View Poll Results: Will Pontiac Dealers screw up the G8's success pontential?
YES! Pontiac dealers do their best to screw this one up.
60
64.52%
YES! GM should just make a Saturn version, so I could buy one without huge dealer mark-ups
7
7.53%
NO! Pontiac dealers won't mess it up because LUTZ will come down and kick someones A$$ if they do.
6
6.45%
NO! Pontiac dealers finally woke up after the Solstice and are better positioned to handle the G8.
12
12.90%
I don't like it , so I don't care.
1
1.08%
I'm going to buy a 2009 Camaro so it doesn't matter.
7
7.53%
Voters: 93. You may not vote on this poll
Will Pontiac Dealers screw up the G8's success pontential?
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,502
So, help me understand ... why would a dealer not let someone test drive a car?
I can understand if it was a kid or someone who didn't seem like a serious buyer, but the stories are that they weren't letting *anyone* drive a GTO, even if you drove up to the dealer in your BMW.
Were they intentionally trying to ice the car or was this just incompetence?
I can understand if it was a kid or someone who didn't seem like a serious buyer, but the stories are that they weren't letting *anyone* drive a GTO, even if you drove up to the dealer in your BMW.
Were they intentionally trying to ice the car or was this just incompetence?
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 689
Hot new high performance cars attract a lot of "test pilots", people who have no intention of buying the car and maybe even can't afford it, but who want a test drive. Rather than cater to those folks (and risk having your limited allocation wrecked) it's easier to tell your sales force "no test drives without a deposit" and wait for some impatient fool with more money than brains to come in and buy it on sight.
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 194
From: MA
There's too many idiots out there wanting to be test pilots. Dealers don't want to risk performance cars get beat up from somebody just wants to drive it around the block. Asking for deposits scare away test pilots. Most of them have no clue how a manual transmission.
Guy,
It's a shame you don't believe a word I say but selling GTO's in sunny California is a little different than Massachusetts. Everyone ordered GTO's less and less each year. A lot of places around here still have that 1 06 they ordered.
Do they like the G8 and hope they sell all they can get, yes they do but they're not very enthusiastic about it because the last australian pontiac
Guy,
It's a shame you don't believe a word I say but selling GTO's in sunny California is a little different than Massachusetts. Everyone ordered GTO's less and less each year. A lot of places around here still have that 1 06 they ordered.
Do they like the G8 and hope they sell all they can get, yes they do but they're not very enthusiastic about it because the last australian pontiac
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 669
From: Arcadia, OK
Hot new high performance cars attract a lot of "test pilots", people who have no intention of buying the car and maybe even can't afford it, but who want a test drive. Rather than cater to those folks (and risk having your limited allocation wrecked) it's easier to tell your sales force "no test drives without a deposit" and wait for some impatient fool with more money than brains to come in and buy it on sight.
Why not just practice common sense? It's one thing to weed out the 17-year-old that shows up in a 1995 Civic with a fart pipe. That doesn't mean you have to disrespect a qualified prospect; if he/she has to jump through hoops not even required at the BMW dealership, then you're gonna **** 'em off and they will simply go elsewhere! It's a Pontiac, not a friggin' Ferrari!
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 194
From: MA
Why not just practice common sense? It's one thing to weed out the 17-year-old that shows up in a 1995 Civic with a fart pipe. That doesn't mean you have to disrespect a qualified prospect; if he/she has to jump through hoops not even required at the BMW dealership, then you're gonna **** 'em off and they will simply go elsewhere! It's a Pontiac, not a friggin' Ferrari!
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,502
Why not just practice common sense? It's one thing to weed out the 17-year-old that shows up in a 1995 Civic with a fart pipe. That doesn't mean you have to disrespect a qualified prospect; if he/she has to jump through hoops not even required at the BMW dealership, then you're gonna **** 'em off and they will simply go elsewhere! It's a Pontiac, not a friggin' Ferrari!
Somewhat of a problem, because perhaps Pontiac's retail network is set up to move a lot of tin under $20K. So, perhaps they haven't trained or adapted for selling a higher end car. Just a theory...
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 194
From: MA
[QUOTE=flowmotion;4411135]I'm guessing the BMW salesman has a much better "Does this guy have $30 Grand?" detector.
Somewhat of a problem, because perhaps Pontiac's retail network is set up to move a lot of tin under $20K. So, perhaps they haven't trained or adapted for selling a higher end car. Just a theory...[/QUOT
True, When you sell a lot of base G6's and then someone comes in to look at a goat or a solstice it's like half the sales force has this "This isn't real" look
Hopefully dealers as whole won't screw it up. As long as they don't overprice the car and take advantage of all the training that will probably be offered. They learned the hard way with the goat and did better handiling the solstice when that came out.
Anyone know Pontiac's sales projections for the 6 and the 8 and which one they think they'll sell more, etc?
Somewhat of a problem, because perhaps Pontiac's retail network is set up to move a lot of tin under $20K. So, perhaps they haven't trained or adapted for selling a higher end car. Just a theory...[/QUOT
True, When you sell a lot of base G6's and then someone comes in to look at a goat or a solstice it's like half the sales force has this "This isn't real" look
Hopefully dealers as whole won't screw it up. As long as they don't overprice the car and take advantage of all the training that will probably be offered. They learned the hard way with the goat and did better handiling the solstice when that came out.
Anyone know Pontiac's sales projections for the 6 and the 8 and which one they think they'll sell more, etc?
Last edited by Supergrobo82; Feb 13, 2007 at 08:23 AM.
Registered User
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 753
From: Annapolis Md. USA
I would never put down a deposit just to drive a car. I have test driven 50-60k vehicles with no problems, and Pontiac wants a deposit on a 30k car? Makes them look terrible. Oh wait, the 10k markup will put the car in the 40's LOL
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 194
From: MA
Probably should have made it clearer. The deposit shouldn't be done to every joe sixer who wants to test a G5 but to the guy you're leary about driving the one G8 GT you have that just came off the truck.The deposit scares away the test pilots and if someone does do the deposit, they'd get it back after the test drive. I think someone serious about the car would understand because I don't think they'd want to buy a car that someone put a 15 minute beatdown on just for kicks.
Registered User
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 2,947
From: Springfield,OH. U.S.A.
Demo's usually get big discounts, and people that can afford these cars usually don't treat them like rentals either...but if you're forking out over $30K for a car, pushing it a little to see how it performs should be encouraged.
If they feel someone is young and not a serious buyer, then simply ride alone with them, show them some roads to safely get a feel for the car.
If they feel someone is young and not a serious buyer, then simply ride alone with them, show them some roads to safely get a feel for the car.
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