There is one offering a pretty good bonus but I haven't ever done one before. What I fear is that they will keep calling. The last time my daughter tried to buy a car, she was hounded for probably two months after. What has been your experience? Thanks,

Carol

AM loves car shops and does tons of them, so she is the one to ask. I find the whole experience of dealing with car dealers so painful that I would never do one. I have done a ton of phone shops of them though. These you are not supposed to give a phone, so no worries.

Thanks, Dee! I really appreciate your help and hope you have a good day tomorrow!

I hate dealing with car salesmen, but car shops pay well. Plus, how often do you get an opportunity to test drive a new Mercedes?

Some car shop reports give us a choice of providing the dealership either a phone number or an email address. Follow-up from the salesperson is part of the report. Email is painless. If I have to give a phone number, the salesperson can be merciless. I have found the best way to get removed from the call list is to tell them I bought another car.

I do them and the last one the Salesman did call twice the first week. I told him we decided to buy another car, my husband's choice, very sorry and thanked him for his time. Did not call again. Never got an email.

I am mixed on them depending upon how much the dealer hounds you later. Most of the dealers I've dealt with back off after awhile, but I have one that is still calling months later.

I like them. I do them with my son, who is a car lover. I have only had one who hounded me....I gave her my e-mail (not telephone number) and she e-mailed me forever. Ironically, she was the worst of the car salesmen I've had ... she did very little to actually "sell" the car. The best ones say "No hassle or pressure.." and you might get one thank you e-mail but nothing else.

I prefer to get a phone call or two rather than getting in their email database. When you connect on the phone and tell them you found something else, they "get it" and leave you alone. I've had emails that have a life of there own, no email give outs for me.

I love doing them and if there weren't so many really little dealerships around here I'd do a lot more. These little dealerships have only one salesman and this last time I was there he remembered me although it was 8 months since the last time I was there. Another dealer turned out to have been the boyfriend of my husband's co-worker and he thought he knew me.

I have never been pestered by phone or e-mail.

have done some, was fun to drive a new car. gave a number that is working but we don't ever answer it. some have called half a dozen times, sometimes their manager calls too. the money was good, but I don't think I will do them again.

Signed for another with Intelli...Carol, are you doing that one?

You know I actually forgot what MSP it was. Now I remember, starts with a "M"

yeah, I am still debating. The pay is good, but I don't know if I could take the hassle remembering my last car purchases. Kudos to those of you who do them. I might take the plunge.

I'm waiting to do one but you can't self assign the first one.

My problem with them is I always get impressed and want the car.....and I find the Salesman is not as pressured as long ago, when they could actually sell a car, now they kinda expect you to "not buy". They are more non-pressured than you'd imagine.

There can be more to this than the shop. Sharpen your negotiating skills. Sitting at the table with the business manager across from me, I'm prepared. I know what my trade-in is worth and what the new car should sell for. I know I'm not buying, but he doesn't. There's no pressure on me, and I have no qualms about sending him back to sharpen his pencil. Sent him back three times the last shop I did.

Their commission is much less now than pre-bad economy and yes, they do make better deals, have too...but their interest is .09%...very inticing, I'd trade mine in for that interest rate.

When I did the first car shop I made the mistake of giving my phone number. The dealer called for months. Now I say I want to be contacted by email, and give my MS address.
I agree with Mert that there is a lot to learn from doing these shops, and it is always fun to test drive all those luxury cars.
They better pay is not bad either.

There is alot to learn, and most for me comes from keeping up with all the goodies in the new car, I am less intimidated these days as I gain confidence from having purchased my own car 3 years ago....that was a rough one, but I got a great deal on a loaner with 12,000 miles, had all the goodies and upgrades, so saved a bundle. Doing my dealer tomorrow, have to test drive...I do about 4 a year (that's all). You must be prepared.

edited to say..just finished my Hyundai Dealership, and it really was fun. I wasn't asked to take a test drive (that cut out alot of time), and no longer for this dealer have to negogiate, just evaluate knowledge of Salesman and new car. Found out alot, and this is a very sensible car now #1 selling in the US. This is not a ad, I was impressed, it came in third after Honda and before Mercedes. I recommend doing this job, for those that seem intimadated, no reason to be.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/2010 11:00PM by Irene_L.A..

I did find out what my car would be worth trading in as well as selling on my own. Doing Lexus Friday, fun to see the prices. Huydai actually offered 1 year free Ins, but for me it would be a trade down, not ready to do that. I find the Salesman a little more humble than the old days, not intimadating at all. There are so many dealerships around now that the 2011's are in.

