Car shopping, was Re: A shameless marketing ploy...

[macloudt]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., Sheryll Townsend <s_ings at y...> wrote:
> 
> --- cindysphynx <cindysphynx at h...> wrote:

> <snip>
  You go in as a reasonably well-educated,
> > mature, and 
> > thoughtful person, but you are presumed to be a
> > total car-buying 
> > idiot until you prove otherwise>

*sigh*  My problem is that I *am* a a silly ignorant twit when it 
comes to either bargaining or anything mechanical.  Good thing I've 
only ever bought 2 cars in my life up 'til now. 

> My mother once had a car salesman fired for refusing
> to take her seriously. <snip details>

Well done!  My friend almost had the same done as well.  She went in 
with her brother to buy their mom a new vehicle, and not only did the 
salesman spend all his time talking technical stuff with the brother, 
he treated my friend like a complete idiot and showed her the 
standards that all women seem to be shown:  the coffee mug holder, 
the sunglasses holder, and the pretty paintwork.  I should point out 
that my female friend is an aeronautical engineer and can design and 
build aircraft from scratch.  My friend's brother took great delight 
in watching my friend explain the mechanical details the salesman got 
wrong to this idiot, and telling this idiot exactly what he could do 
with his sales ledger.  I don't think the salesman was fired, but he 
got a good chewing-out from his boss in front of my friends.

Some years ago my Dad went to trade in his old company car, which he 
bought from the company when he retired, against the cost of a new 
car.  Dad asked $6000 for it.  Mr. Salesman gave us the "blah blah 
blah must-speak-to-the-manager" speech, then took the keys so the 
Invisible Manager could take it for a test drive.  I say Invisible 
because he *didn't* drive it; the only way out of the dealership was 
visible to us, and we never saw Dad's car pass us.  Then we were 
told "blah blah blah...we'll give you $5000", and to my surprise Dad 
gave in.  Only when the idiot wandered off somewhere did my Dad 
whisper to me, "Not bad, considering I bought it off the company for 
$3000"!  Way to go, Dad!

Wish I had inherited his bargaining skills, though...

Mary Ann
(who is dreading dealing with her insurance company after she scraped 
her back passenger door against a brick pillar...oops...)