Figured if I could get a good deal that I would get a Malibu or something. So I drive up, dressed decent, my car's nice and clean, I park. I walk over to the new cars, start walking around. A salesman comes up to me.
"Can I help you," he says, not in a "I want to sell you a car" but a "get out of here," tone.

"Yeah," there was an Impala there that looked not bad, last year's model style but new, "I like this one right here, is there anything you can do for me?"
"Price is on the window."
"Well If I could get a deal on it -"
"Price is on the window."
"You can't negotiate?"
"Look GM sets the price and we just sell it for that."
"Oh. I was thinking of trading my car" *pointed at the Toyota* (figured that if he saw what I was trading he would take me more seriously.
"We don't buy those for very much," he says, "they don't hold their value
"Oh well I'll look around, thanks."


Maybe it was just that dealership (i've been before and anyhbody i've talked to says they're jerks, but daaaamn that was some bad service.

 

Speak to his manager to let them know why they won't be getting any of your business.

 

I think all new car dealers are like this (all new cars sell at sticker and your trade in is worthless). That's why people buy new cars on the internet these days. Skip past the BS and go straight to the real deal.

 

They are hurting for customers at that place and now I see why. They're HUGE and yet the Hummers and trucks they have on display sink into the mud.

 

Wow, that guy sure knows how to deal with customers.

 

That is so sad that it is funny

 

Aren't you like 18 anyway? Not trying to defend the guy..but he probably saw you drive up in a somewhat new car and assumed that you parents bought it for you, and that to a)trade that one in, and b)buy a new car, they would have to be there for any action to take place.

He handled the situation wrong...but an 18-20 year old with a nice somewhat new Corolla trying to trade it for a last generation Impala just sounds fishy...I mean how much does that happen. It's so funny you dressed up also...I will go in a dealer in shorts, a T-shirt and flipfops...then again I am a little older (25). Of course since I met my wife we have owned 7 new GM cars...so there are probaly picture of me with $$$ signs super imposed in all the dealerships offices.

 

Branden, Jimbo is 19, almost 20, I believe, though he could pass for older IMO.

Regardless of a person's age, treating them that way is not going to make a future customer out of them. If they're driving up in a halfway decent car then obviously they can afford it regardless of how they got it; so what's to say they couldn't afford a new car in a similar manner?

The Malibu isn't exactly a high dollar car; I'd say more 19-20 year olds than not that I know could afford to buy one if they wanted to. And it's not like one of those circumstances where some kid comes in and just wants to rag on the car; I mean, who would want to rag on a Malibu for the 'fun of it' with no intention to buy? That's something I might watch out for with young people looking at Mustangs V8s and Vettes and such, but not a Malibu.

 

Thanks for the replies. I am 19, though you wouldn't guess that unless you really knew me. If the Toyota dealership treated me the same way I would have never bought from them. Thing is that the GM dealerships are HUGE. I was probably just another number, like 30 cars in the showroom, a starbucks, etc.
I drive by every so often and the same cars are always there. My dad not too long ago owning 2 Buicks, they were never great for service, even for him.

I don't think it's just sheer luck or coincidence that other companies are going to overtake them.
It's funny, cause when I went to Audi, I met my dad there but i had gone in before him. They gave me food from the buffet and told me to wait in front of the TV while a salesperson was coming lol.

 

Jiimbo, you should go to Detroit for your next car shopping experience. Everyone there is on the company discount plans for one reason or another and most of the dealers just don't care.

When I bought my Mustang I went into the showroom and I was totally ignored (not just me, I think there was another guy there). So then I say rather loudly "HELLO, I WANT TO BUY A FORD MUSTANG!" at which point somebody came over and said "Someone will be out in a 10-15 minutes". Quite the opposite of the "Sharks" that won't leave you alone in the other regions.

 

It confounds me, the cynicism on these boards. OF COURSE you can seek out, and find, terrible dealers. Why would anyone hang around these places, or try to do business with them? I can also name some lousy local Lexus dealers. So what? I turn around and leave when I find such a dealer.

I beg to differ on the subject of Detroit dealers, in particular. When I was shopping for my GTO, I also cross-shopped the Mustang GT and the Hemi Charger. Both the Ford and the Dodge dealers I went to were courteous and eager to help. (Both were pretty stiff about offering any room on discounting below sticker, but I fully understand the reasoning). As for my Pontiac dealer (Bob Sellers Pontiac GMC), I've bought several new vehicles there, and am thoroughly satisfied with their attitude and performance. I swear some folks herein need a shoulder-chip-removal operation

 

A Cadillac saleman informed me that the CTS has " one fuel injector per cylinder".

 

i went car shopping in a 2 year old honda accord and was treated like crap at both the ford and chevy dealers in town when i was looking for my SS ... and the damned honda was worth more than the SS!

i hate dealers with a passion. we actually got kicked out of a ford dealer because we went in to look at the new mustang (it was a base model v6) and i refused to give them my phone number so they couldn't bug me the next 3 weeks.

 

When my father and I went to look at the Solstice, a salesman told us we could sit in the one they had in the showroom. As soon as we're seated, the sales manager tells us very brusquely to get out of the car - it was sold. Then right in front of us and in a disgusted voice, he calls for someone to wipe down the seats. Now, we're not dressed in our finest threads, but we're not schlubs either. And to boot, my father bought a new GTO there six months ago. If I recall, that car still sells for $5-10k more than a Solstice. I'm pretty sure they made a pretty penny on the 2002 Vette my dad had traded in as well. In the past five years, my family has owned six new GM cars. Now we're never going back to that dealer again.

There are good dealers. I went to one where they let me test drive a GP GXP, even though I quite clearly was not there to buy (I told them as much).

 

I rolled into a Nissan dealership with this ragged out 89 240sx I had bought as a winter beater. I was getting a recall done that was never performed. This car was in ROUGH shape.

I was treated like a king, offered me coffee brought me around the showroom, answered every question I had on their vehicles. Asked if there was anything there that I liked or even remotely liked enough to take for a spin.

They encouraged me when I asked to watch what they were doing with my car, mechanic was spewing out answers as he wrenched. I have to say that dealership seemed to be against the norm