Why do salesmen think if you test drive a car, you

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should buy it?

Ok, I test drove a Jeep Compass Limited 4x4. Wasn't thrilled with it, and many thumbs down here.

It is pretty loaded, stickered at around 31k (has lots of toys) and I got already 3 emails and some calls with offers for around 26-27 if I trade the explorer. I looked it up for fun and it seems like a decent deal.

I said I'm not interested, but I got a call today saying they can even do better with the price if I come in, his manager wants the 2017s gone ASAP. Then the salesman said I know you care about longevity and he said Chrysler is really turning around and their products get better and better.


Seems if you test drive a vehicle, there is almost an obligation to buy it. I didn't even ask, he approached me.

I'm not familiar with the new car sales process, I always bought used.
 
There is old term used by salespeople most customers do not know....It's called

"Dehorsed". thats right de-horsing. They get you to take the new ride home and most of the time you are hooked...I use to sell ford trucks in the late 80s...
 
There is NO obligation, they are just typical salesman, and hound you and coming up with better deals is what they do. If you don't want it, or any other vehicle they have, just ignore them
 
What you're dealing with is an aggressive sales team, with an aggressive sales manager. I had a sales manager who had us keep contacting customers we dealt with until they basically told us to [censored]. You are dealing with that type of situation.

Tell him to stop contacting you, [censored], or you bought from someone else that gave you a better deal. Any of those will work. LOL My favorite is I got a better deal from someone else and bought from them. Then hang up.
 
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It's their job to sell.

They can't sell it if they don't convince you that you must buy the vehicle.

Always have a 2nd e-mail and google voice or some other largely unused number when shopping like this. SPAM addresses and phone numbers.

Much of car selling is creating a need and then making the case that they can solve the need. Just look at all the new car commercials. It's all about creating a need. Some examples are:

Prestige
Safety
Fun
Excitement
Status
Adventure
Sex Appeal

How many commercials actually tell you anything about the vehicle? Few if any. They are visions of the car doing burnouts, or taking your smoking hot wife to the symphony, or off roading to the camp site, or how people will react when they see you in it, or singing in traffic.

A few show the safety features. The vehicle stops for a man who steps in front of the car in traffic, or how a family was kept safe in an accident.

But for the most part, it's about how your life will be better if you have this car.

Create a need, make the case the car fills the need.
 
The idea is that when you test drive the car, you're likely to fall in love with it. You'll see how much better/nicer it is than your current car, and you'll really want to buy it. The salesman knows you're much more likely to want it/buy it after you test drive it.
 
Normal....they have to follow up, it's a requirement and a lost sale if they don't. The level of interest tells me the vehicle is a slow seller, they have incentives for 2017s, it's near the end of the sales cycle, or any combo thereof.
 
That's funny, this reminds me of a post a few days back where a salesman wouldn't let someone test drive a vehicle if they weren't planning to buy it that day. I mean, how would he know he wanted the car without a test drive?
 
$31k for a Compass? Are they out of their minds?

This is why I buy used. You could get a slightly used Grand Cherokee Limited which is a much better vehicle for less than that.
 
I've sent emails inquiring about cars and pricing to various dealerships. Some respond like normal people and some will send an email back asking if my email is correct. I ignore them. They will then proceed to email me for months asking if I'm still interested in the car. None of the 50 emails will ever answer my original question. I think they are computer generated emails.
 
I have owned many Chrysler Town & Country mini-vans. They have all been total [censored] (but fit the bill for my needs).
They have rusted out, transmissions have failed, drive shafts have cracked, power doors, hatches, body computers have all failed.
But my most recent is the first that actually has been reliable, a 2015 Touring L. It just works. Yes the paint is not all that durable, but at least everything still works. This is real progress.
 
About 10 years ago as a naïve 22 year old kid, I test drove a new Altima coupe. This was at about 7:30 PM. After the test drive, the salesman said, "Let's go in and talk about the payments." I refused and left. The next day and every day after, the salesman called 2-3 times. It was extremely irritating. I ended up calling the dealership and threatened to call the police if they contacted me again. Never heard from them again after that.
 
