Car shopping, it's still a man's world...

[Nanook]

Although this thread is mainly about the trials and tribulations a woman faces when car shopping, it is not gender specific. All are welcome, as I'm sure that some men get a big run around too.
Who has stories? let's hear them!

I have a few...

[Nanook]

Re: Car shopping, it's still a man's world...

Back in the late 80's or so, I finally had a secure good paying job for a couple of years and decided it was time to stop driving old cars that were unreliable. After driving through several lots in a 15 year old car, it became apparent that no sales person wanted to talk to me. I went so far as to borrow a friends nice car and drive through the sales lots and the sales associates were swarming through the lot to greet me.

Even so, nothing is worse than having a sales person tell you to come back with your husband so you can talk.

[Nanook]

Re: Car shopping, it's still a man's world...

Another time, I had my boyfriends 10 year old son along with me as I was out looking. The car that is sitting out in my yard right now was sitting on the showroom floor with a few others.

As we were checking out the cars I could see salespersons sitting at their desks and looking up every now and then and it was almost as if I could almost hear them thinking. <span style="font-style: italic">&quot;Oh here comes another single mother with no money to buy a car wanting to waste my time&quot;</span>, or some such nonsense. I felt like they were doing

After a very long while I finally stood there and made my announcement &quot;Is anyone here interested in helping me or should I go somewhere else&quot;.

I was totally peeved, but figured I would teach the one that helped me a lesson. I bought the car in spite of him, hoping that when a single mother does go in there next time, she will get some assistance. A better lesson would have been if I pulled out of the deal after being approved to buy the car but I liked the car and I still have it.

[j-kid]

Re: Car shopping, it's still a man's world...

It is only a man's world if yhh allow dem fi mek it soh. Arm yuhself wid knowledge an confidence. Do research, before yuh go in. Also, hard cash speaks di strongest everytime, if yuh naa beg dem nutten (a loan), an yuh wi hav more room fi negotiate. Establish a threshold where you will, and must walk away from the potential deal. Afterall, it is not ah deal if later yuh end up feeling screwed. Take one of di most important tool wid yuh wen yuh going, which is yuh cell phone. And as dem sey pan &quot;Who Wants To Be A Millionaire&quot;, use one of your &quot;life-lines&quot; an reach out ah call ah knowledgeable friend, or family fi consultation, before yuh close di deal.

If yuh noh get respect, ask tuh see di Sales Manager, or even fi him boss. Den politely, in yuh best business voice, mek him kno straight up why him just loss ah cash sale, den walk.

For the Service Dept, always examine and question, or challenge anything on the bill you don't understand.

I have caught many mistakes, and have also had them reduce the total, based on my informed challenges.

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Car shopping, it's still a man's world...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Nanook</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Although this thread is mainly about the trials and tribulations a woman faces when car shopping, it is not gender specific. All are welcome, as I'm sure that some men get a big run around too.
Who has stories? let's hear them!

I have a few... </div></div>Put it this way, sales people ten to think that only <span style="font-weight: bold">white</span> men know anything about automibiles. They even tend to think that one cannot calculate the monthly payment without a calculator. i really have fun with themm whne i buy a car. i get everything from trying to sell me some stripped down junk for top dollar. to try to get me to sign blank financing agreements,mto completyely disregarding my credit score and try to charge me 18% rates. .
Yes I 'enjoy ' the treatment too.

[Nylah]

Re: Car shopping, it's still a man's world...


I have a few stories but I just havent been in the mood yet to type them all out

[Nanook]

Re: Car shopping, it's still a man's world...

I have a nice happy ending car shopping story now, finally.

I do think that the first sales person I was dealing with was a bit of a BS'er and maybe thought he could wow me. I felt it so much I went elsewhere.

