Confessions of a Car Salesman - Required Reading
January 26th, 2004What really goes on in the back rooms of car dealerships across America? What does the car salesman do when he leaves you sitting in a sales office and goes to talk with his boss? What are the tricks salespeople use to increase their profit and how can consumers protect themselves from overpaying? These are the types of questions that undercover journalist Chandler Phillips answers in his informative account of day-to-day experience on the car lots.
Reading this article will broaden your understanding of the dealership sales process and cast a new light on the role of the car salesman. Most importantly it will help you get a better deal—and avoid hidden charges—the next time you go to buy or lease a new or used car.
Favorite quote:
I was an undercover car salesman for Edmunds.com, sent to a dealership, which sent me to a seminar, which sent me to another dealership as an undercover shopping evaluator. I guess that made me a triple agent. Very good lines.
July 16th, 2006 at 5:27 am
How can I get a hold of Chandler Phillips, we would like to interview him for our morning show?
November 18th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
Yeah most salesman want to make a profit on a new car but unfortunatley the government makes more profit than a dealership does and they’er not even in the car business. Yeah we could work in factories and make more but who would sell you a car? So if you are not ready to buy please keep your drive throughs to Sunday’s.
Sincerely,
Mike Thompson
May 9th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Car salesman write up a deal on a 4-square sheet, take it to the boss, and he pencils the deal. If you are buying a new car do some research on the invoice of the car. Then ask the salesman to see the invoice as well, make a realistic offer, be nice, and see where you get. Acting like a jackass does not get you a better deal! It also depends on what you are shopping for, a VW has no cash back or rebates, and work on a 6% markup if that. A chevy is pretty worthless so there is much more cash back and money that can be rebated. Do your research, be realistic, and understand dealerships need to make a profit and you should be in for a fair deal