Sales Talk : Bums on seats sell cars – they did in my day

Mike Humble

A sale of a great car lost thanks to a crappy dealer attitude - shame!
A sale of a great car lost thanks to a crappy dealer attitude – shame!

The title says it all really, that’s the well-used phrase that Sales Managers use. Any Sales Executives worth their salt will only stand half a chance of a signed order if the potential customer is placed at the helm and offered a chance of the all-important test drive. It’s the point where the customer is allowed to “bond” with the vehicle and, of course, decide if it’s the car for them. If you are in the market for a car, you simply need to get a feel for what you are letting yourself in for – after all, would you buy a pair of shoes without trying them on?

That said, if you have previously driven the motor you are looking at, you have saved an hour of your time by not having to wait for an ill-prepared Sales Executive to find the car, find their fuel card, dig the vehicle out of a badly-arranged forecourt and try to find where the trade plate fairies have hidden them. However, for 90 per cent of potential customers, the test drive is the second most important part of the sales process behind the actual cost of the vehicle itself. As mentioned, it’s your chance to like or dislike the car not to mention a good way for the Sales Executive to assess whether you are hot to trot as it were.

A local couple stopped me a few weeks back to ask what I really thought of the all-new Vauxhall Astra 1.6 SRi diesel which was parked on my drive. My answer was a definite “it’s a belter” which it really is – it’s not simply the best Astra ever, it’s actually a damn fine motor car in almost every respect – and built here, too. We chatted for a short while and then I invited the couple concerned to have a look around inside and out – they seemed suitably impressed and we parted with me telling them to go and have a try and judge for themselves.

Well, that was a few weeks back and Mr and Mrs Uptheroad walked past the house walking the dogs this very morning. They came over for a chat and recounted one of the worst examples of customer service known to mankind – and I’ve seen and heard some in my time – but this one was quite amazing. They have gone on to purchase a new Golf purely because of the way in which they were dealt with and made to feel special. To digress, it’s also very true for a person to purchase a car purely on the customer satisfaction alone rather than the vehicles actual abilities – this is why the likes of Lada, Hyundai and Skoda did so well despite their once motley ranges of a few years back.

Anyway, getting back to the present, the aforementioned couple did, indeed, opt to go and have a look-see at a new Astra at a dealer which is about an hour away. They walked into a busy showroom only to be ignored for the best part of twenty minutes and, when they did actually speak to someone,  it was they who had to seek out a member of staff. The first person to talk with them made a gruff remark stating he was a Sales Manager and not a Sales Executive, but did point them in the direction of a chap sitting at a desk. They asked a few probing questions about the car but, at no point, did the man ask from this pair of potential customers for any names or contact details

The feel of the wheel steals the deal. The test drive is not just there for the Salesman to gauge your likelihood of buying or applying a little extra pressure, it’s the ideal chance for you to like or dislike the car. Buying without trying is playing suicide with your money!
The feel of the wheel steals the deal. The test drive is not just there for the Salesman to gauge your likelihood of buying or applying a little extra pressure, it’s the ideal chance for you to like or dislike the car. Buying without trying is playing suicide with your money!

A request for a test drive was made and it was here their patience finally ran out. The sales chap disappeared and his Manager came and sat with them asking if there were actually in a position to buy there and then. This is simply not on as a massive number of potentials turn into confirmed orders on the back of a good test drive in a talented car. How many of you have bought an armchair/Hi-Fi /PC /new kitchen or a tumble drier purely on a whim or because of a good deal? Human beings act on impulse and, should you be spending the thick end of £20K on a car, a no-obligation test drive is a must.

The Manager’s statement was then clarified by him explaining that they could, indeed, have a test drive but only on the condition that, should a good deal be worked out, they must commit there and then. This is pressure of the highest order and the husband of this couple quite rightly replied back that this line of enquiry was concluded there and then. They stood up, walked out, drove back to Horsham and accidentally found themselves driving past our local Volkswagen dealer. They popped in for a browse, were treated like King and Queen and bought an ex-demonstrator Golf BlueMotion – simple as that!

So, our hard-working lads and lasses at Ellesmere Port loose out because of a crappy dealer, but it’s more serious than that. The couple in question will possibly never consider a Vauxhall again purely on the past experience – that’s how it goes. Back in the day, when I was peddling Vauxhalls, I once telephoned a previous customer to advise them of the then all-new Corsa, but was sworn at and verbally harangued – why? Well, because the parts man who once dealt with him was rude. Vauxhall dealers should be maximising every opportunity with this all new Astra –  at last, they have a car that really stands toe to toe with the best of its class.

