I do like have a chat to them though as in the main they know very little about the cars

Well that escalated quickly

[Pegscratch]

All these willing the death of the car salesman, I wonder if this is down to some kind of weird appearance they have to have in front of people that means they know exactly what car they have to have, regardless of how it drives, how comfortable it is and how the interior is laid out.

I for one have had my heart set on a car a couple of times only to go and test drive it and be completely underwhelmed. No dealers means I’ve no real opportunity to do that; how cheap do you really think it is to ship cars here, there and everywhere so you can decide in thirty seconds you don’t want it?

But then the “purchase” mechanism these people talk about only serves to prove these are the Jones’ neighbours we’re talking about. Sales people and the dealerships are unnecessary steps in their game of one-upmanship.

[HTP99]

Pegscratch said:

All these willing the death of the car salesman, I wonder if this is down to some kind of weird appearance they have to have in front of people that means they know exactly what car they have to have, regardless of how it drives, how comfortable it is and how the interior is laid out.

I for one have had my heart set on a car a couple of times only to go and test drive it and be completely underwhelmed. No dealers means I’ve no real opportunity to do that; how cheap do you really think it is to ship cars here, there and everywhere so you can decide in thirty seconds you don’t want it?

But then the “purchase” mechanism these people talk about only serves to prove these are the Jones’ neighbours we’re talking about. Sales people and the dealerships are unnecessary steps in their game of one-upmanship.

What these intelligent and financially astute Pistonheaders, who only pay "cash" for everything (no "renting" for them) who are willing the death of the dealership model for both new and used cars, and state that it "will be online, it's only a matter of time for those dinosaurs" don't seem to realise is:

1. They only represent a tiny, tiny (almost insignificant), proportion of the car buying public, the vast majority of which, actually want to touch, feel, see and test drive what they want to buy, prior to buying it.
2. If the dealership model went (it won't as manufacturers don't want the hassle and cost), to be run and operated by manufacturers directly, competition between dealers would obviously be non existent so therefore the powerfully built, financially astute Pistonheader would actually be paying more.
3. Almost every manufacturer offers online purchasing of a new car, hardly anyone uses the facility.
4. All dealers offer online purchasing of new and used cars, no one has to even stoop so low now, to talk to a slimy salesman, Errr no one is really interested, see point 1!

Edited by HTP99 on Wednesday 1st July 07:36

[Deep Thought]

HTP99 said:

What these intelligent and financially astute Pistonheaders, who only pay "cash" for everything (no "renting" for them) who are willing the death of the dealership model for both new and used cars, and state that it "will be online, it's only a matter of time for those dinosaurs" don't seem to realise is:

1. They only represent a tiny, tiny (almost insignificant), proportion of the car buying public, the vast majority of which, actually want to touch, feel, see and test drive what they want to buy, prior to buying it.
2. If the dealership model went (it won't as manufacturers don't want the hassle and cost), to be run and operated by manufacturers directly, competition between dealers would obviously be non existent so therefore the powerfully built, financially astute Pistonheader would actually be paying more.
3. Almost every manufacturer offers online purchasing of a new car, hardly anyone uses the facility.
4. All dealers offer online purchasing of new and used cars, no one has to even stoop so low now, to talk to a slimy salesman, Errr no one is really interested, see point 1!

Edited by HTP99 on Wednesday 1st July 07:36

Well said!

Very much would be a case of "be careful what you wish for"

[Throttlebody]

There’s a reason why car salesmen rank at the bottom of the public perception of socially agreeable professions.

[Pegscratch]

Throttlebody said:

There’s a reason why car salesmen rank at the bottom of the public perception of socially agreeable professions.

Because morons know the price of everything and the value of nothing? They think that they are out to screw every last penny out of them, because there's "one for sale down the road, better spec, bit cheaper, but [they] prefer this one so willing to do a deal"?

I've got a lot of respect for some car sales people. There are obviously st ones, ones that don't know the vehicles they're selling, that don't care what the customer wants as long as they get that sale, but they're in the unenviable position of having a job that everyone thinks is to scam people out of money, to hide things so they can make some money but reality is a lot of them are just hideously overworked to meet targets whilst dealing with people who are convinced they could do a better job of it than them, and people who "know" how to solve every problem but don't understand the implications of doing so; much like the position the OP started in (who appears to have taken in a lot of the points raised, which is a very new concept for PH!) whereby the demo cars should be there 26 hours a day waiting for people to turn up but the implications of doing so are significant in cost.

Edited by Pegscratch on Wednesday 1st July 09:10

[nickfrog]

Pegscratch said:

I've got a lot of respect for some car sales people. There are obviously st ones

I agree, I have experienced both, it's no different to any other profession.

Trying to irrationally castigate an entire group of people sounds like some weird schadenfreude borne out of bitterness and/or lack of critical thinking at best. And perhaps even the sign of more deeply rooted issues IMO.