Any of the bumps in the road when I finally found a car/dealership were not due to sexism or racism but more directly related to the current economy this time. The dealer manager was a long time friend and I don't know to what lengths most salespersons will go to help a customer complete the deal but they went all out for me. And to make the deal sweeter the sales person was a woman who was displaced from her last work place because of the economy. I feel happy that she has a commission from me.

Oh Nylah, I can patiently wait for your stories!

[sistacaf]

Re: Car shopping, it's still a man's world...

i'm currently shopping for my very first brand new car... now that i'm almost 50 i think its about time i have one, at least once in my lifetime

i was so not looking forward to the manipulation, higgling and misery involved in the buying process, especially after doing a lot of research, where i found loads of articles, tips, tricks, etc on how NOT to get taken advantage of, and how NOT to fall prey to slimy sales maneuvers, and the ever-present &quot;man's world&quot; sexist dealings that nanook speaks of. the whole process seemed to be about manipulation and advantaging the customer. and on principle i absolutely will NOT put myself in that position. it's disgusting and slimy and i'm not havin it in any way.

while researching several different vehicles that i thought i might like, i came upon the Scion, and their way of doing things, which is -

they have a price.
the price is publicly posted.
that is the price you pay.

and it is exactly the same publicly posted price on all Scion dealership websites for vehicle MSRP, delivery charges, options &amp; features. the buyer decides what they want, the posted price IS the price.

and that's all there is to it.

i love this. it is the normal, sane way to do business with no emotional crap involved. a product is offered at an established price, and respects a customer to decide to buy it. the whole process is therefore NOT some kind of gladiator challenge in which the customer is at an immediate disadvantage and feels like they have to prepare for frikin war, or be insulted &amp; advantaged - when they are about to spend a LOT of their own money to boot - to buy the product.

and because of this - and even though i don't think this particular vehicle is the sexiest or best looking (in fact it kinda funny lookin fo real) - but in spite of that i'm getting one. partly because I feel the product is superior of course, but also because they are inexpensive, but also because the entire buying process respects the customer, and is NOT based upon confusing, manipulating or intimidating them to pay more/buy more extras to line the pockets of the salesperson and dealership.

to me, fair dealings in selling is as important as the product being sold. (which in this case i also happen to think is superior, regardless of the price. . . i is a Toyota woman from long time)

i'm not interested in playing wargames with salesppl who are a million times more skilled at slimy sales techniques than I am at defending against them. nor should i <span style="font-style: italic">have to</span> defend myself just to spend my own dyam money!!! nobody should.

so they can gwaan wit dem 'man's world' in the 'mainstream' auto sales gladiator arena. homie ain't playin that. i know what i want, i know what i'm gonna pay for it, and exactly what i'll get for my money. and the words <span style="font-style: italic">higgle, hassle</span>, and <span style="font-style: italic">husband</span> don't enter into it!

<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">priceless!!!</span></span>

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Car shopping, it's still a man's world...

Take that same attotude to the dealership woith the car you like and they will shpow you th respect as sonn as you look the sales person in the eye and speak very slowly explaining that you know the best price you can get with the opotions yuo want. They will just ease off. What you need to do is to research the the best offers, print them out and take them with you. You never haveto show them

[sistacaf]

Re: Car shopping, it's still a man's world...

yes Dudd i realize that i could easily get what i want by 'beating them at their own game'. that is not the point.

the point is i'm not interested in playing their game. not interested in even being in the same ROOM where the game is being played. it's disgusting to me that this inherently insulting and disrespectful way of doing things has become the accepted norm. i want no part of it. and i sure as <span style="font-style: italic">hayul</span> ain't spending my money to profit dealerships that operate that way.

there are 2 or 3 other vehicles that I was considering; and i have already done the research. the others cost twice as much as the Scion, have less cargo space, don't come with <span style="font-style: italic">nearly</span> as many standard features, and are not made by Toyota, <span style="font-style: italic">in</span> Japan. that right there was the final deciding factor. The Scion is the one i want; the sane sales process was just icing on the proverbial cake.