However, this issue is by no means unique to Vauxhall. I have experienced some seriously dismal attitudes in all brands of vehicle and, at one time, was even badgered to death by someone before I had even got both feet through the showroom door when attending an interview for a Fleet Sales Manager’s role – and that was with BMW. Because little differs in cost or specification with most volume manufacturers, the only way to win is by how you do it and how you treat people right – and the best bit of this statement is that it costs nothing to make someone feel valued and special.

I still hear of sales staff treating customers as a hindrance rather than their lifeblood – all this despite of a crippling recession wiping out many dealers not that long ago. Walk-in customers are, in fact, getting as rare as a 25kg sack of rocking horse manure thanks to e-brochures and other important information being nothing more than a click away. Good customer service is what makes or breaks a business – any business in fact – and it breaks my heart to hear that car dealers seem to learn sweet nothing from their own past experiences when times were hard.

If it wasn’t for the unsociable hours I sometimes think of going back into new car sales… I’d wipe the floor and make a killing from these blow-dried idiots who masquerade as Car Sales Executives. Mystery shoppers do exist in the trade but, there are seemingly not enough of them to scare the wits and shape up the slacker showrooms. More direct manufacturer involvement is the way forward I think…

Mike Humble

41 Comments

  1. Spot on article Mike.

    This explains two things:

    1. Why I’ve never bought a Ford. Without exception every dealer in the Birmingham area I have been to see over the years was appalling with experiences like your Vauxhall example being very common

    2. Why my wife’s first car was a VW (an up!) and why her second car is a VW (a Polo). Decent salesman and decent staff. We never felt intimidated or pressured at any time. My wife could tell you a few tales of going into showrooms on her own and being treated as a distinct second class citizen.

    Car retailers -start treating people like human beings and not numbers!

  2. I still find it amazing that sales staff can be so rubbish. This year I thought I would try a Lexus for a change. Dealer was reasonably nice and I was offered a test drive etc. However, whilst I was away driving I thought they might at least try to come up with a price to do a deal. Not the case I actually had to contact him several days later to get this. Then he seem scared of me and would only communicate by e-mail! The first offering was list price, which is not a deal for a November sale when dealers are quiet.

    So driving past the Audi garage I bought my last two cars from I dropped in. The sales man in the past was off recovering from cancer so a different chap came over to say hello after a few minutes. We sat down had a good chat. I had the pool car not my own so he asked me to appraise it so he could value it. I was honest and they kept to the price agreed. He was honest back as it would be my third purchase and they have also sold to my friends. Basically they came up with a staggering deal on a much more expensive car, gave me everything I wanted. The deal was done a few days later. Haggling was not necessary because they valued me as a customer. This is how it should be.

  3. Great article. Too many of these sales staff are not car people either and they are only interested in talking about the various finance plans rather than the car. Don’t know if that’s due to all modern cars becoming increasingly similar or not.

  4. A great article Mike and it still shocks me when I hear about sales staff insisting that if the customer is likely to sign then and there, they will get a test drive.

    A friend of mine, who on average changes his car at least three times a year (yes – you did read right), has plenty of tales of poor service from local dealers. For example, last year after he had delivered his car to a local garage for servicing and was waiting to catch a bus home, he decided to venture into the Land Rover dealership in Exeter to get some literature on the Discovery. Now this is one person who could afford to take on a nearly new Discovery, but he won’t because he hated the showroom experience – classical music playing in the background, no sales literature and someone in their early twenties who turned their nose up to the friend of mine and was quite aloof when my friend suggested that some of the interior trim was not to his liking.

    “Why do you like Land Rovers!” he said to me in a frustrated voice. “Talk about their dealers being pompous and unwelcoming.” He now hates Land Rovers and its middle class, conservative image and instead drives a Suzuki Vitara which he bought from a former MG Rover Group dealership, who treated him like they wanted his custom.

    He had the same experience with the nearby Jaguar dealer when he took his X Type in for a service and MOT two years ago. Abrupt the receptionist most certainly was (and more interested in reading her magazine) and no sales staff came to see if he needed any help when he was thinking about a newer second-hand X Type he had spotted for sale on their forecourt.

