Let's Buy a Car!

Cari and I went to find a new (new to us) car this week.   Buying a car is something that I imagine most people don't do on a regular basis so it's something that should be done thoughtfully and something that can generate a lot of nervousness.  

We went to a dealership and test drove the car we found online.  The salesman with us was the stereotype of used car salesman and he contributes to the negative connotation of that title.  He only told us things that he thought we wanted to hear and downplayed any questions or concerns we had.   He did not appear to be honest in any way.   I think it would have been a simple task to have him contradict himself by feeding him conflicting opinions.  

After the drive we decided that we did like the car and that we would be interested in hearing what kind of deal they had in mind.  We went inside where we met up with the salesman's partner.  This guy also fit the stereotype and had minimal customer service skills.   When Cari presented a few concerns he said, "You complain a lot".   Yeah, he really told her that.  I imagine that he thought he was kidding, but nobody was laughing.  

This rare experience of purchasing a car can be a bit nerve racking and a car dealership has the opportunity to put you at ease and really try to help you through the process.  Nissan in Anderson, SC failed miserably at this.   From the two slimy salesman, to the finance lady hidden in a back office, all the way to the "manager" that appeared out of his office to tell us that he could get in serious trouble for offering us such an incredible deal.  They all failed at making us comfortable with their business.

As we were waiting for a price, which should have been an easy thing, the salesman made several trips to the back office to whisper to the finance lady (we weren't even getting financing with them).  When he approached us with a price it was higher than what was listed on their website.  

GO BACK AND TRY AGAIN.

Finally, he came back with a price at the internet price.  That's after he considered the value of our trade-in.  

GO BACK AND TRY AGAIN.

At this point Cari was getting more nervous and this "team" was not helping make either of us more comfortable about their shady business practices.   As Cari was explaining that we were going to leave the manager, who was listening from his office, came out to talk.   The salesman wrote on the back of a paper "I buy at $________"   and handed us a pen.   We wrote a number and he went to the managers office with it so they could whisper about it.     When the blood-shot-eyed snake came back to his desk he had a number several hundred dollars higher than what we had written. 

It was time to go.   The fact is that they wanted to sell that car more than we wanted to buy it and they didn't know how to make that happen. 

We'll continue looking at cars until we find something that fits our needs.  We'll also be on the lookout for a salesman and dealership that want to be honest and fair with their customers.  Someone that knows buying a car can and should be an enjoyable experience.