car salesmen roundup

So, I’ve been to 3 different places to test drive cars (2 dealers and 1 private) in the last two days.

I asked the following questions immediately after finishing the test drive.

The third private seller is by far the most amusing.

1. (dealership)

Me: Did you know the front right speaker is blown?

Salesman: What!, really? Are you sure you were using the CD player correctly?

2. (dealership)

Me: The tires are bald, they can’t be legal.

Salesman: What!, I don’t think so. Let me measure the tread. Oh yea, you’re right!

3. (Private)

Me: Did you know the check engine light is on.

Salesman: Oh, that’s just cause the car is low on fuel.

Me: Did you notice this huge thud when you raise the front driver side window?

Salesman: Oh, that’s probably because I just had the car washed.

Me: Are you flexible on the price?

Salesman: Not really. A dealership offered to give me 97% of my asking price as trade-in-value toward the SUV I want, but I turned him down.

Lets analyze the facts, the online ad I saw was 30 days old. So he turned down the dealership’s offer and is willing to wait over a month in hopes to maybe get an extra 2-3%, whilst also risking not selling it. Unlikely.

How is it possible that in 5 minutes of test driving I seem to learn more about a car than the owners? Answer: It’s not. They know.