    Going further back to about 2002 when he had a fairly new full licence, he ventured into the local Daihatsu dealership to look at the Copen. He had the money with him and a driving licence, but could he get to drive the Copen that was sat in the showroom? Not unless he actually bought it first. Then again the sales manager found that the battery in the showroom car was dead and the car would need jump leads to start it, although he could not be bothered to speak to someone in servicing to help with this. The result – my friend and his father left and did not return.

    As for the local Mercedes Benz and Smart dealer, just before they hand over the key to your brand new car they ask you: “So, when are you thinking of replacing it, Sir?” Which left my father thinking that perhaps they did not think his new E320CDi estate was good enough. Six months later he was receiving leaflets through the post advising him of nearly new Mercedes Benzes for sale!

  5. Is it notorious for Vauxhall dealers to be bad everywhere?

    From experience of a family member owning a Vectra VXR, I wouldn’t touch the brand with a bargepole purely because of the dealer network.

    He brought his year or two old car for a first service (which given it was a VXR was pricey). He got the car back with the speedo no longer illuminated. It needed taken back, I went with him, while he stood at the service desk one of the service guys was arguing with someone who had a diesel Vectra that they weren’t going to honour a flywheel replacement under warranty. Full blown row, bad language etc. which was frankly embarrassing.

    They took his car in, fixed the speedo, when he got it back the factory fit VXR floormats and the door pockets had oily bootprint marks.

    It’s as if they know that people will continue buying Corsas and Astras, and fleets will continue buying Insignias just because they’re used to Vauxhalls, so they feel that they don’t need to try.

  6. No its not just Vauxhall dealers.

    I know a few superb Vauxhall dealers with a good name behind them. Like the article says, its NOT just Vauxhall dealers… its all makes but again not all of them.

  7. This is purely down to training- or lack of it. Sales training has so much more to do with LISTENING and establishing a rapport- engaging the prospective customer to find out the simple 5WH- What, Who, Why, When and How.

    Should it be of any interest to anyone reading this- please feel free to contact me- my company creates and delivers effective sales training programmes- tailor-made to suit!

    Sales training costs can be recouped within a week- if it’s done properly!

  8. Just as a follow-on, there are some GOLDEN rules for selling- these aren’t exhaustive:

    – TELLING isn’t SELLING
    – Selling fulfills a need- it solves an issue, or a desire or a simple need
    – if you fail to adhere to a plan and establish the need- you cannot meet it

  9. Having had 2 Suzukis I tried to persuade her indoors to follow suit and arranged with our local Shropshire dealer to test drive a Splash and a Swift. Come the day/time no sign of a Swift demonstrator and the Splash shown was already sold to a customer and could not be driven. We bought a Hyundai….

  10. A former friend traded in his 214SLi for a Honda CRV, when he really wanted a Freelander; but the LR salesman wouldn’t give him the time of day.

    Sadly, it’s not just salesmen – I parked my Mitsubishi outside a Jag dealer while picking up a spare part for my X-type, only to hear a fellow customer say “who has parked THAT THING here!” I could have been rude, but let it pass.

    But full marks to the salesman at Guy Salmon in Canley, who recently did his best to sell me a new XF when I called in to buy £4 worth of trim clips for the X-type. Little did he know.

  11. I once owned a rather nice Jaguar XJ-S V12, I used to call at the dealers in Exeter quite often for parts and one day out of interest I asked the service manager how much a service would cost… The car was an ’88 example and I enquired about the service in around 2003.

    A few days later I get a phone call from the dealers with a quote!

    “Our lads have never worked on one of these, so it would be good experience for them to learn from it” Ok I said, how much then? “Well, you’d be looking at around £3500 and rising, as I said, it’d be good for the lads to learn from”…

    I couldn’t believe my ears, I’d actually be doing them a favour and I’d have to give them more money than the car was worth!! He was being serious too 😀

    • When will dealers look at every single customer as a potential revenue earner- either directly or not? They need to be thankful that customers actually come to them- all it takes is a simple training programme where customers are actually GREETED and engaged with- where whatever their car- whatever age, model etc it taken an interest in.

      I don’t mean this in a false or forced way at all- but it seems to me that we all have an interest in the car we drive and if the manufacturer’s representatives were all similarly enthused- wouldn’t we naturally gravitate towards them and recommend them?

      I’ve been often tempted to go back into ‘retail’ at a senior level- but my weekend’s are sacrosanct!

  12. I’ve experienced some excellent dealers and some **ss poor ones too (the sales department at a certain LR dealer in east Cornwaall deserving a special mention for outstandingly dire service).

