Am currently jamming out to The Summer of Eelnahs CD I received in the mail today. Not only good for rocking out in the car, it’s a great soundtrack for work or blogging.
TAKEN FOR A RIDE
There aren’t enough jokes about car salesmen. If ever there was a greedy, evil profession, that is it.
Lawyers get a bad rap because of the money-grubbing, pompous minority. For every ambulance-chasing, spotlight-desiring, law-practicing loser, there are three or four good souls slaving for justice. However, for every know-it-all, arrogant, swaggering car salesman, there are dozens more JUST LIKE HIM. I say “him” because the majority I’ve come across are male.
I temper this disdain with the fact my grandfather many years ago owned a small Nash-Rambler dealership. Certainly, there are those who care about people over money. There are some who are good listeners, not just fast talkers. But I’ve never met a modern car salesman I liked. If you know a nice one, please prove me wrong.
Late last week we received an invitation from a local dealership to visit and receive a free Texas Rangers Baseball Fan Kit (two tickets in the nosebleed section, a T-shirt and a hat). Sure, why not? So we pull up to the dealership and get hit on right away.
Greedy Salesman: “What can I do for you today?”
Texas T-Bone: “We came for one of these.” (shows G.S. the invitation).
GS: “Sure you don’t want to go ahead and trade in the Isuzu?”
I said some things I regretted saying, including “We already have a Ford we can’t get rid of, thanks.” He was just doing his job, but I didn’t feel bad enough to apologize. We got our lousy Fan Kit and went home, but not before being asked once again, “Can someone help you find a new car today?”
I guess I should be used to it by now. When one of your occasional hobbies is test-driving cars (with no intention of buying), it should get easier to not swing your bat at the wild sales pitches. But I wasn’t in a mood to be pestered on Saturday.
However, there are times taking the salesmen for a ride will get you “free” stuff. It’s free if you don’t mind spending the time at a car dealership with the circling sharks. Here’s a list of our spoils of war:
1. $50 Brookstone gift certificate for test-driving a Chrysler PT Cruiser
2. Teva light-hiking shoes (valued at $70) for test-driving a Land Rover Freelander
3. $75 Visa gift card for test-driving a Land Rover Discovery
4. $35 Sharper Image gift card for test-driving any new Mazda
5. Texas Rangers Fan Kit for simply showing up at a designated Ford dealership with the coupon
We declined a free blanket for test-driving any new Jeep vehicle, although we’d driven a couple of Jeeps in the past for nothing. And we were invited to but declined test-driving any new Mitsubishi twice, once for $20 in free gas and then again to get a CD of music from Mitsubishi commercials. Just ran out of time on those. Plus, there wasn’t much chance we’d be buying a Jeep (poor reliability, rough ride on the road) or a Mitsubishi (they hold their value like a bottomless bucket holds water).
The best car-buying experiences were my first and second cars. I paid cash for both, and bought them from the original owners. That, my friends, is the way to do it!
