My DH is a used car dealer. I know- the first thing that pops into your head is that he's a dishonest ***. Thats what most people seem to think anyways. I cant even count the number of times that people treat him badly or get upset because they think he is trying to pull one over on them. He discloses all of the information on every car that sits on his lot. He wants to help people find a car that they'll love and be happy with. and yes- we do HAVE to make a little money. I can't think of anyone who can just work for free. In fact- he does LOSE money on a car every so often.
My husband just started his own small car dealership. He loves cars, loves to drive them, fix them.. and yes, sell them. I am blown away by the amount of people who come in and think that they are getting "ripped off" because a cigarette lighter cover is missing... or that the tires arent brand-new... or whatever else thing they can think of.
I understand that people want a nice car- so does he, but dont treat the dealer like a crook because the car is used. If you want a brand-new car, go spend the money on one... if you think the price of the car is too high, please dont ask him to stay an extra three hours after the office closes so that you can come and look at it, and then want $5,000 dollars off the price. Sure- negotiate. But I'd be a rich woman if there was that much markup in used economy cars.
Last thing- if you make an appointment for 9:30 at night, saying you'll bring in cash to the office, meaning that the dealer has to wait 4 hours after closing to sell you the vehicle, please dont just bail without a phone call. The least you can do is give some notice that you wont be showing up.
Ugh! sorry- the funny thing is that my hubby doesnt really complain about this stuff- he knows its part of the buisness. But I do hear about it and it drives me INSANE! the individual that you buy your car from is a person too- he has a wife at home who would love to eat dinner with him once in a while and for people to stop giving her a funny look when she mentions that her husband is a dealer. Yeah- there are dishonest people in the world... but please, treat people how you want to be treated.
Ok- rant over. Thanks.