    However, playing devil’s advocate, I can imagine the frustration when a dealer gives another test drive to a prospect that then puts in their choice with their employer who has no intention of buying from that dealer, or where the individual then buys on line or via some broker. The dealer is left to walk a fine line between generousity and caution. I wouldn’t be surprised if that sales person / sales manager had just lost out and was being over cautious.

  13. Firstly the new Astra is outstanding and one of the best cars I have driven in a while.

    Experience for me with Vauxhall dealers in Durham and Knaresborough has been good with attentiveness and keenness to sell but not pushiness.

    With the exception of my local Ford dealer most local dealers have been good but the best is the Jaguar dealer in York who are friendly and helpful even when I honestly said it would be a year or two before I changed my car and I wasn’t sure what I wanted. They were even keen for my kids to sit in F types and a lovely XJR. If I buy another Jag they will be given a chance to get my business.

  14. What a great article – I agree with everything said .

    When the latest model Mazda 3 came out 2 years ago I knew exactly what I wanted but was treated so badly by my local dealership that I refused to let them have the sale.

    I drove 30 miles to another dealer where I was treated very well by the salesman .

    So they are not all bad – but the whole automotive retail sector needs to improve.

    On a positive note my local MINI dealership is a perfect example of how to do things properly .
    The staff are knowledgable and not in the least bit pushy . An extended test drive is always offered it took them 5 years to replace my 1st Gen MINI with a new one , at no time did I feel under pressure . The salesman even sent me pictures of my new car when it arrived and I was on holiday .

    So there are some good ones out there , but alas few and far between .

  15. It’s a shame when the potential customer shows enthusiasm to buy a particular model, that a poor dealer attitude kills the sale and destroys the customer’s desire to buy that same make ever again… from any main dealer. Mike’s account describes terrible attitude by that un-named dealer.

    Luckily my last 3 Ford’s have been bought from the same dealer and the attitude of the Salesmen is streets ahead.

  16. Speaking as a sales veteran, this disappoints me to read sales people are this stupid.

    However, everyone on here has a view on how it should be done, but interestingly none of them want to do the job. Usually citing the unsocial hours.

    Add to this, unreasonable volume targets, poorly thought out commission payments, csi survey targets, bank holiday working, VIP events that require your presence on your weekend off etc etc, you have to wonder that dealers have any sales staff at all.

    I still enjoy the customer and the selling but honestly, I was starting again, I wouldn’t gobwithin a hundred miles of a modern dealers environment.

    Don’t get me started on customers;

    Company car drivers, internet warriors, test pilots, poor credit histories, Parker’s guide carriers… They aren’t perfect either.

    Luckily, I have built up a good database of valued customers who also value me.

    • You raised some very valid points there Mark. 15 years ago I got down to the final three candidates for a sales exec role for the MG Rover dealer in Winchester. I decided it wasn’t for me and like yourself wonder why people choose it as a career.

      I have dealt with some good dealerships and some poor dealerships over the years. I have found (generally) the sales side of the business to be a positive experience but the aftercare provided has been shocking (particularly PSA dealers) and that has ultimately put me off putting any business their way again. Not all sales experiences have been good – when I was looking to buy a DS3 there were two dealers in close vicinity to me and also the dealer where my parents had purchased three successive vehicles. On the visit to dealer number two I explained that I had seen one dealer already and had a price and would be visiting the third dealer to get a price then the exec turned to me and said “if you think we’re going to get involved in a Dutch auction then you can forget it” Guess who didn’t get my business…

      I get your frustrations about customers – with regards to company car drivers they do have a right to come and test drive a car but they should be upfront and honest about their intentions. My dad was like this and had a succession of VW cars in the early – late 90s. The dealer understood the situation and we subsequently returned to buy two private VW Polo from them.

      I don’t think the car industry has moved forward – customers have got more savvy and will look for the best deal. As I alluded to earlier the biggest issue for me is the lack of aftercare – I can’t speak for all manufacturers but having owned PSA, Ford and BMW vehicles they are all poor but PSA dealers were the worst by far.

      A great article Mike – I really do enjoy the Sales Talk series.

