I am getting the oil changed in our Toyota Previa (yes, it's a minivan...please try to keep the laughter to a minimum) and as I'm pulling out of the Toyota dealer I see an S2000 at a Lexus lot across the street. I did a U-ie and pulled in. It was a Silverstone 2000 with 9k miles. No price was posted on the sheet, which is unusual for a used car in Wisconsin.

Of course I barely get out of my car and here comes Ol' Henry in his dress pants, tie, and suspenders waddling out to "greet" me. Here's our conversation:

Salesman (We'll call him Ol' Henry for dramatic effect): "How's she look?"

Me: "Pretty good. What are you asking for it?"

Ol' Henry: "Thirty-nine-nine."

Me: "Thirty-WHAT!?"

Ol' Henry: "Thirty-nine-nine I think."

Me: "I hope not, the MSRP on a new S2000 is 32,800 with dest."

Ol' Henry: Gets out his "sheet"... "Oh, thirty-two-nine."

Me: Getting back in the car, "Ok, thanks anyway!"

Ol' Henry: "Wwwwwait... what, you don't like the price?"

Me: "If I can get a new one for 32,800, why would I pay a hundred dollars more for one that's 2 years old!!??" As I'm wondering why it is I even have to explain this concept to him!

Ol' Henry: "Well, what do you think it should be going for?"

Me: "28 or 29 tops"

Ol' Henry: Well if you put in an offer for 29, I can't promise you anything, but they might accept it."

At this point I'm thinking, "Henry, do you really even know what kind of car this is?? Maybe if your nose wasn't so far in the air, you could look down and take a peek at the car, so you know what it is you're attempting to sell me!

Me: "Ok, I'll talk to my wife about it." And I drove off.

This may not be the most exciting post, but I just had to get that off my chest! I know there are a lot of cars out there, but FOR CRYING OUT LOUD if you are going to sell a car, know about it! I can't tell you how many times I've been shopping for a car and had to teach the salesman about it!! Where's my commission!!

J

 

It's not just used car salesmen. Every time I've bought a new car, I've known more about it than the salesman or the sales manager... This was especially evident at the Toyota place where I got my Tundra.

I just wish the damn salespeople would take the time to learn about the products their selling - sounds logical, don't it?

-V

 

it's not just used car salespeople. a lot of new car salespeople make up a lot of stuff. i was looking at the S2000 at a dealership (name undisclosed). the salesperson who was nearby started talking about the car spitting our random facts. the person started telling me about the motor.. "2.0L dual overhead cam VTEC motor that puts out 240hp." so i play dumb and say "what's VTEC?" .. the person replies "it's a new technology that boosts the power output on Hondas".. he then proceeds to point to the brake master cylinder and clutch master cylinder and tells me that these reservoirs are part of the VTEC system. i just smile.

 

I think if this was a gripe about a new car salesman it would be fair as you would expect them to be schooled on the models within the brand. However, is it fair to expect a used car salesman to know every make, model, price and feature of every vehicle that has been manufactured in the last 5-10 years?

Ok, we are enthusiasts and know a lot about what S2000s are worth and what they can do but how many of you can tell me off the top of your head how much a 2 year old used Taurus or Camry or Sunfire or GMC truck should be going for and what the various options/features of each vehicle are?

Once you have done this then consider that a used car salesman is employed not for his knowledge or enthusiasm for the vehicles he sells but for his skill in selling them.

Puts things into perspective, eh!

 

If you can afford to go to Lexus for a used car perhaps you don't care about the price

 

At the dealership that I go to, the New Car sales people have to have a college degree and they tend to stay (most have been there at least 10 years). Which indicates to me that the dealership takes care of their sales people.

The used car sales people (next door) do not have to have a degree and from what I can tell there is not a lot of love lost between the new and used car sales people.

 

I bought my s2000 used at a porsche/audi dealer. The salesman that I actually dealt
with was pretty knowledgeable but admitted he wasn't too familiar with the s2000.
Another young salesman walked up and excitedly mentioned that it was a really hot
car and "you know it's got a rotary !!"

hmmm... are you sure about that??

 

The salesperson I was working with at a to at a to-be-nameless large Honda dealer here in Colorado flat out lied rather than admit she didn't know anything, to wit:

* Did you know that leather wrapped shifter in the 2002 brochure is the optional Titanium shift knob?

* Did you know splash guards are available as a Honda dealer option

* Did you know you sit higher up in a Boxster than a S2000?

She was extremely helpful, got me my test drive and in general was friendly, and I hate to use a salesperson's time and then buy from someone else, but I can't buy a car from someone who will flat out lie to me about the shift knob - what would she lie to me about while buying the car?