I have done a few....

1. I won't leave my drivers license with the dealership or let them "photocopy" it for insurance reasons.

--- they have pulled my credit while I was on a test drive!
--- I have *often* see copies of other people's driver's licenses (blown up versions) lying carelessly on top of sales peoples desks, on chairs, in the trash cans!
--- One sales rep I shopped actually saved them and put notes on them! He told me, as he shoved a few aside, that he had to remember to call them back.
--- IDENTITY THEFT made easy!

2. I have a sales man go with me in the car (mainly because I won't hand over my license).

3. It came back ONCE that I did not do the shop. BULL!! As near as I can figure, the dealership disputed my report and since they couldn't find a copy of my driver's license on file, they claimed it never happened.

--- which leads me to wonder how they would be able to tell who the shopper is????
--- and any company that takes the client's word without asking me any questions is not worth working for! Seriously, how can you find out that the guy was retired business construction owner, with two kids in college, a brand new wife of eight months, with a new born due in two weeks? You just don't pick that stuff out of thin air!
--- the other possibility is that the MSC decided they couldn't turn in an accurate report that made the dealership look bad.

4. SOME MSC that have auto shops are GREAT to work with! Others, not so great. Regardless, be careful when you do the shops.

Salesman always accompanys customer (shopper) in car on a test drive, do you think they let you take out the car yourself, or let you drive without a DL......they must have your DL. idjk, your post is very disconcerning and confusing. You would be a dead giveaway acting like that. I do a # of them, just wouldn't float in my neck of the woods.

Actually, the salesman does not always accompany the potential customer on a test drive. They usually do let me take the car myself. Of all the dealership shops I have done, only two have accompanied me; the other salesmen have handed me the keys and said "Don't hurry, give it a good test" or something similar. Several have offered to let me take the car home with me overnight or over the weekend. They do, however, always ask for my drivers license. In my state, state law requires that they take your drivers license info; if they do not, they are violating the law here by allowing you to drive without ascertaining that you are licensed. Usually that is a question on the dealership report: did they ask for your license? In most cases, they also ask for proof of insurance; the car is still covered under the dealership's insurance unless/until you purchase, but they want to determine that you are insurable.

Never had a test drive without salesman, their job is to point out details while your driving, at least here. Guess different states have different rules.
I work for a large dealershop here under the MSC that starts with a I....we also can't take the test drive unless it's offered, instructions do change...this was my last one and one I'm doing Friday...all for same client.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/2010 04:37AM by Irene_L.A..

The shops I have done have all required that I do a test drive or I must have a good explanation of why I didn't. If they don't offer a test drive, the instructions say I must ask for one.

ijdk, no one should run your credit report without express permission. Having a copy of a driver's license does not provide sufficient information for a report to be pulled without consent, as it does not have a SSN on it, at least not in any State where I've been licensed.

1. Often the dealerships will let you take a car for a test drive without a salesman (around here they do!).

2. Part of the shop is to assess how the sales person sold you the features of the car, on the test drive. My method of asking a sales person to come along ensures that I can complete that part of the report.

3. I do show my drivers license, but do not allow them to take a copy of it. I have seen so many copies of driver's licenses lying around the showroom, the desks, and in the trash can. It would be easy for someone to steal the copy or steal information from the license. No thank you. I don't want ANYONE to take my personal information and wreck havoc with it.

4. The dealership is NOT suppose to run credit on you without your express permission. But they do it anyway. The only way you would know is if they told you what financing you qualified for or you later checked your credit report.
They can pull your credit report with as little as your name and city/state.

5. No dealership has questioned the copying of the license. I point out the other copies lying about and say I don't want my information left out. They seem to understand. It's never been a problem. Copying the drivers license is never a reason for them to deny a test drive. Test drive is part of the process for the report. I do it. And I get a sales person to go with me.

Just notes about my experiences. And yes, I do have a valid driver's license. And yes, my credit has been pulled while on a test drive. And yes, it's illegal for them to do that, but I can't very well sue them over it, especially since it was a shop.

Totally off topic for just a moment.

You know the Google ads that are shown as links between the thread box and the reply box? I understand they are wired somehow to coincide with most of the topics currently showing up on the page but this has me stumped:

Automotive

Chevrolet Car

Used Car Sales

Cello Dealers (???)

I'm almost positive I didn't see any of the posters describe their experiences test driving a cello. Although, please feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken!

That is so funny! I have a picture in my mind. ha ha