  17. A lady I know recently went into the local Nissan dealer. She was looking to replace her small 7 year old Suzuki 4×4 which she had owned from new (she replaces her car every 7 years) and was looking for something similar from Nissan. She owns two dogs, so the priority for her was space that she could fit a crate for transporting said dogs.
    Before she was even shown to a seat for a chat, the salesman in question started his pitch by extolling the virtues of the voluminous glove compartment (it was a Juke) and how the boot would be great “for carrying all her shopping from IKEA”. Needless to say she turned around and walked out.
    What saddened me was that the dealership in question was a previous MGR/Austin etc etc for nigh on 50 years, one that my family had bought from since the 1960’s.I know the Dealer Principal very well. I’d like to think he’d be horrified that he had a salesman acting in such an unprofessional and sexist manner. I almost had an urge to phone him to tell him, but I’m not really into the business of trying to get folk sacked.

  18. Vauxhall’s problem is they sell so many cars to fleets, they seem to forget about the private buyer as there’s more money to be made in selling 100 Astras to Hertz than there is selling an Agila to someone who is buying on finance. Many of their dealerships are huge glass showrooms where the private buyer feels left out and judging by the two dealerships locally, the customer care is poor.
    OTOH brands like Nissan, which have a smaller fleet presence, seem to be far more amenable to private buyers and locally are sold by a family dealer, where the sales staff are expected to display the highest standards and no surprises keep getting repeat business.

  19. My Dad was quite impressed when he traded his Mondeo in a few years ago for a Qashqai.

    The local Nissan dealer was easy to deal with, & rang my Dad a few times afterwards to see if anything was going alright, which most times was just fine.

  20. And that is why I now own/drive Ford and not Vauxhall. Bar dalliance in couple of VWs and an Audi went back to Vauxhall and picked up a second hand vectra which mere weeks outside of warranty had the brakes failed total collapse both braking systems approaching a roundabout lucky for once it wasn’t busy dealer response not any fault of their own. When next looking for a change local Vauxhall were aggressive and had little knowledge of cars they were selling cue Ford bent over backwards to help no pressure and recently I am looking for a van for work both Ford and VW are knowledgeable and information about stock spot as was Renault but Vauxhall absolute joke my business partner and myself approached the reception desk and were asked to take a seat. After half an hour I would have walked earlier but my wife/business partner had experience of the old vivavo and wanted to try new one at this a sales representative chased after us and after letting him know our needs he was lost knew nothing about the van just tried to push finance so I called time and we left.All I know Vauxhall needs to sort out a few of their dealers especially as it’s parent company isn’t exactly doing great anyway these loss of sales won’t help

    • The old fella is impressed with his new Transit, and have to say that the new Mondeo is stunning.

      They might earn another chance after the disastrous mk5 Escort based Orion….

  21. The ultimate kind of snobbery used to exist when Rolls Royce and Bentley used to sell cars in the sixties. I can remember an article in the News of The World when Keith Richards bought a new Bentley in 1968 and after being treated like dirt by the salesman, flagged him off as he drove off in his new Bentley, as the salesman considered him too common to buy such a car.

    • Someone mentioned Bristol being like this, turning away people from their showroom if they didn’t like the look of them.

  22. Bristol , once it ceased to be part of the Aeroplane Company , was run by Anthony Crook , a former fighter pilot and an eccentric of the highest order . He was indeed someone who, if he didn’t like the look of you, would tell you to leave . It was nothing to do with snobbery : he regarded his premises as being rather like his home, and only invited in people that he wished to

  23. A few years ago, with a £400 a month company car allowance in pocket, approached a North Wales Rover dealer with my eyes on a new 600, at least 20 minutes later a rep noticed me mooching around and offered assistance. When I mentioned my budget he shrugged and said nothing could be done… …end of conversation. Any wonder the f””c*ers went t^ts up!

    Now driving a (company) Skoda Superb Estate… the dog’s b*ll**ks, would have been a Rover 75 (or equivalent), hey ho!

    • Willing to bet that £400 was being spent with a national fleet company.

      Therefore the Salesman who seemed so uninterested had probably worked out that he could spend a couple of hours with you for zero result.

      I get it every week.

      “Appreciate your time Mark, sorry I cannot get the car from here but you will get the servicing”

      Brilliant, I will pay my mortgage next month on the promise of an oil service profit at fleet company rates…

      Not everyone in a dealer is deliberately rude, and they aren’t stupid either.

  24. Now mr and Mrs up the road have blended into obscurity as they have just…yawn….bought one….yawn of the most boring cars known to man……zzzzzzzzzzzzz

  25. When I swapped my Honda a few years ago I went back to the dealer I bought it from only to find that they had changed hands. The new salesman was a snotty 20 year old who was utterly unrealistic both with the trade in value of my old car, and the price they were asking for a replacement. All in all the dealer experience was like stepping back to the 1970s.