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
$31k for a Compass? Are they out of their minds?


Yes.

When I bought my Sonata, they had an Accent in the show room stickered at $30k. It had all kinds of dealer add ons; aftermarket wheels, extended warranty and such. I could only shake my head and feel sorry for the poor soul who would be tempted into buying that car.
 
Sounds like a salesman doing his due diligence trying to convert an "up" before it went "cold."

I had some contact with Hendrick BMW, MINI, and Porsche before I ended up buying my 911 private party. I got a couple follow ups from all three before and then after I bought. BMW and MINI sales sent me an informational flyer with a discount for the Hendrick Porsche service department, and the Porsche Service department called me and introduced themselves.

All in all I think the Hendrick group found the perfect balance between nagging sales and continuing to offer me a service even after I had bought.
 
Originally Posted By: maximus
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
$31k for a Compass? Are they out of their minds?


Yes.

When I bought my Sonata, they had an Accent in the show room stickered at $30k. It had all kinds of dealer add ons; aftermarket wheels, extended warranty and such. I could only shake my head and feel sorry for the poor soul who would be tempted into buying that car.


Reminds me of my friend that bought a used Vega thinking he was better off buying a newer car so he'd have something after it was paid off. It had power steering, brakes, a/c and a trailer hitch!
 
A recent co-worker story:

Dealer 1: Are you here to buy or lease?
I would like to look at the Infiniti X60.
Are you looking to buy or lease today?
I would like to take one for a test drive. Do you have a dark blue with tan leather?
No, but we have a white with black leather. Let's look at that if you are going to buy today.

Dealer 2: Hello, can I get you a water. What are you interested in looking at? I don't have that color combo but I can have one here with the equipment you want in two days.

Dealer 1 follows up and says have you decided on the white one we have?
Yes, I've decided I found what I want at another dealer.
 
Originally Posted By: ford46guy
should buy it?

Ok, I test drove a Jeep Compass Limited 4x4. Wasn't thrilled with it, and many thumbs down here.

It is pretty loaded, stickered at around 31k (has lots of toys) and I got already 3 emails and some calls with offers for around 26-27 if I trade the explorer. I looked it up for fun and it seems like a decent deal.

I said I'm not interested, but I got a call today saying they can even do better with the price if I come in, his manager wants the 2017s gone ASAP. Then the salesman said I know you care about longevity and he said Chrysler is really turning around and their products get better and better.


Seems if you test drive a vehicle, there is almost an obligation to buy it. I didn't even ask, he approached me.

I'm not familiar with the new car sales process, I always bought used.


New, used, probably the same standard practices. I did go test drive a car once and wasn't really into it as it was missing some features I was interested in. Sales guy called me up a few times and at one point called me the day before the last day of the month to try and make a deal. It's getting toward the end of September now so you may get another one. Anyway said he could make a really good deal if I came in the next day. I was sorta tempted but was busy the next day so I didn't bother. Glad I waited as I found something better later on. He kept calling every few weeks until I told him I bought a car and then he stopped. I've test driven cars at other dealerships and never got a call afterwards. I guess it depends on the salesman/dealership.
 
Trust me, you don't even have to test drive a car to have them hounding you, try working at a dealer. Completely without my knowledge one of our sales people decided I was going to trade in my 2014 Mustang, he wanted it, and that he was going to then sell me a new Mustang. His plan was foiled when I informed him that 1. I don't like the new Mustangs enough to buy one, and 2. If I did trade my Mustang in, I would walk across the street to Chevy and buy one of the SS sedans.

O and the sales people are trained that people want to buy even when they say they are just looking. If you come in and the sales person that has you for an up does not get all of your info so that they can harass you later, they get punished. Usually involving being sent home for the day or having to spend a day cold calling people.
 
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