    I then had a similar experience at a Vauxhall dealer (the one with the sign having black writing on a yellow background). Again, the sales experience was like stepping back 30 years, with the result that I left the building faster than Elvis, never to return.

    In contrast, our local Mercedes dealer offered me a terrific deal on a second hand C class, £750 better trade in on my Honda and a very pleasant and civilised sales experience. OK, I came out with a second hand Merc instead of a new Vauxhall but the Merc dealer will retain my custome whereas Vauxhall & Honda haven’t.

  26. My dad was an honest chap, but he wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. In 1989, he carefully drove his 1982 Carlton to Kenning’s in Shrewsbury, where he decided to buy a 216EX saloon, G582JAW (the runout edition with the mobile ‘phone fitted – remember the TV ad’ where the customer was test driving it around the MoD Chobham test track?) The salesman did an “armchair valuation” of the Carlton, and gave Papa £700 part exchange. As he couldn’t be bothered getting out of his chair, he detected neither the MacPherson strut which had popped out of its mounting and hit the bonnet, nor the rusty fuel tank, nor the big chunks of rear wheel arch which had rusted through and fallen off. When my dad called at the dealer 2 weeks later with a question for the salesman, he was told that he no longer worked there!
    Incidentally, when Papa replaced his 216 with a 416 saloon, he visited his insurance broker to enquire about the new premium. The broker’s son bought the 216 for the asking price – no advertisement, no chipping, just a nice quick deal. That never happens to me.

  27. A while back I was looking for a Feista ST-2. I found a lovely example at my local Ford Dealer T.Wall in Dudley, after my test drive I asked the salesman if I could have a look around the car. As it was a very cold day he opted to go inside and leave me too it. I decided to purchase the car. As I entered the showroom and sat down the salesman didn’t look up from his computer screen. He then asked one of the staff members to get him a coffee with two sugars! He never offered me a drink! He then went on that he couldn’t discount the car at all as my car (an immaculate black 2010 Focus Zetec with low mileage) was unsellable as it had been first registed in Jersey. At this point I decided to tell him to enjoy his coffee and I left the showroom, only to buy another example at Evans Halshaw in Wolverhampton who’s salesman couldn’t do enough to help!

  28. Recently I’ve been looking for a replacement for my 2001 Toyota Yaris & decided a nearly new Nissan Micra was a good bet, especially as West Way had a few 66 pre-regs they wanted to shift.

    At my Stockport they didn’t have many but offered £500 for my Yaris, but tried to talk me (nicely) into a more expensive Micra than I really wanted working out at £9300.

    Today I went to the Altrincham showroom as the had more used Micras, but the slightly used one I had my eye on was already on a deposit.

    Luckily the salesman was willing to knock £500 off a nearly new one to guarantee a sale, again offering a half grand for my Yaris.

    This seemed good enough for me, & subject to some paperwork being processed it will be mind in a weeks time for £8500.

  29. I’m thinking of changing my ageing Nissan later this year, but not keen on the new Micra as it’s made by Renault, decided to visit the dealer’s other showroom, which sells Suzukis. The salesman was a complete gentleman, totally interested in what I had to say, and stated that for the budget I had, could get me a mid spec Suzuki Ignis for £ 156 a month, and would use the Nissan as a deposit. Also no pressure as I said I would be changing cars in the autumn and to call back when I was buying. You can see why brands like Suzuki are so popular locally as the dealers look after the customer and don’t browbeat them.
    OTOH female friend went to buy a Mini and the salesman started going on about feminine colours and interiors and then asked if she was available for a date as he reckoned she was single. No surprises she went to another dealer.

    • Good comments Glenn, that I find myself agreeing with. I’ve bought all my Ford Focus’ from the local Ford dealer and have built up a good business relationship with the same salesman over nearly 10 years. I know what deal I am after before visiting the showroom and have always managed to get a better spec car at a decent price (and a reasonable part-ex).

      • Good to hear that, Hilton, as Ford dealers don’t have the best of reputations and not being helped locally by Arnold Clark squeezing out the small dealers, although one family dealer still fights on near Wigton and is popular as the customer care is far better than Arnold.
        Luckily Cumbria does have fair number of family dealerships left, and I can think of five near me that are still very much in business, three of which have won awards for their customer care. Far better than Arnold Shark and the other big franchises who only care about getting money out of customers and fleet sales

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